Chapter 10 - The Hero’s Shadow
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The campfire crackled softly.
Celestia sat beside me, humming a tune as she leaned against a rock, her silver hair glowing under the moonlight.
Ironhorn rested nearby, his massive body rising and falling with each breath.
Obsidian coiled in the shadows, its eyes half-closed but still alert.
Raijin sat by the edge of the cliff, staring into the darkness of the Stormfang Highlands.
I was supposed to be resting.
But my mind wouldn't stop.
Because tonight—
I had felt it.
A presence.
Someone had been watching us.
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A Fated Rival
I turned to Celestia. "Did you sense it?"
She smiled. "Ara~ You mean our little observer?"
I nodded. "Who was it?"
Celestia giggled. "Fufufu~ Who else? The original protagonist."
My eyes narrowed.
"Rael Ascarion."
The so-called "Chosen One."
A boy who was supposed to rise from nothing, tame a legendary beast, and become the world's greatest hero.
A boy whose destiny I had already altered by surviving this long.
Celestia stretched lazily. "He didn't approach. Just watched from the distance. I wonder~ was he curious? Or was he afraid?"
I smirked.
"He should be afraid."
Because the villain he was meant to defeat?
Wasn't playing by the script anymore.
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The Power Gap
Raijin's ears twitched, and he let out a low growl.
I turned my gaze toward the distant hills.
I could feel Rael's presence fading—he was already retreating.
For now.
Celestia chuckled. "He's strong, you know."
I didn't answer.
Because I knew.
Rael Ascarion wasn't just some weak-willed protagonist who would be easily crushed.
Even without his Sacred Griffin, he had talent.
A broken growth rate.
A protagonist's luck.
A ridiculous affinity with swordsmanship.
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If I underestimated him—
He'd kill me the moment he had the chance.
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Breaking Destiny
I stood up.
"Celestia, how long until Rael gets his Sacred Griffin?"
She tapped her chin. "Mmm~ If fate hasn't changed much, he should bond with it in two weeks."
Two weeks.
That wasn't much time.
Once Rael had his Sacred Griffin, his power would explode overnight.
I clenched my fists.
That meant I had two weeks to do the impossible.
I had to become stronger.
My beasts had to evolve.
And I had to crush fate before it crushed me.
Celestia's golden eyes sparkled with amusement. "Ara~ And what's that dangerous look for, darling?"
I exhaled.
"It's simple."
I turned toward Ironhorn, Obsidian, and Raijin—my beasts, my soldiers.
"We start now."
And with that—
The plan to break destiny itself had begun.