Chương 109: The Three Entities

Xia had already lost consciousness. And yet, the two pillars of white light continued to engulf her without respite. Above those pillars… Three entities watched the scene.

"The first mage to create a timeline with two conditions…" said a deep male voice that seemed to come from every direction.

"I never believed such a thing was even possible".

"And the fact that the timeline still exists…and that she is still alive…" added a second voice, feminine yet equally profound.

"Remarkable. But the laws of the universe and of magic must demand something in return. What will they claim from this mage? Her powers? Her soul? Her life?" A brief silence followed. Then a third voice spoke. Calm. Distant. It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

"Past, present and future coexist simultaneously within our universe. The life of every living being is like an open book. We already know everything this mage will do. Even the final page of her story has already been written". The voice remained completely devoid of emotion.

"We cannot alter those pages. That would be an even greater crime. It would cause the very foundations upon which the Three Continents coexist to collapse". Another silence followed.

"Her powers and her memories", declared the first voice.

"They shall be taken from her forever. That shall be the price Xia Sun will pay".

"I agree", said the second voice.

"I have no objections", concluded the third. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. And so, the three unseen entities decided Xia's fate. Back in the real world, Felicity continued attacking Lancelot without giving him a moment's respite. He managed to block several blows. Then one of her blades cleanly severed two fingers from his right hand. His sword slipped from his grasp. He screamed. Desperately, he tried to reach the dagger. Felicity was faster.

A slash across his left leg brought him crashing into the snow. With a swift movement, she snatched the dagger away from him and hurled it into the distance.

"Leah! Ethan!" The two of them immediately turned around.

"Take the sword and the dagger". They nodded without hesitation. Felicity once again pointed one of her blades at Lancelot's throat.

"Please…" he begged, his voice breaking.

"Don't kill me". He looked genuinely terrified. Felicity stared into his eyes for a long moment. Then she slowly lowered her blade. She sheathed both swords.

"Ethan…I think this decision belongs to you". Ethan nodded.

"Thank you". He stepped forward. He looked Lancelot in the eyes.

"Ethan…" Lancelot whispered.

"Think of all the battles we fought together. I was one of your soldiers".

"Before you let yourself be corrupted by money and chose to defend that castle. You valued money more than our friendship". Lancelot lowered his gaze.

"I…was afraid". He took a deep breath.

"Terrified of dying. Why should I have kept fighting increasingly dangerous wars when I could guard a remote castle in this frozen land and earn an even higher salary?" A bitter smile crossed his face.

"Not everyone has your integrity". Ethan remained silent. All he could see in Lancelot's eyes was fear. Memories of the battles they had fought side by side came flooding back. Their conversations. The secret of the sword.

"Lancelot…today, for the sake of that sword, you were willing to kill us". He paused briefly.

"And yet, many others with a power like yours would've committed far worse atrocities. But despite everything…you remained the soldier I once knew…the friend I once knew". He slowly lowered the hand holding his sword.

"Go. Return to the castle and have your wounds treated". Lancelot smiled. His eyes grew moist.

"Thank you, Ethan". He lowered his head.

"Truly…thank you". With tremendous effort, he climbed onto his horse. A few moments later, he disappeared into the falling snow.

"It all happened so…strangely fast", Leah said.

"Yeah…" Ethan replied. At that very moment, Xia appeared behind them. Unconscious. Her body collapsed into the snow.

"Xia!" Leah immediately ran toward her. The others quickly followed. After a few moments, Xia slowly opened her eyes.

"Xia…" Leah said, her voice trembling.

"Where did you go?"

"Was it because of you that his power stopped working?" Felicity asked. Xia slowly sat up. She looked at them one by one. There wasn't a trace of recognition on her face. She looked at them as though she were seeing them for the very first time.

"Excuse me…" she said politely. Her voice was calm. Unfamiliar.

"I don't mean to be rude…but who are you?" Felicity. Leah. Ethan. Agnes. They stood frozen. Not one of them could utter a single word.