NOVEL NEXT Chapter 170: Contradictions
Alright!
Well, not all that alright. In hindsight, maybe I should've spared a brain cell or two thinking through the consequences. You know, minor things like space, alarms, structural integrity… me. But who has the time for logistics when you're in a rush?
First blunder: transforming into my dragon form in a cell the size of a storage closet. I keep forgetting how absurdly massive I actually am. So, naturally, the cell gave up on life and exploded around me. I had to twist mid-shift just to keep from crushing Vorak into paste.
And of course, that wasn't the end of it. Second blunder: Alarms started screaming across the compound like I'd personally offended their ancestors. Within seconds, my air sense picked up enforcers piling in from all directions. I had promised myself this would be subtle. Well. Too late for that.
But wait, there's more. Third hiccup: turns out transforming into a revered deity-species right in front of your worshippers has side effects. Throw in the fact that I was here to rescue one of their kind, and apparently I was now a walking divine revelation.
Ever seen blind faith weaponized in real time? I did.
Vorak didn't even hesitate as he just climbed into my mouth like I was his personal chariot to salvation. I'm pretty sure he's inappropriately caressing one of my fangs right now, which is… not the time, Vorak. Seriously!
But the actual priority was escaping. Which, at first, looked doable. I slipped into the shadow dimension, the world's bleary mirror, and launched toward the main gate. I would've just flown out altogether, but the whole place was wrapped in a shiny, multi-elemental barrier like a paranoid gift box. Smashing through it was technically an option, but not one that felt worth the time or mana burn. So: Plan B, gate it is.
Should've been a straight shot. From inside the shadow layer, people only appeared as blurred silhouettes. No details, just inky shadowy motion. The place was in chaos. Apparently, "prison break" meant something around here.
Not my problem, until it suddenly was. A cleaving blast of energy ripped through the spot I'd just vacated. From the entrance. Which meant someone sensed me. Inside the shadow dimension.
One of the silhouettes was facing me directly. Creepy. One downside to this plane is that you can't see expressions, hear speech, or really identify anyone. I couldn't tell if they were shouting orders or trying to exorcise me. Only thing clear was they'd noticed something wrong, probably figured I was a rogue wraith or worse.
Judging by the way their attacks pierced the dimension, they were no pushover. At least red core level. Not light affinity, thankfully, probably cryo. I didn't want to escalate into a full-blown fight, not with VIP cargo stuffed in my mouth.
You're welcome, Vorak.
And cease the fang reconnaissance, by Thalador's beard—
Anyway. I kept going. Ignored them. Fast. Stealthy. The only thing they'd feel was a chill down their spine as something unseen slipped by. Lucky them. I was feeling generous.
***
"Ahh... how utterly blind." Vorak's voice shook as his forehead met the grass. A devout thud. "Forgive me... by the ancestors, I've committed a monumental error. To mistake a sliver of the divine for something as... pedestrian as a criminal..."
Right. That delusion would take serious adjusting.
"Honestly, treating me like a regular person works better," I said, kneading the tension from my jaw. "Not everyone gets the memo."
"Of course! Makes absolute sense, oh wise-"
"Call me that one more time, and I'll peel your tongue out and strangle you with it. 'Jade' suffices."
My threat landed like a feather. If anything, he looked disturbingly intrigued by the prospect.
"Move," I ordered, brushing it off. "And remember, no dragon intervened. Just a Drakkari named Jade. Got it?"
He nodded solemnly. Good. At least he could follow instructions.
I knocked on the hidden trapdoor, the same one I'd used earlier with Viper and Vyra. It clicked open after a moment, and we slipped inside.
Now, technically I was on a recon mission. And sure, I'd returned with the person we were reconning. Just… creatively interpreted the assignment. Helped him break out, disguised ourselves, and slipped through the cracks. A bit of narrative reshaping, that's all.
Lysska might see straight through it, but she wasn't back yet. And once she was, I'd tell her the truth. No big deal. No one else needed the full story right now.
Night was settling in. Her crows had told me she'd be back before then. I had questions for Vorak, but I'd wait for her. I wasn't exactly good at interrogations—plus, the mental fatigue was finally catching up. The non-stop chaos of the day was starting to weigh heavy.
Anyway, might as well check the skill shop—see what new things unlocked after that delightful mess. Also… wasn't I supposed to get a unique skill from this evolution? What was that all about again?
"Is there a private room here?" I asked, cutting into Brickfist and Vorak's conversation. Whatever they were talking about, it wasn't important enough to pay attention to.
"Not private, but there's a storage room," Brickfist said, pointing to a small door in front of him.
I'd already sensed the hollow space behind it with air sense, but figured I'd ask. I was a civilized dragon, after all.
I nodded, thanked him, stepped inside, and shut the door behind me.
Time to open my stat screen.
Name: Jade
Level: 7
Species: Quantum Arbiter (Draconis) (V)
Alignment: Judgement (Lightning), Freedom (Dark)
Attributes:
Strength: 559
Durability: 381
Intelligence: 724
Willpower: 376
Mana Points (MP): 693/693
Dark Mana Points (Wraith Heart): 100/100
Quantum Mana Points (Quantum Node): 200/200
Stamina Points (SP): 1281/1281
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Abilities:
Mana Devourer
Distortion Cloak
Reality Gremlin Paradox
Quantum Attunement
Alignment Abilities (2/5):
Thunder Verdict
Court of Quantum Edicts
Species Skills:
Resonance Roar: Level 1 (II)
Reinforced Scales: Level 5 (II)
Advanced Flight: Level 4 (II)
Rich Respiration: Level 5 (II)
Hidden Resonator: Level 1 (III)
Adaptive Grip: Level 3 (II)
Flame Jet: Level 4 (II)
Advanced Mana Manipulation: Level 9 (II)
Advanced Core Stabilization: Level 5 (II)
Constrict: Level 4 (I)
Exclusive Skills:
Transformation: Level 5 (I)(+)
Quantum Affinity: Level 2 (I)
Quantum Spells (2/8):
Observer's Mark
Observer's Suggestion
Techniques (1/2):
Phantom Dragon Dance: Level 4 (I)
Mutations:
Eyes: Focusing Lenses, Peripheral Optimization (III)
Claws: Claw Flexibility, Razor-Edge Claws (III)
Scales: Colour Adaptation, Shock-Absorbent Scales (III)
Wings: Hollow Bones, Mana-Infused Fibers (III)
Legs: Joint Flexibility, Mana-Responsive Cartilage (III)
Fire Gland: Mana Reservoir, Mana Conservation (III)
Macro-Trophic Sac: Stamina Surge Reservoir, Toxicity Neutralizer (III)
Mana Conduit Vasculature: Micro-Mana Control, Mana Conduit Resilience (III)
Dimensional Lamina: Resonance-Stabilizing Membranes, Phase Microfilament Clusters (III)
Dimensional Convergence Tendrils: Reactive Tendrils, Refined Neural Pathways (III)
Quantum Nexus (I) (+0)
Resources:
Skill Points: 71
Morphogens: 408
Hmm… Oh. Oh.
Transformation had finally hit Level 5.
I'd completely missed the notification, forgot I even had them turned off. Great. Just casually glossed over a major milestone like an idiot. Honestly, I nearly forgot the skill even had levels of its own.
So… what exactly would I get if I upgraded it now?
Considering all my skill upgrades were now influenced by the evolution path, the possibilities were far more exciting. My tail flicked, and my ears did that twitchy little thing they do when I get too hyped to sit still.
But before diving into that, I wanted to see what new skills were waiting for me in the shop.
Except, just as I focused on my available skill points, a different window popped open.
[New Customizable Skill Available as Reward]
Note: All customizable skills start at Tier III.
Please choose the category you want this skill to relate to:
Spellcraft
Stealth
Perception
Offense
Utility
Huh?!?
***
"I don't think it connected at all. Truth be told, I've never seen a wraith that massive—and it felt dangerous," said the tall Zaryn, eyes fixed on the wreckage of the shattered prison cell.
Gavrilo had every reason to stay on edge. Whoever was behind this wasn't just some random anomaly, they could very well be on the bounty list. And if Gavrilo hadn't stayed this cautious over the years, he wouldn't still be standing.
Behind him, Dvina yawned. "All I know is, you missed. Skill issue, if you ask me."
He didn't bother taking the bait. He knew better.
"But none of this makes any damn sense," he muttered, stepping closer. "How the hell did—whatever it was—even get him out? There's no clean exit route from this place. No one's ever pulled off a break like this. Even if they somehow escaped containment, the entire sector is crawling with Pact members. As soon as the alarms blared, everyone was on full alert. We were standing right at the gate."
He'd felt his perception flare the moment it appeared, something unseen was escaping. But he hadn't been equipped for it. There were tools for revealing the invisible, sure, but not on him. Still, he trusted his senses. Even when he launched a piercing blast of pure ice mana, it missed.
The thing passed by him anyway, he felt it. A shiver of cold slid through his body like a whisper. It had been right there. But without preparation, and with their only Light cultivator missing, there wasn't much he could do.
He scanned the wreckage again, jaw tightening as frustration built.
"There's no logical path unless the prisoner himself turned intangible—like a wraith—and slipped out that way. But that shouldn't be possible. And if he could do that, why wreck the cell in the first place? Everything here contradicts everything else. What the hell just happened...?"
Rubbing his eyes, Gavrilo turned to the enforcer standing beside him. "Did the Divinators figure anything out yet?"
The man straightened at once. "No, sir. Nothing. They've hit blanks across the board. According to them, the escapee was a powerful Diviner in his own right, one of the best the Pact had, before his betrayal. Trying to divine anything against someone like that is basically a dead end."
Gavrilo scowled. If you looked hard enough, there was always some way. But so far, his eyes were doing more harm than good, everything he saw just added to the contradictions.
Broken glass scattered across the floor. Two unconscious enforcers, still breathing but clearly knocked out, judging by their injuries, someone had smashed their heads together. Not fatal, but efficient. Their necks had bruising too, signs of prior strangulation. That meant force. Size. Power. Then there was the discarded uniform: a disguise, clearly. So the intruder had infiltrated first. Smart. And they'd moved like a wraith, bypassing every security measure except the ones set for shadow dimension activity.
Everything pointed to something intelligent. Tactical. Dangerous. And just vague enough to feel like a myth scribbled into a combat report.
His feathers twitched in irritation. Every clue made sense, right up until it didn't. One moment of clarity collapsed under the weight of the next contradiction.
Then came her voice again.
"Wanna bet?"
"On what?" Gavrilo didn't even look back as he stepped away from the cell.
"That this little intruder was none other than our target."
He huffed a dry laugh. "Jade? You got proof, or just vibes?"
Dvina shrugged. Crimson eyes glinted, the kind of malice that whets itself on prey. "Call it professional intuition."
"Then cork it," he muttered, though her hunches had teeth, and they'd bitten true before.
"Your loss," she purred. "We'll carve the truth out soon enough. Just making the chase… spicy."
Gavrilo exhaled, sharp. "Fine. What's the bleed?"
"Half your bounty cut."
"By the bleeding ancestors, no."
"Oho? Afraid my gut's got better aim than your bitch ass spells?"
"No," he stated. "I don't gamble. And your little provocations are just rust on iron. You know this. So cut it."
But something about this whole mess echoed details from the file. Chaos didn't usually leave such tidy contradictions where she was involved. Maybe that was the key to Dvina's deduction.
It didn't align with the clean, structured view Gavrilo preferred, with evidence, logic and observable patterns, but the more he resisted that discomfort, the more it felt like he was inching closer to the truth.
Sometimes, to catch a wildcard, you had to treat them like one.
He didn't buy, not even for a second, that Jade and her supposed accomplice were working under Vor'akh. But that was the story the higher-ups were spinning. And it wasn't his job to argue.
Dvina knew it too. Their place wasn't to question the hands on their collars, only to act the part of the hounds they were bred to be. And if anyone dared disobey the will crackling down the chain? The hounds would ensure regret. Deeply. Permanently. One way, or the messier other.
Gavrilo's gaze settled on the naked, bruised and broken enforcer slumped in the corner. This one had clearly been beaten and stripped, probably the source of the stolen uniform. Which meant the intruder had come in disguised… then transformed mid-infiltration. Beast form, most likely, hence the shredded clothing and the sudden violence that followed. A clean entry. A brutal exit.
"We need to contain the threat as soon as possible," he said coldly. "Letting her run loose is too big a risk, for us and our people."
"That's the tune I've been banging on since breakfast," Dvina scoffed, a predator's grin flashing. "Just hand me the reins. I'll bring you her head on a spike before sundown."
Anyone else, and Gavrilo would've shut that talk down immediately. But Dvina?
Dvina was different.
A Red Core cultivator like him, yet the difference in power between them was staggering. Frightening, even. Years of partnership hadn't dulled that edge. Sometimes he wondered if it ever would.
Still, he shook his head. "We wait. All four of us need to be in place before we make a move. And besides…" His voice lowered. "We already have our bait."
A knot of guilt tightened in his gut. It was unethical, using kids as lure, even non-violent ones. But efficient. Crucially efficient. And he'd personally ensure Dvina kept her sadistic games leashed. These were children. Not criminals to bleed for her amusement.
"The hunt runs at first light."