The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 328: The Dark Crystal (2)

Chapter 328: The Dark Crystal (2)

Hex inspected the dark crystal. It was similar in shape and size as the one gained from the Sand Burial Monarch. It was still in his possession. When Sterling and he parted ways, Old Man Perl still hadn’t recovered.

It proved difficult to wait until they returned to the hotel so he could dive into it. But he had to wait. He didn’t want to leave his physical body unguarded amidst people he didn’t trust. The least in the presence of an Enlightened Knight who eyed him with suspicion.

The petite man who led the Guardians in cleaning up the mess in the little village glanced now and then in his direction, obviously interested in knowing how he had removed the darkness cladding the area for years.

He certainly didn’t buy Elize’s half-hearted explanation about his superior affinity with Darkness. Even Hex wouldn’t buy such an excuse. After all, in the long history of Wrixia, they didn’t lack experts of several elemental affinities.

Marve, as Elize called him, seemed to be wary about Elize too. He seemed to have taken a cautious approach and prioritized taking possession of the site and the corpses of the tramps. According to the Witchkin they had sacrificed these people to increase the density of the darkness and summon the crystal. After years of experimenting, they had discovered that death worked the best when trying to catch its attention.

After some discussion, the Guardians decided to apprehend the survivors and keep them inside the hotel, until their support teams arrived. The two main culprits, which were the leader and the vice leader, would be monitored in turns by Marve and Elize. Only they had the ability to withstand whatever powers those two had.

Hex believed he could keep both in check too. With the help of the crystal, of course. The crystal acted as a bane against them, weakening every darkness-based attack of theirs to the level he would be able to contend against. But he remained silent when they were discussing. He wished nothing more than to dive into the crystal and seek the remnant soul of the Witch.

The way back to the hotel wasn’t eventful. The city itself was still in the dark. The shift of leaves hadn’t happened yet.

On their return, Hex observed the two girls and their mother. The frail woman sat in silence. Both girls leaned on her. Jade seemed more happy about surviving and having the affection of her friend than hurt by the entire ordeal. Cyantha’s hand still held the dark mark but seemed otherwise happy too. The mother caressed both girls’ hair with a soft smile on her lips.

Hex averted his eyes. He didn’t judge the mother. Rather, it didn’t matter if he judged her. They were happy. And she wouldn’t even be around long enough to be judged. Hex suspected she would die in one or two days at the most. It didn’t make sense to disrupt a happy family over this.

The other women and girls sat in silence, each lost in their own world and thoughts. The sudden attack of the darkness and losing a few of their members seemed to have shocked them.

Once they were inside the hotel, Hex went to his room, leaving the others to the Guardians.

...

"Boss, are you sure about this?"

Arnault stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the floor Hex was on and whispered. His boss, Marve, sat in one of the chairs near the stairs, as did Vlad and Gary. They had placed all the women and girls on the third floor, and took the watch on the second.

"Are you suggesting we overstep our boundaries and harass a young man we know nothing about?" Gary scoffed at his friend before their Boss could reply.

"No. Okay, yes," Arnault replied. "I mean come on man. Have you forgotten? One of the main things we learned in class as trainee Guardians was the existence of red-flagged areas, which were basically areas of no return. ANDD...the Witch’s lair was on top...TOP of that list."

"Well, yes," Gary shrugged. "As Lady Elize said, his affinity with the darkness element –"

"BULLSHIT!" Arnault barked but seeing Gary jump in panic and his eyes going up the stairs, he nearly wetted his pants in fear. He glanced nervously at the top of the stairs and heaved a sigh of relief seeing it empty. He continued in a hush tone, while nodding at his friend.

"Bullshit. Are you dumb? Wrixia has four Enlightened Knights with darkness affinity, and Saint Selene, who is said to have the blood of the Goddess of Night in her veins. And not one of them has ever been able to break the darkness around this place. Heck, aside from the Saint, none even entered the village out of fear they would disappear."

Arnault stared at his friends and even his Boss, daring them to utter a counter argument but aside from Vlad closing his eyes and Gary shifting in his seat, no one did anything else.

Their silence proved the validity of his arguments. Arnault turned his gaze at his Boss. He might be daring enough to propose an attack on the kid but he didn’t have the guts to do it himself. Not even if he was ordered to do so. After all, the kid had done something no one else had accomplished. And there was Lady Elize.

Arnault didn’t say anything. Nor did any of his two friends. They had seen their Boss retreat under Lady Elize’s gaze when he wanted to interrogate the kid. That was enough to show the might of the beautiful lady.

But no matter how long he stared at his Boss, he didn’t say or do anything. In the end, he sighed and plunked himself in the remaining seat.

Silence returned. Only when the shadow on the stairs moved away, did Marve dare to breathe again. His stupid underlings didn’t know how terrifying that golden-winged woman could be.

...

Hex sat cross-legged on his bed, sending consciousness into the crystal.

’This one has a layer blocking the entrance too.’

It was just like the one he encountered with the Sand Burial Monarch’s crystal. He had overcome that one thanks to the spatial crack but he didn’t have one around this time. Just as he wondered whether he should ask for advice, something strange happened.

His consciousness that poked into the protective layer, seemed to meld with it and push into the crystal.

’It’s opening itself to me.’

Hex realized what was happening. The layer stopped unwanted trespassers from gaining information hidden inside such crystals. Entry was gifted to those who had been chosen by the person whose crystal it had been.

The crystal’s behavior had been advantageous to Hex since the very start. It seemed to accommodate him as if it wished to belong to him. Excitement filled him as he stepped inside the crystal. Was he about to meet the remnants of the Witch’s soul?

A similar mountain with memories as he had seen in the Burial Sand Monarch’s crystal appeared before him. Hex advanced, hoping to find answers inside these memories.

Just as he was about to touch the first fragment, the fragment melted, turning liquid. After the first fragment, all the other fragments started to melt and flow into one and another.

’What the heck.’

The almost-infinite number of fragments all melted quickly. The black liquid merged into one and became one huge blob, hovering in space.

Not sure how to react, Hex decided to wait and observe the changes.

The blob twisted and turned, shaping into a discernable shape. Hex expected it to turn into a female shape but with time, Hex noticed that not to be the case. In fact, it didn’t even seem human. It looked...feline. Yes, it seemed to be a...cat.

The huge black cat sat in the air, licking her paws. Its huge green eyes looked at Hex.

You have her scent.

Having dealt with several powerhouses, he didn’t jump when he heard the cat speak without moving her muzzle. The voice sounded feminine.

"I am her son."

Hex didn’t hide. He was a bit disappointed though. It was clear that the cat, whoever it might be, wasn’t the Witch.

The cat stopped licking its paw and lowered its head, giving a better look.

She succeeded?

"What do you mean?"

I assume she created you because I doubt she would allow a man to defile her.

"Yes, she did. So?"

So, she succeeded with her project...Project Godking.

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