"Do you ladies mind if I stick around?"
Hex gave the group of won the most charming smile he could give. He hoped it would work. It was the first ti he faced a challenge of sorts when applying the morphuse box. The potions worked. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was Rosa’s mannerisms.
It felt uncomfortable to sway the hips. Even harder was to act like a stern teacher. He spent very little ti with Rosa. It wasn’t enough to observe her. Plus, when dealing with her, he didn’t know things would co to this point.
"Please behave and don’t disturb us."
Hex nodded. These three Oracles were the sa who saw or rather, didn’t see Strings on him. It wasn’t sothing he had considered at first. It ca to him when he changed out of his robe and wore Rosa’s armor. He almost abandoned the plan.
But seeing the Oracles not react to him, he was at ease. He followed them from behind, skipping the part of swaying his hips as long as he could. The words of the Frost Dragon rang true.
They won’t notice the Strings, even if you had them. Fate Strings are linear through Space and Ti. With the distortion of both, they won’t be able to see anyone’s Fate. At least, not at their level. The only person – and even she might struggle with it – with such ability is the Altar. You know, the leader of the High Temple and the Templars.
Hex rejoiced. At least, the first phase of his crazy idea succeeded. He reached behind Elena and gave the poor girl a sympathetic nod. He heard her laugh. The laugh filled with broken dreams and hopes. It saddened and infuriated him. Sad to think about her, furious about the way her family treated her. And that was coming from him! The one person who was genuinely a tool created for Heaven knew what purpose.
Was that the reason he felt sad for her? Emotions between tools. A crazy concept. Hex grinned. On the inside.
He watched how the Oracles hurried to set up the ritual. They placed a lot of stuff around the monolith. Was that dirt? Indeed, he saw a heap of dirt at one side. Another pile filled with gold and gems stood at the other side. The one-ard Oracle pulled a small bottle of red liquid and placed it in an empty spot. The liquid brimd with energy. Even at a small distance, it could be felt.
"The ritual starts now. The King will defeat them soon. And look...," Hex followed her finger. A figure in gold flew with a beam of light and nearly reached them. "The Crown Prince is almost here."
Hex paid attention to them. The strongest one among them bowed before the crystal.
"My Queen...teacher...the ti is arrived. We will start the ritual. Please be prepared. As soon as the frost around your Strings has lted, you need to move in her body. Or else the Strings will decay and fall off."
I know. Rest assured. Nothing will go wrong.
"Frozen? Strings can be frozen?"
He didn’t an to blurt the question in his mind but it was hard to hold them in. Fate was a strange concept to him. He barely understood the basics. And now it seems they could be frozen.
"Silence." He saw the powerhouse look at him. Her irritation showed clearly on her wrinkled forehead. But she answered. "Each elent can achieve things deed impossible if explored to the limits. The Frost Dragons were born with their understanding of Ice, Frost, and Absolute Cold. Not to ntion, this crystal belongs to the Queen of that race. She inherited the abilities of the first dragon queen. Not only Fate, she could even freeze Ti and Space."
Her explanation sent Hex’s mind into turmoil. He glanced at the back of his hand. Did he inherit those pinnacle abilities by gaining an elent circle from her child? He didn’t know. He would need to test them.
"It was a technique your mother, my teacher, Asterella’s Queen devised. She foresaw her death and the destruction that would befall the Kingdom. To save us all, she did this. Even the King sacrificed a lot. He had to lose so many of his servants. Not to ntion having to work with that incarnate of evil, that Witch, to achieve this."
"The Witch? What do you an?!"
Hex’s tone turned frosty. None of the ladies noticed it. Aside from Elena that is. Hex saw her look at him with a strange look in her eyes but he didn’t care. The re ntion of the Witch triggered him. Good or bad, he didn’t know. It just triggered him.
"You don’t need to know."
The all-colored-eyed bitch snapped at him. He nearly wrung her neck right there and then. But he didn’t. The ti would co, he told himself. Soon. It wasn’t long before the battle above would end.
It didn’t take a genius to figure that out. The Commander’s phantom wasn’t flying around. He flew by himself. He suspected the use of the wind elents. The old man stood on the ground. He looked like a normal old man. An old man at the end of a physical activity. The old man leaned against a pillar and gasped for breath. The more Hex looked at him, the more he resembled a dry-wrung rag.
Hex didn’t see the Duke. Hex didn’t hope for a miracle. Absence at this point ant he was out of the battle. Fallen perhaps. Poor Tarquin. Or lucky. That bull-headed guy stood to inherit the biggest land and title of the north. Hex didn’t envy him. As long as he stayed away from Grindeston. In that case, they could even beco friends. On second thought, maybe not. At least, they wouldn’t be enemies.
"Now place your hand on the crystal."
Hex looked down. Elena hesitated. He saw her peek at her. She hoped for support. Seeing her teacher watch in silence, her shoulders slumped even more. The color drained from her face. She didn’t cry this ti, though. She looked lost. Broken. She lifted her hands.
A loud crash sounded. The sound ca from above. Hex didn’t look up. None of the people near the monolith did. Their focus was on the ritual.
Elena touched the crystal. Strings after Strings shot out of the crystal. The monolith buzzed. At the sa ti, Strings shot out of Elena’s hand. Her Strings also flowed toward the monolith. Rainbow-colored light shot out of all three Oracles. Their eyes dimd.
Hex watched all this happen. It happened as the Frost Dragon foretold. She wasn’t an Oracle. Just a powerhouse from ancient tis. Although, Hex thought, she seed more of an Oracle than these ladies. At least, her words were accurate.
All the lights and Strings were about to rge. The space shook. Hex saw a wide grin on the King’s face. The vapor-like face in the crystal smiled. She seed relieved. The Crown Prince smiled too.
But the next mont their smile disappeared. Shock appeared on all their faces. The only person smiling was Hex.
Seeing their shocked faces surpassed the pain of the cold perating through his hand. Hex held the crystal amidst the shocked gazes and waved at them.
"I have it!"
Ti to run.
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