EPISODE 73: A TOUCH OF SPACE
— Edryan Queendom, Year: 7291, Season: Color Fading.
“HERO GOLEMS… ATTACK,” I exclaimed. I could no longer allow this war to go on. Not after what I just heard. Yet, at the same moment, another voice spoke. A voice that held far more power and prestige than mine.
“( Domain Expansion: Space ),” Thraag – Dimension Shaper’s voice traveled through the valley.
The voice was powerful, but it was different from Laura’s. Thraag’s voice came as a… way of life . It was the night sky, a thunderstorm crackling with lightning. It was the cry of a newborn and the last whisper of a dying old man. It solidified space as a constant, and stars in the valley Supernovae in response. The light oranges, blues, pinks, and reds twisted and burst… brilliantly exploding in a radiance of colors and magical might. Waves of power washed over me, and the surrounding battle came to a halt.
It was beautiful .
It was terrifying .
Around us, magi floated dead, blood, and dust mixed into a muck that clung to every surface. My mouth received an electric taste, but I kept my attention open as my heart threatened to pound out of my chest. Yet, all the effects of (Cosmic Disorientation) seemed negated as Thraag’s Law of Space superseded itself as the highest authority within Starglow Valley. This was just one of the many worries I held on my chest…
I’m not strong enough, not by far!
Kubrat — Truth Seeker … is a Grand Magi that lived over two thousand years ago. At most, with a high vitality attribute and a class at Rare or above… a magi-human could push three hundred perhaps four if they’re lucky and no disease or worse takes them. Two thousand was not a number that was plausible. Magi-humans are still offshoots of the human race and humans didn’t live long on the Elrunian continent.
‘ Unless she’s a demigoddess… ,’ Minerva’s voice echoed through my thoughts.
My Hero Golems burst through the ground, Nubia at their helm, but it was already too late. Thraag’s voice resounded once again… an unchanging constant that governed space completely. A law that dictated what was up and where was down.
“( Domain Expansion: Dimension Shaper ).”
In that split moment, Thraag’s voice traveled through the valley, time paused. At least it held the illusion of so as there was no movement. The floating debris locked in place, and I once again felt the heaviness of gravity. My chest did not rise to take a breath, nor could my eyes, mouth, and body move. Darkness threatened to consume my vision as my consciousness began to fade. It wasn’t until a pink glow emerged from my chest through, [A Mother’s Gift], that the effect Thraag’s Law of Space held broke from controlling me. [A Mother’s Gift] radiance only grew brighter. It was under this glow I came to understand why Thraag was titled as the [Dimension Shaper]. It was a skill, just as it was a title. The skill of one who began to grasp a Domain .
Like a Rubik’s Cube, blocks of space shifted. Massive swaths of square miles twisted left and right as the magic took place. A piece of the ground became the sky, just as a piece of the sky became ground.
The glow grew brighter, and my body shifted as I broke free of the restraint.
INTENT CHECK!
You have broken the {Touch of Space}.
“Huff-huff.”
“Huff-huff.”
“Huff-huff.”
“What the fuck. Ha-ha…,” the chuckle escaped my lips.
“Minerva… what do we do?”
My perk seemed to undergo the same relief I did as her chest heaved up and down. It took her a few moments to collect herself before she spoke.
“This…,” she chirped.
“…is what it means to step onto the path of Godhood. We need to reach Laura before Thraag realizes we’re free.”
“What the fuck is Laura doing? None of this has gone to plan,” I cursed and quickly took stock of my surroundings.
Around me were frozen bodies that seemed to be paused in time. The silence was loud, as the shifting pieces of the realm made no sound. Atlas and Tobi still stood guard in their previous positions, and the core troops of the collation held themselves ready for the confrontation. A scent of lilac and lilies entered my nose but I paid it no mind.
I moved over to Tobi and clasped a hand on his shoulder. My armored hands bounced as an invisible barrier surrounded the man. I turned and tried the same with Atlas. Behind them were the rest of my [Imperius Knights]. Wound’s littered their bodies and for the first time, I recognized that they were barely holding on. In fact, we’d slightly pulled ahead of the Imperius Army as we slayed our way ever deeper… as I slayed my way deeper.
“They’re under some sort of temporal stasis. At least we know they cannot be harmed as this goes on. Law look!”
Minerva pointed with her wing, and I gazed in the direction the main battle was taking place.
The red domain of Rage seemed to be under no effect as the figures of Laura’s army moved within. However, from a glance, I could tell Laura’s domain had grown smaller under the might of Thraag’s.
“A Touch huh…”
“The first requirement to step on the Path of Godhood is to acquire a Touch, by comprehension of a domain, or theft of one,” Minerva stated.
“There are more ways than that,” I responded as I organized my thoughts. For the first time since I could remember… I began to double think my plans and actions. A trait I thought I lost as the years went by.
Minerva perked up, and together we began to hash everything out.
“Oh, do you have time to sit here and discuss? That is quite an interesting perk, if I may add.”
The voice was pleasant and far different from the mental intrusion that spoke within my head before. My body whipped around, and I looked left then right, but there was no sign of the woman who spoke.
“Here… I’m right here,” she giggled as a hand reached out from my armored chest.
Sharp half white and half black painted nails followed by a beige-brown hand with ash black runic tattoos carved upon them emerged creepily from my chest. It was followed by a second, then third, and finally a fourth hand. Each hand followed the styling of the first, the only difference was the runes tattooed upon them. I swallowed loudly, and Minerva chirped in outrage as the woman began to pull.
The first thing to emerge was a wide brim midnight black witches hat with white swirl patterns that reminded me of swirling optical illusions from Earth. As I stared at them, they began to spin, and I felt my consciousness being drawn in. Quickly, I turned my head to the left but kept my eye on the emerging woman. Half of her torso emerged, and I finally received the opportunity to look at the person emerging from my chest. My left hand tightly gripped [Limitless Love] as I prepared myself to pull the dagger out and attack at the first sign of danger. Minerva jumped from my shoulder and took flight, but she stayed within the radius of the pink light. We would rather not test what would happen if she left the range.
Four hands pushed against my armor and I felt a slight breeze but nothing more. The witch's face was oddly plain, but what stood out to me was her freckled skin. White dots splattered themselves over her shoulders, neck and nose bridge, stopping just before it reached her eyes. Eyes that followed the same optical illusion upon her witch’s hat. Long black braids draped downward and touched the floor, throughout the braids, gold and silver metals were distributed evenly. A single startling magenta braid emerged from the middle of her head as a startling contrast to the rest of the colors. She looked down as she stabled her grip to push herself further out. The witch gave a mighty heaved, but to no avail.
‘ Is she… ,’ Minerva hesitated.
There was a pregnant pause and the surrounding air seemed to freeze… then I opened my mouth and asked the question that was on both Minerva’s and my mind.
“ …are you… stuck ?”
I blurted the question out and fully glanced down at the witch. Instantly our eyes locked and I felt my consciousness being drawn away…
I opened my apartment door, a silly grin still present on my face as I touched the spot Celina kissed goodbye. It was our third date, and this time Celina was the one to take the initiative. It was new, and I felt my heart flutter once again as I thought over the events we did. The taste of her lips and her scent lingered around. For some reason, I found myself extremely nervous as we met. I didn’t know if it was the flowery sundress with platform shoes she wore today, or if it was her scent of-
‘ Law- .’
I roared with excitement as the two Saiyans battled. The upcoming battle was their first, and it’d be legendar- the TV snapped off with a resounding click. I groaned in frustration, already knowing what was coming next. It was still a school day, but I wanted to discuss the next episode with my new friend Brock. We’d been talking about the series every lunch period we got.
“MOM!”
“It’s bedtime, my little warrior !”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
I didn’t have to turn around, but I did anyway, only to see a familiar, unfamiliar woman.
“Who are you?”
“ Lawru- ”
“ARRRRRAH,” my voice screamed with raw desperation as pain racked my body.
“It’s going to be ok Lawrence; the docs are approving your medication right now. Just hold on,” the nurse exclaimed.
HOLD ON? HOLD ON? DID SHE KNOW WHAT TYPE OF PAIN I WAS GOING THROUGH TO HOLD O-
“Lawruthian!”
INTENT CHECK!
You have broken the {Seed of Illusion}.
I gasped as my consciousness returned to me. The smell of lilac and lilies grew weaker. The thoughts and feelings of the false memories filled me with a remorseful feeling as what could have been my future… and what was my past displayed itself to me. The illusion was powerful, but my eyes locked to the exact name of the effect I was under.
“You… a Seed …?”
“ She’s… ”
“I am the Demigoddess of Illusions — Kubrat the Seeker of Truth !”
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Queen Titiana paced back and forth. Floating in the center of the room was the [Heaven’s Spear]. The black and white weapon thrummed with power, and the surrounding mana seemed to be sucked in with every passing second. It was only a few hours from dawn and yet they’d yet to receive news of her son’s first victory. Queen Titiana’s heels clicked with each step and besides the fiddling and mutters coming from Margret, they were the only prominent sound.
Titiana would glance at the spear every so often as she paced, contemplating on whether she’d grasp it and march to her son’s rescue. Silently, a few of her closest advisors watched. Liana, Margret, Eliana, and Mariam kept to themselves mainly as nothing they said convinced the Queen to relax.
Liana’s eyes followed every movement of the Queens, her arms crossed. Her face remained expressionless, but the small tapping of her finger alerted those who were close to her of her state of mind.
Margret sent Liana a reassuring smile. She turned her attention back to her scrying spell. Scrying, divination, and other forms of far viewing magic failed with each of Margret’s attempts. The powerful scroll Thraag unrolled was magic outside the known Edryan State repertoire. To Margret, who was knowledgeable in most spells, old and new of Edryan based magic, this was frustrating. Yet, the answer only pointed to spells outside Edryan, most likely something from the middle kingdoms as the beast tribes, gnomes, and goblins were always coming up with something new. Not to mention the regular humans . Margret sniffed, she wouldn’t admit it, but their magic was decades ahead of anything Edryan held. The Lashes kept a tight eye on the rest of the continent, and Margret was always the one they asked for magical knowledge on. Her family's bloodline, (All-Sea Musa), was renowned throughout the queendom for a reason. Margret sighed and continued to fiddle with her spells.
Eliana’s lips remained pursed. The older woman sighed and thought back to when she initially met Garo. Back then, he’d been far more fierce than his current display in front of Lawruthian. Her heart went out to both her husband and student. Worry colored her expression, but Eliana was old, and she felt her vitality wane with every passing day. It wouldn’t be long until she too received the Promise.
Mariam was the opposite of most members in the room, whereas they worried and showed small ticks that complemented their true feelings, Mariam remained unmoved.
“Lawruthian will be fine. My intelligence on Thraag and his capabilities has not failed. His grasp of the Law of Space is only thirty-five percent, still well in the limits of a Touch… and although Laura’s grasp of Rage remains at ten percent, her army is far superior in all aspects.”
“Mariam is right,” Liana spoke up, seemingly removing herself from the state she was in.
“Lawruthian is a bright child and although his army is weak, his Hero Golems are strong. A minor Calamity is not something that can be brushed off either.”
“I’ve almost figured out a bypass for this anti scrying spell, Lawruthian is fine Titiana, your love for him is boundless. Your gift will guide and protect him.”
The Queen paused, indifferently glanced at the surrounding women, and resumed pacing. Her active skill radiated a cold air around her the members of her close council hadn’t felt in years. Not since Lawruthian could speak and began to spend time with his mother.
“Have faith,” Eliana said softly. “Believe in Lawruthian and our Goddess Madris. Her Chosen will not fall from something so minor… nay! His Path is far grander! Far greater than the Spatial Convocation. This is only the first of his steps in a grand journey, believe in him Titiana, just as we believe in you !”
The words of Eliana seemed to be the only sound that caused Titiana to pause as her eyes lit with excitement and understanding.
“To have faith…
She who is the Mother of all Magi, guide me, guide my child, allow his Path to be smooth… for once I join you no other obstacles shall obstruct him !”
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“I am the Demigoddess of Illusions — Kubrat the Seeker of Truth !”
Her voice came with the majesty of a wet cat. Upset that water would touch it without permission and majestic as she spoke with pride and joy.
“Pfft,” I caught myself before completely laughing. The absurdity of the situation left me with that single snicker.
Kubrat glared at me and as I avoided her eyes, my left hand still gripping the handle of [Limitless Love], I offered her the other. From the moment she spoke her title, I believed the apparition of her to be an illusion, yet Kubrat grasped my hand and pulled … there was force behind her pull and she emerged with a resounding ‘plop.’
Two extra pairs of legs emerged from underneath her robe-like dress, and the self-proclaimed demigoddess immediately tripped over them. This time, the laugh that escaped my lips was genuine and unrestrained.
“Hahahaha, do you need help?”
The silliness of the entire situation and the accumulation of stress emerged from that laugh.
“ Does she normally have two extra arms and legs? She looks like a magi-human, but… ”
“Two extra arms…! AND LEGS?”
Kubrat yelled at the end, but I found myself swallowing hard. She just translated and understood Minerva’s chirps. At least it seemed that way as she glanced up at my hovering owl.
“ Lawruthian… ,” Minerva chirped hesitantly.
“I know… Who are you… no… what are you ,” I asked, smile fading.
The questions remained unanswered as Kubrat began to fiddle with herself. She stared at the four extra body parts in a confused manner. It was like she never realized they were there. It was only after Minerva mentioned something that Kubrat now understood what was wrong.
“No, no, this should not be happening, not again . Not now when it’s so close, when I was so close. Not with the final [Chosen] in front of me…”
Kubrat’s expression changed, and the woman began to chant in the language of magic. Pronunciations of runes I recognized escaped from her lips. Others, those far more advance than my current understanding, were translated by Minerva as her new class skills went to work.
Her voice was soft, that of a whisper upon my ear. It was like a sense of touch on your neck, only for you to turn and see nothing there. It was faint but held strength.
“ I am the stars, the moon, the sea, and the glimpse of shadow. I am the fish, the birds, the ants, and the touch of life. I am the missing feeling and the vision that is truth and untruth. I am Illusion and Illusion is ME .”
With each word spoken I grasped something, I felt myself, my soul reacting. My mythical skill observed in full as it tried to grasp such a high-level spell being cast.
All spells are skills, but not all skills are spells, and in the context of (Soul’s Burden) that mattered. With each word Kubrat spoke, I felt less of the Law of Space. Something else was establishing itself as the highest authority within the localized field.
The moment Kubrat said ME , she changed. I stumbled several steps back in shock as she did so. The extra limbs that emerged from her body dispersed like dust in the wind. The swirls and runic tattoos were the next to go, until what appeared to be a young woman with large circular glasses stood before me. If that was it, I’d have not stumbled back. Kubrat grew until she appeared giant compared to me. The frozen soldiers around us were casually brushed to the side. The power that held them in stasis held no effect under Kubrat’s touch.
“ Maybe she really is a demigoddess ,”
“Of course I am child… and you…,” she paused, seemingly searching for something.
She sat roughly thrice my height of 197 centimeters, and sparkling blue eyes gazed down on me, no her irises were black, no… they flicker in-between colors until a startling magenta overtook them all. Kubrat scratched her chin sheepishly before she continued.
“Errrm… what was your name again Chosen?”
I opened my mouth then slowly closed it. My eyes flickered around, and the red glow of rage took my attention for a moment. I don’t have time for this…
“Oh, yes you do .”
Minerva gasped; her voice just as startled as mine.
“Did you…”
“Read your mind? Hardly child, but one does not need to be a [MindFlayer] to see what you’re thinking. Your posture, the way your eyes gazed at your allies. How could I not read you?”