Chapter 413: Chapter 412- Bond

The plantation had been attacked by an ancient beast that surfaced just two days ago—its appearance as sudden as it was violent. Curiously, it showed no interest in cities, villages, or human settlements. Its rage was directed at the plantations alone, as if its sole purpose was to erase the very source of sustenance that kept humanity alive.

At first, people thought the creature was starving. But those who witnessed the rampage up close—those who saw its unrelenting fury, the precision in its destruction—knew better. It wasn’t hunger that drove it. It was intent. Malicious, deliberate intent.

Fortunately, the plantations weren’t left unguarded. They were protected by the finest soldiers and warriors, each trained to defend the only lifeline of their fragile world. And even though the beast was an ancient terror—its scales harder than steel, its roar capable of tearing the air apart—it couldn’t destroy them completely.

If the beast was driven by aggression, then humanity fought back with desperation.

The soldiers didn’t fight for glory or survival; they fought for food. For their families, for their starving children, for tomorrow. And that made them far more dangerous than any ancient monster.

In the end, humanity won—not because they were stronger, but because they were hungrier.

Yet victory felt hollow.

“The crops have failed,” Adrian muttered quietly, his voice almost blending with the dry rustle of the ruined field. Before him stretched acres of devastation—charred soil, blackened stalks, and the lifeless remains of what was once their hope.

The fruits and seeds had been salvaged where possible, but one glance was enough to tell that the plants themselves were finished. Their stems had turned brittle, their leaves were shriveled husks.

“The moment these plants are exposed to natural light, they lose their fertility,” Raven said beside him, her tone grave, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “Within hours, they decay… without any chance of saving them.”

Her words hung in the air like smoke—heavy, inescapable.

Adrian knelt, brushing his fingers over the wilted soil. It was cold, lifeless. Whatever strange corruption the beast carried had seeped deep into the roots.

“It wasn’t a random attack,” he said after a long silence. “Something—or someone—wanted to make sure we can’t recover from this.”

Raven’s jaw tightened, her eyes flickering with restrained fury. “Then it means the next attack won’t be far.”

Adrian rose slowly, his gaze fixed on the horizon where faint traces of black mist still lingered.

His expression darkened — there was no mistaking the storm behind his calm gaze.

These people had clawed their way through famine, disease, and despair just to keep breathing, and yet, some unseen hand still dared to trample over their efforts, grinding their fragile hope beneath its heel.

Raven could feel the tension radiating from him like heat.

That’s why she couldn’t stop herself from muttering, “Adrian… I have a feeling that if you tried to help us, they would come for you too,” she said quietly, her voice heavy with something between fear and resignation.

“It’s always been this way. Whenever someone tries to lift us up, to bring light into this cursed world… something strikes. A plague, a beast, a storm—anything to reset us. It’s like the moment our people start to rise, the world itself decides to crush them back down.”

Adrian turned his head, meeting her eyes. The flicker of defiance in his gaze made her chest tighten.

“I don’t care who they are,” he said, his voice steady but simmering with restrained fury. “Whether it’s fate, a curse, or some bored deity watching from above… I’m not leaving this place until I fix it.”

He looked back at the field — the lifeless soil, the shriveled plants, the ashes of hope scattered in the wind.

The blood of those who were murdered. The dried tears in the eyes of the farmers. Those dropped shoulders and those lifeless eyes. He saw it all.

His hand clenched.

“I’ll rebuild every inch of this plantation,” he vowed. “I’ll restore every root, every seed, and I’ll make sure this land bears fruit again. And if the Gods themselves try to stop me…”

A faint pulse of mana flared around him, the air trembling as his tone dropped to a cold, unyielding growl.

“Then not even they will be spared.”

He then reached into his coat pocket and drew out a handful of small black orbs.

Without hesitation, Adrian tossed them high into the air. The orbs began to hum, their smooth surfaces splitting apart and shifting midair like blooming steel flowers. A second later, heavy thuds shook the ground as several massive golems landed one after another.

Each stood over ten feet tall — bodies carved from enchanted stone and metal, their surfaces glowing faintly with golden runes that pulsed like living veins. Their eyes flared open, burning with restrained energy as they awaited orders.

Raven couldn’t help but stare, her lips slightly parted. She knew these were Forgelet’s creations but they were, by no means, cheap to possess.

Only someone like Adrian or Valor could ask so many high grade Golems from the giant dwarf.

And yet, he didn’t think twice before using them for her.

Adrian’s voice cut through the air, calm yet commanding. “Protect the perimeter. Anyone who holds ill intent…” His brown eyes narrowed. “Erase them.”

The golems moved instantly, their heavy steps sending tremors across the field as they spread out in all directions. The soldiers and farmers watches in surprise as something so humungous and intimidating actually standing to not attack them. But to protect them.

Within moments, the entire plantation was surrounded — a living wall of magic and metal, prepared to guard it with their lives.

Then, Adrian reached into his inventory again and pulled out a set of circular metallic disks engraved with complex runic markings. He turned to Raven. “Can you call a few magicians?”

Raven gave a curt nod and glanced toward Isabelle, who stood nearby. The woman immediately understood and sprinted toward the plantation. In less than a minute, several magicians emerged, some still brushing dirt from their robes, all looking curious and wary.

Adrian handed each of them a disk. “Place these evenly around the perimeter of the plantation. Once they’re positioned, channel mana into them simultaneously.”

The magicians exchanged puzzled glances, uncertain about the artifacts in their hands. One of them hesitated before asking, “Are these… some kind of barrier devices?”

Adrian smiled faintly, his tone steady but carrying an undertone of quiet authority. “You could say that. These disks will generate a reinforced field that will keep any intruder — human, beast, or otherwise — from getting close. Trust me.”

His gaze swept over them — calm yet so confident that no one dared to question further.

Raven, watching from the side, couldn’t help but think — that confidence of his wasn’t arrogance. It was certainty. The kind that came from someone who had defied impossible odds more times than anyone could count.

Turning towards Raven, Adrian said, “Do the engineers who built the plantations here?”

Raven was broken out of her daze before she nodded in assent, “Yes. I will call them-”

“No, wait here. I will go bring them.” Isabelle stopped the raven-haired before she could move.

The redhead glanced between the two before departing toward the inner side of the perimeter.

Adrian’s brows elevated as he asked, “Is she your friend?”

Raven nodded, “Someone who has been with me through thick and thin.”

Adrian warmly smiled, “Must be a close one then.”

Raven gave a brief nod before silence befell between them.

Adrian turned toward the people clearing the debris before he asked, “When we first arrived here and I saw the situation, my first thought was that you weren’t reacting the way you should be.”

He then glanced at her and added, “Then I realised it must have happened to you so many times that you must have become used to it.”

Raven smiled in defeat, “Sometimes I also blame myself for not reacting the way I should be…so it’s pretty normal for you to think that way.”

The man had a look of concern on his face as he asked, “How you do this, Raven? Shouldering the responsibility of so many yet not crumbling?”

She shrugged, “Maybe because I never stopped hoping?” Turning towards him she added, “And now…I believe my hopes are being answered.”

A moment of silence stretched between the two as they stared at each other.

One side seemed mildly surprised and one side held utmost confidence.

Seeing such certainty in her eyes, Adrian sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, “I am unsure whether I am worthy of your trust but I assure you, Raven, that I will definitely do my best.”

“I know, you will. You never do anything half hearted.”

A bond has been established…or to say, re-established between them.

A bond of trust.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please leave a review if you have been enjoying the story so far.

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