Now that the common spells are tested, it was time to pull out the heavy hitters. I put my hand out and activated [Orb of Devouring]. A small sphere of pure darkness emerged in my hand. It was small enough to fit in comfortably, but large enough that I couldn’t close my fist around it.
As I stared at the orb, the air around me whistled as it rushed towards the orb, even though the orb wasn’t applying a force of attraction. Strange.
“Let’s see what this baby can do.” I said, holding out the orb against a nearby cliff.
As expected, the orb carved cleanly through it as far as I could push it.
“Can you move the orb without holding it?” Nico asked.
I frowned and tried to will the orb to fly overhead.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t.
“Maybe a little force mana could move it to my will…?” I wondered, only to see the orb devour any mana that tried to touch it.
With nothing else to try, I stepped away from the mountainside and tossed the orb at it. The orb floated silently, absorbing the air rushing at it on its way. Then it moved with the same ease, creating an orb-shaped line deep into the rock before the orb finally fizzled out of existence.
“This skill is awesome and everything, but why does every ability I get involves risking hurting bystanders?! At this rate, I won’t be able to use any of it!”
Even without Nico in front of me, I could already see her eyes rolling.
“You’re beginning to reach ranks and class levels of great power, you have high rarity evolutions and classes, and you’re wielding an attribute that excels at destruction. Of course you have to start worrying about collateral damage.”
I shook my head and used Force Lord to fly a few kilometers over the mountain.
“It’s time to test the big one. Get ready!” I said with a huge grin on my face.
As I activated [Celestial Descent], I felt my mana drop sharply.
Overhead, a nearly 500-meter-wide sphere of rock hurtled downwards, pushing so much air that even I found it hard to stay still as it moved past me. Having targeted the mountain’s peak, I watched eagerly as the meteor crashed straight into it, nearly deafening me with the thunderous explosion it caused.
The earth shook and the mountain rumbled, as rocks from both the mountain peak and the remains of the meteor flew out ahead of the massive plume of dust that was rapidly expanding from the impact zone.
Rockslides began all over the mountain as birds flew away rapidly, frightened by the chaos. As the earthquakes ceased and the dust settled, a massive crater stood where a jagged peak once stood.
I watched the destruction in silent awe. This power, my power, was just what I needed to fend off the coming storm.
“Or at least, I hope so.”
With that thought in mind, I stepped out of the arena. I was content with what I got out of the class advancement, though it was definitely going to take some getting used to.
“So, what do we do now?” I asked Nico as we made our way back to Jezibel.
Nico shrugged.
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
“Well, my brother is about to leave with the expedition force that’s going to bombard the Serpent’s Throat, so I should go and see him off. Besides that, you’ve got another meeting with Lord Huros, if memory serves me right. Best not to keep the gods waiting for you, so get to it.”
That expedition intrigued me, but she was right. We split off, and I headed back to the shrine to Lady Mett in the Sept manor. After I closed the door behind me, I stood before the goddess’s statue. It didn’t take long for my vision to be colored in white, and my consciousness was transported to the realm of the gods once more.
***
As I opened my eyes, I found a large, tan man standing before me. The man was wearing minimalistic clothing, with a loose pair of leggings that extended halfway down his legs. He wore simple sandals and no tunic, but he had a large and colourful necklace that covered a third of his chest. His face was completely devoid of facial hair, and his head was so bald that it shined under the gentle sun. He seemed to make use of make up around his eyes, which was a style I’d only seen a few people sport in a temple.
The God Huros smiled and spoke with a baritone voice.
“Welcome, child. I’ve heard much about you from my contemporaries, and I imagine you have a request for me. As it so happens, I wished to speak with you as well. Please, have a seat.”
The god turned around and took his own seat while I did as he asked.
“With this meeting, I imagine you’ve had dealings with all of the major Tameryian gods by now, no?” Huros said conversationally.
“Yeah, except for your chief god. I also haven’t actually met the Goddess of Death, though Hurun spoke to her on my behalf.”
The God of Protection and Healing nodded.
“Amon-Re is a busy god, especially now more than ever since he is dealing with the crisis facing the continent. Thankfully, the current Pharaoh is competent, so our leader’s work isn’t overwhelming him just yet. But enough about this tangent; I believe you’ve come to see me for help with a mental block?”
I nodded.
“Yeah, though I did manage to find something of a solution…”
***
I spent the next ten minutes telling Huros about how I got the trauma I have and how I got a skill that’ll make it easier to overcome in the future.
“Hmm. I see that Mett and Hurun were not exaggerating when they sang your praises. It takes a strong person to overcome a deep-rooted fear like the one you had – and at your age no less! You’ve done well, my child. That said, I cannot say I approve of you subjecting yourself to this kind of suffering. You ought to take better care of yourself, lest you leave yourself with irreversible damage to your psyche.”
I frowned.
“What choice do I have? I am getting thrown into one problem after another with no end in sight, and the Goddess of Fortune herself told me that I am destined to meet an entire continent’s worth of danger soon. I have to get stronger, or my life is going to end just as miserably as the last few did.”
The God nodded in understanding.
“I sympathize with your frustrations. You feel backed into a corner, and you seek the strength to protect yourself and those you care about.”
The god leaned forward.
“But I say this both as your healer, and as the God of Protection, you ought to take better care of yourself. He who cannot take care of himself, cannot take care of others. That is the first thing that any follower of mine learns.”
Huros maintained eye contact with me as he spoke.
“The lesson immediately after that is to protect one another. No matter how powerful you become, you are still a single person, and a child, no less. There is only so much you can do. Do not try to hold the weight of the coming danger by yourself; you are not alone.”
I had mixed feelings about the god’s words.
On one hand, I was tired of being powerless, and I wanted to take comfort in being able to handle threats myself as they arrive. On the other, not having to shoulder this burden alone would be a relief.
Huros then closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing.
“I’ve also heard from Hurun about how the God of Chaos brought tragedy to you in your past life. Setoth is a dangerous foe, and one that you must take great care against should his attention fall on you again. If you ever find yourself coming to conflict with that god, remember my words about how you and your allies should protect each other. The God of Chaos thrives in preying on lonely, mentally scarred individuals.”
Huros kept quiet after that, giving me time to think and respond at my own pace.
“Thanks, I’ll keep your advice in mind. Still, I would like your help with dealing with the trauma. Is there anything you can do?”
The god sighed lightly.
“As much as I wish I could, I cannot simply snap my fingers and whisk away someone’s trauma. These experiences can be overcome, but there is no quick or easy way of doing so, and they remain with you for the rest of your life. You’ve already done a large part of overcoming your trauma yourself, so now I ask that you avoid aggravating it by throwing yourself into danger. Spend time with your loved ones, stay safe, and let time heal your mind. There is no shortcut to recovery.”