<h2 style="text-align: center">Chapter Twenty: A World Devouring Serpent </h2>


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    Chronifer walked toward his room, guided by a glowing arrow that floated above his key, pointing the way forward. He had no idea how it worked, but it was awesome.


    “So they gave you auxiliaries?” Chronifer asked again, unable to help himself.


    Even after hearing Nyte’s entire story, that part just stuck with him.


    “Yeah, and an Architect Ledger to make my leaves after I unlock my branches.” Nyte grinned, fully aware of Chronifer’s indignation.


    “Whatever.” Chronifer scoffed. “So, when I make some money, you can help me double or even triple it?” Chronifer inquired feeling a but of greed


    “Maybe.”


    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Chronifer narrowed his eyes.


    “He’s been considering stopping,” Drazel interjected, not looking up from his writing.


    “Really?” Chronifer turned back to Nyte. “Well, whatever you decide—”


    “Young lord, Nyte, and Drazel.”


    The voice was light, a little tired, yet undeniably easygoing. A tall boy came to a stop before them, a natural grin resting on his lips. His brown pupils, framed by olive and brown hair, held an easy going smile.


    “I’m Tehn Lefthan, and it’s a pleasure to meet you all. A real big pleasure.” He shuffled into a clean bow. “And I definitely wasn’t hoping that helping out back there would put me in your good books. No, definitely not.”


    “Hey, Tehn. You can call me Chronifer.” Chronifer offered a nod, smirking. “And I definitely appreciate you helping me back there. It was absolutely not the reason you’re in my good books now.”


    “Ah, thank the System.” Tehn’s grin widened. “My pa would’ve called that bribery. We can’t have that in a just system, now can we?”


    He turned toward Nyte, who had been slowly slipping away in silence.


    “Ah, Nyte, it would be a truly sad thing if I didn’t greet you as well, wouldn’t it?”


    Nyte froze mid-step, caught.


    “Ah, definitely for you, definitely. Also, I definitely wasn’t trying to avoid this whole conversation. No, definitely not.” Nyte mimicked an exaggerated tone, almost like his master, except without the cursing.


    Chronifer chuckled and turned to Drazel, who was still furiously scribbling in his small book.


    “What an understanding fellow.” Tehn let out a small sigh. “I think Lorn’s grandpa should be done talking to him soon. I’ll have to catch him. Let’s all get to know each other better in the future.”


    “If you could fight all my battles and keep me from ever having to duel anyone in public, you’d be my best friend. I swear it.” Nyte declared.


    Tehn laughed. “We shall see.”


    He turned and walked away, waving lazily at Drazel as he left.


    Nyte frowned. “What does we shall see even mean?”


    Chronifer shrugged.


    “Well, I’m gonna take a nap.” Nyte stretched. “See you, Chronifer. Oh, and I wish you good luck.”


    Chronifer smiled.


    “Yeah. You too.”


    Nyte linger for a while a bit of excitement building up in his eyes but he just shrugged and walked away.


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    Chronifer entered the room, and found it to be a simple yet luxurious one. It contained furniture made out of black polished wood and marvel, embroidered with silver.


    Chronifer paused,


    So silver exists In this world, I would never have guessed. He joked to himself then walked to the huge bed occupying its own conner of the room.


    Jumped jumped into the bed it caught him in a comfy embrace, he sighed, thinking back to him and Nyte earlier conversation. He had gotten an amulet that granted lock and could bypass the security of betting houses, not only that, while Chronifer had gotten a test.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    He sighed, stretched out his hands and felt something on the bed. He sat up and saw a later, it was packaged in a solid paper envelope with golden embroidery, something he immediately assigned with the Montcriox-wythe. He turned it over to see a seal of a thorn.


    I bet I hadn''t seen this here moments ago.


    He looked up from the envelope, there was no one else in the room. He climbed out of the bed, and sat at the chair next to the bed positioned before a prominent window occupying a whole section of the rooms wall.


    He tore open the latter.


    From Fashina to grandson.


    Chronifer immediately made the connections. Albus had shown that he could teleport. He had brought something from Chronifers grandmother Fashina. With a sigh he continued reading.


    It is to my greatest sorrow that we have never been able to meet face to face as family ought to be. But as a cultured woman I find myself respecting your mothers wishes for ciphers mansion in the family estate remains in bothered. Chronifer could smell a twist coming from the amount of niceties stuffed into the beginning.


    So that''s why there are no helps or anyone else in our mansion? Mother.  Chronifr had guess that much though


    He dove into reading again: However I am loath to leave your political relationship with the families hanging uncultivated. I believe it would be in the best interest of your mother and father for me to handle those matters.


    Chronifer laughed swinging his legs which hung from the chair he sat upon. I saw this one coming, I saw it. What a loving grandmother.


    He continued reading: That is but a side thought though, what truly matters is you my dear boy, I hear your growing up quite fast, I hear you''ve pretty much already mastered the earlier stages of the dance and with only six months of training, a true genius. When you do get back, make sure to pay grandmother a visit. Oh and do consider signing the spot below, it would help me with the earlier matter, and do fold the latter into it envelope that would get it back to me. From Fashina Montcriox-wythe.


    Chronifer shrugged, he didn''t really have to think about it much, he wouldn''t draw much conclusions from this latter about his grandmother, she definitely wasn''t a good person or bad either. he just needed to know where she stood between does two lines,. His response however to the letter would be a simple one. Nothing.


    He folded the latter and tucked it back into the envelope.


    At that moment, Chronifer felt a sudden jerk to the side. He glanced outside—and his breath caught.


    The Cable Strider had taken off.


    It spun around the colossal cable, its immense wheel-like frame turning in a slow, immutable ascent. The behemoth cable stretched endlessly into the void above, vanishing into the abyss of space. Yet, the Strider did not cling to it directly. Instead, a network of smaller cables latched onto the massive line, suspending it like a predator hooked to its prey. With each revolution, the smaller cables coiled tighter, spinning faster, drawing it ever upward—steady, relentless.


    Chronifer watched in stunned, reverent silence. The low hum of the Strider, the rhythmic tightening of cables, the steady climb toward the star-laden darkness—it all became a backdrop to his mounting awe.


    The sound intensified, a rising, electric crescendo. His breath hitched, anticipation crawling up his spine. Questions filled the silence of his mind. Where did this cable lead? What did space look like from here? What wonders awaited him?


    He didn’t have to wait long.


    The humming reached a furious peak, a symphony of motion and energy—then, silence. A final, sharp pop, like the universe itself had exhaled.


    Chronifer’s body went weightless. The sensation was so absolute, so surreal, that time itself seemed to slow. In the silence, he turned his head, his heart hammering as he beheld what lay beyond.


    Incredible.


    The word wasn’t enough, yet it was all his mind could muster.


    Then—another jerk. Gravity reasserted itself, dragging him back into his seat.


    Beyond the glass, an impossible sight unfolded.


    The vast darkness of space was not empty—it was alive.


    Colossal cables, like the one he had just ascended, stretched across an unfathomably massive star system, linking planets in a breathtaking web of interstellar pathways. They spiraled outward from an absolutely titanic sun, its brilliance so immense it bathed the network in an ethereal glow, casting long, golden arcs through the void. The planets were not isolated celestial bodies but connected, woven together in a lattice of engineered wonder.


    Around the cables, he saw Striders—countless Striders—streaking like shooting stars, their spinning frames gliding along the pathways with effortless precision. In the depths of space, metal structures, like floating islands, drifted in the void, their lights flickering like distant constellations. And then—far, far beyond, at the very edges of his sight—he saw something that made his breath stall.


    An actual ship.


    A ship, sailing not through the vacuum, but between two colossal landmasses—floating continents—encased in shimmering, translucent bubbles. Whole worlds suspended in the emptiness, defying every rule of nature he had ever known.


    And yet, this was only a fraction.


    His gaze followed the endless stretch of cables, weaving toward other distant suns, glimmering in the abyss like cosmic lanterns. This system was not merely vast—it was endless, a boundless sprawl of worlds, pathways, and mysteries beyond reckoning.


    A hunger stirred in him, an insatiable urge to visit every planet, to set foot on those floating islands, to see where those ships were headed. The enormity of it all threatened to swallow him whole—yet he had never felt more alive.


    This is beautiful. Chronifer thought, but soon another thought crossed his mind. Why are we heading away from it though?


    Like a dark answer to his question, the Strider spun and revealed what Chronifer in his gut knew without fail was their destination. A planet caught between the maw of a cosmic serpent.