After Lord Trevelyan and Anastasia's silhouettes gradually disappeared along the street, Calisto immediately turned back and hurried to the garden. The thoughts about this strange man and her friend swarmed her mind, but she willed herself to push them back into the background and hastened her pace, looking for a familiar figure among the greenery.
During her meeting with Lord Trevelyan and Anastasia, Cali constantly felt the presence of Konrad somewhere nearby. As soon as two girls settled in a wooden pagoda, the sensations became so apparent that Cali could accurately point her finger at the place in the bushes where her friend was hiding.
However, she still didn't manage to understand what was happening with Konrad. Why was he behaving so strangely? What kind of emotions swarming his mind?
Apparently, he was not able to figure it out either.
Calisto found him very quickly. Konrad sat at the same spot, in the bushes near the wooden pagoda, bowing his head, his face buried in a crook of his hand.
The girl stopped short of a few steps away from the man. Her expression grew confused.
What's next? When they were still Stone beasts, their mysterious bond allowed Cali to touch her comrade's conscious freely. But then their thought process was different—clear sentences, intents, and ideas.
Now peaking into her friend's mind, Cali was instantly overwhelmed but bits and pieces of incoherent information. His head was a mesh of images and voices, some - very vague and other like a clear picture, mostly when it was memories from the past. Cali's head started to throb when she tried to weed through all those feelings that were gashing at her from Konrad's side to get to the root of the matter.
Almost instantly, she felt like she was drowning. Depression, helplessness, disappointment, confusion, and stifling loneliness - all these suffocating waves rolled on the girl's consciousness through their connection nonstop.
Meanwhile, Konrad raised his head, finally sensing the presence of Cali. His face looked absolutely indifferent as always.
That should have looked quite weird from the side as Cali's face did not express all that much emotion either.
They kept staring at each other, not knowing what to say. The silence dragged on. But only on the surface. Inside, the picture looked utterly different.
"Can I help you?" - The girl finally squeezed out. Her voice sounded very strange, as if she perfectly understood how useless her words were.
So awkward. For the first time, Cali felt so insecure about her longtime friend.
"No." - Konrad answered quietly in a hoarse voice and looked away.
Cali nodded, expecting just such an answer.
It seemed like there was only one possible plan. Her presence here only added a strange feeling of nervousness to the atmosphere. Konrad will have to solve this problem on his own. No word would be able to console him now.
The girl was about to turn around and leave her friend be, but, suddenly, someone's hasty footsteps broke the silence hanging over the garden.
A figure of panting Paris appeared at the entrance to the garden. He stopped for a moment, nervously looking around. As his gaze fell on the figures of Cali and Konrad, his eyes instantly flashed, and the guy hurried to them.
Young Marsters heard about the sudden visit of Lord Trevelyan only when he returned from the Red Castle. He was summoned suddenly, but in the end, except for strange formalities and useless talks with either one official or another, nothing special happened. On his way home, Paris began to suspect that it smelled very fishy. The Red Castle was a place where bureaucracy was always dismissed in every way possible.
And his suspicions were confirmed as soon as he arrived home and heard such disturbing news from the servants.
Cali, with mixed feelings, watched as her disheveled brother was running toward them. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Konrad's face darkened. It seems like he already anticipated the flood of questions that Paris was ready to bring down on them, judging by his burning eyes.
The least she could do now is to act as a wall between them.
Calisto took a decisive step forward, ready to protect her friend from questioning and take her brother away, giving Konrad some time to recover.
But a sudden thought made her pause. The girl wavered for a moment and then abruptly turned back.
"You know, Lord Trevelyan invited us to the Races, which will take place in a couple of days." - She blurted out.
Paris was just a few steps away from them, so he heard everything clearly and almost fell over stumbling.
Konrad also lifted his head sharply. He remained in the garden, and therefore missed the end of their conversation on their way out.
Confusion and even panic reflected on his face for a moment. Although these emotions immediately disappeared as if drowning in muddy water.
"Who?" - finally asked Konrad in a colorless voice.
"I ... and Anastasia suggested taking Paris with me as an escort. But I want you to go." - Cali replied firmly. She was so used to understanding a friend without words that now she didn't even notice how strange their dialogue could seem from the side. Only Paris was now staring at them with a puzzled expression.
"Why?" - Konrad went on, his voice was calm, but Cali felt a bit of irritation coming from him.
"I think it will help you face your fears and doubts head-on." - Cali stated, their gazes clashed. Konrad, in response, only clenched his teeth and his eyes seemed to freeze ower.
However, Cali wasn't planning to back off.
"Can you explain to me what is going on?!" - Paris finally could not stand this weird tension - "And stop talking as if spies are eavesdropping on you!"
At first, Paris tried not to notice this strange closeness between his sister and Konrad, but now it was starting to annoy him. He rushed here like a mad horse only to stumble upon this jerky and weird dialog. He felt like he was an outsider in some secret circle. Like among children who once decided to speak a secret language, and you were left out since they don't really like you.
Hearing Paris's outburst, Cali frowned and turned to her brother with a puzzled expression.
Now there were two irritated men full of strange thoughts. And that was two too many for her to handle.
"You want to go?" - She asked patiently despite her growing headache.
Paris gritted his teeth, looking in the oblivious eyes of his sister.
"Cali, dear, please tell me everything from the very beginning. As if you are talking to a normal person, and not to someone who hears your thoughts." - He grumbled through gritted teeth.
Calisto inclined her head slightly, thinking for a second, and then nodded uncertainly. After a little pause, she nevertheless began to retell everything that had happened during the Lord of the Black Castle and Anastasia's visit.
Paris did not expect much, but ... But she managed to jam all the information into four phrases! Her story sounded as if she had reported the movement of enemy troops. He had so many questions, but judging by his sister's look, Paris quickly realized that he wouldn't receive an adequate answer on any of them.
"So why did you decide to take Konrad with you to these Races?" - finally decided to start Paris with the most pressing issue.
Cali piered at Konrad.
"It seemed to me that it would be useful to him."
And that's it.
Paris waited a couple of seconds for further explanation, but both of them just blankly stared back.
"I don't want to question your decision, but something tells me that you don't fully realize what impression both of you can make on people." - He began carefully.
For a second, confusion appeared in the girl's eyes. It seems she really did not realize how strange she sometimes behaves.
"But Anastasia did not notice anything." - She began, trying to recall the details of both their meetings.
"Darling, no offense to your friend. But it always seemed to me that Anastasia is looking at this world through the unicorn's as ... mane." - Paris pointed out, and at the very next moment stumbled upon Konrad's glare.
"Amm... I mean, she is just a bit dense... sometimes," - He added immediately, feeling some strange tension still rising in the air.
"For some reason, I really wanted to stretch up a bit." - The ex Stone Beast drawled, seizing Paris up and down. - "For one, we can solve the dispute, who will go to the races, right?"
Paris raised his eyebrows in surprise and frantically swallowed while looking at Konrad's emotionless face. That exactly why he was so worried. Paris just couldn't follow their line of thoughts at all. Young Marsters shuddered, recalling the Stone Beasts' image in front of the Khail Hold wall.
He wasn't even fighting for the right to go to this Race. He just wanted to clarify the situation. How did it end up like this?
"Ummm ... Konrad, I think it's too early for such physical exertion ..." - he began, looking at his sister pleadingly. But instead of stopping her friend, the girl surprisingly only nodded.
"That is a good idea." - she said calmly, destroying the last hope of Paris to maintain at least a drop of dignity as the captain of the Red Castle.
Actually, at this moment, Calisto was stricken by another idea. Paris was right. They still partially behaved as Stone Beasts even though now they were something different. And the main cause of the mess in Konrad's head, as in hers, was that they still didn't understand fully what they become.
Moreover, right now, Calisto very clearly felt a strange echo coming from Konrad's Gorgon. His emotions fluctuated so strongly that he didn't even notice it himself. Something told Cali that this was the chance that should not be missed.
"I promise it will only be a practice." - Konrad said, and his colorless voice suddenly appeared to Paris a little sinister.
Paris hesitated a bit but still nodded, seeing how Cali's face became particularly bright.
The rumor that a young gentleman and Konrad will be holding a training match traveled around the estate like a wildfire. Even Lord Marsters himself finally left his library, where he had recently burrowed searching for at least some information about Stone warriors.
Paris saw a crowd of servants hustling around at a small training field built many years ago when he started attending the academy.
Paris first wanted to disperse everyone. Who knows what they can see during the battle. But all his thoughts flew out of his head when he spotted the figure of Conrad in his old training armor, which were obviously too small for him to the point that you could distinguish every muscle on his legs and back.
And, oh boy, were they impressive!
The crowd of servants hashed down as soon as the young man stepped in. But as soon as Konrad appeared on the edge of the field, the buzzing went up. Girls started to whisper and blush, almost licking him with their eyes.
Paris frowned, looking at those maids that were staring at his old friend as if they would start dripping saliva any moment now.
Now it became even more apparent how Konrad has changed. And it was really weird how he could appear so blend and normal all the time while hiding his warrior posture and these ferocious skills.
Paris went to the middle of the field and stopped there, waiting for his opponent. But despite the nervousness that overcame him at first, now he felt an amazing excitement rushing through his veins. His whole body vibrated in anticipation.
Paris couldn't lie; he wanted to try himself out at least once against such a powerful opponent.
It wasn't about winning. On the contrary, it can be his chance to uncover something!
Konrad exchanged a few words with Cali, received an approving nod, and headed toward Paris.
"In full force." - Konrad said sternly as if asking and warning at the same time.
"Less will be an insult." - Paris through back and grinned. To his surprise, the old friend's blank face fluttered for a second, and a wry smile emerged on it.
Paris wanted to add something else, but at the same moment, Konrad's figure as if blurred in front of him. A barely audible crack and a flash of metal gleamed right next to his ear.
"Do not relax!" - commanded Konrad and jumped slightly back, allowing Paris to recover. Young captain froze for a second but quickly gathered himself up, squeezing the training sword's hilt tightly.
Focus!
Clank.
The next attack was retorted effortlessly, Young Marsters dodged the second, taking only a step to the side. However, he didn't feel happy about it. On the contrary, Paris felt himself starting to get irritated. Something was wrong.
He stepped back and began to analyze the enemy as he was taught at the academy. After several more attacks, Paris finally managed to figure out the opponent's style.
Konrad practically did not move from one spot. Since his sword could rotate in any direction with such a speed that is absolutely inaccessible to any hand movements, it seemed impossible to break through this defense. Moreover, though not simple, his attacks were still as if specially adjusted for the enemy's capability.
He has already planed the whole fight! Paris was no more than a sandbag here. Konrad didn't even expect any significant opposition and used him freely for some unknown reasons.
As soon as Paris cast a glance at Сali, his suspicions were further confirmed. The girl did not even look at him, closely watching every movement of Konrad.
But Paris was not used to giving up so easily. Although their level was obviously too different, this did not mean that the fight's outcome was a foregone conclusion. The guy began to look closely, trying to find at least some kind of fault in Konrad's defense.
It seemed impossible until Paris' sight didn't fall on Konrad's face. At this moment, before his eyes, as if two images had overlapped. Konrad's gaze was now exactly the same as many years ago when he spent hours on his inventions. Konrad now did not focus on his opponent at all. His gaze was scattered as if he saw this world differently. Like back then, this slim, shy boy would zone out, making something so quickly as if the lines he drew on the sketch had already stood before his eyes.
Paris suddenly smirked. If Konrad is now only following the plan, all that is needed is to bring a bit of chaos in it. And if earlier, when he was a Stone Beast, it was almost impossible, now ...
Paris still remembered pretty well what was the main thing that never failed to through this guy out of balance. And what happened a few minutes ago confirmed his idea.
"You know, Konrad, I was wondering." - He started, following with another attack and at the same time closely watching every movement of the enemy.
Indeed, as if to verify his guesses, the former Stone warrior began to move even before Paris' sword started the swing. Everything was so smooth and harmonious as if Konrad was a dancer just following his partner's next step, which they practiced many times.
"What?" - Konrad said just a second after his sword parried the attack with a clang. His tone was calm, as if they were drinking tea in the living room. And his eyes were still unfocused.
"I understand why my sister does not want to return to society. But what about you?" - Paris went on trying to keep his cool and immediately hit from above.
Konrad frowned slightly, dodging the strike a little sharper than before.
"Why would I need this?" - He asked, simultaneously twisting his blade and striking from the side. Paris had to retreat a little to the side, twisting his wrist, and put the blade in front of him, taking on the sharp hit in the last moment.
"Isn't it obvious? As far as I remember, you wanted the Head of the Green Castle's place for one reason only. You never had any special ambitions; you just wanted to poke around in your workshop. But you still tried to reach this goal. I think everyone understood why. Now that you are back, this goal is no longer of interest to you? "
"What are you talking about? I became an apprentice of Lord Marsters to help my family. I never aspired to become anything more than just a good master." - Konrad answered him coldly. And although his voice was colorless as before, Paris clearly caught the change in his movements. Jabs have become sharper, the intervals between attacks - smaller. Konrad was clearly starting to get angry. And he perfectly understood what Paris was talking about.
"Yeah?" - the young captain continued, moving away from the next strike. - "Didn't you ever dream that when you become the Green Lord, you can give her something more than another clumsy figurine made of wood?"
Konrad's face fluttered for a second, and his eyes lingered on the opponent's face.
"I'm not that person anymore. I'm not even a human anymore." - He said. At least some notes of irritation appeared in his voice.
"Since when have nonhumans didn't have a right for happiness? Isn't that why you decided to start life anew?" - Paris still pushed on, although the fierce glint in his old friend's eyes gave him goosebumps. - "Before, you at least had some guts to give her presents. And now you only brave enough to spy on her from the bushes? Oh, how pitiful!"
The face of the former Stone beast momentarily distorted. His eyes drilled into Paris' face.
Now Konrad really started to look like a beast!
Paris hesitated; he did not expect such a sharp reaction. A fierce killing intent gashed at him. The next moment, Konrad's blade whistled just a breath away from Paris' ear, and then without stopping, the tip of it buried with force in the ground. Sand splashed in all directions.
It was so sudden that Paris froze on the spot. But the next second, he pulled himself together, seeing as Konrad also paused, shocked by his own action. The young captain's eyes flashed with triumphant.
This is his chance!
He swung and...
Bam!
His jaw burned with sharp pain, and everything started to spin before his eyes.
He didn't even know how he ended up in the air. Flipping a few times, Paris flopped face down into the mud.
His vision became blurry. From a distance, he could hear some commotion. Paris moved cautiously. It seems nothing was broken, but the head was still buzzing, and the jaw was sore as if a ram had smashed into it.
From the side, he spotted a figure of his father. Lestor ran to him and instantly flopped on the knees.
"Son, how are you?" - He blurred worriedly, cautiously touching Paris by the shoulder.
"Not sure. But it seems like I'm not dead." - Paris mumbled through his teeth, frowning from the pain in his jaw. He took his father's outstretched hand and slowly rose to his feet with a grunt.
"I didn't think I could piss him off so quickly." - Paris added and even tried to smile, but his face was already beginning to swell, so the expression came out funny and ugly at the same time. Lestor grimaced and turned toward his old apprentice to scold him. But as soon as his eyes fell on the figure of Konrad, the words themselves stuck in his throat.
Konrad stood a couple of steps away from them with a very strange expression on his face, looking down at his left arm. Was it panic on this guy's always serious face? Lestor did not immediately manage to discern the cause because Cali stood right before him, covering Konrad with her body from the crowd's prying eyes.
Paris also noticed that something was amiss and pushed himself to get up. But as first Lester and then Paris reached the couple, what they saw made both of them simultaneously step back again.
Konrad's left hand, with which he punched Paris into the jaw, looked strange. It looked more like a piece of stone or more like a piece of a stone statue. The strange crust of gray color covered all skin right up to the wrist. It was rough, full of sharp edges as if he dipped his fist into concrete and then let it solidify as is.
"Can you move it?" - Cali finally broke the silence. She stood very close but did not dare to reach out. What happened was a real shock to her too.
From the beginning of the fight, she kept an eye on everything unfolding in Konrad's mind through an internal connection. Cali did not interfere in the fight but was overseeing his inner sensations. The way he moves, trying to direct and distribute energy, how he and her Gorgon react to every impulse.
Paris probably did not even suspect that he was just a tool in their experiment. However, Cali didn't predict that her brother would become an uncontrollable factor that could pull out such a strong reaction from Gorgon. Not only the Gorgon but Konrad himself reacted strangely. His sudden outburst of anger literally threw Cali out of their mental bond, so she could not fully understand what had happened.
The Gorgon had never shown such a reaction before. Konrad slowly opened his fist. His fingers became more like a clawed paw of a stone monster, all in chips and sharp edges. But with each second, the crust on his arm began to crack and then slowly fall to pieces. Soon, only gray dust remained on his ordinary human palm.
"What happened? Is that normal?" - Paris asked impatiently after Konrad didn't say a word for a long time. Cali shot him a displeased look, but said nothing.
"What? What did I do?" - Paris was indignant, having felt an injection of shame. Was that because of his mockery?
"We should send for the Maitre Seras." - Lord Marsters stated firmly, gathering up his thoughts. Cali nodded silently and then, taking Konrad's hand, went to the house. The rest had no choice but to follow her.
Fortunately, the servant who was gawking at the performance did not understand what had happened. They stood too far away, and Lestor himself threw a few phrases along the way, convincing everyone present that Konrad only hurt his hand.
Mr. Seras was just about to visit the Marsters on that day, so they did not have to wait long. Everyone had already gathered in the living room and were waiting intensely for the verdict.
"Hmm ... I understand that this is a very unusual reaction, right?" - the gray-haired doctor extended, finishing the examination of Konrad.
Cali frowned, casting a worried look at her friend.
"Before, when we were ordinary Stone warriors, the Gorgon never reacted like that. We could not influence his actions at all. During the battle, it will form a thin layer to protect the body. But mostly under the skin. And if the wound was deep enough to pierce this defense, this essence naturally filled the wound, quickly healing it. Therefore, the hardened substance came to the surface of the skin only in such cases." - She said in a steady voice, although the young girl's eyes still betrayed genuine concern. They already managed to tell Maitre about their experiment during the fight and how Paris' mockery influenced the Gorgon earlier.
After listening to all this, the old doctor thoughtfully scratched his beard, now and then casting a strange look at Konrad's Gorgon. The guy all this time sat without a shirt, like an obedient subject with an absolutely calm face. As if this discussion had nothing to do with him.
"Konrad, what do you think was the trigger for what happened? What were your feelings at that moment?" - finally asked mister Seras quietly. At the same time, his old translucent eyes seemed to cling to the guy's face without missing a single movement.
Konrad hesitated. For a second, his eyes reflected a strange dilemma or even embarrassment? Paris raised his eyebrows in surprise, noting this unusual change in his old friend, which now completely did not fit this stoic expression. The silence dragged on. Cali peered into the face of a friend and then exhaled, took the word herself.
"While I kept a close eye on Konrad through our connection, the Gorgon practically did not react. Konrad fought, relying only on his skills. He made several attempts to strengthen his blow or speed at the Stone's expense, but there was almost no effect. And then Paris began to anger him deliberately, and the Gorgon began to behave strangely."
For all the time, Konrad did not utter a word. On the contrary, he lowered his head, as if deliberately so that no one could see the expression on his face. But as Cali faltered, trying to find the words to describe what really happened, Konrad could not stand being quiet anymore.
"I ... I ... I was scared." - he squeezed out in a hoarse voice and lowered his head even lower.
Paris opened his mouth in surprise. Scared? It should have been scary for him when Konrad's sword whistled a millimeter from his ear.
But Cali's reaction struck him even more. She was not at all surprised but rather glanced at her friend with a sort of sorrow. She extended a hand, putting it on his tousled brown hair to encouraged Konrad a little, giving him the strength to continue.
"You all remember how I was before all this. "- the guy began in a muffled voice. -"Whenever people bullied me or treated me as if I'm trying to take what I don't deserve. I was angry.@ - Konrad suddenly lifted his head and looked directly into Paris's eyes, and they were so full of pain that young Marsters shivered. - "But you and the likes of you, who just looked at me with a smile hiding the scorn under kind words. What do all of you know? You planed those words as encouragement. But were they really? Or was it just your pride speaking? Because you can."
"When you started to say all this. Those feeling were back. So sharp and sudden that I just could not resist. I wanted to show you. I wanted to show them all! This last blow ... It was not me who stopped it ... It was my Gorgon and one image... Then in Glaco ... It was not Gorgon that made beasts out of us..."
His voice suddenly broke, and his gaze was filled with fear. Konrad squeezed his eyes shut and then completely covered his face with his hand.
The silence heng in the room. Paris swallowed nervously. He was completely lost, not knowing how to react to what the old friend said. Were they really friends back then? Something terrible started to squirm in Paris's mind. But it didn't have the time to take shape because the quiet was once again disturbed by the older man's voice.
"This is, of course, only a theory," - Seras finally opened. For some reason, he looked somewhere to the side; his gaze became somewhat blurry as if he was talking to himself -. "Your emotions could be not only the weak point of this Stone but the key to it. Before, it could function independently because no emotions of the possessor pushed on it. After encountering Paris, Cali's crisis could have been the result of a kind of struggle between the feelings of the young mistress and the Cursed Stone in which both lost. But now, you managed to yield the Gorgon to your will. And the key to managing it lies in your feelings. Just as fear can make a person's heart beats faster, and all instincts are aggravated at times. So you can make the Gorgon work for you through anger, desire to win, rage, or fear. "
There was silence in the room. Cali looked at Konrad uncertainly. The guy also looked back at his captain. As if searching for something in her eyes: an answer or just an echo of his inner feelings.
"I hoped that we would wake up one day, and Gorgon will just disappear ... After all, the pieces were falling away ..." - Cali spoke in a small voice and immediately halted, realizing that she had said it out loud. Konrad winced as if these words reverberated somewhere deep in his mind.
Maitre Seras cast a glance at both and sighed, shaking his head.
"Unfortunately, I do not think it is possible. Gorgon changed too much inside of you. In this life, nothing comes free. Gorgon pulled you from the boundary between life and death. When it cracked, you winded up there again. And you made your choice. Isn't it so? "
Cali instantly heard those words, her pleas to save her friends, her choice. She chose life. Life with the Gorgon.
Maitre Seras was silent for a while, intently watching Cali and Konrad. There was doubt in his face. He wanted to say something else but could not decide. Paris noticed this and was about to ask, but the old doctor still got ahead of him.
"There is something else." - he said in a suddenly hoarse voice.
"Even wild animals can be tamed, and made to work for you. "- vaguely began Maitre -." It can be possible with a Stone beast lurking inside of you. I believe you can make it surrender. However, first, you need to look into his eyes. "
Paris winced, not fully understanding what the older man was leading to but sensing something bad. His eyes fell on his sister and what he saw made him gasp in surprise.
Cali and Konrad's faces at the same time became ashen. They certainly knew or guessed what the older man was talking about. Paris, in horror again, watched how both of their eyes began to lose their lively sparkle. It was like they again started to turn into Stone Warriors.
"Gerard, that's enough!" - Lestor shouted. He was not in Khail Hold and never saw his daughter like that. This sight shocked him so much that he started to tremble.
Maître Seras also noticed a dramatic change, but he was not ready to give up, feeling that he is on the right track.
"I'm talking about what made them so. Konrad himself said that the main stimulus was some kind of image. Then in Glaco ... "- the old man continued ignoring the panic of his friend, not taking his eyes off Cali and Konrad. -" What happened then? What did you wish? Why did you agree to become the Stone Beasts? "
The last words of the doctor sounded in absolute silence. And for a second, it seemed to all those present that both ex-Stone Warriors even stopped breathing. As if in just a few minutes, two people suddenly turned into statues.
Paris jumped to his feet about to run to his sister, but he paused as if stuck to the floor when he saw it. A single tear came out of Cali's eye, rolling along her pale cheek. She looked at him, and Paris staggered back without even understanding what he spotted in his sister's eyes. The next moment Konrad abruptly jumped to his feet and grabbed the girl's hand, dragged her out of the rooms.