The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2 novel Chapter 190

Part 26

He closed his eyes and concentrated, and activated the spell sequence. First it released a vast amount of raw power he’d stored in the stone. He held the power without casting it, feeling its improving effect on his intellect. He began gathering more and more power, and used every technique they’d come up with to prevent it from cooking his brain or otherwise harming him. As he followed the instructions and automated steps in the stone, every increase in power gave him new understanding and new ideas on how to continue the process.

Then he was finished all the steps in the stone and relying on the new ones he was inventing as he went along. In a moment of sudden inspiration he walked to his left and stood on the top of the great Truthstone of Falgaroth itself that shallowly protruded through the stage, and began to draw power from it, both through his feet and through the small extension stone in his hand.

He cast a vast collection field, nearer the sun than any they’d cast before, and had it send him its power through the Translocation medium in a novel new way, then began expanding the field even as he cast completely new ones with different frequencies that collected new kinds of power.

Then it ceased being something he was doing, and it became something that was happening to him faster than he could control it, whether he wanted it to or not.

A bright light was shining from his body with increasing energy until he was barely visible within it, and he began a long, low growl that rose in pitch and volume with the intensity of the process until he was roaring at the top of his lungs. The tension in his muscles increased, along with the tightness of his grip on the small Truthstone.

Suddenly reality itself shifted within the volume of his body, and at the same moment the small Truthstone was shattered and crushed in his grip, and a pulse of arcane energy was released that everyone there felt as it passed through them in an almost instantaneous wave.

They cried out with the wonder of the sensation, their voices joining his amidst the otherwise silent transformation, but it seemed to have no other discernable effect.

He fell silent. The light he was producing gradually faded. All was still for a moment as he stood on the Truthstone with a handful of blue gemstone gravel. He appeared to be the same as he had been before he began.

The gods who had left the stage when he began returned, along with Glup of The Zurb, and they examined him.

“You are almost completely unlike any of us of The Pantheon of Kellaran.” Amirgath eventually pronounced. “You are unlike Glup of The Zurb. You are unlike the gods of The Triax. But there is no doubt whatsoever that you are a god, or at least a new kind of being with equivalent capabilities.”

“All hail Mark, first of The New Gods Of Kellaran!” Visinniria proudly proclaimed as she drew her sword, saluted him with it, and held it high.

This brought a huge roaring cheer from everyone there. They let it go on for a few seconds, then Amirgath raised his hand for silence, and got it.

“What say you, Mark?” he asked.

“It’s very strange.” Mark stated in wonder. “It’s very beautiful, and awesome, and amazing, but it’s still very strange. As far as I can tell, in all the important ways, I’m still me.”

He looked to his mortal self at the edge of the audience and asked; “What do you think?”