95

Rock Life

Odin and Uller departed.

Having already assessed the troll situation, Forseti and Hela decided to postpone reporting until morning, choosing to rest and continue hunting at dawn.

The two sat down to eat.

Hela suddenly recalled something and asked, "Forseti, how did you immobilize the earth - stone giant earlier?"

Forseti presented his staff. "It's the enchantment on this staff, which I call the 'Stone Mark'."

"The reason the earth-rock giant was immobilized is that the Stone Mark took control of its knee joints. Though this was my first attempt, the exact mechanics are still unclear to me." He shrugged.

Another bold idea crossed his mind.

Since Kronans are also stone-based, how would the Stone Mark affect them?

I'll have to test it later...

Hela remained puzzled. "Stone Mark?"

Forseti explained, "Its true purpose is to transform stone into living beings... like so."

With that, he tapped his staff against a large rock nearby. The staff emitted a flash of light, and the large rock "crumbled," transforming into a small stone humanoid with a faint, holy glow.

Hela nodded in recognition. "I remember now. In Jotunheim, you summoned a similar stone creature."

"Yes."

Hela inquired further, "Is this a living being?"

"No, it's merely a puppet, lacking its own consciousness and lasting only for a single night," Forseti elaborated. "When I'm alone in the wild, I have it keep watch through the night."

"Though the chance of creating a rock life is said to be very low. Today's unfortunate events mean such a thing is highly unlikely." Forseti yawned casually.

"Get some sleep. I'll keep watch," Hela insisted.

Forseti hastily interjected before yawning, "No, you're Her Royal Highness. This duty falls upon me."

Hela responded calmly, "It's Hermond's turn for watch tonight. Since Hermond unexpectedly left the team, as captain, I'll take his place."

"This..." Forseti was speechless.

Suddenly, Hela's demeanor shifted to a pale face and a cold, commanding tone, fitting of a true queen. "I order you to rest."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness," Forseti found himself complying quite readily.

Could it be that subconsciously he had a tendency to submit?

Impossible. I am a Paladin, the embodiment of justice and glory!

Forseti leaned against a tree, clutching the Fist of Verrigan, and drifted off to sleep pondering philosophical questions about the Holy Light...

Hela smiled faintly, then settled into vigilance.

Forseti didn't know how long he slept.

Protoss sleep patterns differed significantly from humans'. While daily routines seemed similar, Protoss could be highly adaptable in their sleep habits.

Upon waking, the sun was already high in the sky.

Forseti woke abruptly and glanced at Hela beside him. "Your Highness, how long was I asleep?"

"Not long." Hela's attention, however, was focused not on Forseti but on the stone humanoid summoned the previous night.

The stone creature stood motionless, alert and watchful. Upon detecting movement, it would thump and sound an alarm.

Curiously, compared to its size the previous night, the stone humanoid had noticeably shrunk, now standing only about half a meter tall, akin to a toddler.

Additionally, the ground was littered with small pebbles, resembling discarded cocoons.

"Forseti... is this normal?" Hela turned to him uncertainly.

Forseti, too, was perplexed by the sight.

What's going on?

He glanced up at the sun.

After such a long contemplation, wouldn't the stone puppet naturally disintegrate by now? What's with this pile of pebbles on the ground?

Forseti hesitated momentarily, then waved his staff in an attempt to dispel the stone humanoid. However, it remained unaffected, standing steadfast.

Forseti mentally commanded again.

This time, the small stone humanoid obediently turned around and approached.

Wait... turned around?!

The stone puppet had no discernible front or back. Forseti faced it directly, expecting it to approach without turning.

Forseti couldn't believe it, but as the small stone humanoid approached, he suddenly understood... he had created a rock life!

In that moment, the small stone humanoid stared at Forseti with clear, Kazilan eyes, curiosity gleaming like that of an innocent child.

A life created by his own hands!

Forseti was stunned, unable to react immediately.

After a moment, he tentatively waved at the small stone humanoid.

In response, it mimicked his gesture.

Forseti stood up and took a few steps, the small stone humanoid following closely behind like a devoted follower.

"Um... can you speak?" he asked tentatively.

"Hey." The small stone humanoid blinked its large, watery eyes and emitted a small, unintelligible sound, reminiscent of a child.

Hela chuckled, remarking, "Looks like you're going to be a father."

Forseti: "..."

How is this possible? I'm still practically a child myself, only a few hundred months old!

Suddenly burdened with this small being, a rock life no less, I have no idea how to care for it!

It's not like he hadn't daydreamed about creating rock life before, but in his fantasies, they were sturdy beings capable of combat, at least on par with ordinary stone puppets—certainly not like this.

Yet, having brought this upon himself, there was nothing left to do but take responsibility.

Forseti tentatively touched the small stone humanoid's head, prompting it to emit a happy chirp: "Hey!"

That said, after so many years of attempting to create rock life, why did success suddenly strike today? Could it really just be pure luck?

Forseti pondered for a while, then narrowed his eyes, noticing a large pit not far away.

This pit had been the resting place of a large rock—the same rock from which the small stone humanoid had been created.

Suddenly, Forseti recalled that after Hela's dagger had pierced the golden old man the previous night, it had landed on that very rock.

In other words, this rock had been stained with the golden old man's blood.

There was a high likelihood that this cosmic elder, the golden old man, possessed blood imbued with extraordinary powers. Considering this, the birth of the small stone humanoid wasn't entirely due to chance.

"I think you should give this little one a name," Hela suggested suddenly.