chapter 3

Under the canopy of a starlit night, Lucien sprinted through the uneven trails, his coat fluttering behind him like a shadow. The cold air brushed against his face as he made his way toward the icy peaks of Dragonspine.

"tsk," he muttered, annoyance flickering across his face as he pushed forward.

The rustling of nearby bushes brought him to an abrupt halt. His sharp gaze darted toward the sound. Without warning, a hulking Hilichurl leaped out, its wooden mace raised high above its head, swinging down with ferocious force.

Lucien sidestepped with precision, the mace crashing into the ground where he had just stood.

"Really?" Lucien scoffed, his voice laced with disdain. "You damn Hilichurl thought you could ambush me?"

The Hilichurl snarled, its guttural language echoing in the stillness of the night.

Lucien tilted his head, feigning curiosity. "Huh? I don't know what you're saying, but judging by your tone, are you trying to call me a stupid human without a Vision?" His lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Well, well…"

The Hilichurl roared, raising its weapon once more and charging at him with renewed vigor. Its mace swung toward Lucien in a wide arc, promising destruction.

This time, Lucien didn't move. Instead, he raised his hand, effortlessly catching the wooden weapon mid-swing. The impact echoed faintly, but his grip was like iron, unmoving.

"Too weak," he said coldly, his voice cutting through the night.

With a single motion, he crushed the mace in his grip, splinters flying in every direction. The Hilichurl stumbled back, stunned by the raw strength displayed before it could react.

Lucien's fist shot forward like a bullet, striking the creature squarely in the chest. The force of the blow sent it flying into the darkness, its fate unknown.

"Hmph." Lucien dusted off his hands and adjusted his coat.

Without sparing another glance at the fallen Hilichurl, he resumed his run, the frigid winds of Dragonspine growing sharper as he approached.

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Lucien trudged through the thick snow, his boots crunching against the icy ground. The biting cold seeped into his skin despite his heavy coat, and he pulled it tighter around himself, his breath visible in the frigid air.

"Hiss... it's really cold here," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the howling wind. His eyes scanned the snowy landscape, searching for something among the endless white.

As he walked, his mind drifted to a troubling thought.

"If... if what I think is true," he murmured to himself, "then that means my daughter, Luna, is..."

He clenched his fists, shaking his head to dispel the thought. "No," he said firmly. "Even if it's true, she's still my daughter. That will never change."

The resolve in his voice was unshakable, yet the weight of the possibility lingered in his heart.

Lucien paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the path ahead. He adjusted the scarf around his neck, shielding himself further from the cold.

"Where is that pod again?" he muttered under his breath, stepping cautiously forward. The snow crunched louder beneath his boots as he ventured deeper into Dragonspine, the wind carrying an eerie silence that set him on edge.

His gaze darted from one snow-covered mound to another, searching for any sign of the object he sought. The frosty landscape seemed endless, and each step felt heavier than the last.

Lucien trudged onward, his footsteps growing heavier as the blizzard intensified, snow whipping around him like an unrelenting curtain. His coat flapped wildly in the biting wind, and his visibility shrank with each step closer to the looming Dragonspine mountain.

"Hiss... I really hope those yellow-haired siblings—sister or brother, whoever—wake up soon and solve this mountain's problem," Lucien grumbled, pulling his scarf tighter around his face to shield it from the icy sting.

His gaze drifted to the lifeless trees lining the path. Their bark was enveloped by jagged blue crystal ice that spiraled and grew in unnatural patterns, giving them a menacing, otherworldly appearance.

"Too much trouble if I handle it myself," he muttered, his voice nearly drowned by the howling wind. "Should've let that traveler deal with it... would've saved me a lot of effort."

He sighed, but his feeling didn't waver. Turning back was never an option.

The wind howled louder, the snow stinging his exposed skin like needles. Each step forward felt like wading through quicksand, his legs growing more fatigued.

Lucien clenched his fists, frustration bubbling within him. "Hiss... if only I could awaken the power of the Kaslana bloodline. This cold wouldn't stand a chance."

He glanced down at his hand for a moment, flexing his fingers as if willing some dormant strength to emerge. Nothing happened, and he sighed in resignation.

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Few moment later lucian arrive infront the cave entrance and decide to enter.

The cold clung to Lucien's bones as he stepped into the cave, the howling blizzard outside replaced by the silence of the enclosed space.

Relief washed over him as the harsh winds ceased their assault, and he quickly made his way deeper into the cave, finding a small abandoned campsite.

Snow had long since gathered around the edges, but the remnants of the fire pit and some scattered belongings suggested someone had sought shelter here before.

"Ha... heck yeah," Lucien muttered under his breath, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "The path's right."

He set to work quickly, gathering what little dry wood he could find among the abandoned gear.

His hands, numb from the cold, fumbled slightly, but after a few moments of frustration, he managed to get a campfire started.

The warmth spread immediately, licking the air around him, and Lucien let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Hiss... warm..." His shoulders relaxed as the warmth seeped into his skin, and for a moment, he allowed himself to bask in the comfort of the fire.

A distant thought crept into his mind as he gazed into the flickering flames. His expression softened, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I want to hug my daughter..."

He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering her face the stubbornness, the energy, the laughter.

Lucien sighed deeply, his breath visible in the cool air of the cave. "But... I can't be with her right now. Not yet."

He leaned back against the cave wall, the fire crackling softly in front of him.

Lucien's eyes narrowed as he scanned the dimly lit cave, his sharp gaze catching something unusual faint, but unmistakable.

A trail.

Footprints, scratched marks, and broken ice, all signs of hilichurls group having passed through recently.

He crouched for a moment, his eyes tracing the markings.

His face hardened as realization dawned.

"Tch," he muttered under his breath, irritation flooding his veins. "Damn creatures, what are they doing here?"

His heart began to race.

The creatures' presence meant only one thing: something or someone had drawn them here. And that something was most likely his target.

Without wasting another second, Lucien pushed off the ground and bolted forward, his steps quick.

The deeper he going into the cave, the more intense the strange atmosphere grew. The air became thick, almost suffocating, and a chilling sensation crept up his spine.

As he ran, Lucien felt it—the unmistakable, oppressive presence of the Abyss. It wasn't just the cold that bit at him now. The air itself seemed to shimmer with malice, and a heavy dread hung in the atmosphere.

"Abyscult," Lucien hissed under his breath, his grip tightening around the handle of his weapon. "What are those damn monsters doing here?"

The path narrowed, winding deeper into the heart of the mountain, and Lucien's senses were on high alert. He didn't slow down. His mind raced ahead, calculating every possibility might happen.

His mind wandered back to the pod, the reason he had ventured so far into Dragonspine.

The thought of the Abyss creatures interfering with it, let alone defiling it, filled him with a cold fury. His grip tightened further, and his teeth clenched.

"If they touched the pod..." He shook his head, his face growing colder. The thought was too much to bear. The implications of what would happen if those wretched creatures laid a hand on it were far beyond what he was willing to allow.

Lucien quickened his pace, the breath of the Abyss growing heavier in his chest as the cave seemed to close in around him.

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As lucien arrive he immediately crouched low, his breath shallow as he peered around the jagged edge of the cave, his eyes narrowing. The sounds of hushed voices floated to his ears, and he instinctively pressed himself further into the conner.

"Is this the thing his highness said?" A voice rumbled..

"Yes, it is. You, big guy, carry this pod and bring it into the portal." Another voice, sharper, commanded.

Lucien's eyes darted to the massive figure that emerged from the darkness.

A Lawachurl, its hulking form casting a shadow that seemed to swallow the cave's flickering light.

Its hands grasped the pod with ease, but before it could move, a sharp sound echoed through the cave a rush of wind and the sound of something crashing violently against the stone.

The Lawachurl was sent careening into the wall, its massive body slamming against the cold, jagged surface.

"Who?!" The voices of the Abyss Mages cried out in shock, the sound of their distress clear in their tone.

Lucien stepped into view, his anger palpable. His eyes locked onto the pod, the sight of it almost stolen from him setting his blood alight.

"You damn rats, dare to touch my family's thing?!" Lucien growled, his voice low but filled with anger.

The two Abyss Mages one surrounded by the frigid cold aura of Cryo, the other burning with the volatile heat of Pyro floated in the air before him, their eyes narrowing as they took in the threat.

"You really have a death wish, huh?" Lucien snarled, his voice turning cold.

With that, he gripped the heavy sword at his side, the crimson-red crystal wrapped around its hilt pulsing with strange, otherworldly energy. It wasn't fire, but it was something far more dangerous: Honkai energy. His grip tightened, and the blade gleamed in the cave's dim light, humming with anticipation.

The Pyro Abyss Mage hissed, "What are you doing?!" It turned to the hulking figure of the Lawachurl. "Attack that foolish human now!"

At the command, the scattered hilichurls, who had been on guard, rushed toward Lucien.

Lucien's sword moved like a flash, cleaving through the waves of enemies with brutal precision.

His blade cut through their body, sending bodies flying with each swift strike.

One by one, the hilichurls were reduced to nothing more than broken bodies, their lifeless forms hitting the ground with a dull thud.

But just as he cleared the half of the lesser foes, a massive force barreled into him. A Frostarm Lawachurl, its huge, frozen form encased in a thick Cryo shield, rushed toward Lucien with terrifying speed.

The ground trembled beneath its mighty steps as it raised its massive hand to strike. Lucien barely had time to react. With a force that could shatter stone, the Lawachurl's attack sent shockwaves through the cave, throwing Lucien backward.

"Tsk!" Lucien clicked his tongue in frustration as he slammed the flat of his heavy sword into the ground, using it as an anchor to lessen the impact. The blade dug deep into the cave's floor, stabilizing him.

Before he could regain his balance, another wave of attacks came, not from the Lawachurl this time, but from the Abyss Mages.

The Pyro Abyss Mage's voice crackled with malice. "Die, human!"

A bolt of fire shot toward Lucien, followed by a blast of freezing cold from the Cryo Abyss Mage. The combined forces of fire and ice surged through the air toward him, forcing Lucien to react quickly.

His eyes hardened, and with a defiant growl, he raised his sword to block the oncoming attacks, his muscles straining as the heat and cold pressed against him. The fire scorched the air around him, while the cold froze the ground beneath his feet. The very cave seemed to shake with the intensity of their assault.

Lucien gritted his teeth, knowing this battle was far from over. He would not let the Abyss take what was his, no matter the cost until he confirming the question he think for past few day ago....

(A/n: gime power stone (ᗜ_ᗜ))

(A/n:Never can we suspend the time.

Having to leave the tracks behind.

There is a longer way ahead.

After all.)