The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 344: Completed Elemental Circles

Chapter 344: Completed Elemental Circles

Hex observed the changes occurring inside his heart as a space shard entered it. Having achieved success with the Ice element, he decided to try the other elements. If he could truly achieve mastery of the elements by using his heart, his strength would be elevated to a whole other level.

’If I can save time on training and understanding the elements, I can focus on other things.’

There were just too many things he had to accomplish in order to ascend the ranks. His progress with the Method wasn’t significant. A lack of resources was one reason for it, but lack of time was the bigger issue. Resources could be gathered once he reached Wrixia’s core areas.

His mother had warned him though. There were risks. Although all elements were equal, their inherent characteristics differed. Ice, for example, influenced the body temperature of a person. Loss of control could lead to a person freezing from the inside out, dying as an Ice sculpture. Space, as an element, could have even worse consequences.

The best-case scenario would be damage to the inner organs, but more often than not, a person using the Space element ended up being splintered, finding themselves in different places, without dying. And that, the not dying part, worried Hex the most when Medina warned him about the risks.

Just imagine, losing limbs one couldn’t retrieve but still could sense. To make things worse, according to his mother, even the best Dryads couldn’t reattach limbs or parts while they were still ’joined’ to his body through space.

As soon as the shard entered his heart, it underwent changes. Prior to entering the heart, the shard had a faded silvery hue. But inside the heart it started to shine brightly. The silvery hue reflected his surroundings, but at the same time, it wasn’t an exact match.

’There are small differences. Not only with the reality outside the pod, but each shard is displaying slightly different picture.’

Hex hesitated. He wasn’t lying still in a safe and secure place. He was on the move. What if he stepped into one of the places, ending up in a place he couldn’t return from?

After deliberating it for a while, he decided to limit himself to observation for a bit. He let his senses sink into one of the shards that matched reality the most.

As soon as he came in contact with it, he experienced something wonderful. Although he remained seated inside the pod, he sensed the outside world. Not just sense in the way that he could see and hear. It was as if he was outside, going with the flow, hearing the water slush, feeling it against his skin, smelling the slightly herbal-like aroma it had.

Hex had been through a lot but even so he found the experience exceeded anything he could have imagined. He couldn’t think about a way to utilize this ability of the Space element immediately but he knew it would have its use somewhere down the line.

He continued to marvel in the experience until he reached the next port. But he didn’t get to confer with his mother. The pods toward the next destination were already waiting on him. Again, he would have to travel on his own.

The journey toward the core region would take quite some time. Not every port in between had enough pods to accommodate their numbers. At some of the busier ports on the way, Hex noticed the attention they drew from the locals.

At each port, the pod with seats for four were first assigned to the captured leaders of the Witchkin. Only then were the others divided. The groups of captives with guards were prioritized above Hex. He didn’t mind the solitary journey. In fact, he preferred it. It allowed him to focus on his training without anyone observing him.

After journeying a few days, going from port to port, Hex had tried all the other elements he had control over. The abilities he could add to his arsenal varied from helpful to average. But that wasn’t the point. The glistening, completed elemental circles on the back of his hand was what he cared most of.

’I achieved something like this in just a few days. I honestly thought reaching such a level would require me a few months if not a year.’

Pleased with his progress, he climbed out of his pod. According to the bits and pieces he caught from the other guards, they were getting awfully close to the core region. Strangely enough, the traffic thinned and the distance between the ports increased. Hex had expected the reverse to happen actually.

"Listen up, everyone."

Jonathan stood on top of a bench and addressed the group. A glance at the surroundings revealed that they were the only group present at the port. The place seemed a little too small for a port close to the core but it was significantly better maintained than any other place Hex had seen on his journey so far.

"As some might know, this is the last port where unauthorized citizens of Wrixia can board a pod. Even we, the Guardians, aren’t fully authorized to enter the core region through the Flow."

Hex looked toward Elize, who happened to look at him. She nodded her head slightly, indicating this to be truly the case.

"We will continue our journey, though. The path toward the core is through the ground from here on. We will descend through the vertical pods hanging down from this branch and catch the weekly caravan. All the required arrangements are made."

Hex narrowed his eyes. Elize might think everything was in order but he couldn’t help but feel uneasy with the way Jonathan had behaved so far. He had been...ordinary. And that was something that didn’t sit well with Hex.

Jonathan was an Enlightened Knight and part of one of the most elite forces inside Wrixia. Yet, this entire escort task seemed ordinary. It didn’t differ from the way an average Squire would escort a petty criminal.

Before he could think more about it, he felt a hand pat his shoulder, ever so gently. Looking to the side, he saw his mother, smiling radiantly at him.

"I am here. Don’t worry."