Rise of the Godking - Chapter 166

Chapter 166 - Return(4)

In straightforward terms, it was the calm before the storm, holding a hint of the terrifying, destructive fury that was soon going to descend. Sweat sprung up on her brow and ran down her face, and far, far beneath her feet, she heard a low, deep rumbling.

"The Will! He somehow managed to connect to it so much that its anger has overpowered him… but that's not the only thing going on here! There's something else! And it's scaring me so much that I would be wetting the ground if I had a body! THIS HAS TO STOP!"

When Lilly stopped speaking, Seline felt her mind open up in a way that she had only experienced once before, after this new friend of hers had taken up her residence. From a spot in the middle of her forehead, a sense of awareness spread out, scanning and understanding things in a range far greater than what her eyes or any of her senses could pierce.

Lilly had said that it was something only a strong consciousness such as hers which had lived for so long could do with the Frae, the seed of magic and all things wondrous. Seline felt that awareness latch onto something behind her, to the left, and knowing that it was important, she somehow found the strength in herself to turn in that direction.

What she saw there made the shock she felt grow in leaps and bounds even though she could have sworn that this was impossible. The two giant six-pointed stars made of crimson crystal they had brought from Marillein for reasons unknown was floating in the air, glowing with an eerie light. That light seemed to congeal at the point directed to the sky, and from there, it started to inch towards the Heavens.

Between the two stars, she saw flashes of images, each of which filled her with abject fear even though she couldn't understand them. 

She saw a man between them dressed in golden robes on which a being swam, lithe and serpentine. He stood a hundred feet tall, his head hidden in the clouds with a face she couldn't recognize, but something told her strongly that it was Dan. 

Flash.

She saw him surrounded by a sea of stars, and each star short forth an attack of such strength that she knew even a scrap of just the might of one would be enough to destroy her a hundred times over.

Flash.

She saw him transform into a winged being with a long neck and four limbs with shining golden scales, and an aura of royal might. 

Flash.

She saw him transform into a 150 feet long, demonic creature that looked like a snake that she knew could kill her with a single look.

Flash. Flash. Flashflashflashfla-…..

Each glimpse possessed such might that she hadn't known was even capable of existing in this world. Each glimpse made her believe in God even though she had been an atheist all her life, as only a God could possess that much sheer, unadulterated power.

The crimson light rose more and more into the sky, and she found herself wondering how anyone could miss its existence even from tens of thousands of kilometers away if it left the confines of the island. Someone else seemed to have had the same thought, as suddenly, a voice echoed over Graiton, breaking the eerie silence that had descended in the aftermath of that bestial roar.

"Whoever you are, stand down if you do not wish to bring down death on all those here."

As if finding a rope she could hang on to, Selene turned in the direction it had come from.

The elf came into her vision, but she could barely recognize him. With blank eyes, she stared as he rose in height with each step he took toward where Dan stood, at the edge of the clearing.

His soft features seemed to have fallen away, replaced by alien edges and strangely tilted eyes. The sparkle in his skin she had caught a few times when sunlight fell on him was magnified, making it seem as if countless tiny diamonds had been placed under his skin. He frowned on the way, as if having realized something, and thereafter, his steps took him to the two crimson crystals.

By the time he reached the crystals, he stood over 70 feet tall. Although he was still smaller than many of the images flashing between them, he wasn't an ant, like them, waiting to be crushed.

More about him had changed than just his size. His already long hair had grown, and it now seemed to have a life of its own, flowing around his waist and his legs gracefully, like a swallow in the wind. His robes had sharp edges at the hem, the shoulders, and at his legs, and they changed colors with each second, flitting through the shades of a rainbow.

Mors had to look up at the terrifying images of power that were still flashing in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he narrowed his eyes, and at that moment, a river, no, a sea of power completely different from anything she had ever seen appeared in the air above Graiton, within the dome.

Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground. She heard the telltale signs of all the others fainting around her, overcome by just the aftershocks, but she couldn't care less about them.

This sea seemed to flow from a distant place, a place that promised that it held an ocean of might, waiting to be used by anyone worthy. At once, Seline knew that the elf was drawing on the Mainland, and when his voice appeared again, this time, it was accompanied by an overwhelming sense of command that completely swept her under.

"As an equal, I speak to you. I am Moridin Elonai, heir of the 9th High Seat of the thirteen Tofra Haiseti, the Thirteen Seats of Sorcery. I am Moridin Elonai, 23rd Valinn Heimur, 23rd of the Chosen Sons. I am Moridin Elonai, Anointed Protector of the Peace, and I implore you to stand down. Your rage will do naught but doom him. Stand down, or be destroyed by those who must not be stirred. Stand down!"

As the last, thundering word left his mouth, Mors raised his hands, reaching for the swirling eddies of pure might above. A mountain of it was thrown at the spot between the crystals, and finally, when it crashed against that crimson light with a 'BOOM!' That shook the heavens, the gaze of that being turned.

It looked at Mors with contempt. Only sparing him a glance, it looked up, and when its shifting eyes that ranged between those possessed by different species fell upon the power above him, it solidified into that first image of a hundred-foot tall man and greedily stretched its hands forward.

With alarm, Mors raised his own hands. Drawing as much as could fit between them, he hurled it again, not even bothering to use it to cast spells.

Once more, it dissipated, and when the giant's hands entered the mist-like mass, glee appeared on its face while Mors stumbled, his face ashen.

It took him a second to rally, and when he did, he gritted his teeth and pulled, causing even more might to spill into Graiton. Rising into the air, he spread out his arms and let himself be enveloped in it before speaking once more.

"Emperor to emperor, king to king, I speak to you. Listen! A great injustice has been done to you, but this is not the time, or the place! Stand down! As one of the Forn, I swear that if I find your cause just, I will aid you! STAND DOWN!"

His scream finally drew the attention of the being again. Its hands were still playing with the power it had stolen from Mors, but this time, it cocked its head, as if actually considering what he had said for the first time.

Seline felt hope, but only a second later…the being turned away once more.

Mors seemed to be at the end of his wits. Raising his hands to his hair, he seemed ready to grab and tear huge fistfuls of it, but suddenly, his eyes widened, as if a thought had just come to him.

He fell to the ground, and he shrunk until he was an ant, once more, just like the rest of them. His features went back to normal, and in a voice almost drowned out by the rumblings echoing from all the liquid might that had been taken control of by the giant, he said, "I am Moridin Elonai, or simply, Mors, true friend of Dan. For him, you must stand down. Please."

Seline's mouth fell open as she saw this. All this while, the crimson light above the stars had been rising, and it now stood ready to pierce the dome above. It seemed like a last-ditch attempt doomed to fail, and she found herself idly wondering how far she could swim if she had to jump off the edge to run.

Full expecting the giant being to ignore him for the third time, she turned to it, but miraculously...it stood frozen in the air, its eyes fixed on the elf. Something deep within those gigantic pools stirred, waking up, and for the briefest of moments, the giant looked like it was human, rather than a toddler bent on revenge.

It nodded, and with a 'POOF!', it vanished.

Mors let out a loud groan and fell to his knees while the power above dissipated into nothingness. The crimson crystals thudded to the ground, and behind her, another body fell.

Knowing it to be Dan's, a relieved smile came on her face, and a moment later, darkness swept over in waves. Without resisting this time, she gave herself up to it completely, but right before she drifted off into unconsciousness, she caught a glimpse of something that lingered in her vision.

It was an image of Mors.. He had turned to Dan's physical body, and in his eyes, she saw nothing but deep, soul-stilling fear.