The Stonehearted Knight-Chapter 447: An unexpected encounter

’So, the North is under the command of the Golden Paladin, who is kind of my teacher-uncle of sorts.’

The report in his hands didn’t state it out right, but Hex read it between the lines. Every ruler of the seven nations had moved to their palaces inside the Golden City. The city was rumored to be independent and that served as the headquarters of the Paladins.

As far as the public knew, the rulers had moved closer to each other so they could protect them from the enemies. Enemies from the outside and the inside. There was a full war going on against the snowfiends.

Curious, he read the part about these creatures. The more he read, the more his back straightened and his mood worsened. There was something strange about them. And then...it hit him.

’Heartless. Their appearance and patterns are too similar. Aside from the snowfiends being white instead of dark, they are almost the same!’

There were no drawings. But the descriptions matched. And the progress of the battle...

’This. This isn’t a simple attack. This is a scheme to create more snowfiends. No wonder no city walls are breached. They are creating an illusion of safety, forcing the people to chase them.’

His eyes scanned the text, searching for more clues. His breath stuck in his throat.

’ Yes, here.’ His eyes caught a particular part of intel. ’Missions are issued to search for the corpses of their fallen brethren but the harsh snow has caused most missions to end in failure so far.’

Hex clenched his knuckles. This brought up memories. He had seen all this play out once. On a smaller scale with dire consequences. Now, the entire North with millions of people were embroiled into it. He didn’t dare to imagine the aftermath.

’This has to be stopped. I don’t know how. But I will find a way.’ Hex wasn’t willing to let this one go. Due to his experiences, he hated such acts from the bottom of his heart. Deep down he knew, the fact that had been intended to be a supreme class Heartless, fueled his hatred against such acts.

To distract himself from the boiling anger and frustration, he browsed to the other section of the report.

A detailed list of the numerous subjugated regions and powerhouses proved the sheer dominance of the Highest Temple. They represented the Templars too.

’All the marshes, swamps, and steppes in the west are now in their grasp. They also took the Devils and Sins ruling over these regions as prisoners. A smart move.’

It didn’t take a lot to understand the reason behind their focus on the west. The High Temple was the strongest force in the world. Their members could be found in each region and of various stages on their path to power.

However, their focus had always been on what they called the positive abilities. Light, water, and Fate were their favorite. With a war looming over the horizon, they bolstered their ranks with missing abilities.

’That is if someone can overpower their High Altar.’ Hex still remembered. The leader of the High Temple triumphed over Taboos and Sages. She was considered the strongest. Even his master had spoken with respect about her.

She hadn’t appeared in the war so far. Hex suspected that to be the reason behind the Divine Lord’s controlled expansion. Most likely, he was waiting to join forces with his elder brother. And the one ancestor of the merchants.

There was very little known about the bastion the Warlords had formed. As they barely spilled their influence outside of the mountains, they received less attention. Hex on the other hand felt wary about them. Those madmen, desiring chaos and war, wouldn’t sit still.

’Things are turning interesting. And annoying. I need to survive the chaos. And I hope Grindeston does as well.’

...

There was some time before the next part of the tournament would resume. Hex had prepared to the best of his abilities. He used the days to fill in the gaps of knowledge as much as he could.

There was plenty he learned. Nothing that surpassed the knowledge he gained the first time around, of course. There were details he had missed, though.

...the battle to kill a Taboo came with a high price. The crown prince and Mikhael even joined forces to complete the task, agreeing to decide the winner based on the final blow. But the inexperienced princes didn’t know there were forces they couldn’t overcome with sheer will power. Forces such as the Dawnbringers.

’I thought grandfather created this organization?’ Hex paused. Either the author was mistaken or there was more to it than he knew. He suspected the latter to be the case. The Divine Lord was known to sow doubts into the minds of the very best.

Maybe his grandfather had been a tool. Like everything and everyone else. The Divine Lord didn’t care about them. All He cared for was getting what He wanted.

...the Dawnbringers used the final siege as a chance to transform the corpse of the Taboo into a Heartless. The details remained clouded in mystery. What is known is that the day of the final clash the late emperor arrived with his new wife.

’So, master, grandmaster, and both my mothers were there?’ Hex wasn’t surprised. He knew his mothers had been there. And he still remembered the sadness in his master’s gaze when he spoke about the sacrifice of his master.

...the Taboo stage Heartless had superior strength and stamina compared to its previous self. One source even claims that an ancient being had awakened inside the corpse. It took the combined effort of the crown prince, Mikhael, and the emperor to defeat it. There are murmurs of Heaven’s Vault descending at some point. None of these are ever verified. For the only survivors were Mikhael, his wife, and the Witch.

’And then they moved to the other side of the mountain. Chasing each other.’ Hex knew the story that followed. At some point the children of his master were sacrificed to create him, the cursed one, Hex Darkenmane.

He stared blankly before him. He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t see the person who arrived. Nor did he hear her.

"Hello?"

Hex only looked up when she stood in his face.

"Wha–" It startled him. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Sorry," the girl said, taking a step back. "I just came to deliver the food. But you didn’t reply. So–"

Hex listened to her apologize. But he wasn’t interested in one. He was happy to see her. For she held the clue for what he was searching for.

"Jade?"