CHAPTER 65

RESURGENCE OF CHAOS

  With bated breath and hopeful hearts, the two young lads eagerly awaited the arrival of Delimira. Hans, unsure of how Chris intended to accomplish their goal, was nevertheless buoyed by the knowledge of Winters' vast resources. When she came to them, both pretended to have a deep conversation.

When she finally arrived, they feigned deep conversation, eager to begin their scheme. Chris turned to Hans once more, his mischievous grin belying his true intentions.

"Hey, let's take a look at your elven fairy," he suggested.

Hans played along, feigning ignorance.

"How?" he asked.

"Well," Chris replied,

we could borrow an Image crystal from our friend here.

Delimira raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed.

"That's expensive," she protested.

Chris pleaded with her, his persuasive tone almost convincing.

"Oh come on, Deli," he said, "Hans was whining all night about how much prettier she was than you".

  Hans felt a jolt of shock run through him. Chris had thrown him under the falling sword and he was left scrambling to defend himself. But it was too late - Delimira was already giving him a death stare. He wanted to lash out at Chris, but he knew the damage was already done. All he could do was hope that Chris had the plan to salvage the situation.

  Chris had already requested Delimira to bring the image crystal to class, but at the time, she did not know the purpose and hadn't paid much attention to it. Chris had waited until this moment and she finally realised overhearing their conversation, why he had asked for the expensive object.

  You asked me to bring this for your own selfish desires," she argued flashing the stone right at their faces, her voice firm and resolute. Ignoring her protests, Hans snatched the crystal from her hands and turned to Chris. "How do we use it?" he asked eagerly.

Chris, however, had other ideas. Turning to Delimira and pointing towards the crystal in Hans's hand, he asked slyly,

Are you not confident, holding your own against her?

She bristled at the question, her indignation clear. "That's beside the point", turning to Hans she retorted,

Shorty, the crystal is a consumable, expensive, and one-time-use item. Can you afford it?

Hans was undeterred. "But you're a rich heiress," he pointed out.

Don't be a miser, WInters.

Turning once more to Chris, Hans asked eagerly,

So how do we use it?

Chris shot a glance in Delimira's direction, but she remained silent. "Just remember her," Chris instructed.

The crystal will imprint her image on its own.

Delimira, true to her nature, had brought a top-tier image crystal, capable of rendering the image with stunning lifelikeness beyond that of lower-quality crystals.

  With eyes tightly shut, Hans followed Chris's instructions. After a few moments, an image began to form within the crystal. Projected before them was a lifelike figure, a beautiful black-haired woman sitting before a large stone with an inscription that remained obscured from view. Her eyes, moistened with tears, gleamed like red pearls, and despite the sadness etched on her face, she exuded an irresistible charm.

  Both boys were captivated, but it was Hans who was truly enthralled. He had never seen her with such clarity in his dreams, and he eagerly took in every detail. The girl appeared older than him, but her beauty was timeless, and she seemed to share a similar age as Vanessa.

  Delimira's pride had taken a massive hit, the girl in crystal sure[assed her or any other she knew in terms of charms and Chris wasted no time in teasing her, remarking, "Yup, she's way prettier and hotter than you."

  Before Delimira could respond, her mother suddenly appeared before them, quickly shattering the crystal. Hans was on the verge of losing his cool, but he managed to restrain himself. Aredhel's usually calm demeanour was replaced by anger, it was way different from a mother protecting her child’s pride. Something about her behaviour was off, and Delimira couldn't help but notice.

  Her mother was not one to show emotions, but her reaction was intense and unsettling. She reprimanded the three of them and abruptly dismissed the class, leaving everyone shaken. Chris, ever the joker, tried to lighten the mood by quipping, "Wow, your mother really does love you."

  But his attempt was in vain. Delimira and Hans were lost in their thoughts, pondering why Aredhel had lost her composure. If she was upset about them using class time for leisure, why didn't she scold them then and there?

  Hans was remembering the projection to look for something that he might have missed but there was nothing that piqued his interest. A long time had passed but curiosity was killing him so he finally gave in and ran to his sister’s quarters. She was the only person who would do anything for him without asking.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Hans couldn't shake his curiosity about the image projection and wondered if he had missed something. Unable to resist any longer, he made his way to his sister's quarters, knowing she would do anything for him without question. After waiting anxiously for hours, he finally met with her in the evening. As soon as she saw him, she patted his head and asked, "What brings you here, dear brother?"

  As Aredhel's adverse reaction was still fresh in his mind, Hans gestured to Vanessa to keep quiet by putting his index finger on his lips. Vanessa quickly activated a soundproofing artefact, catching everything before Hans could even explain the situation. This was one of the many things he admired about her.

In a grim voice, Vanessa asked,

What happened?

Hans replied,

Do you have any image crystals?

Vanessa retrieved one from the drawer beside her table and handed it to him. Hans repeated the process and showed her the image of the black-haired Elf. Vanessa didn't show any adverse reaction, just awe that something so beautiful could exist.

However, the crystal wasn't of high quality, and Vanessa made a pouting face as she realized her 500 gold coins had just gone to satisfy her brother's curiosity about an elven girl. She couldn't help but feel upset that the beautiful image wasn't worth the cost.

Hans didn't appreciate Vanessa's disinterested gaze at the projection, which was only half the size of Delimira's crystal. He wanted her to examine it closely, so he urged her to pay attention.

"Sis, take a closer look," he said.

Vanessa responded,

Yeah, yeah, you have very high standards, dear brot— HOLY SHIT!"

  Her sudden outburst caught Hans off guard, but it also meant that she had noticed something significant. Before he could ask her about it, she immediately contacted Sierra and urgently requested her to come to the room. It was unusual for a servant to summon her lady to her room, but Vanessa was afraid and Sierra came running.

  As soon as Sierra arrived, she glanced at the crystal and promptly destroyed it. It didn't take her long to figure out who was responsible for bringing such an object into the house. Before she could say anything, Hans spoke up, "This was the second time."

Sierra's expression turned serious as she asked,

Who else saw this?

Hans knew better than to withhold information from his sister and answered obediently,

Me, Delimra, Chris, and Professor Aredhel. She also broke it just like you did.

Sierra nodded,

I'll talk to her. Now go back, it's not your business.

Vanessa, who had regained her composure, stopped Hans from leaving and implored Sierra,

If what I saw is true, then Lady, he needs to know so he can avoid it.

Sierra bit her lip, realizing that Vanessa had a valid point. She let out a long breath and turned to Hans,

She was wearing something in her hand. Do you remember it?

Hans thought back and replied,

Yes, on her right hand, a bracelet.

"It was actually a ring that could shrink and expand," Sierra said,

Sam's most powerful weapon, a power he could bestow or transfer to others. Because of its unknown location, you are the target of many.

"But I don't have it," Hans protested.

Sierra nodded, "Yes, you were, but what is this?" She held up the crumbled crystal in her hand and added,

You have somehow become related to it now.

Hans remained silent and Vanessa added to Sierra’s words,

Sam was strong but the thing that made him strongest was that ring. With this, you could treat Ancients from Madaruka as tissue papers.

  His mind raced with the possibilities that the ring held, and how it could have been used by Samson to bend the Ancients to his will. Vanessa's words echoed in his mind as he pictured the immense power that the ring could grant its wielder.

With a furrowed brow, Hans turned to Sierra and posed the question that burned in his mind,

What was the speciality of the ring?

  Sierra hesitated for a moment, her heart not wanting to tell him more but she had to speak, for his little boy, so that he could understand the gravity of the matter. After a moment's pause, she spoke in a sombre tone, her words measured and deliberate.

"The ring," she began, "is a powerful artefact. It grants its wielder control over every type of mana, regardless of whether they are a mage or not. With it, one can grow strong enough to defy even the most skilled of warlocks."

  Sierra's eyes flicked to Hans, gauging his reaction before continuing. "After Samson's death, everyone was frantically searching for the ring. But it was never found, until now." She gestured to the crumbled memory stone on her hand, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"But if the wrong people find out, it could spell disaster. The Ancients, beings with unfathomable strength, would surely come for it. They live in seclusion beyond the Grand barrier and rarely meddle in human affairs. But if they do, no one here has the means to stop them."

Sierra paused, her gaze settling on Hans once more.

So, I implore you not to tell anyone. The consequences could be dire.

  Hans listened carefully, his mind racing with the implications of what Sierra had just revealed. The only incident that he knew of involving them with ordinary people had been told to him by Delimira. And it was also the reason she wanted to kill one. She did not share the details but Hans somehow could recognise( why? ) the eyes burning with revenge.

  But one coming after him was a whole other story, it was already a miracle that they did not grace him with their presence till now, Perhaps he held no value in the eyes of those ascetics, and he intended to keep it that way for as long as possible.

  Samson had made every Ancient submit to him and Hans was no fool to be late in realising that the ring would have been the true aid that made him achieve that. An artefact capable of achieving this feat is something else and the Ancients naturally abhorred such power, the very existence of the ring was a threat to their way of life. Hans couldn't help but wonder about the name of the ring, and he asked Sierra in a hushed tone.

"Ring of Chaos," she replied, its name resonating with the power that it held. Hans couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding as he pondered the implications of the ring's true capabilities.

Sierra said her final words before departing, leaving Hans alone with his thoughts.

I will talk to Aredhel, many thanks to Yudwin. If she had not seen this, we would have been in deep trouble.

  Hans watched her go, the weight of her words lingering in the air. He couldn't help but wonder how many eyes were on him at that very moment, and how much those eyes had seen.

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