Hadjar carefully lifted Elaine in his arms and turned toward the staircase carved into the stone. He immediately noticed that she now had a silver ‘Sword’ hieroglyph on the back of her hand. Apparently, she had received a King’s Sword — a weapon of such a high level that it could be turned into a symbol and invoked with just the power of a thought. Hadjar had only heard about it in old tales.
“No one can hear the wind, General denied by the Heavens,” he heard the whisper tell him.
Hadjar turned around just in time to notice a leaf separate from the red crown and, after gliding through the air, dive into the pocket of his patched clothes.
“This is my first gift to you, stupid General. I want to help you. I wanted to help you... I’ll help you... I’ve never met you... No one hears the wind and you don’t hear it. You hear it, but you don’t hear the wind... You hear your dreams...”
Hadjar turned away and started walking faster. He was sure that a couple more minutes in the company of this creature would drive him completely insane.
“You’ll die,” the rustle of the leaves chased him, unrelenting. “But one who hasn’t been born yet will bring you death.”
Hadjar cleared a dozen yards in one leap and found himself on the steps of the stone staircase.
South Wind’s legends had taught him to not believe the prophecies of the Trees of Life. For even if a thousand bright minds got together, they still wouldn’t be able to interpret it properly. The Tree always worded them in such a way that the true meaning was hidden. Therefore, it was better to just forget them.
***
When the sun descended from the sky and the ruins of the temple plunged into darkness, the Tree of Life came alive once more.
“Hello, dead General.”
In the darkness, a ghostly figure appeared, woven from silver moonlight and a misty haze. The same man Hadjar had seen in his vision of his distant ancestor.
“Hello, my Enemy,” the long-dead echo replied.
However, the Tree of Life saw everything that had happened, was happening, would happen, and might happen. From its perspective, all of it was happening right now. It didn’t understand the concept of time, for time didn’t exist in a way that could influence it.
“I’ve given him your sword, dead General.”
“Thank you, my Enemy.”
The figure began to fade.
“You’ve doomed... will doom... him to a terrible fate.”
And then the Tree of Life, as it once again plunged into sleep and loneliness, heard these distant words: “Maybe that’s exactly what this world needs. A terrible fate...”
Chapter 215
Hadjar sat on a stone, idly toying with the red leaf. They’d already climbed out of the volcano several hours ago. Now, enjoying the twilight, they were resting on its grassy slope. They still had to climb down, but neither of them was eager to press on.
Elaine, who had woken from her sleep, ignored Hadjar and immediately plunged into a deep meditation. She sat nearby, holding a beautiful snow-white blade in her lap. The tattoo on her palm glowed brightly, and the weapon emitted waves of energy that were difficult to mistake for anything else. It was clearly an Imperial level blade. Any Spirit Knight would’ve sold their soul for such a powerful sword. However, given the fact that the blade was bound to Elaine’s blood, it was useless to anyone else. Only she and her children would be able to wield this weapon.
Hadjar smiled and looked at his red leaf. He wasn’t jealous of his sister and was even pleased with this outcome. He’d never aspired to the throne. The Tree had been right to give her the blade.
He hadn’t been planning to ponder what had happened in the volcano, but couldn’t think about anything else.
The test that he’d had to pass had clearly shown his preferences. He had been given a choice — power or freedom, and he’d chosen the latter. His parents probably wouldn’t have been surprised. Neither of them had harbored any illusions about the future of their firstborn. When Hadjar had been just five years old, Haver had given his son a detailed map (he hadn’t known about the neuronet), and Elizabeth had promised to find a good merchant caravan for him to travel with when her son got older. On that day, in addition to pride, sadness had been visible in their expressions.
As for everything else, especially regarding what the Tree had said about the wind, it had been wrong. Hadjar heard its whispers and stories. They were as real to him as this leaf, which remained a mystery to Hadjar.
Damned prophecy. Each practitioner and cultivator tried to follow the path that allowed them to rule their own destiny themselves. So, what could predictions possibly mean to someone who created their own future?
Hadjar put the leaf away and picked up a fallen branch from the ground. A simple, curved, dry branch... or so he would’ve thought before. Now he didn’t feel any different when wielding it or Moon Beam. For that, he was grateful to the Tree — it had given him the opportunity to face an enemy that had pushed him past his limits and forced him to evolve as a swordsman to defeat it.
Now, to show his gratitude, he had to convince Elaine to take an oath of confidentiality. Hadjar didn’t know how he could persuade the future monarch to abandon such wealth, especially since she was still so inexperienced.
“General.”
Hadjar flinched and looked over at Elaine. She’d awoken from her meditation and something had changed in her. Not on
