The language was tight enough, especially considering the power of Exal’drin. Jonathan suspected that if the chained deity truly wished it, he could kill him right now, chains or not.

Jonathan sighted, and moved forwards, getting a better look at the chains. As he did so, the platform extended out with him, letting him walk towards the towering form of Exal’drin. As he moved, he realized that space was somewhat warped in the pocket dimension, and that its prisoner was far larger than he had ever suspected. Rather than being the size of city blocks, the chain links were the size of cities in their entirety, and the form of Exal’drin himself was easily the size of a country.

The further Jonathan went, the smaller he became, until he was looking up at an impossibly large figure. The chains looked like mountains from where he was standing, and he had no idea how he was supposed to destroy them.

“This seems impossible!” He shouted up at the chained god, his voice seeming too small to carry the vast distance up to the deity’s face.

“It is not what it seems. Divinity is the key over all else.” With that cryptic piece of advice, the god fell silent, and Jonathan suddenly felt very alone in the space, surrounded by constructs and beings beyond his ken. However, he pushed that all down. He was a child of the Void. After staring into nothingness itself, there was nothing that could scare him. As he moved, he began to channel his Divinity, acting on the instructions of Exal’drin. Suddenly, the chains before him began to light up, more and more the closer he went.

Divinity detected!

Do you wish to free Exal’drin, Outer God?

Y/N

With nothing else to do at this point, Jonathan picked yes. As soon as he had stepped into this place, he had been at the mercy of its prisoner. The only way to escape was by doing his bidding. It also helped that the task was one he wanted to do anyway. As he did so, the chains glowed with a blinding golden light, and faded into nothingness, freeing Exal’drin. A titanic roar of exultation buffeted Jonathan, causing blood to run from his nose and ears. Exal’drin gazed down at Jonathan, a smile on his face.

“Farewell, mortal, and good luck with your task. I must now depart and regain my lost power. Perhaps one day we will meet again, unified in revenge against those who wronged us.”

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Then the god vanished, and Jonathan found himself standing outside of the castle, looking into a perfectly ordinary courtyard, filled with milling undead. The only sign of what he had just done was a speck receding into the distance, far up in the sky. The heavens themselves cracked open, and then the figure vanished into the crack, gone from Mire. Then the crack sealed over, as if it had never been there. Thunder rumbled in the heavens, and a faint scream of rage could be heard, as if the gods themselves were crying for vengeance. Knowing their power, there was a good chance they were.

Jonathan suddenly doubled over in pain as his body ripped and tore, power racing through him as Exal’drin’s blessing came into play. His forehead tore open, and something pushed out of it. The tear blinked, and he realized that an eye was there. Though, when he placed his hand there to check, he felt nothing. Suddenly, his vision was split, with a third of it overlaid in pulsing waves of energy.

“What the hell?” Jonathan exclaimed, pain still rushing through his body.

You have gained a blessing!

The Third Eye of Exal’drin

For your service to Exal’drin, an outer god, you have gained access to one of his signature abilities. A third eye now rests on your forehead, one aligned with the metaphysical energy of the universe. It can peer into the weave of reality itself through the Astral Plane.Upon opening it, you gain a measure of sight into the future. Keeping it open for too long will cause severe soul damage. One is not meant to stare into the abyss for too long.

Jonathan turned, and saw Edgar coming towards him, a concerned look on his face. Then he realized that only in the energy-limned third of his sight could he see the man approaching. He closed the third eye, and saw that Edgar had only started moving a moment ago. In the vision provided by his third eye, the wind mage had already reached him.

“What happened in there?” The man asked, confused. “I can’t remember anything.”

“There was a being imprisoned within there, one that I freed. Apparently, the gods have kept their most powerful enemies tucked in corners of the Hells.”

“Does it affect our quest?” Hushar asked.

“I don’t think so, save for the better. The being imprisoned in there, Exal’drin, granted me a powerful boon in exchange for freeing him. Here, attack me, and you can see what I mean.”

Edgar raised one eyebrow, and Jonathan opened his third eye. A ghostly spear of wind was loosed from the wind mage’s arm, heading towards his torso. Before it even happened, Jonathan moved to the side, and Edgar cast. Unlike in the vision though, it simply raced past him.

He smiled broadly. The ability would come in useful in the future, to say the least.