Chereads / Chronicles of the Forgotten World / Chapter 13 - Metamorphosis

Chapter 13 - Metamorphosis

بالطبع! إليك ترجمة النص إلى الإنجليزية:

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Command Tent

Ryan struggled to stand up and tried to remember what had happened and where he was now. "Someone strong enough to kill the cannibal has found me. Did Oliver send him? Was it the Lord of Darkness who killed my father?"

For a moment, he felt the coldness radiating from the rocky cave floor below him into his body, sending shivers through him. His breathing became heavy, and his heart raced as if it were about to leap from his chest, causing him intense pain.

"Hah..." His misty breaths became less clear, and his eyes brimmed with tears. He dug his nails deep into his palm and cried out in a muffled voice so no one would hear him, "Father, I will definitely avenge you!"

It took him a few minutes to regain his composure, and then he began to inspect everything around him to find a way to help him escape or fight against that shadowy thing.

Surrounding him was a canvas tent placed over an area of about five square meters, with a dilapidated wooden desk in the middle. The wooden fibers were exposed from below and twisted, and there were two chairs around in the same condition.

On the desk was a flashlight illuminating the place with a warm red glow, next to some papers and a silver-studded iron dagger.

He cautiously approached the desk and leaned on it to stand up. He slowly picked up the dagger with his right hand and examined the strange engravings on it with his left. He felt the coldness emanating from the metal and began to think.

"The sounds outside have stopped... I'm afraid whatever was happening is over, and one of them will come soon." He tightened his grip on the dagger and walked behind the desk, dragging his weak body toward the tent's fabric back wall.

Swoosh

He stabbed the fabric with the dagger and began to tear it enough to make an escape. Then, he covered his entire face with the fabric and circled around the tent to survey the area.

The smell of blood mixed with smoke filled the air, adding a suffocating feeling. Before him were scattered pits filled with remnants of burnt wood that lit up the cave. It was all empty; no one was here.

In the direction of the exit, some rays of sunlight found their way inside, casting shadows on the place, and different sounds came from outside.

"Was the tribe camping in this cave? What happened for them to leave such obvious traces behind? Don't they fear that some strange monsters might follow them?" His mind raced, already feeling the pangs of hunger. "It doesn't matter now; there are sounds outside. I will delve deeper into the cave; perhaps there's a mountain train tunnel like the one my father told me about that has another exit."

He cautiously walked towards the nearest fire pit and looked at the remnants of the fire, struggling against the weak airflow while the wood fibers slowly turned to ash. Two pieces of fabric lay around the pit, appearing warm as if someone had been sitting there recently.

He picked up a half-eaten apple that was lying on the ground nearby and ran deeper into the cave, anxious about someone arriving.

Once he moved far away from the light, he tossed the dagger aside, held the apple with both hands, and took a big bite from it. The sweet aroma and wonderful juicy flavor rushed into his mouth, giving him a feeling of ecstasy he had lost.

"Delicious."

He stored the remaining piece in his clothes, grabbed the dagger again, assumed a cautious stance, and walked slowly into the dark abyss waiting for him, searching for hope in life.

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Outside the Cave

All the tribe members stood gathered around Oliver, looking strangely at what was happening.

A little while ago, they had been attacked by a band of mercenaries and were fighting for their lives. Just when they were about to win and kill that brutal leader who had killed dozens of their brothers, one of them appeared from a mere black cloak and ordered the mercenaries to retreat.

Now, all the mercenaries had left, their faces marked by feelings of frustration and resentment, as they had been used in a battle in which they had no chance. They could do nothing but clench their teeth and withdraw, leaving behind the figure clad in black.

"The Conner family has given everything to take Mr. Conner's achievements, even Uncle Chris Conner has come," Oliver frowned and examined Chris with keen and cautious interest.

Chris stood there, unfazed by their stares, in his elegant black cloak, beneath which he wore a full body suit of the same color interwoven with rapidly flickering green lines. Around his waist was a strange belt with a golden emblem engraved with "Conner."

He stood there with his black hair and handsome features adding charm to his fair skin, and his distinctive blue eyes curiously gazed into the cave, waiting for something.

All present felt the pressure and tension; the aura around that person was overwhelming yet graceful, leaving a feeling of nobility as if he looked down upon everyone around him with disdain.

"He is very strong and has a suppressive aura." One of the guards approached from the cave cautiously and asked in a low voice, afraid of disturbing the mysterious person, "How did our humble tribe provoke someone of his status?"

"His aura and clothes are noble," Kieran said, trying to analyze the situation. "That golden emblem must mean he is one of the core members of a large family in one of the kingdoms. He must also be a master of energy."

"What?" Shock colored the guard's face before he continued, "Why would someone like him come here? People like him are always busy trying to control their acquired genetic powers and applying for new nucleus injections to elevate their family's status."

"What do you mean by that, Karl?" one of them asked, feeling strange about what his friend said. They had been together since childhood, but it was the first time he had heard such information.

"In order to survive in this twisted world full of monsters, they themselves have turned into monsters," the elderly Sun nearby sighed and answered their questions, saying, "Two thousand years ago, the king of North Arcadia found important manuscripts in one of the ruins describing a weapon used by humans in wars among themselves before the beginning of the Age of Chaos. After that, he directed all the kingdom's resources to research that weapon, but instead of making the weapon, he thought about transforming humans themselves into weapons."

The person standing before them cast an interested look at the elderly Sun, feeling slightly surprised that this commoner knew such valuable information.

Cold sweat formed on the elderly Sun's forehead as he felt anxious for a moment and took a breath of cold air before continuing. This time his voice became more formal: "In the end, the scientists discovered the substance described in the manuscript called uranium, and after ten years of trial and error, they created the first nucleus injection that granted humans superpowers and long lives, leading to the first abomination from the c78 lab..."

At that moment, a sharp scream came from inside the cave, followed by thick smoke that formed a vague human shape standing in front of the tribe members. In what seemed like a shadowy face, there were two red eyes shining with a fierce desire to kill as they looked at Chris.

"Chris Conner, you bastard! If you are truly tired of life, come to this elder so I can end your miserable existence!" The shadow opened its mouth, shouting at Chris and sending a massive wave of fog towards him.

"Hahaha!" A loud laugh emanated from Chris amidst the fog, as something transformed in Chris's position, swallowing the fog around him and rapidly growing to a massive size.

In the midst of the fog, a gigantic shadow appeared, then the fog quickly dissipated, revealing a black flower the size of a human, its roots extending into the rocky soil.

Chris stood beside it, leaning against the flower's stem, waved towards the shadow, looked at it sharply, and laughed, saying, "Are you still babbling nonsense, Eric?"