With the sun still rising outside, she felt a twinge of panic, fearing she'd sleep another day. However, this idea was quickly dismissed when she saw that the tray from the night before was still on the table, now empty. She didn't remember eating it, she-
"Today is the first day of the rest of your life," she whispered to herself. "You can do this. Hadwin will be there. You will find the Chosen One and you will save the world. No one else can, so you have to do it. You won't fail again."
Why shouldn't this time be any different? If she didn't fail, there would be no reason for her to become a magic swordsman.
On the chair lay some clothing, simple enough outerwear, though it bore the sigil of House Dusk at its heart. Also breeches and cloak.
She dressed quickly, pausing only to glance at the closet. Although these riding clothes were much better than anything she had ever worn in her life, she had worn better clothes more times in her life than she could count. They weren't even made for her.
She pulled her cloak over her shoulders. "Waste no more time. Everyone is waiting for you. Expecting you. If you fail, it doesn't matter what you wear. Don't waste time. Eat a simple meal, find the chosen one and save the world. This is your only reason for existing. So let’s go. Ha”
------
When she saw another familiar face at the dinner table.
King Ulfryn, the great warrior of the land, or so the stories she heard said. A warlord who wields a massive greatsword that usually requires three men to carry, and which makes the sound of crackling lightning as he swings it.
But now he is an old man with a short gray beard, a hunched back, and a receding hairline. She was almost unrecognizable. Hadwin and Emmeline sat on either side, and the three of them were looking at the map.
"Now that those damn horses are gone, we can retake the Red Fire Fortress. From there we can hold the valley. But they're back, and we need you to go back and destroy them," the king said, tapping the map hard. "I just hope you're right about that skull."
horse? What kind of horses are they—
Those cursed lava horses. As the time for the Infernal God to appear draws closer, it becomes easier and easier for the cultists to summon his beasts. To ordinary people, fire horses made of lava are a particularly deadly threat.
Joan shuddered as she thought of the battle to which they had been called. A demon girl summons them with a strange obsidian skull.
She and Hadwin must fight their way through the stampede to eventually destroy the skull. Many cultists have escaped, but the threat has been addressed. Ironically, it was this battle that served as the catalyst for Hadwin's development of Swan Falls technology during many of their lifetimes.
"This seems to be the source," Hadwin said with a sigh. "I don't like them appearing suddenly, though. I just killed the Reflection Troll and they appeared a day later. How convenient! In addition, there are the ruins of a castle near the entrance to the valley. It looks half-destroyed, and if demons built this castle just to destroy it, something else could be going on here."
"You worry too much about time," said Emmeline, shaking her head. "We know that the demons have been preparing for the attack for a long time. This is obviously their original intention. Our focus now is to hold this valley. As long as we trap them here, they will not be able to move the biggest monsters into our Land. Our main concern should be the Summoner. If the skull is not the source then—"
"The obsidian skull is the source." Qiong couldn't help but say. All three turned to her, seemingly shocked.
"I feel better, do I accept that?" Emmeline asked. "I'm not sure you can still come here. I hear you had a great time."
Zach Qiong felt his cheeks burning and nodded quickly. "Yeah. I just need to clear my head, I'll do better with a sword in my hand than in bed, I-"
"It's okay," Emmeline said, holding up her hand to stop her. "Be careful, you're still recovering. Hadwin, I didn't know you told her about the skull."
"I didn't," Hadwin said softly, narrowing his eyes at her. "Excuse me, I need to have a word with Joan," he said, then walked away from the map and toward the hall exit, grabbing her arm as he passed.
Joan barely suppressed a hiss of pain and struggled to stay upright as he pulled her out of the room and closed the door. When they were alone, he glared at her condescendingly.
"What happened again?" she asked.
"How do you know about the obsidian skull?" he asked.
"You know," Joan said, barely suppressing a tired sigh. "Like I know everything else. I've done it many times, so I know. Found the wizard?"
"WHO?" Hadwin asked.
"The witch who summoned them with a skeleton," she said, rolling her eyes. "She'll-" The words died in her throat, and she looked up at him in horror.
"What?" he asked. "Joan, don't look at me like that. You look like you've seen a demon."
"Horses are made of lava, right?" she asked.
"Yes, they are. I wonder-"
"But they appeared a few weeks after the reflection trolls were destroyed," she said again, anxiety rising within her.
"No, a few days, but—"
"No. Not here, not at this time," she said quickly, reaching for his arm. "They always show up weeks later. Always. Without fail. That should have been years ago," she said, barely able to contain her panic now. "This is more than just a coincidence, Hadwin. Whoever summoned them is waiting for you to kill the Reflection Troll to summon them. We need another chosen one."
Hadwin closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed. "I understand. However, there is no demon girl. There are many summoners, and most of them are dead now. By the way, assuming things develop according to the trajectory then, what will happen next?"
Joan closed her eyes and tried to remember. First the trolls, then the Bat Watch Valley, then the horses. A few weeks later, they were summoned to the land of the dwarves.
"Dwarf," she whispered. "We were asked to help them stop this weird tunnel worm monster. That one was pretty gnarly. We found their entire nest buried underground. It took us months to clean them out. But Taglen just There. We don't usually get help from him."
Hadwin stared at her for a long moment, seemingly trying to digest the question. Finally, he spoke. "The Devouring King?"
"The Devouring King. A giant castle-sized worm that can chew through stone with ease and kill thousands of people?" Hadwin asked.
"Tie it. But I think we mostly call it the 'fucking bastard worm,'" Joan said with a sigh. "I don't think we ever called it the Devouring King. Especially not once we found the lair," she said, and she stared at him, though his comment finally clicked in her head. "Wait, do you know about this?"
"I killed it years ago. What do you mean by nest? Are those still there?" Hadwin asked.
“There were hundreds,” Joan said. "That's going to be something we have to deal with."
"I have to do this," Hadwin said quickly.
"Hadwin——"
"We'll discuss it after we get it. What's his name?"
"Hard-working Serge," Joan said with a sigh. "But you need my help-"
Hadwin finally let go of her arm, then turned and walked back into the hall. June sighed and followed him, feeling even more nervous at the thought of them fighting again later.
But more importantly, the Skull always appears after the Troll, but Batwatch and the Devouring King appear before it. Does this mean the two are not connected, but the skull is connected to them?
Some things happen in sequence, what if the skull actually has no connection to the troll at all, but what happens now? Hadwin said there are multiple summoners, but in her experience, there is only one. Could it be that her use of the skull in this life was just hasty due to the failure of Batwatch Hollow? Or is there really someone there all the time? Waiting for the reflection troll to be destroyed before going to work? snort
In front of the king and queen. They may have thought she was a little crazy.
Her thoughts were interrupted by someone shaking her shoulder, startling her.
"You're asked a question," Hadwin said.
"I was? Sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?" she asked, blushing.
"It was actually me," Umphrine said. She glanced towards the head of the table, where the king and queen were seated. The map had been cleared and plates were set before them, piled high with sausages, eggs and rolls.
Emmeline looked like she was trying not to laugh. However, Umphrine just looked at her. Now that I think about it, he hasn't said a word since she came. He had been looking at her just now.
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I was just thinking."
"I must say" chuckled the king.
"I've heard quite a few stories about you, Joan. I never thought you'd be a thoughtful person. You obviously got that from your mother."
"Hey!" Hadwin turned and glared at Ulflain. However, Emmeline suddenly laughed and covered her mouth with her hands.
"I don't know," Joan said with a shrug. "But I think it's possible. I certainly didn't get it from Hadwin," she said, unable to resist teasing her friend gently. She was rewarded with a vicious look.
"So tell me. It seems that you are familiar with obsidian skulls. I am curious how you got this information?" Ulflain asked.
Joan paused, and unfortunately the Queen seemed interested in the answer as well. She mentally cursed herself for making such a stupid mistake.
"It's really hard to explain," she said softly.
"Please go ahead," he said, eyes narrowing slightly.
"I have dreams sometimes."
"Dream?" Ulflain asked.
"Dreams. Sometimes they're about things that will happen, but—"
"Like an illusion?" Emmeline asked.
"Yes!" Joan said quickly when she saw an escape route ahead. Vision, of course. That was the perfect explanation for everything she had. “Sometimes I see things that can happen or will happen.”
"In fact, I had an incident with one of the Chosen the other night. A young man from the Academy," she said before glancing back at the two again.
Emeline looked shocked, but relieved. Umphrine, on the other hand, just stared at her with a look she couldn't identify. She trembled slightly. Those eyes peeked into all her secrets and wanted to reveal her truth.
"Hadwin never mentioned that you were also a seer," Emmeline said, glancing at the chosen one. "Why would you hide something like this?"
"I don't know," Hadwin said, shaking his head. "I must say, it was a surprise to me too. But then again, Joan seems to be full of surprises."
Her heart was beating wildly.
I know Serge is one of the chosen ones and we have to go to him. and - "
"Sel? WHO?" Ameline narrowed her eyes and asked her. "What do you mean, catch him?"
"Yes. I had a dream, or vision, of the Shield Chosen. A man I met at the Academy. Hadwin and I went to—"
"No," Emmeline said firmly.
"What?" Joan asked. "He needs me-"
"Hadwin can summon the chosen ones if they are there. You need to stay here to recover. You are not fully healed yet."
June took a slow breath and closed her eyes. She felt the anger building and knew she had to get it under control. She was no longer a hero and yelling at the Queen would only get her into trouble. She had to control herself. "I'm fine. I've been asleep for days, but we need to pick another one soon."
"You're not well," Emmeline said shortly. "If you force yourself now, you're going to eventually break."
"It's only a few days' trip," Joan said again, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Please, I need to go with him. I promise I'll be careful. I promise not to put myself at any unnecessary risk."
"Hadwin, you can't accept this," Emmeline said, giving him a look. "She's your daughter, isn't she?"
Hadwin pinched the bridge of his nose and shrugged. "She's been taking good care of herself so far and I think she can take care of herself. We're going to the T to see if this Searle gets picked," he said with a sigh. "That's the best and only advantage we have right now."
"But she's only a child," Emmeline said firmly.
Joan tried to hold back her anger, but her emotions boiled over a little. She slapped her palms on the table much harder than she expected, and surprisingly, the Queen jumped. "Yes, I'm young. But I'm not a child. I haven't been a child for many years.
I can fight like any adult, no, better. I'm a passable mage. I could survive alone in the wilderness for months at a time. I could probably fight the devil if I had to. Yes, I have been victimized by reflection trolls. But other than Hadwin, no one did it better. Not even the most powerful mages and warriors in the entire empire could do it. More importantly, I was the one who discovered its weakness and helped Hadwin defeat it. she said, barely resisting the urge to slap her palms on the table again.
“I am no longer a child, Your Highness.
Joan shook her head slightly. How that fight would have gone if she hadn't been there. If he used ordinary fire techniques to deal with the monster, it would hardly hurt it. Moreover, it is definitely more powerful than when she was killed as a hero. Can Hadwin win? She shuddered to think that he might actually die there. "You need me, Hadwin."
"Maybe we should let her go with him," Umphrine said. Emeline started to object, but then he raised a hand.
"After all, she is right. Even if she is young, she is certainly not a child. If we treat her like this, we may lose our advantage in the war against demons."
After all, she worries that the queen is her greatest danger. Will the king play this role in this life? To be honest, she wasn't sure which was worse. It was a threat she knew she had, or a threat she could never have guessed.
"Very well," Emmeline said with a sigh. "Since you all clearly think this is the right decision and sending a message while a young woman is still vulnerable - it would be wise to ride through the wilderness and I will relent. Remember, Joan. Take care of yourself, Be careful!"
She nodded slightly, with a bright smile on her face. "Of course, Your Highness. Thank you. I promise I won't take any unnecessary risks."
------
Joan kept her spirits up as the rain poured down, her body aching, cold, and every step the horse took sent a slight jolt through her legs, reminding her how sore they were. How long have they been on the road now, a week?
It started raining the night before so avoid getting wet. Part of her wondered if this was a sign from the gods that they wanted her to be miserable and cold.
"Are you okay?" Hadwin asked.
"Can't we go faster?" she asked. "We're wasting time."
"Horses won't run on wet roads."
She knew he was right. However, she couldn't remember the last time she felt this much pain. She once rode horses for weeks at a time and was forced to change horses in each village because of the emergency so they could rest. She desperately wanted to do it now.
She closed her eyes and cast a gentle spell to ease the pain in her legs. She regretted it almost immediately as a strong feeling of nausea spread through her body and she tightened her grip on the reins to keep from falling.
"Are you okay?" Hadwin asked, slowing down so she could keep up. "Do you need some rest?"
"I'm fine," she said, even though she knew it was a lie. The trip was already taking longer than they needed to due to the weather. She didn't dare to delay them any longer.
"Are you sure?" Hadwin asked again.
"I'm fine. We're almost there. This rain can't keep falling, can it?" Dei said with a slight smile, then raised his head and glanced at the clouds above his head. Thick clouds made her suspect that might be the case. She swore she had saddle sores on her saddle sores.
"I shouldn't have brought you here," Hadwin said, shaking his head.
"I'm fine!" Joan said again, this time unable to hide the desperation in her voice. "You need me, remember? What if there's another monster? I'm your best source of information."
"It is said."
"A good father will believe in their daughter," she said, and he looked at her angrily, almost enough to make some of the pain go away.
"A good daughter also obeys her father," he said after a moment.
"I have many things. A good daughter is certainly not one of them," she said immediately. "What on earth made you come up with this lie?"
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Hadwin said. "What should I tell her? Are you either the reincarnation of some past, present or future hero? Or maybe a spy from a demonic land? Maybe just crazy? The possibility of you becoming my daughter if I want her to heal you The sex seemed more believable, that's what came to mind at the time. Personally, I wish I had more time to talk to you before I had to explain everything, but you decided to try and join a fight where you had no foothold. "
There was a heavy feeling in my chest. She wonders how things would have turned out if she hadn't been injured. In her next life she will be an archer.
"Hadwin, thank you. I know you don't quite believe me yet. But you will, I know you will. You will see—" The words stuck in her throat, and she pressed hard Pulling the reins. She looked around blankly, her heart pounding. She could feel it again. That strange feeling of being watched. Some unseen threat is watching her, ready to strike.
"Joan? What is it?" Hadwin asked, quickly retreating to her side.
"Can't you feel it?" Joan asked, looking around wildly. However, in the heavy rain, she could not see anything.
"What does it feel like?" he asked, moving his hand to the hilt of the sword.
"There's something watching us. I can feel it, all the way to my core." She whispered before reaching for her sword, but mentally kicking herself as she realized she no longer had it Kicked himself.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the feeling was gone. She breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Hadwin. "It's gone. You have to feel that?"
"I don't feel anything," Hadwin said, and pulled on his mount's reins. "You're just tired, Joan. Come along. We'll just go to the next town and get some rest."
"I'm not tired," Joan said, furious. "I'm not imagining it either. There's something there, I know it's there!"
"Of course," he said, doubt evident in his tone. "come together."
She didn't jump because of the shadow. There must be something going on that she hasn't noticed yet. She wasn't crazy or panicked. she hoped.
