"How could this happen..." Hughes murmured softly, his pupils trembling, but deep in his gaze, there seemed to be a flicker of anger hidden beneath the surface.
"There's someone inside... alive." Yuxie looked toward the depths of the cave and took a step forward.
As the two of them continued deeper into the cave, an eerie red light began to spread around them.
The red light emanated from the innermost part of the cave, and it seemed to be a manifestation of an extraordinarily powerful life force.
As they drew closer, the sensation in Yuxie's heart grew stronger.
Turning the final corner, a massive spherical object came into view.
It was the source of the red light in the cave, pulsating rhythmically, just like the beat of a heart.
The heart of the Shadow Dragon Durin. Even after hundreds of years, this enormous heart still beat here, radiating life force.
Thanks to the presence of this heart, the cold of the snow mountain was shut out, and the cave was warm as spring.
Standing next to the heart was a person.
Eroch, the former Inspector General of the Knights' Order.
He stood there, like a devout believer, staring at the heart of the Shadow Dragon Durin.
"Eroch..." Hughes's eyes filled with fury when he saw the figure of Eroch.
"I was wondering who it was. So, it's you, Hughes." Eroch slowly turned around, looking at Hughes and Yuxie. His expression was calm, as if he had everything under control.
"Why... why did you kill father!" Hughes yelled, his voice full of anguish.
Having known Hughes for several years, Yuxie had never seen him so enraged. It seemed as though this anger came from the very depths of Hughes's soul, burning like an uncontrollable fire.
Hughes was a gentle person. He was warm-hearted, always content when he saw others smile.
Anger rarely appeared on his face. It was as though he would never get angry, always putting others before himself.
But now, Hughes had changed.
"You came to the snow mountain to ask me this?" Ilock said expressionlessly, "That's why I said, you'll never amount to much."
"Is this what you call 'amounting to something'? Killing your own father with your own hands!" Hughes continued to shout angrily.
"He never understood me. He rejected all my ideas, even called me a freak, saying my thoughts were dangerous, even wanting to report his own son. I had no choice. I had to strike first." Eroch spoke in a calm tone, as if recounting someone else's story, his expression unchanged.
"And you still remember that he's your father..." Hughes gritted his teeth, struggling to control his rage. "He was your biological father! For your own selfish desires, you killed him, and you think you still deserve to be a human?"
"So what? As long as what I'm doing now succeeds, my achievements will outweigh my sins, and I will become an immortal, famous figure!" Eroch expression finally shifted. He turned to glance at the heart of Durin beside him. "This heart really is magnificent. It will complete my great work!"
Hughes said nothing further. Instead, he slowly drew the blade he always carried with him.
This morning, after parting with Yuxie, he had been helping people in the streets when he received a message — his adoptive father had been killed by his biological son, Eroch, and Eroch had gone missing.
Hughes had gone mad with grief, running to Eroch's residence, where he found some items left behind by Eroch. From there, he deduced Eroch's whereabouts and set off alone for the snow mountain.
"Why aren't you speaking? Drawing your sword? You want to kill me?" Eroch sneered. "Don't be ridiculous, Hughes. You should know how weak you are. A person should know their own limits."
Hughes didn't respond. He just gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and glared at Eroch.
He knew full well how weak he was, but this was something he had to do.
Without the adoption of his foster father, he would have starved to death in some desolate wilderness. He never would have had the life he had now.
He had to personally avenge his foster father, and make this bastard in front of him burn in hell!
"I think I understand now," Yuxie said, narrowing his eyes. "Eroch, the figure I saw on the mountaintop earlier was you, wasn't it? You wanted to use this heart to accomplish something, right?" His voice grew stern. "To do so, you not only killed so many adventurers who came to the mountain, but you even went as far as to murder your own father who opposed you."
"Those adventurers should be honored to give their lives for this cause," Eroch said with a faint smile.
"Bullshit!" Yuxie stopped in his tracks. "Every single adventurer who died is a living person. They had their own lives, families waiting for them, and bright futures ahead of them. But they died for some senseless reason, and you say it's an honor? Don't you think your logic is completely twisted?"
"It seems, in the end, no one can understand me." Eroch placed his hand on the heart of Durin. "Why does no one understand me? All I want is to use alchemy to awaken the power inside this heart, to control the monsters, and make them serve humans, so I can better protect Mondstadt…"
"Such a thing, just thinking about it makes it clear that it's impossible!" Hughes shouted. "Even I can feel that the power contained in that thing is not something an ordinary person can control!"
Hearing this, Eroch placed his hand on his forehead.
"Everyone says that... Everyone says that! Even my father didn't believe in me. I trusted him so much that I told him my entire plan, but he still rejected me! It's all foolish, all ignorant!"
"That's enough. There's nothing more to say. After taking so many lives, you should pay the price." Yujia drew his sword, Cloud Cutter, and pointed the tip at Eroch.
Eroch, however, only smiled indifferently.
"The life force for activating the alchemy is already sufficient. You're too late to make me pay the price."
A certain alchemy was activated at this moment.
The heart of the Shadow Dragon Durin suddenly began to beat faster, its accelerating heartbeat sounding like the drums of war on a battlefield.
The intense sound of the heartbeat seemed to echo throughout the entire snowy mountain, and the massive heart's red light grew even stronger, eventually becoming blinding.
The red light seeped into the ground, flowing into the earth's veins.
The red light also enveloped Eroch, who was standing next to the heart. Dark red scales began to appear on his body.
"Wait, what's happening? No, it shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't—"
Eroch let out a painful scream, staring in disbelief at his hands, now slowly being covered by scales, his eyes filled with terror.
All of this happened within just a few seconds.
Instinct told Yu Xie that they needed to leave now.
Without saying a word, he turned and grabbed Hughes, running toward the cave entrance.
At this moment, wings sprouted from Eroch's back, his clothes were torn apart, and he was gradually losing his human form.
Fear consumed him as he screamed in agony, reaching out toward Hughes.
"Help me, brother… help me!"
End of chapter
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