2025-05-09 22:27:03Ten years later.
Rhok stood in front of a well, gradually he pulled water from the well. Behind him were shouts of training.
“Harder!”
“Faster!”
“More precision. Lower your body and maintain defenses”
The other bastards of the Lord were training. Well, they weren't bastards, but Rhok preferred to call them by that.
He gazed at them with deep violet eyes and instantly saw their weaknesses. He scoffed a little and turned his attention back to the well.
He wasn't allowed to train.
His mother, San was a maid. A servant of the Vale family and as such she had no noble blood. The others, on the other hand, had mothers who came from prestigious families.
He glanced at the other bastards once more, his eyes met with one who sat in the ground. A girl.
He couldn't quite remember her name, but he knew she was less of a bastard than the rest were.
In the house of Vale. Only swordsmen were made. It was the only skill that was given preference above all. And the girl who locked eyes with him had not a lick of talent in Swordsmanship.
She was a mage.
Rhok turned away and hefted his bucket of water. His body was still weak and scrawny, but he had done what he could to strengthen his body as much as possible.
In the time Rhok had been alive. He had observed that this world was basically a fantasy world. The kind that existed on earth. Magic, spells, monsters, caves, and the lot…
He had taken the last decade to learn all that he could about this world. It's magic system, power balance, politics, and everything that mattered.
But what caught his attention the most were the attributes of magic that each person had. It was intriguing to say in the least.
Especially his. Rhok had manifested a rare attribute. He had the shadow attribute.
He felt it was a corny joke made by The Abyss Engine. Although he would have preferred a more destructive attribute.
Lightning would have been much better. He sighed outwardly.
[BORED? I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T LIKE THE OTHER BASTARDS OF LORD VALE?]
'I don't.'
He was almost at his makeshift cottage. He had made it himself in the depths of the forest, where he could train and be at peace. Away from the nagging and disturbances of the others.
[DON'T YOU FEEL LONELY?]
'I prefer being alone.'
He wished he could shut up the system that rang commands and gave demands whenever it wanted.
It was The Abyss Engine. But not exactly The Abyss Engine.
A fragment of his consciousness. It had been two years ago when he randomly saw a holographic message pop up in front of him.
He had been in the forest looking for fruits and herbs from the tops of trees and roots of bushes. He shook the memory away and focused on himself.
“Eiran!”
“Eiran!”
Rhok heard his name being called. The voice belonged to the only other woman who cared for him even though he had tried pushing her away countless times.
Fey.
“I'm here” he said tiredly as he dropped the bucket of water on the ground. He stretched his arm out, swinging them in slow circular motions.
His training was a bit too much for his fragile body, but he didn't care. He had to get stronger fast. And the system was doing everything it could to make that happen.
Although Rhok would wish he never had the system to begin with…
“Oohh, where have you been?” She rushed at him, pulling him into a tight hug.
“Where you hurt anywhere? Did they insult you or beat you up?” She checked his body for any marks of wounds or injuries. But nothing.
“I'm fine” he said pushing her slightly away. Fey felt a bit hurt by that gesture. But Rhok couldn't help it.
He had finally understood the reason he had been called upon this world. He couldn't bask around in Fey's comfort or be lazy in his training.
He also didn't want to be used. However... He was still too weak.
“Thank goodness you're okay. I've told you many times to avoid playing around with the other children of Lord Vale. It's not safe for you, they could….” Her voice broke.
“Could what?” He asked. His voice, stern and demanding.
Rhok immediately caught himself. Just now, he didn't sound like a ten-year-old child and that was a problem. He couldn't go around sounding like a grown man in his fifties.
“I just want you to be safe… Your mother” she began.
“I know, Aunt Fey. You've told me the story countless times. But I'll be fine. They beat me up just that one time and never again” Rhok said, his voice softened towards her.
“I promise” he added. He didn't want to remember the woman who birthed him. Neither did he want to remember being beaten up by a bunch of toddlers.
[QUEST!]
'Aah shit!' Rhok cursed.
[RAID THE CAVE OF GOBLINS IN THE EASTERN REACH OF THE FOREST.]
[TIME LIMIT]
[TWO HOURS.]
[FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE QUEST.]
[MANA REFLUX AND DIARRHEA.]
[GOOD LUCK!]
Rhok's face crumpled into a frown. He hated the random quests that the system gave him. They were absolutely unnecessary.
But the rewards were always worth it…
He smiled at himself and looked at Fey. He raised himself up, standing on his toes and kissed Fey on her cheeks.
"Can I go play in the forest? I want to pick up some fruits and berries" he pleaded.
Fey looked a bit taken aback by the gesture but smiled warmly. “Don't take too long, be back before sunset” she said as she straightened up.
Rhok ran away like a child happily would, into the forest until he was covered by trees and debris. He stopped abruptly and turned towards the east. His eyes darkened as the surrounding shadows moved.
They obeyed him and did as he willed. Wrapping themselves around his body and forming two little sharp daggers in his hands.
Rhok dashed forward.
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Chapter 110. Sword in the Smoke
The warfront smelled like ash and old prayers.Everywhere you looked, there was smoke, cooking fires, burning tents, scorched wood from buildings the Church had cleansed. The soldiers kept their heads low and voices lower. The ones who still wore their insignia did so out of habit, not pride. And in the heart of it all, Saint Varn stood untouched, his robes still a perfect white.He didn’t speak much, but he didn’t have to. His sword did most of the talking. It was the kind of silence that made people obey.The Church had taken over fully now. They didn't even pretend to answer to the royal camp anymore. The banners of the Eight fluttered next to the royal crest, but only one actually mattered now.Sir Dave had returned from his mission two days ago. He barely had time to breathe before he realized what had changed.“What the hell happened?” he muttered under his breath as he and Ferrin passed the main camp. “We were only gone for a week.”Ferrin looked away. “They're calling it a pur
Chapter 109. Saints with Teeth
Back at the warfront, the camp wasn’t the same.The air felt heavier.After all, Rhok was gone.There had been no funeral, no body, no real proof of death, but the word had spread fast. Soldiers whispered that he had fallen into a volcano. Others believed he had vanished by his own choice. Either way, he was off the map.The Church didn't wait long.Three days after the news reached them, an official decree arrived.It was posted on every wall, every post, and carved into stone where there was no wood."By the will of the High Sanctum and under the authority of the Eight, all persons, knights, mages, and soldiers found to have aided or allied with Rhok, the Heretic, shall present themselves to be judged and questioned under holy law. Refusal is considered treason against the divine will."They called it a simple inquiry, but everyone knew better.Saint Varn arrived the next morning but he didn’t come alone.Four saints came with him, cloaked in silver, shiny swords, and cold faces. Be
Chapter 108. The Black Tablet
Rhok didn’t leave the ruins.Not right away.The further he walked, the more he realized how deep the temple really went. The halls turned into tunnels, the tunnels led into chambers, and each chamber told a different story. Stories older than time itself. Stories no one was supposed to remember.He found carvings of symbols he didn’t understand, but they didn’t feel foreign. They felt familiar in a way he couldn’t explain. Like dreams that almost made sense.Aby stayed quiet for most of it, only flickering once in a while to light the way.She didn’t interrupt, she just watched.Finally, Rhok came across a different room—one smaller than the rest.There were no statues, no altars, no crowns.Only one thing.A flat black tablet in the center of the floor.It was shaped like a coffin lid, long and smooth, carved from a single stone. The surface shimmered faintly, like it wasn’t stone at all but something older. Something alive.Names were etched into it. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.
Chapter 107. Ghosts of Gods.
Rhok didn’t die.Though he came close though, but he didn't die, you would think that killing a body close to a gods would take so much difficulty.He had fallen into the volcano on purpose, let go of the ledge without fear or hesitation. It wasn’t just to escape the Church, or the whispers growing in the camp, it was to breathe. To disappear from everyone and everything, even for just a while, to grasp the eternal grasp of death if only for a moment, and yet that grasp almost took him.The world believed he was dead now.That was fine by him.He crawled out of the volcano three days later, burned but not broken. The divine flame inside him didn’t do any abnormal things this time, it welcomed the fire around him like an old friend. It healed him from the inside out, soothed the wounds before they could scar. His clothes were half charred, his body aching, but he was alive.The sky above was wide and gray. There were no signs of demons, no voices, no searching troops.'Good.'He walked
Chapter 106. Dead Air.
Three days had passed since Saint Varn left the war camp, but the air hadn't gotten any lighter.If anything, it felt heavier.Not from the weight of battle or even the sound of steel being sharpened for war, but from words. Words that were whispered, preached and repeated over again."Heresy."It came from the church tents near the east wall. A cluster of white robed clerics had arrived not long after Varn. They weren’t warriors. They weren’t healers either. They were speakers. And they only had one sermon:'Rhok is not divine. Rhok is dangerous. Rhok must be watched.'They never said his name outright in public, but everyone knew. The soldiers heard it during lunch. The wounded heard it in the infirmary. Even the cooks whispered it while stirring soup.And as for Rhok... He heard every word.He didn’t fight it, didn’t argue, he didn’t even try to defend himself. He just listened, nodded when he had to, and walked on.But inside, he could feel something building. Not anger or sadness
Chapter 105. A Decision Not Made.
The room emptied slowly after Saint Varn left, but the tension clung to the walls like a fog.Prince Caelan didn’t move right away. He stood near the war table, one hand resting on its edge while his other rubbed the bridge of his nose. Maps were still in front of him, battle lines sketched in red ink and tiny flags marking troop positions. But none of it mattered right now.The Church had made its first move.And the game wasn’t going to stay on the board for long.Sir Dave stood near the entrance with arms folded, his face hard but unreadable. Ferrin lingered a few steps behind him, unsure where to stand or even if he was supposed to be here.Rhok stood alone by the window.He didn’t look out at the camp or the horizon. His gaze was somewhere else, somewhere deeper. His arms hung loosely by his sides, his shoulders slightly hunched. He looked like a man thinking about walking away from it all.Finally, Caelan broke the silence.“I don’t know how to explain this to my father.”Sir Da
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