The five Archmages stood around the fragnts of the Sky Anchor while the completed formula floated above the chamber like a luminous constellation of runes and interconnected Magical pathways.
Ancient energy pulsed through the room in steady waves, causing the air to vibrate faintly.
The fragnts responded to the formula’s presence. Streams of pale light flowed across their surfaces and illuminated countless dormant symbols that had remained inactive for ages in those fragnts.
Velrion studied the floating frawork one final ti before turning toward the others.
"The first stage is straightforward," he said. "We combine the five minor fragnts into a single core. Only after that can we establish a stable connection to the remaining three major fragnts."
Morvain nodded imdiately. "The larger fragnts contain far more of the Creation’s foundation. Trying to summon them first would destabilize everything."
Lisara adjusted several floating symbols around her crystalline apparatus and agreed. "The core must exist before the greater pieces can recognize the call."
"And once the larger fragnts arrive," Kelor added, "the real rewriting can begin."
Selena glanced toward the five fragnts positioned throughout the chamber. "Okay. Then let’s begin this."
The others nodded.
Without another word, all five Archmages raised their hands.
Magic surged throughout the room. The completed formula activated instantly.
Thousands of runes ignited simultaneously across the chamber walls. Brilliant streams of energy erupted from the devices brought by the kingdoms and connected themselves to the Sky Anchor fragnts. The air grew heavy as unimaginable quantities of Magic energy flooded into the ritual.
The process did not resist them violently and wasn’t so hard, but the burden was imdiately apparent.
Each fragnt contained power connected directly to the Creation herself. Guiding even a portion of that energy required absolute concentration.
Sweat gradually ford on several foreheads. Morvain gritted his teeth. Lisara’s fingers trembled slightly. Even Velrion’s expression hardened as he maintained control over the central frawork.
Slowly, the five fragnts began moving.
Those ancient, crystal-like objects of powers floated up from different parts of the chamber. Pale streams of light connected them together while the formula continuously corrected their alignnt.
Minute after minute passed. Then finally the fragnts touched.
Light exploded throughout the room.
The separate pieces fused together.
When the brilliance faded, a single enormous crystal hovered above the floor. Transparent and beautiful beyond description, it radiated ancient power in every direction.
Yet everyone imdiately saw that only half of it existed. The remaining portions were still missing.
Velrion exhaled slowly. "Now it was ti for the major fragnts."
The others understood imdiately.
Without resting, they shifted the formula toward the second phase.
The newly ford crystal released a powerful pulse and the summoning began.
Unlike the first stage the resistance appeared almost imdiately.
The distant fragnts were scattered across the world so pulling them toward Leonora required vastly more power than combining the smaller pieces.
The chamber shook. Magic arrays blazed with overwhelming intensity. The giant crystal released wave after wave of energy into the void beyond reality.
Minutes passed, then space distorted.
A massive tear opened above the chamber. One big crystal fragnt erged first. A second crystal followed shortly afterward. Then finally the third crystal appeared.
The entire underground facility trembled beneath their arrival.
At last, the three major fragnts floated above the chamber alongside the newly completed core.
The summoning had succeeded.
For several seconds nobody spoke.
Then Velrion lowered his hand and said, "We stop here for now."
The others looked toward him but quickly understood.
Their breathing had beco heavier. The burden of the summoning had drained far more energy than anticipated.
Morvain laughed weakly and said, "I agree. I’d rather not collapse before we reach the most important part."
The other Archmages chuckled in agreent.
The first stages had succeeded perfectly.
Now all eight fragnts were finally gathered in one place.
The true rewriting process would begin soon.
But first, the five Archmages allowed themselves a brief period of rest before attempting the most important ritual in the history of their civilization.
—
Far away from Leonora Kingdom, beyond worlds, beyond dinsions, and beyond the reach of ordinary reality, lay the Void Architect within his own domain.
The endless expanse of darkness surrounding him remained silent as ever. Rivers of black and crimson energy drifted through the void while fragnts of ruined power floated endlessly around the colossal mass of red-and-black mist that served as his current body.
For countless years he had waited and searched.
Then suddenly he felt it.
The Void Architect beca still.
A faint pulse traveled across the connection that linked him to his Creation.
The sensation was weak at first but then it appeared again and again.
The fragnted consciousness of the Creation was changing. It was growing and strengthening.
The red-and-black mist that composed his enormous body moved. His attention focused entirely upon that distant sensation.
The Creation was becoming more complete.
The possibility imdiately surfaced within his mind. Were her fragnts being gathered or people started restoring her?
For several monts he simply observed the feeling.
But then realization ca and he felt that the Creation was indeed being restored.
The process had already begun.
The realization did not anger him. Instead, excitent surged through him.
The colossal mass of red-and-black mist convulsed violently. Vast storms of corrupted energy erupted throughout his dinsion.
A low sound echoed through the darkness. Sothing between laughter and anticipation.
"Interesting..." The Void Architect’s voice spread throughout the dinsion. "So they are doing the work for ."
—
Several minutes later, deep beneath Leonora Kingdom, the second phase of the ritual entered its most difficult stage.
The five minor fragnts and three major fragnts now floated together above the center of the chamber.
The sight was breathtaking.
Two big crystal fragnts hovered within an intricate network of runes while rivers of Magical energy flowed between them. The completed formula rotated around the fragnts like stars.
Yet despite the beauty of the process, the burden had increased dramatically. Far beyond what the Archmages had anticipated.
Velrion’s expression tightened as he directed another surge of Magic energy into the formula.
"Careful," he warned. "The resistance is increasing."
The others had already noticed. Combining the smaller fragnts had been manageable. Summoning the larger fragnts had been exhausting. But this was sothing else entirely.
The mont they attempted to rge all eight pieces together, the fragnts began resisting one another.
Ancient power collided throughout the chamber making the air shake continuously.
The floor trembled. Sweat stread down their faces. Their breathing grew heavier. Their hands trembled as they maintained several stabilization patterns simultaneously.
The fragnts wanted to beco whole. Yet at the sa ti, the imnse amount of power contained within them seed to reject forced synchronization.
Velrion gritted his teeth. "Don’t stop."
There was no turning back now.
Slowly and painfully, the two fragnts now began moving closer together. The pressure filling the chamber continued to rise.
Finally, they rged. And an explosion of Magic energy happened.
—
Reviews
All reviews (0)