Echoes of the Abyssal Blade: Path to Free Will-Chapter 84: Awakening of The Sunstone Piercer

Jonan was unconscious, and sweating buckets, the chief of the colony was sitting beside him, and guarding him.

He was waiting for Jonan to wake up, but this was weird for him; it was taking Jonan longer than it would take others of his tribe.

"Have I made a mistake by bringing this boy here? Is his identity as a foreigner to these lands, maybe creating difficulty for him in getting the blessing from the ’Sunstone Piercer’? We should have discussed this more before bringing this boy here to receive his blessings abruptly from their god."

Meanwhile, at the same time, in his inner consciousness, where Jonan looked as if he was trying to defend himself, but the next moment, he was stunned; the black menacing dragon was nowhere to be found.

He felt a sigh of relief, but he started to wonder, what happened to that dragon? From its words, he felt extreme indifference and loathing towards himself, yet at the mention of the secret technique, its expression turned into fright.

"From now onwards, I should not blurt out about the secret technique, I thought father gave it to me, because he did not consider me as important as my brothers and sisters, but it looks like I was wrong, this secret technique has its own mystery."

While in contemplation, Jonan then felt himself slipping, and before he knew it, he woke up and found himself in the sanctuary, the chief was sitting beside him.

The chief’s eyes lit up after noticing Jonan’s awakening, and he then helped Jonan get up.

Jonan tried to sit up, and the chief helped him, a firm hand started supporting his back. His muscles ached, his body drenched in sweat, but it was done, that damning trial, which was almost life threatening was now over with luck.

"How do you feel?" the chief asked, his voice was rough but warm.

Jonan swallowed, his throat dry as parchment. "I... I’m fine."

The chief studied him for a long moment, then gave a slight nod. "Good, and your trial... within your inner sanctum? What did you face?"

Jonan hesitated.

For a fleeting instant, he had considered telling him the truth about the dragon, its loathing towards him, its difference from the other spears that were attacking him, and then how, for no reason, it vanished.

But his recent experiences have made him understand that it was not a simple encounter; his instincts, which were honed sharp by hardship and suspicion, held him back. He could not share everything.

"I faced one of the spears while dodging the others," Jonan said, keeping his voice steady. "After overcoming it, I found myself here now."

The chief’s brows lifted, and he thought, "Oh, but then why was it taking him so much time?"

Jonan nodded.

A long silence stretched between them before the chief gave a sudden, booming laugh. "Ha! Well then, perhaps the gods favor you more than I thought, outsider. Most who face those spears are also not able to come back alive, It is good that you have overcome the trial."

He clapped Jonan’s shoulder with his meaty hands. "Now... your blessing awaits."

It was then that, as he spoke, a sound split the air.

A sharp, cracking noise broke, like a stone under too much strain.

Both their gazes shot toward the Sunstone Piercer, the ancient spear resting upon the ground. Its once rusted, unremarkable form was fracturing, jagged lines started appearing across its surface.

The chief’s expression twisted into one of alarm. "What...? This-this has never happened before."

Jonan pushed himself upright, despite his aches, and he felt completely flabbergasted by what was occurring in front of him. He was not sure if it was due to him that such a problem was occurring now.

The cracks started to spread, like a lattice of glowing orange light forming beneath the failing stone, and then, with a shuddering pulse of light, the spear erupted in blinding brilliance.

Both Jonan and the chief raised their arms, shielding their eyes against the radiance. The light was not merely bright—it was akin to a sun, its heat and force seemed to press against their skin, invade their bones, and press fear into their hearts.

When at last the brilliance dimmed, and their eyes adjusted, they noticed to their astonishment that the spear had completely changed; it looked like it had been transformed.

There was no indication of the rusted, ancient spear. Instead, in its place stood a spear of awe-inspiring majesty.

Its body was a mixture of molten lava and crystal, rough edges glinting in shades of orange, red, and burning dark red. The head of the weapon featured a long, thin blade accompanied by two shorter, wicked, curving ones at either flank. It had the appearance of a three-tipped weapon, similar to a trident made of metal smelted from a volcano’s core.

The tip glowed with an intense fiery orange, which bled down along its edges, darkening into a deep, blood-red glow at its base. The spear radiated a pulsing heat so fierce even the chief began to sweat, his skin prickling under its oppressive aura.

Jonan’s breath was caught; he could not understand what was happening in front of him, but he was sure this had not happened ever before.

"Did the Black Dragon do something with the spear, damn it what if the chief blames for whatever happened to the spear he and his tribe worships."

Meanwhile, the chief could sense more, with him being the spear’s vehement follower, he could feel as if a sentient mind, which was asleep in the spear, had now awakened.

The chief staggered back a step, and muttered to himself in confusion. "This... this cannot be, how is this even possible. This—this has never happened. Not ever, we have tried so many times before, but none of the methods worked, what did this outsider do, that has helped our god to be awake now?"

But strangely enough, the chief started to calm down, and instead of confusion and astonishment, he felt joyful. This was a big help to the tribe that Jonan had done for them; he could see that Jonan was more astonished than him.

Which means he doesn’t even know what he did, and with grim eyes, he recalled, "We would be one of the core members of this land, if not for our god sleeping for such a long time."