2025-12-08 01:05:52
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171
~Laurent We stepped out of the ruined chamber, the corrupted mana still clinging to the walls like residue from a nightmare that hadn’t fully dissipated. I barely made it three steps into the camp we'd set up before a familiar voice groaned from behind a collapsed pillar. “Are you two planning to leave me here to die or what?” Kendrix. Obviously. He had woken up. I was hoping we could go and get back without waking him but I guess that wasn't possible. He pushed himself upright with a wince so sharp it almost folded him back in half. Blood stained the side of his shirt, dried into a deep brown patch. His hair was a mess. His breathing uneven. But his expression? Bored. Deeply, profoundly bored.Calista blinked. “Aren't you supposed to be resting?" He gave her a flat stare. “You're not even supposed to be here.” He limped toward us, one hand pressed to his ribs like he was holding himself together through stubbornness alone. "So where are we going next from here?" "We are go
171
~Laurent We stepped out of the ruined chamber, the corrupted mana still clinging to the walls like residue from a nightmare that hadn’t fully dissipated. I barely made it three steps into the camp we'd set up before a familiar voice groaned from behind a collapsed pillar. “Are you two planning to leave me here to die or what?” Kendrix. Obviously. He had woken up. I was hoping we could go and get back without waking him but I guess that wasn't possible. He pushed himself upright with a wince so sharp it almost folded him back in half. Blood stained the side of his shirt, dried into a deep brown patch. His hair was a mess. His breathing uneven. But his expression? Bored. Deeply, profoundly bored.Calista blinked. “Aren't you supposed to be resting?" He gave her a flat stare. “You're not even supposed to be here.” He limped toward us, one hand pressed to his ribs like he was holding himself together through stubbornness alone. "So where are we going next from here?" "We are go
170
~LaurentThe clone stared at me with those hollow, imitation eyes. Nothing behind them. Nothing remotely close to the real Vyrath’s malice. Just a sketch of a nightmare wearing a stolen face.Still, it lunged.Pathetic. Predictable.It came at me with a sweeping strike, claws outstretched, moving fast enough that any ordinary fighter would have flinched.I didn’t.I simply tilted my head.The claws missed me by several inches, slicing empty air.The clone staggered, its momentum carrying it forward. It tried to recover, digging its hands into the ground like an animal trying to steady itself. Its breath was ragged—if it could even be called breathing. Its mana was flickering, unstable. Whoever summoned it barely knew what they were doing.It swiped again.And again.Every attack like a blurred line of motion… yet somehow painfully slow to me. I shifted my weight, letting the strikes sneak by my arm, my shoulder, my cheek. The air brushed past my skin but nothing else.A sputtering gro
169
~Laurent The hum of the ritual thrummed in my ears, a low, insistent vibration that made my teeth ache. Calista was stiff, frozen, her limbs locked by a spell I didn't recognize. They picked the wrong person to mess with. I stepped forward. Slowly. Deliberately. The dust on the floor shifted beneath my boots. My shadow stretched long, flickering across the runes carved into the stone. “The first hand that reaches for her dies." The word wasn’t loud. I didn’t need it to be. It carried weight. Authority. Presence. The chanting faltered. A flicker of light—torchlight or magic, I couldn’t tell—hit me. They saw me. Recognition hit them like a hammer. I was Laurent Draven. The one who had killed the Monster Monarch. The boy who single handedly killed a whole army of monsters. They had every reason to be scared. Calista’s spell broke. Her body went slack, then wobbled as she took a staggered step forward. The Arcanists’ eyes widened. Whispers ran through them, sharp and frighte
168
~Calista I crouched on the roof, knees pressed to my chest. The wind was still, the city quiet, but my mind buzzed like a hive of restless bees. Everything about this world was madness. Laurent had just dropped me into chaos without warning. Everything here looked like it was out to kill me. Monsters, corrupt systems, clones, broken laws… I hadn’t asked for any of it. And yet, here I was. I was a warrior at Eldoria but the things I've seen in this few hours of being here made me realize that I was not as strong as I thought. I looked down and saw as Laurent slept below. His chest rose and fell in shallow, steady rhythm. He looked less worried in this state. It was refreshing to watch. I let a small, secret smile curve my lips. My "servant" had grown. Strong. Independent. No longer unable to lift a single bucket and now strong enough to lift mountains. It felt strange. Almost… like the balance had shifted. In Eldoria, with the chief and all. It felt like I was in charge bu
167
~Laurent The ash from the clone still drifted in the stale air, settling like black snow around my boots. The system’s last soft chime faded, and the silence that followed felt too big—like the city itself was holding its breath. Kendrix was slumped against the broken column, chest rising in slow, ragged pulls. His eyes were unfocused, shaking with leftover terror. Calista hovered near him, torn between giving him space and checking if he was even still conscious. I crouched in front of him. “Kendrix,” I said quietly. “Talk to me. How bad did it get?” His gaze flicked up—sharp for a second, like the name anchored him. Then he exhaled, a heavy, hollow sound. “It all started three months ago when you left." I blinked. “Three what?” Calista straightened, startled. “Three months? Laurent—how long were you gone?” I stared at nothing. The Celestial Vale… the Time Vein… the journey through ancient lands… “It didn’t feel like that,” I muttered. “It felt like days. Maybe a week.” Ke
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