His eyes settled on the Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix that had been a point of focus for him previously even if it seemed small now that Helen craved marks onto his skin from beyond the grave He stared at it for a long time still stuck in that strained moment where he wished to use Seize but knew he shouldnÆt
The island stirred as the storm was drawn inward the Nether flows that animating this place drawn in toward his wrought state But that shift brought with it wind which carried a sprinkle of rain to land on his skin Randidly blinked The distraction was enough for him to take a gulp of air and step forward at least metaphorically His eyes focused on Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix Finishing the Path earned him ten points in Chimeric Indifference on the way which smelled like something slightly amusing
Congratulations You have completed the Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix Path You walk forward along the Path housing impossibility within your capable body You were presented with the choice to either ground the unpredictable mass that weighs you down or to simply embrace its lack of reality Perhaps due to how far you have traveled in your Paths you have chosen to ground the Stillborn Phoenix with a weakness You walk the lower Path
Congratulations Your Skill The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence has grown to Level 703
You discover in the churning mists near the edge of your vision that the brother of a close friend and your mentor wait for you outside of your current retreat When you depart they will come for you Grim Intuition +150
Shal and Techetadore RandidlyÆs expression flickered for several seconds as he tried to weigh how accurate a prediction this really was Then his mouth firmed into a line as he felt the Grey Creature humming in support of the notification it sensed it was true In a way itÆs a relief to know they are alright But they were with the Swacc group and Elhume should have taken care of them Why would they suddenly be waiting for me
Why would they come for me At least Techetadore
That concern would have to wait until he left although it worried at the back of his mind even as he refocused But although the first two Path completions were interesting it was the third that made Randidly gasp
Congratulations You have completed the Spark of the Origin Beast Path For the longest time you have felt a strange rising in your Nether Core As you cross the broken skyline ascending through an endless rise toward the Pinnacle you look back on the Path you have taken and examine its shape It curves gently into the shape of the spine Your skin tingles as you see it the corpse on which you have traveled
The same corpse on which the modern Nexus is built
For there was once a great being the last of its kind that labored to make the Nexus a better place Despite the dangers it risked its life at the request of a friend to create the possibility of saving their precarious dream
Unfortunately the cost proved too great This being died and its body became nothing but materials However within those massive bones remained a hint of that wondrous magic that made this race so valuable From your current height you can see down your Paths to the point at which you created a Nether Core For the base materials for your early drawings you carved into bone
Of course Of course thatÆs where it came from This is all about foundation Why did I never think about where I created the Nether Core RandidlyÆs skin tingled as his Nether Core began to rotate more quickly Pulses of energy blasted out through his limbs at first he thought it was Nether but Randidly sensed that he was releasing huge fountains of raw life That Fourth Authority lurking beneath the surface for so long began to push up toward the surface
Due to your travels you have finally discovered that you carry the spark of that noble soul Your Paths have proved you are compatible with it Your body has evolved to the point it can handle its capabilities Its aura has long seeped out of your affecting the surroundings Now you feel that power spreading within you finally giving to you the ability to wield it
Error Previous Authorities not yet discovered
Recalculating Nether Core Rarity increased to Transcendent
Congratulations You have discovered The Fourth Authority Animation Nova
Chapter 1934
The release felt natural Randidly breathed and the land breathed with him His Nether Core seemed to still observing this sudden connection
The Fourth Authority came into being inside of the Nether Core or rather a force that had seeped from RandidlyÆs pores for a long time finally revealed itself in its true form That power yawned and stretched settling into the immensity of its existence within his person Rays of silver light erupted from his body His control over the Nether flows that animated the storm stumbled and fell slack as a crackling sort of charge built around RandidlyÆs body
The storm hissed and spat the rain on the island slowing as the light around Randidly accumulated His eyes widened sensing the coming display He frantically tried to comb through the manifestation for any danger but found nothing but light and wondrous life within that silver haze So he begrudgingly gave himself over to the process The power had come into his hand but he needed to release it now that it had begun to churn
This Authority had two speeds stop and go And now it was going
Randidly pressed his lips together and closed his eyes His Penance hummed in pleasure briefly hosting some of that holy silver power With a second Authority active his Nether Core found a better balance RandidlyÆs soul opened up and pale light galloped out of him He withdrew the last thread of restraint
The Fourth Authority Animation Nova
A quicksilver atomic bomb detonated on his person releasing a near blinding radiance The nova spread out from him in waves The first portion painted everything in monochrome a light so bright that it steamrolled all other colors into shades of itself That got the attention of the island’s inhabitants which meant they were warily watching when the second wave blasted outward and crashed against their bodies
Most shivered and stiffened assuming defensive postures before the wave but none could react fast enough to avoid the second wave This one seemed to teleport each individual life to a gleaming wonderland of yellows and silvers floating alone in the rejuvenating power
Then the third wave came an infinite tide of silver motes that swam through the bodies of all these individuals
Just like that the Nova expanded to encompass the whole island and then receded all at once leaving most of the affected individuals stunned Some of the trainees looked down at their hands shocked that all their wounds had healed and their bodies were filled with vigor In a dark corner of the island Charlotte Wick began to sob
Once she started she couldnÆt stop Tears seeped through her squeezed shut eyes and then through her frantically denying fingers Yet she also felt relief a portion of that horrifying tightness that had choked her for the last year began to relax The waves had gently snipped the calcified and slightly cantankerous scabs of her emotional wounds away leaving her pained but finally ready to heal
Randidly coughed several times as the Authority receded to back in his chest He felt dizzy and weak He pressed his knuckles into the ground and focused on his breathing as he reviewed what had just happened The Fourth AuthorityÆs pulses could be used in isolation if he wished It was interesting to note however that this cost him a great deal of life energy to supply it to other beings
Yggdrasil stretched its branches and roots into the island to sip some of the energy back but Randidly told it to stay its branch He savored the bone deep wariness as he rolled himself back and looked up at the suddenly clear sky above the island Truth be told I have plenty of life energy And thereÆs no need to push myself so tirelessly There are more important things
He was just settling down to reminiscence about Helen and allow his life energy to creep back the old fashioned way but he realized he wasnÆt alone The Patron of the Sun and the Patron of Blooms stood at the far side of the volcano waiting for permission to approach Groaning Randidly pushed himself back up into a sitting position and beckoned them closer Yes Is something wrong with that burst I released