Shadow Weaver: Sole Heir Of The Night-Chapter 168: “Friendship”

"

"Annoying!" the count muttered under his breath, eyes narrowing as he glanced toward the steward in the distance, still locked in combat with his sons. Every clash echoed through the courtyard, a public display he could not rein in.

That old head was supposed to keep things from spiraling, a quiet anchor of authority. Instead, he was laughing it off, trading blows with children like this was some sparring match, pride outweighing discipline.

"Hey, it’s not my fault you decided to sic your daughter on honored guests," Minister Fin said from the side, his tone dripping with mockery, clearly enjoying every second of the chaos.

Zeke had already smashed through several buildings while besieging Liana, fists crashing down with little regard for what stood beneath them. Stone and ice lay in ruins, the scars of the clash impossible to ignore, guards too afraid to intervene.

That was the real problem. This fortress was a main node in the Ice Kingdom’s formation, a structure woven directly into the kingdom’s greater array, stabilizing power across the region.

The moment the damage crossed a certain threshold, the High God would feel it. Repairs would be dispatched immediately, and questions would follow just as fast, sharp and unforgiving.

If that happened, the count would be in serious trouble. The kind that could not be laughed away or smoothed over with excuses, no matter how influential his name once was.

"Little wolf, get your stupid brothers to join you," the count snapped, shaking his head. "Clean this place up. Repair the buildings."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed back toward the castle, his cloak trailing behind him like a closing door.

Minister Fin watched him go, then motioned for the others to follow. At last, they were ushered inside the castle, walls thick enough to mute the chaos outside. Somewhere safe.

Meanwhile,

"It has nothing to do with me. I’m only a traveler," an old man said, his face unfamiliar to everyone present. His eyes darted around, movements stiff and uneasy.

"You still have to wait for confirmation before moving deeper into the inner grounds," the guard replied coldly, blocking his path.

The old man didn’t look like an inhabitant of Gaia, nor did he have a guide with him. His clothes were worn thin by travel, stitched and restitched by hand, yet there was nothing frail about the way he stood. He carried himself with the ease of someone who feared neither cold nor border.

The fact that he had made it this far into the ice kingdom without trouble was, to say the least, unsettling. The frozen roads alone broke seasoned travelers, yet here he was, breathing calmly as frost clung to his lashes.

"Arg, that high god of yours is some serious work. At least give me a place to sit down. This is annoying," the old man complained.

The moment the words left his mouth, something twisted in the air. Rage sparked instantly in the hearts of the surrounding guards, sharp and instinctive, like a blade being drawn.

"How dare you?!"

"You have a death wish?"

Steel rang as the guardsmen lunged forward, hands tightening around spear shafts and sword hilts. Snow crunched beneath their boots as they closed in, eyes burning with righteous fury.

He had just referred to their high god with such casual disrespect. This nobody. Not even the myriad gods of Gaia dared speak so lightly of her presence.

"Calm down," the old man said. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

His voice carried no force, yet it cut cleanly through the chaos. He looked at them without fear, without tension, as though he were scolding insects that had crawled too close.

"Forget what I said," he muttered.

Something unseen washed over the guards. Their pupils dulled, their breaths slowed, and the strength drained from their hands. Weapons slipped slightly, no longer held with conviction.

"Hmm. She has noticed," the old man murmured, his brow knitting.

This wasn’t the first time he had done this. Normally, anyone who stood in his way collapsed outright, minds smothered into darkness. Yet now, the guards remained standing, conscious, merely dazed.

They stared at him, confused and hollow-eyed.

It was a warning.

The closer he drew to the capital, the denser the high god’s influence became. Her will pressed against his own, resisting, observing.

"I’ll be more careful," he sighed.

He adjusted the strap of his bag, and then he was gone. No ripple, no sound, no trace left behind in the snow.

Far away, atop a jagged snowy peak, he reappeared. Cold winds tore at his robes as he looked down upon the vast white kingdom below, his eyes filled with quiet contempt.

He had come to enact a long-awaited revenge.

Even if it cost him his life.

...

"That crazy bitch is still trying to get into the castle. What the hell?" Enzo muttered, leaning over the cold stone railing and peering down below. Frost bit at his fingers as his eyes tracked the familiar figure pacing like a caged animal.

It had been a week since Zeke and Liana fought, and she had not let it go for a single day. Every morning, every night, she returned, testing gates, shouting challenges, daring the guards to let her through.

Apparently her father, the count, had banned her and her brothers from entering the castle ever since the incident. The order was absolute, enforced by fear more than loyalty.

"Don’t mind her, she’s just a sore loser," Zeke said, glancing over at Enzo. He smiled, but there was no warmth in it, only quiet confidence sharpened by experience.

The fighting ability he had shown against Liana was uncomfortably close to what Enzo himself had displayed using the talents from Weavetech. Clean, overwhelming, merciless.

Dominating a higher rank so completely was no small thing. It was the kind of feat whispered about, not witnessed.

It placed them among the very best, even when measured against god descendants who had trained their entire lives for supremacy.

"Hehe, I’m just worried since she’s disturbing my plans," Enzo muttered, eyes narrowing as Liana lashed out at an invisible enemy below.

He had intended to hunt beasts on Gaia. The species here were rare, twisted by corruption, and worth obscene sums across the galaxy.

That value was exactly why access was so tightly controlled. The corrupted beasts had been hunted to near extinction, and the few that remained were monsters in their own right.

"Bummer," Zeke shrugged, clearly uninterested. His thoughts were already far away, fixed on the capital of the Ice Kingdom.

He had matters to settle there. Things far more important than Raven, even if he did not say it aloud.

While the two spoke, a distant crash echoed from below, followed by angry shouting. Enzo sighed, rubbing his temple as the sound carried upward through the frozen air.

"She’s persistent," Zeke noted calmly.

"Yeah," Enzo replied, watching the chaos unfold. "And that’s exactly what worries me."

He still needed to go out there, however, the timing was terrible and the stakes were worse. One wrong move and the entire castle would feel the ripple.

"I’m not asking you to babysit them, as you know these two are strong themselves. But they are ultimately outsiders."

High above the castle, inside a vast hall carved from ice and stone, two figures sat upon separate thrones. They occupied only two seats along a line of seven, the empty ones looming like silent judges.

"I’m busy, old man. You know I have responsibilities. Plus those two are reckless," a young man said flatly.

He stood before them with his hands clasped behind his back, long blond hair spilling down his shoulders. His irritation was barely contained as he listened to the request coming from the two elders.

Enzo, Zeke, and Titus were more than visitors. Their presence alone was an announcement to the Ice Kingdom that the Creation Gods had chosen a side.

That kind of declaration would draw eyes from every corner of the realm.

It was imperative it happened during the Hunter Games. Before that, there were simply too many variables, too many forces that could twist the situation into disaster.

"That’s why we are asking you to take charge," the count said calmly. "You have friends in the capital, people within your range."

"If they arrive with the two of us, it will raise questions. But with you?" He paused, nodding slightly. "No one would care."

The words landed harder than intended.

"What your father is trying to say," Minister Fin added quickly, a strange smile stretching across his face, "is that you kids should stick together."

"No one knows who will need who in the future. Look at me and your father. Don’t you like that kind of friendship?"

The two elders exchanged a glance, far too pleased with themselves.

To the young man standing before them, they looked less like leaders and more like troublemakers, poking at dry wood, hoping to see what would catch fire first.