The Sovereign Chronicles novel Chapter 31

The Scree Ridge, flanking the eastern slopes of Mount Veridia, was a rugged, desolate expanse bathed in silence. Kaelen Stormridge arrived just as the midnight hour struck, slipping into the shadows of the forbidding mountain.

Linnea had known he would come. They exchanged no pleasantries. She turned and led him up a hidden, winding trail toward the five-hundred-meter mark. Memorizing the patrols of Mount Veridia was second nature to her; bypassing them was effortless.

Shortly after they breached the perimeter, the distant roaring of beasts ceased. An eerie, suffocating silence descended over the mountain. Not even the chirp of an insect remained.

Linnea threw a glance over her shoulder. Kaelen said nothing. He could feel a visceral, undeniable pull, a restless thrumming echoing from The Netherward Blade anchored deep within his Aether Core.

Since he had made it this far, there was no turning back. He wanted to see exactly what abomination was trapped here.

Linnea led him to a plateau halfway up the slope. What was once an ancient, picturesque glade had been hollowed out into a colossal crater, over a hundred meters deep. Hideous fissures spiderwebbed the earth, plunging into an abyss of jagged stone and splintered timber. The devastation was absolute.

At the heart of the crater, a monolithic slab of pale, jagged stone jutted out at a violent angle, reflecting the ghostly moonlight. Heavy waves of aether rippled outward from it, distorting the very air and radiating an oppressive, overwhelming force. Thick, golden chains—The Shackles of Quintessence—were wrapped tightly around the monolith, rendering its silhouette terrifyingly akin to a struggling giant. One end of the chains bound the stone; the other was driven deep into the bedrock, glowing with a brilliant, inviolable majesty.

"The Elders have just departed, but they could return at any moment. What is your plan?" Linnea asked. This was a massive gamble for her, but she was desperate enough to try.

"You kept your Master in the dark about this?" Kaelen asked.

"I'm here in a purely unofficial capacity."

"And you're certain I can resolve this?"

"I'm not certain of anything. It is a blind attempt. But for Lyra's sake, you had better pray you are of some use."

Kaelen took half a step forward, then slowly pulled his foot back. "I have one condition. No matter what happens in the next few minutes, you get me back to the storehouse. No one else touches me."

"You have my word."

What choice did he have? Kaelen drew a sharp breath and carefully picked his way down into the ruins.

The monolith was dead silent. Yet, as if sensing Kaelen's approach, the suffocating waves of aether began to visibly recede.

Linnea frowned, her gaze darting between the stone and Kaelen. Was it actually working? Was the entity's sudden awakening truly tied to this lowly servitor?

Kaelen moved with agonizing slowness. To say he wasn't terrified would be a lie.

Linnea watched with bated breath, her hand resting on the hilt of her frostblade, ready to intervene at the slightest anomaly.

With every step Kaelen took, the oppressive aura ebbed further, pulling back like a retreating tide. By the time he stood at the base of the monolith, craning his neck to look up, the aetheric pressure had vanished completely. Aside from its grotesque shape and the massive golden chains binding it, it felt like an ordinary rock.

In the past, only a fraction of this monolith had been exposed. Now, deeply rooted in the crater, an imposing fifty meters of it towered above him.

In that moment, not only did the stone fall silent, but the restless thrumming of The Netherward Blade within Kaelen ceased entirely.

Moonlight cascaded over the ruins. A thin, magical mist clung to the ground. The silence was absolute.

Kaelen slowly circled the monolith. Linnea stood at the crater's edge, her focus razor-sharp.

After a long while, Kaelen looked up at her, his brow furrowed deeply.

Linnea's heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong. "What is it?"

"What exactly am I supposed to do?"

"..." Linnea was rendered speechless.

"What the hell is sealed inside this thing?"

"It poses no threat to you."

"Your sense of humor is astounding."

"..."

Hesitantly, Kaelen raised a hand and pressed his palm flat against the cold stone.

*BOOM!* The bottom of the crater shuddered violently, as if something colossal had slammed against the inside of the monolith.

The heavy golden chains immediately snapped taut, their radiant light flaring into a blinding crimson-gold.

Linnea gripped her blade tighter, her knuckles white.

But the impact happened only once. Then, nothing.

Kaelen remained on high alert for several tense moments. He pressed both hands against the stone, channeling his focus. Yet, aside from the unnerving chill of its smooth surface, he felt nothing. He even pressed his ear to the rock. Silence.

*How bizarre,* he thought. *It practically screamed for me to come here, yet now it does nothing?*

Linnea was equally baffled. "Did you find anything?"

Kaelen stepped back from the monolith and rapped his knuckles against it. Still nothing.

"Try again," she urged.

"Try what? You want me to uproot the damn thing?" Kaelen gave the stone a half-hearted shove, shrugged, and began climbing out of the crater. "I did what I could."

"You felt absolutely nothing?"

"What was I supposed to feel?" Kaelen replied, the entire situation leaving a foul taste in his mouth.

"Was my theory flawed?" Linnea muttered to herself.

"I'm leaving. Pretend I was never here. By the way, what was that nonsense you mentioned earlier today about a marriage alliance?"

"Cassian Vargan intends to marry Lyra. The Sanctum has yet to make a formal decision."

"And where does the Sanctum stand?"

"There is a saying: 'Bound by the current.' When a marriage involves the survival of an entire faction, personal desires become irrelevant. The emissary from The Serpent King's Dominion is Serac Vorn—a former junior to the Sanctum Master. He defected to their side, slaughtering Elders of The Azure Sky Sanctum just to earn the Serpent King's favor. He knows the secret of Mount Veridia. He knows exactly how that secret threatens our Sanctum. If..."

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