Chapter 198: TASTE OF FREEDOM
Outside the room, Edmond paused to gaze upon the sprawling expanse of the stronghold, its towering walls and iron dome rising imposingly against the horizon. This fortified bastion had been the sole reason humanity on Astrid had endured the relentless assaults from the Frostmaw trolls, a symbol of resilience forged in desperation. Yet, it had also served as an unyielding cage, confining its inhabitants to lives of scarcity and constant dread, where every day was a struggle for survival under the shadow of impending doom.
"Perhaps they won’t be able to see the light and mercy he has provided for us while remaining trapped in this cage," Edmond sighed softly, his breath visible in the cool air, a mix of nostalgia and resolve stirring within him as he contemplated the weight of his next actions.
With renewed purpose, he closed his eyes, envisioning the most destructive weapon his mind could conjure—one capable of obliterating the iron dome of the stronghold in a single, cataclysmic strike, reducing the symbol of their imprisonment to rubble.
Delving deeper into his thoughts, Edmond shifted his plan; he no longer wanted merely to shatter the dome but to eradicate the entire stronghold, wiping away the remnants of their confined existence to pave the way for true freedom.
Closing his eyes once more, he extended his shadows to their utmost limits, the dark essence spreading like a living veil, enveloping the entire stronghold in a massive bubble of impenetrable umbra. His shadows hovered just a few meters away from the walls and dome, creating a deliberate buffer zone to amplify the impending devastation, the air growing heavier and cooler as the darkness expanded.
Every citizen within the stronghold witnessed the eerie phenomenon unfolding before them. Some ventured bravely out of their modest homes, standing in the open streets with necks craned upward, their faces illuminated by the fading light filtering through the encroaching shadows. Others, gripped by instinctual fear, retreated indoors to the relative safety of their dwellings, peering anxiously through cracked windows and drawn curtains. Regardless of their choice, the eyes of every soul in the stronghold were glued to Edmond’s monstrous display of power, whispers of awe and terror rippling through the crowds like a gathering storm.
After several tense minutes, Edmond’s shadows finally encompassed every corner of the stronghold, a testament to the immense strength bestowed upon him by Aaron, his body trembling slightly from the exertion but his resolve unbroken.
With a soft, controlled exhale, his brow furrowing from the mental strain, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, Edmond manifested an arsenal of shadow bombs—compact orbs of concentrated darkness pulsating with latent energy.
With unerring purpose, Edmond hurled the shadow bombs outward, allowing them to scatter in all directions like a deadly swarm, each one hurtling toward strategic points on the stronghold’s structure. Upon contact, they detonated in a series of muffled explosions, unleashing not flames or conventional blasts, but voracious waves of shadows that devoured the walls and dome as if they were sustenance, corroding metal and stone alike in a silent, inexorable feast.
Everyone watched in mounting fear as the stronghold they had depended on for their entire lives crumbled before their eyes, massive sections buckling and collapsing in clouds of dust and debris, their hearts pounding wildly in their chests as they braced for what they assumed was an inevitable ambush.
They all suspected Edmond was in league with the Frostmaw trolls, interpreting his destruction as a betrayal that would expose them to slaughter, their minds flashing back to tales of past invasions and lost loved ones.
An oppressive silence blanketed the ruins as the final pieces of the stronghold tumbled to the ground, exposing the citizens to the vast, unobstructed sky for the first time, the clear blue expanse above them unmarred by any glass barrier, the fresh breeze carrying hints of distant forests and freedom.
The inhabitants of Stronghold 20 waited in paralyzed fear for the onslaught of Frostmaw trolls, their bodies tense and breaths held, scanning the horizon for signs of lurking enemies ready to pounce on their vulnerability.
But to their collective astonishment, there was no attack—no snarling trolls emerging from the shadows, no war cries echoing across the plains, only the gentle rustle of wind through the newly exposed landscape.
"You don’t need to worry. There are no trolls to feast on you all or kill your close relatives. They are all dead. My master ensured the trolls will not harm us anymore. You no longer need to stay cooped up within the stronghold, worried over what to eat or when the trolls will breach the wall. That’s all in the past now," Edmond assured the inhabitants, his voice reverberating through every corner of the former stronghold, amplified by lingering shadows that carried his words like an omnipresent echo as the bubble of darkness receded, dissolving into harmless wisps.
"Mummy, what master is he talking about? Is he our savior?" an innocent child asked his mother, tugging persistently at her worn sleeve, his wide eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and wonder, untouched by the cynicism of adulthood.
The mother gazed down at her child, tears streaming down her cheeks in glistening trails as she fully absorbed Edmond’s proclamation, the weight of years of oppression lifting from her shoulders.
"Yes, son. We are free. We don’t have to be scared anymore," the mother replied with a trembling smile, scooping him up into her arms and enveloping him in a warm, protective embrace, her face beaming with unbridled joy as she spun him gently under the open sky.
The mother and son weren’t the only ones sharing such heartfelt moments; families all around the ruins engaged in similar conversations, their faces alight with relief and unfiltered happiness as they basked in the clear sky without the confining glass dome, the sensation of boundless freedom infusing them with a profound joy far greater than they had ever anticipated, laughter and sobs mingling in the air.
Satisfied that his actions were bearing the intended fruit, Edmond decided to take his leave, his steps light as he proceeded toward the next stronghold, Stronghold 19, leaving behind a people on the cusp of rebirth.