Rise Of The Godking - Chapter 83 The Key

Daneel settled comfortably onto the only chair in Harrold’s library.

As soon as he found a comfortable position with a sigh, the door burst open to reveal a bearded man almost unrecognizable from the one he had first met.

Reese wasn’t wearing anything ostentatious, but still, the change that had come over him was remarkable. Finally discarding the slaves’ garb, he was now dressed in a green wool coat underneath which he was wearing a simple shirt and grey pants. His long hair had been combed back to fall to his shoulders, and his beard had been carefully cut, giving him a stately look that would garner respect from almost anyone who laid their eyes on him.

The healer’s kind eyes crinkled when he smiled on seeing Daneel. Folding his hands behind his back, he said, “Don’t say anything. This is how I used to be before… all that happened. And…these were Sebastian’s clothes. I think I can still feel him when I wear them.”

Daneel nodded wistfully, wishing that he had had the full capability of the system unlocked at that critical moment. It would definitely have saved Reese’s brother, but alas, the man’s sacrifice hadn’t been able to be stopped.

“I’ll be taking care of the repairs here. Call me if you need anything. Oh, and… get some rest. You look like a ghost has been haunting you, and now wants to marry you so that it can be with you forever. A little bit of sleep will not end with the town going up in flames. Trust me… and all those dwarves that have sworn themselves to you as you’re the last living remnant of their father. They have a small surprise planned for you… but that’ll have to wait.”

A wave of exhaustion passed through Daneel as he heard the man’s words. He was tired, it was true, as he had been pushing himself repeatedly, saying over and over again that he couldn’t afford to rest.

Now, though, he looked to the side and winced when he glanced at himself in the mirror. There were deep hollows under his eyes, and his skin was wan and pale, like that of a patient.

‘Like they say, the mind is willing, but the body wilts. Wait… isn’t that an innuendo? Ah, screw it, I’m too tired to care.’

With another sigh, he reluctantly nodded, causing Reese’s smile to broaden.

“I’ll be closing the door, then, and I’ll ensure that you are not disturbed. I’ve heard that Harrold built this room to be quiet even if a war was going on outside. I expect it’ll serve. Sweet dreams.”

Without waiting for a response, Reese left, the large double doors crashing shut behind him. As soon as that happened, Daneel remarked inwardly about how the man had been right: his surroundings were so silent that he could hear his own breathing, and for the first time in a long time, it felt as if an aura of calm surrounded him, lulling him into a sense of peace that felt great.

The exertion was there, alright, but it was kept at bay by his mind that kept darting to all the issues he had to take care of. He knew that he could use the system to forcefully stop it, but he did no such thing: he knew the value of natural processes taking their course, so he wanted to see where it would lead him. After all, even if it took some time, he knew that he would fall asleep eventually, and until then, he settled in for the ride.

He found himself dwelling on the past, the future that he had to build, but slowly, he was drawn more and more to the essence of magic that he had found out from the dwarf king, and everything he had seen as Daniel so far. Frowning, he walked to a sconce in the room that held a few crystals and took them out before returning back to the bed.

The dots of light appeared once more, revolving slowly around the crystal, calmly filling the air with their pleasant glow. At the same time, the power inside the crystal called to him, urging him to breathe in and use its energy to cure the tiredness in his body and his mind.

The temptation was strong, but Daneel managed to force it away. With his experience in handling magic, he knew that it was all a ruse: at the end of the day, without real rest for someone at his level, he would collapse when his body gave out while a smile filled with false liveliness would still be on his face.

Shaking his head, he settled on to the main reason behind him taking the crystal in his hands. Closing his eyes, he recalled vividly that first moment when he had discovered elementary particles on Angaria.

They had been described in a primitive form, said to be of the elements, but also being able to create them. On Angaria, magic was all about taking these elementary particles in the air and weaving them into different patterns that would result in different effects in the world, but if the dwarf king was right, how could he apply this concept to the dots of light in front of him?

Pursing his lips, he studied the dots, like a student whose life depended on the test he was soon going to take. On Angaria, elementary particles did not look anything alike; for one thing, they had a specific color and, in a way, a vibration to them that allowed him to understand which element they belonged to, but these dots were neutral, possessing nothing to set them apart.

The number of particles present in an area always correlated directly with the ease of casting spells. For example, on Angaria, if there was a fire blazing around one already, it would be much easier to cast Fire-based spells. In the same way, creating heat in a cold tundra would need all the energy in one’s mind.

A vague moment of realization skittered across his mind, gone before he could catch it. He went through his stream of thought again, wondering what had caused it, and he came upon the last thing he had thought of: energy.

‘Is that the key? On Angaria, one’s Mageroot, a wondrous organ present behind the forehead, is used to control the particles, and it is using the power from the land that the Mageroot can be made to grow. Using their power, mages can also recover. And of course, those Ether blocks and Ker ems and Ker roots that I used there are the same as these crystals… but I never saw anything around them, though. What is the link?’

He pondered on the topic, his eyes fixed on the crystal even after they began to water due to the luminescence.

He knew for a fact that the system could be used to find all the answers, but he did that, where would it leave him? He had never intended to be a weak individual depending on this fantastical cheat that resided in his mind, so he was determined to figure this out by himself, so that he could make this magic his, just as he had done back home.

He floundered for an explanation or inspiration that would connect the knowledge he now knew with the knowledge waiting to be used, gathered over years spent training on Angaria. He dwelled on the dwarf king’s words, on the realm that had collided with the one he was in now, but he kept failing, so much so that frustration overcame him and made him hurl the crystal at the wall.

It fell to the floor a few feet away, the dots of light appearing muted due to the distance, but still clear. He was about to leave it for another day and sleep, but just as he was about to turn around…he spotted something that made him freeze.

‘Hey…from far away, don’t they look like elementary particles that need to be identified by going closer? Distance is key. I’ve only heard about the layer separating the realms. Here, the layer is stronger. But what if…the distance is also shorter? What if the particles need to travel to reach places like Angaria even if the layer is weak, and if so, they are subject to duress? And an object under duress…splits. It splits!’

Excitedly, he ran to the crystal and picked it up.

All he had was a theory. Would it fit, or would it prove him wrong?

His Mageroot was weak as it hadn’t been trained since being ‘unblocked’ by the system, but when he called upon it, it responded with vigor.

Reaching out with his mind, he touched one of the dots and imagined it splitting into the particles that he knew.

At first, nothing happened. He kept up the effort, though, trusting the instincts that had led him here, and all at once…the white dot collapsed, and in its place swirled six tiny dots that made a wave of nostalgia wash over him.

He left them there and focused on another dot, his mind racing as he studied that moment of splitting. It had seemed as if his intentions had directed the change, so this time…he imagined the dot splitting only into red particles.

When it worked, a wide grin came on Daneel’s face. He didn’t even notice the crystal shrinking as he split dot after dot. He ignored the strain on his mind, too, completely caught up in the expiration of finding the answer, and soon, a nail-sized wisp of fire was dancing over his palm, burning surely over his skin, bathing his face in its glow.

‘They are the source! They are what elementary particles come from…so their power is, indeed, much, much greater in some ways! I—’

The flame winked out. His mind lurched, as if he was falling. All too late, he spotted the signs of overextending himself, but there was nothing he could do.

Unconsciousness hit him like a hammer, and he collapsed on the floor and began to snore.