Stormforge (Rise To Omniscience Book 5)
Page 41
“From that point on, the balance started shifting in Chaos’s favor, and over the years, he has grown in power. The final straw came when Samuel removed all of this world’s rules. Lawlessness is where Chaos thrives, and it will not be long before his minions make themselves known.”
“So?” Morgan asked. “Why should I care?”
“The entire multiverse is at stake,” Order replied, still showing no emotion. “Septillions of lives on the line, and you would condemn them all to death?”
“I’ve sacrificed enough,” Morgan replied simply. “Get someone else to do your dirty work.”
“Did you know that the Five Kingdoms are not the only places in this world where intelligent life lives?”
“Obviously,” Morgan replied with a snort.
“Did you also know that there is an abundance of other races in this world? Intelligent ones, aside from humans, who contain the type of power that you cannot even imagine?”
“Now I know you’re just making shit up,” Morgan replied. “If they really do exist and are more powerful than us, why stay away?”
“Borders,” Order replied. “Ever wonder why you couldn’t leave the Five Kingdoms, no matter how hard you tried?”
“Something always came up,” Morgan answered with a shrug.
“Yes. That something was the world keeping you within the borders of the Five Kingdoms. Samuel, in his wisdom, set borders between all the races of this world, keeping them separated from one another. Long ago, long before the Five Kingdoms even existed, the races would intermingle.
“Back then, there was a single being who ruled over the entire world, and if you had the power, you could go and face him. But, I digress, that was long before Samuel wiped that history from the minds of everyone and separated them for their own good.”
“Wait, Samuel wasn’t always in charge of this world?” Morgan asked.
“He was, and he wasn’t. But like I said, it’s not important to what we’re talking about now. The borders are failing, which means wars are inevitable. Chaos thrives on war, and his minions will be inflaming the hearts and minds of the others against the humans.”
“Again, why should I care?” Morgan asked.
“Because,” Order replied, “if you stop Chaos’s minions and retain the balance, I will bring Sarah back to life.”
Morgan felt his heart skip a beat, and real hope filled him for the first time since he’d seen Sarah die before his eyes. Still, the pain of loss kept him from celebrating just yet.
“You can’t do that, can you?” Morgan replied, fighting to stay calm. “Gods can’t bring back the dead.”
“I am no mere god,” Order said. “Bringing a single soul back from the other side is hardly difficult. And for the price of septillions, a single bent rule is nothing.”
“I’ve had powerful beings make me empty promises before,” Morgan said, remembering well how many times he’d been tricked by Samuel. “How do I know you’ll keep your word, and what even constitutes as ‘winning?’”
“I cannot break a promise,” Order said simply. “And by that, the meaning is literal. It is against my very nature to go back on my word. Doing so would literally undo me, destroying my very being. As for what constitutes winning… Let us say that after you have killed all five of Chaos’s agents, our deal will be complete, and Sarah’s soul will be returned to her body. Until then, she will rest here, wholly preserved and undamaged.”
Order gestured, and Sarah’s body drifted into the open grave. As it did, the hole in her chest sealed itself up, leaving whole and unblemished skin in its place.
“Now, this won’t be an easy task. You are still far too weak to stand up against Chaos’s minions, nor can you fight against the other races. Luckily, we have some time in which you can train.”
“How much?” Morgan asked, feeling his voice crack with emotion.
Sarah isn’t gone! Not really anyways. So long as he lived and grew stronger, she could be brought back.
“You have exactly twenty-three months before the borders completely fail and the other races make the first contact. In that time, you will need to learn to control your skills and ability.”
“Yeah, and who’s going to show me how to do that?” Morgan asked, finally pulling his gaze away from Sarah.
“Unfortunately, I cannot directly aid you. However, I can persuade someone else to help.”
Morgan then watched the most interesting magic trick he’d ever seen in his life. Order reached out and pulled a man from thin air. More than that, it was a man Morgan recognized all too well.
“Gold?” he asked in confusion. “I thought you were dead.”
“Morgan! How good to see you!” Gold replied. “You see, the truth is…”
“Gold here is going to be your teacher, just as he once was when you were first starting out,” Order said, talking over the man. “If he does so, then I will overlook his previous actions and not obliterate him where he stands.”
“When do we begin?” Gold asked, plastering a smile onto his face.
“Immediately,” Order replied, pulling a very familiar-looking beast zone key from thin air. “I believe Morgan has made a friend in here, one that will be useful when the real battle begins.”
“Of course, of course,” Gold replied, his head bobbing up and down so much that Morgan wondered if he wouldn’t give himself whiplash.
Morgan felt the restraining force that had been keeping him locked in place vanish then, leaving him to fall to the ground.
“The rulers of the Five Kingdoms will be notified via anonymous messenger,” Order continued as Gold opened the portal, looking like he wanted nothing more than to run from the being who could wipe him from existence with a thought.
“One last thing before I go,” Morgan said, stepping up to the Author. “I won’t be able to focus with my emotions constantly getting in the way. So shut them off.”
Order looked at him for a few long moments, then slowly shook his head.
“I cannot directly interfere. But what I can do is give you a skill that will allow you to do so at your own discretion. Does that sound fair?”
Morgan nodded, and Order reached out and gently tapped the center of his forehead.
“Now, I really must be going. Remember, twenty-three months is all you have to gain control. Until the day you succeed, you will not be seeing me again. Should you succeed, meet me back here exactly twenty-four hours after you do so, and I will return Sarah’s soul to her body.”
Order vanished from view, leaving Morgan standing alone in the Ruined City. He turned one last time to Sarah’s grave, seeing her beautiful face, perfectly visible through the glass. She looked so peaceful, as though she were just sleeping. In Morgan’s mind, that was all she was doing. Sleeping until the day when he came back to wake her. Pulling up his status, Morgan searched for the new promised skill.
Name: Morgan
Advanced Supermage: Rank - 53
Energy to next rank - 4,350,000/5,000,000
Ability Advancement - 121,800/15,000,000
Total Available AP: 20
Ability - Natural Disaster
RP - 4,660/4,660 (Regen - 46.8 per second)
Strength - 492
Agility - 637
Constitution - 475
Intelligence - 466
Wisdom - 468
Skills - Supersonic flight, Concussive Burst, Stormforger, Gauntlet Gatling, Rupture, Nature’s wrath, Maximum Might, Compressive Blast, Gravity Warp
Traits - Dense body +, Recovery +, Aura sense (inherited), Aura flare (inherited), Perfect Self, Soul Stealer, Suppression (inherited)
Extra - Gravity storm (4th category), Starbreaker (3rd category), Collapsing star (Nova), Shooting star
Suppression - You have been granted the ability of control by Order. You can fully suppress any emotion you choose at any time. However, feelings of physical discomfort cannot be suppressed.
Morgan didn’t mind not being able to block out
physical pain. That was what kept one sharp in battle. Without the fear of pain, he could become careless, and carelessness led to death. Closing his eyes and concentrating, Morgan fully suppressed every emotion that may get in his way: love, compassion, emotional pain, empathy, and so on. One by one, he closed off everything that could potentially get in his way of bringing Sarah back.
When Morgan opened his eyes once more, he was calm and collected. The pain of loss was now just a faint memory. When he looked back at Sarah, he felt nothing. Nothing at all. He still felt the drive and determination to bring her back, and mentally he knew that this was why he was going to be fighting in the first place. But her death no longer plagued him, no longer weighed him down.
He had twenty-three months, just a little under two years, to grow strong enough to fight off Chaos’ agents. And if Morgan was good at anything, it was fighting. Without a backward glance, Morgan walked into the portal, leaving the Ruined City empty, but for the glass grave containing the body of the woman he loved.
***
Loquin sat in a dark room, her power somehow suppressed, and her eyes unable to pierce through the darkness. She had no idea how long she’d been here, as time had ceased to hold all meaning. She’d been taken by that mystery man who’d somehow overpowered her and knocked her out. What she couldn’t understand was who or what could have that sort of power. Today, it seemed, was her lucky day, as light suddenly flared above her, causing her to blink and squint.
“My, my. Don’t you look comfortable, Locky,” a very familiar-sounding voice said
She squinted, trying to make out the indistinct figures through the near-blinding light. Something was off here. She recognized the voice, but what could he possibly be doing here, and why had he called her that?
“She looks good, don’t you think? For an old hag, that is,” a female voice said, this one also very familiar.
“Now, now, no need to be mean. That’s hardly becoming of you,” a third female voice said.
“What am I doing here?” she called out. “And who are you?”
“Come now, Locky. I’d think you wouldn’t forget the voices of your dear friends,” said the same male voice.
Loquin felt her heart skip a beat, her mouth going very, very dry. This wasn’t possible, it couldn’t be. She’d seen it herself.
The light was pulled away from her eyes then, giving her a perfect view of the four people standing before her. All of them were dressed in crisp black suits, black ties, and gleaming black shoes. Her eyes traveled further, up to their faces, and there they were, the friends she’d thought so long ago dead, though they looked quite a bit different than their modern counterparts.
“Yeah, I know,” Morgan said, folding his arms across his chest. “Didn’t expect to see us among the living again, now did you, Locky?”
The difference between him and the Morgan that was modeled after him was the most strikingly different. For one, this Morgan wasn’t nearly as muscular, nor were his facial features so bestial. His eyes were still silver and his hair was choppy. It had been dyed black as well, though if she looked closely enough, she could see the brown roots showing beneath.
“What, nothing to say to your old pals?” Katherine asked with a raised eyebrow.
She looked pretty much the same, though her hair was cut much shorter, and her eyes were green instead of purple. Still, change the eye color, and the two could be considered identical twins.
“Come on, leave poor Locky alone,” Sarah said, swatting Katherine’s arm. “She’s been locked up here for months and is just a little disoriented.”
This Sarah was much thinner than the other, her chest was much flatter, and her hips not as well-defined. Not that it was a surprise, given her general laziness when it came to physical fitness.
Gwendolyn didn’t say anything, choosing to remain silent while the other three bickered. She’d always been the quiet type, so Loquin didn’t find this surprising in the least. She was taller than the one Loquin remembered, though their body shapes were about the same. Her hair was also dyed a bright pink, very much in contrast to the others’ black.
She opened her mouth but could only think of a single word to say. What else could she say after the dead came back to life before her very eyes?
“How?”
“Simple, really,” a fifth, much more familiar voice said.
The door slid closed to reveal Herald, the King of the Central Kingdom, one of the last people Loquin had expected to see here.
“When the half of the Author known as Order attempted to destroy them, the other half, Chaos, intervened. He squirreled them away to another world and left them there, in limbo, until the day where he could put them into play.”
“But why are you…?” Loquin began.
“Joining them?” Herald asked. “The answer is simple. I’m sick and tired of living in an orderly world, one where the slightest slipup can cause my destruction. Those who work for Chaos are not constrained by any pitiful rules and are free to do as they wish.”
“So, Locky, the question here is pretty simple,” Morgan said. “Do you want to join us and finally get out from under his thumb? Or do you want to stay here, locked up for all eternity? The choice is yours.”
Afterword
What’s up, Super-People?! Here we are at the end of yet another book in Rise to Omniscience. Believe it or not, your reviews are important, and this time, I’m not beyond bribery to get you readers to leave one. So, if this book gets more than 150 reviews, I’ll make book 6 150K words instead of the usual 130K.
Also, for every review past 150, I’ll add another thousand words! Wanna see a book 6 with 300K words? Well, here’s your chance! (I may be shooting myself in the leg here, but it’ll definitely be worth it.)
Thank you in advance, and I hope to see you all back for the next one!
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Coming Next
Pal-Tee Planet: Giantlands Book One (May 2020)
Buryoku: Book 3 (May/June 2020)
Rise To Omniscience: Book 6 (Hopefully July 2020)
Series by Aaron Oster
Rise to Omniscience
Supermage: Book One
Starbreak: Book Two
Skyflare: Book Three
Solarspire: Book Four
Stormforge: Book Five
Book Six (hopefully) July 2020
Buryoku
Power: Book One
Light: Book 2
Book 3 coming May/June 2020
The Rules
Somerset: Book One
Pendrackon: Book Two
Book 3 TBA
Land of the Elementals
Rampage: Book One
Emerald: Book Two
Book 3 TBA
Giantlands
Pal-Tee Planet: Book One coming May 2020
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