Chapter 525: Emotional Outburst!
Chapter 525
"What is that?" Thalos asked as he leaped off the mound he was standing on.
’Huh? How didn’t I also see it earlier? Was I too consumed by Grey’s attempt at awakening his affinity that I failed to notice? Sheesh! That was ca... huh? What’s this?!’ the gargoyle thought as he tried to sense it, when his focus was suddenly broken by a chattering human.
"Stormy cloud, lightning strikes, a looming mountain and sharp bangs? You know, if this was a movie or something, it would make for an obvious horror one. Because those are the signs of danger and some stupid people might want to go check it out." Grey said as he facepalmed himself with a dry chuckle.
"Huh? I thought you wanted to go check it out. I mean, that’s lightning we are seeing there, and the condition to awaken the lightning magic is practicing in a thunderstorm right? So you don’t want to check it out?" Thalos asked with furrowed brows of confusion.
"Of course I want to." Grey snapped loudly.
"Oh! So that means you’re stupid." Thalos chuckled silently.
"The hell you mean?!" Grey thundered with a deep frown on his face.
"Didn’t you say it’s stupid people that will go over to those obvious signs of danger? And you want to go. Doesn’t that make you stupid?" Thalos reasoned and then burst into laughter again as he began striding forward.
"I swear, the day I become a stage 6 warrior and I manage to... huh?! Wait! What even are mage ranks? Whatever! If I manage to become stronger with magic too, I will make sure I battle you to the death." Grey roared in anger as he also began walking forward.
"Kek! Don’t blame me when you grow gray hair like your name before you try to challenge me." Thalos chuckled devilishly, causing the vein on Grey’s forehead to throb deeper.
"You know what? You can fucking walk on your own!" Grey roared in anger as he kicked off the ground and took off into the air with the help of his wind magic.
"Slow poke." Thalos muttered and didn’t even bother to compete, casually walking forward with a smug look on his face.
Their destination? The looming mountain around thirty metres away from them.
’I feel like something is there on that mountain. But what? I tried sensing its strength, but it looks like something is blocking my senses out. I wonder what it is.’ Thalos thought, his brows furrowing slightly while the walk to the mountain stretched on in slow silence.
Grey was in the air, gliding about two metres in front of Thalos, while the gargoyle was carefully sprinting forward without exerting himself. It was a strange sight.
Grey didn’t say anything anymore, and neither did Thalos. And honestly, the gargoyle appreciated the silence. It was one of those rare moments where he felt almost at peace, as if the world itself had gone quiet just for them.
"You know,"
Sigh!
"I knew the silence wouldn’t last." Thalos couldn’t help but sigh as he shook his head, though Grey ignored him.
"Though you haven’t been of much help to me all this while, it feels nice having a companion accompany me through all my journey."
"Huh?" Thalos muttered with a raised eyebrow at the Supreme Magus’ sudden words.
"As you know, I have no real recollection of who I am, and it hurts. It hurts deeply that I might have friends and families in my world, but I don’t even know who they are. Found myself in this new world, and the Cromwell took care of my every need. But still..."
Grey’s voice trailed, heavy with something unspoken, as his eyes briefly flicked toward the roaring mountain in the distance.
"Loved me like their own and although I enjoyed it, I still felt empty inside because I knew it wouldn’t last. I won’t be with them forever and maybe—just maybe they would leave forever.
I fear being lonely, and having you here every step of my journey, even though you’re a gargoyle and not a human, it feels nice.
Because I know you are loyal. Though we bicker and fight, I know you won’t betray me for whatsoever reason unlike humans. Which is why, I want to say... thank you for always staying by my side." Grey said, and as he finished speaking, he quickly wiped a tear off his face.
All of this stunned Thalos who was unable to speak for some seconds before he quickly shook his head and smiled. For the first time in a while, a genuine smile—and not the usual devilish grin he wore flashed across his face.
"You know? It’s not good to trust people wholeheartedly whether they are human or not. People can suddenly stab you in the back." Thalos commented with a small smile, causing Grey who was airborne to spin around while still continuing his flight.
"Will you stab me in the back?" He asked.
"Let’s see what happens." Thalos shrugged, and his usual devilish grin crept back onto his face.
"Tch! Not like you could, weakling." Grey scoffed as he spun around and fixed his gaze once again on their destination.
"I could literally just hurl my sword into your back right now. And I’m stronger than you." Thalos scoffed.
"Tell that to our duel." Grey grinned widely as he noticed that they were now just a few metres away. "Come on, we are almost there."
Without any more words, they sped up further, and in a few minutes, they were now inches away from the mountain. Without hesitation, they landed on it casually, as though they owned the place, boots and claws scraping against the stone.
Now that they were closer to it, the thunderstorm cloud was clearer than before. The sky above churned like a cauldron, the flashes of lightning tearing through the heavens, and the rumblings rolling across the stone like drums of war. The air was thick, heavy, alive with raw energy that made the hair on Grey’s neck stand on end.
"Time to relearn my li..." Grey’s words trailed off as he noticed Thalos’ eyes. They were no longer their usual sharp yellow, but glowing with a fierce golden brilliance, wild and primal. His dagger suddenly elongated into a greatsword, the steel vibrating as if it too had been awakened.
"Thalos? Wh...what happened?" Grey asked in a low, cautious voice, suddenly tightening his stance.
"It’s str... strong. Very powerful." Thalos whispered, his tone heavy with something that sounded like awe and dread mixed together. Grey was instantly on guard, his instincts screaming at him to pay attention.
They both looked up. And that was when Grey’s jaw dropped, his mind spiraling into disbelief.
Because what they had called a thunderstorm cloud a few minutes ago... was not a storm at all.
"Move!" Thalos suddenly roared as he bolted forward, and in a second, he was beside Grey. Without wasting time, he shoved the lad away just in time for a colossal lightning bolt to smash directly where Grey had stood, scorching the ground and drilling a hole deep into the mountain.
The sound was deafening. The smell of ozone burned their noses.