FROSTBORN: Rise of the dark legend

Ch. 004 A lost cause

Emerald lake hostel

Ragnar returned to his hostel room, his brain working a mile a minute. The moment he opened the door, a head popped out from the upper bunk. 

“Ragnar, is it true?”

The excited words caused him to jump, looking up at the person grinning at him. 

He was back in his room, with his three roommates. The one who asked the question was a blue eyed blonde, radiating a bit of rakish charm. He was Thane, the son of a famous hotelier. 

“What?” The words were forced out. Ragnar's eyes felt misty. He couldn't believe he could see Thane again. 

In his past life because they kept warning him about Aria, she got him to cut them off. Yet when he was trapped under a collapsed mountain, it was Thane that risked his life to pull him out, ending up with a crippled left leg because of a boulder that fell while he was carrying Ragnar out. 

Now that he thought about it, he had such good friends, but never cherished them. 

“We saw the video on the students’ hangout group. You really broke up with Aria?” A boy with brown hair, sitting on the lower bunk asked, snapping shut the book he had been reading. He was Vonn, from the family of politicians. 

Ragnar blinked back the tears in his eyes, and inhaled a deep shuddering breath. He really saw them again. This time, he wouldn't let them pay for his mistakes. 

His lips stretched into a smile and he nodded. “Henceforth, I have nothing to do with Aria Kensington.”

Someone hissed from the bathroom door. Ragnar turned to him. It was Ryujin, his last roommate. While the other two were close to him, Ryujin held nothing but contempt for him. 

“Do you even believe yourself?” Ryujin shook his head and made his way to his corner. “Being your roommate is the greatest shame of my life.”

Ragnar's mouth twitched. He truly couldn't fault Ryujin for having no faith in him. His past actions were quite… troubling… and humiliating. 

Thane cleared his throat, trying to dispel the awkwardness. He jumped down from the top bunk with a clean backflip, narrowly missing the expensive lamp by the desk. 

He smiled broadly, and patted Ragnar's arms. “As long as you've figured it out, it's all good.”

He noticed Ragnar's distant gaze and traced it to Ryujin who was getting things ready for his night tutorials with his martial arts instructor. 

He coughed, moving his weight from one foot to the other, then bumped Ragnar’s shoulder with his. “Don't mind it. Ryujin just speaks like that. He doesn't have malicious intentions.”

Ragnar whose attention was elsewhere finally noticed someone was talking to him. He nodded and sighed, pulling Thane into his arms. 

Thane froze. Vonn who was unwrapping a candy went slack, letting the candy fall on his bed. 

Ragnar tightened his arms around Thane, his heart aching. 

Thane, who thought Ragnar was emotional because of his breakup, smiled a few seconds later and wrapped his arms around Ragnar, patting him gently. 

“It's fine. Even if that leech is gone, your brother here will find you ten prettier goddesses to accompany you. How about that?”

Ragnar chuckled, realizing their thoughts. 

“I really…” The words got stuck in his throat. He didn't know how to explain himself. If he told them about his past life or that Aria was the person he hated the most in this life, they would rush him to the hospital for a CT scan. 

He untangled himself from Thane’s grip and made his way to his bed. His mind was in chaos. None of his assumptions seemed to hit the mark. How did he get reborn? 

He seemed to have heard a voice in his head just when he felt his consciousness slipping out. 

What did that voice say? The voice seemed to have passed on some instructions. 

Ragnar strongly suspected that the key to turning things around lay in the words that mystic being said to him. 

He hissed, his eyes narrowing. 

‘Ragnar, oh, Ragnar, how could you forget the most important thing?’

He began to chew on his lips, replaying the memories in his mind. The rest were clear, but that last few seconds of his past life was dark and hazy. 

There was a blank sheet where those memories were supposed to be. 

He hissed again, kicking the bed, and pulling the sheets over his face. 

“It would be a shame if I'm still unable to save myself after everything.”

Vonn who was reading by the window finally noticed Ragnar's agitation. He hit Thane's head with the book, causing him to grunt impatiently.

Thane's eyes never left his phone, moving his hands, his lips pinched, totally immersed in the game. 

Vonn hit him harder and he finally looked up in irritation. Vonn motioned towards Ragnar's bed. 

“Your friend seems very distressed. Will he survive the night?”

“It's fine.” Thane ended the game, and slipped his phone into his pocket. “He's addicted to her. The first two days will be hell, just like crack. As long as we hold him down, and encourage him, he will be over her in no time.”

Right on cue, a harsh knock hit the door. With the exception of Ragnar, everyone turned towards the door. The knock came again, impatient, authoritative. 

Ryujin, who was already on his way out, pulled the door open, a scowl masking his face. 

“How dare you hit my door like that? Don't you want your hands anymore?”

The girl at the door shrank back, terrified of him. He pushed past her, leaving the room. 

Ragnar who was tossing on the bed suddenly sat up. 

The memories of being pushed down became clearer. His finger went to his chest, closing around the golden locket. 

He finally remembered. The locket had shattered after he was kicked and pushed down, revealing a white jade with streaks of gold. 

When he hit the bottom floor of the abyss, the movement tousled the jade, causing it to land on the bleeding wound on his chest. The bright light and voice, in addition to all the mystical events he experienced should have occurred around this period. 

He gasped, his eyes brightening. He threw the bedsheet off his body. Now he understood. His sister severally warned him to always keep it on him at all times, that it was his mother's most treasured possession. That if he gave it to another, the person would die instantly. 

Thinking back, his sister must have said that to prevent him from giving it to Aria. It was the locket. The key to solving all these mysteries was the heirloom his birth mother left him. 

At the door, the girl who came to knock stood Akimbo, her gaze hostile. 

“Ragnar, don't you see the time?” Her tone was loud, grating. Even people in the corridors and surrounding rooms could hear her clearly. 

“Aria still hasn't eaten dinner till now. What are you waiting for? Hurry and tell those dog chefs of yours to make something for her. If her stomach has problems, can you bear the consequences?”

Ryujin whose foot had just touched the first stair paused, his eyes darkening with displeasure. 

“You!” Thane pointed at her, his nose flaring. 

Vonn grabbed his arm, quickly pulling him back. With Thane's temper, if allowed to handle the girl, he would make a mess. 

“I know you're a beggar, but I didn't expect that the Hawthornes have fallen to the extent of begging for food.”

The girl's expression darkened. Ragnar she had no qualms offending. After all, he wouldn't dare to act up with Aria around. But Vonn was a different case. 

She gritted her teeth. “It's his honor that Aria is willing to accept his dirty food. If he doesn't bring her food within fifteen minutes, he will be punished for it.”

Thane scoffed, and reached out from behind Vonn, grabbing the girl's hand. 

“It seems you and your mistress are quite dense. Let me repeat. Ragnar no longer has anything to do with her. If she can't afford dinner, she should starve to death.”

He gave her a hard shove, and she spun like a disc, hitting the opposite wall. 

She glared at them, rubbing the bruised spot with a pinch between her brows. 

“Get lost immediately. The next time you come to Emerald lake, I will make sure you lose a limb.”

The girl scurried past Ryujin who had been watching the show all along, her eyes red like a frightened rabbit. 

“That was satisfying.” Thane grinned broadly. They always had to endure all manner of indignity for Ragnar's sake. Now he no longer cared, he would slowly take his pound of flesh, bit by bit. 

Ragnar who was on the bed inspecting the locket was biting his lips, his eyes narrowed in concentration. 

“Does this mean I can activate it with blood and call back the owner of that voice?” 

He needed to confirm it. But first, he should find a secluded spot to avoid attracting attention due to the golden light that might appear. 

Thane turned to see Ragnar hastily jump up from the bed, all frenzied and giddy. He smiled and waved his hand dismissively. 

“Don't worry. I already told her off.”

Ragnar zoomed past them like a flash of lightning. Thane froze. Vonn's mouth fell open. 

Didn't Ragnar say he was never going to contact Aria again? How come he's running to buy her dinner with such speed? Where was their face then? Even if he didn't value his honor, theirs was very important. 

Thane sucked in a shuddering breath, his shoulders slumping. Beside him, Vonn shook his head, resting his arm against Thane's shoulder. 

“He's a lost cause.”