Skyflare (Rise To Omniscience Book 3)

by Aaron Oster

  His mind began racing immediately, trying to figure out what could have caused the momentary change. He backtracked over the last few minutes, finally coming to rest on what he thought was the right answer.

  Focusing on his core once again, Morgan took a deep breath, filling his lungs to their maximum capacity before slowly releasing it. He did this a few more times, watching his core very carefully. After five such breaths, he began to notice a very significant reduction in the divine energy’s activity.

  He grinned to himself, wondering how he hadn’t spotted the solution before. The answer was obvious, and it presented itself to him within a few seconds. He’d never paid close enough attention or kept his breathing this deep and even for any amount of time. Now he watched as the sparking and fizzing golden energy slowly solidified, and its ragged edges calming and reducing in size.

  A few sparks still escaped as he breathed, but by now his reiki was holding them all back. He continued his deep breathing until finally, the divine energy was as solid as his reiki. The differences between the two were immediately obvious, now that Morgan could see the golden sphere clearly. For one, it didn’t thrum with the same calming energy as his reiki. It stood completely still, as though it were as solid as stone.

  Now that the energy was calm, Morgan focused his mind on moving a small tendril of the energy around inside the core. He was delighted when it responded immediately, streaming off the solid golden sphere and wriggling around inside the reiki. It didn’t mix, however, with the divine energy pushing the reiki aside wherever it moved. Still, this was progress, and Morgan allowed the energy to retract back into itself.

  He’d been having trouble controlling the energy since he’d absorbed so much of it in the Ruined City. But now that he’d found a way of controlling it, he might just be able to combine it. Focusing on his reiki, Morgan pushed against the barrier between it and the divine energy, compressing his core to put pressure on the divine energy within.

  His head immediately began to throb under the mental strain of keeping his breathing steady and pushing against the barrier between the two. He grimaced, wobbling slightly in the air as the pain ratcheted up another level. It felt as though his heart was being clamped in a vice, but he continued squeezing down on his core, putting more and more pressure on the golden sphere.

  As he shoved against the barrier, he could begin to feel small cracks forming along the edges of the divine energy. He grinned as sweat beaded his brow and pushed even harder. Head pounding, Morgan fought on. For a few long minutes, he pressed down on the divine energy with his reiki, all while maintaining his breathing and keeping his flight skill going.

  The mental and physical strain was more than he’d ever had to face before, but he’d never shrunk in the face of a challenge, and so, he persisted. Even as the divine energy pushed back, attempting to break his hold. Even as he felt his chest tightening, despite keeping his breathing steady, and even as his vision began to fuzz around the edges, Morgan fought on.

  Finally, with one final push and the sound of shattering glass, the two energies met. There was a brief instant of triumph, then the pain in his body intensified a thousand-fold. It was like having his arm torn off, while being set on fire, only about a hundred times worse. The pain was so great in fact, that he finally lost his concentration and fell from the air, hitting the sand hard and bouncing along the ground.

  He heard Sarah’s surprised exclamation at being pulled from her sleep so rudely, but he was in too much pain to care. He tumbled down the sand dune in an uncontrollable roll, barely noticing the hot sand tearing at his skin through the blinding pain. His body finally came to a halt and he curled in on himself as the new energy he’d created ran out of his control. It fired through his body, sinking into his muscles and nerves. It injected itself into his bones and pushed at the barrier of his skin.

  It was only then, through the haze of pain and suffering, that he remembered Dabu’s warning to not attempt this before rank 29. The energy finally reached his brain. As soon as it did, the horrible pain he’d been subjected to intensified even further, and, unable to take the strain, he finally blacked out.

  ***

  Sarah was torn from a very nice dream, in which Morgan had finally overcome his deficiency and learned to love her. Morgan had been leaning for a kiss, when she suddenly felt a hard impact on her side.

  Her sleep-addled mind couldn’t comprehend what was going on and tried to scramble for an answer when she felt another hard impact.

  The dream world faded as her eyes snapped open, just in time for her to hit the ground again. She cried out in protest, and her shield flared to life. The next time she hit the ground, she didn’t feel any pain. Still disoriented from being awoken so abruptly, it took her a few seconds to figure out where she was, and what she should have been doing. By the time she did, her roll down the sand dune had stopped, and her ability to think beyond protecting herself kicked in.

  Morgan!

  Getting quickly to her feet, Sarah cast around for her friend but didn’t see him anywhere.

  “Morgan!” she desperately yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth to increase the volume of her voice. There was no response.

  It was then that she began to panic.

  Had they been attacked by some sort of beast while she’d been asleep? We really do have a bad track record when it comes to that, she thought, beginning to sprint up the massive dune at full speed.

  She had to reach the top. There she would have a better vantage, and hopefully, she’d be able to find Morgan.

  The sand shifted under her feet, making the climb difficult, so Sarah began drenching the sand before her and freezing it, which made the going much easier. This ate away at her MP at an alarming rate, but Sarah didn’t care.

  As she ran, she continued calling out Morgan’s name, but to no avail. Finally, after nearly five minutes of running, she reached the top of the sand dune and began casting frantically around for her friend. She was panting and out of breath, loose strands of her hair sticking to her face and neck, as sweat beaded her brow.

  So, there were still strenuous activities that would make her tire. That’s good to know, Sarah thought, as her eyes roamed over the surrounding landscape.

  She looked for over two minutes without spotting anything promising. Her heart rate was rising with each passing second. She was about to give up and run to the next dune, when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Whipping her head back to the spot she’d passed earlier, she could see something giving off a small amount of glare.

  Morgan’s armor!

  He’d had to put his old armor back on after the new clothes he’d gotten had been burned to ash by the wolf. Now, Sarah was glad for that. She dashed down the far side of the dune, digging her heels in to control her descent. Morgan’s body might have no problem rolling down a dune, but the few seconds before she’d managed to get her shield up had cost her several scrapes and bruises.

  Sarah found Morgan face down in the sand and quickly rolled him over, eyes widening as she beheld his face. His eyes were squeezed shut and his teeth clenched tight, but he didn’t appear to be conscious. That wasn’t what had alarmed her. What scared her the most were the myriad of black lines crisscrossing his face beneath the skin, and the black residue leaking from his ears, eyes, nostrils and the corners of his mouth.

  What the hell is happening to him?

  Sarah quickly bent down, placing her ear to his chest…and didn’t hear anything. She kept her head pressed there for a full minute, but no sound was forthcoming.

  No, Sarah thought numbly, not again. This can’t be happening again!

  “Samuel! I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can, get over here!” Sarah yelled. She knew what kind of person Samuel was now, but if anyone could help Morgan, it would be him.

  Sarah waited with bated breath for several long moments, but there was no reply.

  “Screw you, asshole!” she yelled into the vast s
ilent desert, after nearly thirty seconds had passed.

  Her eyes fell back on Morgan, and she forced herself to try and remain calm. There had to be something she could do.

  She placed one of her palms against his chest, interlacing the fingers of her opposite hand, and pushed down hard, trying to get some sort of response from him. She did this several times, before leaning down and trying to blow air into his lungs. With the way Morgan’s teeth were clenched, she was unable to get a proper seal over his mouth.

  She did, however, manage to get some of the black stuff on her lips and she cried out in pain as it made contact. She quickly scrubbed at her mouth, feeling the skin on her hand flaring up as well. The pain only vanished when she doused her entire head with freezing water and washed her hand off.

  She didn’t bother looking at the hand, going back to pumping on Morgan’s chest as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. She had no idea what was going on, or what could have caused this to happen. All she knew, was that Morgan was dead - not for the first time - and there was nothing she could do about it.

  At least the last time it had happened, it had been a result of him combining his mana and chi to become a supermage. This time, there was no reason, no transformation, and no new abilities to be gained.

  Finally giving up, Sarah collapsed on top of Morgan, feeling numb as tears streamed from her eyes.

  Morgan was dead. Again. And she was all alone.

  “My, Morgan really has gotten himself into trouble this time, hasn’t he?”

  Sarah’s head whipped up, and she quickly scrubbed at her eyes to clear her vision. A man stood not five feet from her. He was tall, had a dark complexion and was dressed in a long, flowing robe that brushed against the sand as he approached.

  Sarah felt a calming presence wash over her as he drew near, and felt the crushing weight of despair lift in an instant.

  “Who…who are you?” she asked, her voice catching in her throat.

  “We have never met before, young Sarah, but I am sure that Morgan has mentioned me before. My name is Dabu.”

  18

  “Can you help him?” Sarah asked, not shocked in the least that the man had shown up.

  After all, Morgan had told her that he was extremely powerful and seemed to know just about everything. So it would stand to reason, that he would know about this as well.

  “Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do,” Dabu said shaking his head. “He will either win the battle and awaken on his own, or he will not and die.”

  Instead of becoming angry, as she expected, Sarah just felt resignation instead.

  “How did this happen to him? And what exactly is happening to him?” she asked in a low voice, staying on the ground near Morgan.

  “Morgan is persistent and stupid,” Dabu said, gesturing up at the sky.

  A moment later, an awning appeared over the three of them, blocking out the bright sunlight beating down on them. A few chairs appeared as well, and Dabu took a seat in one of them.

  “How did you…?” Sarah asked, looking around in astonishment.

  “Transporting items from one plain to another is really not that difficult, once you get the hang of it,” Dabu replied, reaching into thin air and producing a tall, frosted glass filled with a pale blue liquid.

  He offered Sarah the drink, but she just shook her head.

  “Sitting next to him and not eating or drinking will do him no good,” Dabu said. “Would he approve of you acting this way?”

  Sarah honestly thought that Morgan wouldn’t care one way or the other. That was just who he was, but she liked to think that he wouldn’t want her to worry and would want for her to look out for herself. She nodded slowly and took the glass from the man.

  He smiled, and pulled another similar glass from midair, and took a sip. Sarah hesitantly took a sip herself, finding the drink refreshing and slightly sweet. It was a definite relief after her earlier exertions, and she took another long sip as Dabu began explaining what had happened.

  “When he visited me, I warned Morgan that he would not survive very long if he did not combine his divine energy and his reiki. The two were not meant to co-exist in this world, let alone in someone’s body, and, left unchecked, it would have burned him alive from the inside. It took him a few days to figure out, but I had the utmost confidence in him.

  “Right now, his entire body is undergoing some very serious changes. His core, his being restructured, and the way he fights from now on will reflect those changes. I warned him against attempting this before rank 29, as his body would have been more durable, but, seeing as he evolved, I’m hoping that will compensate enough to get him through the process.”

  Dabu finished his explanation and took another sip from his cup, letting out a soft sigh of contentment.

  “All of that happened while I was taking a nap? And why wouldn’t he tell me if he was going through something like that?” Sarah asked, hardly believing it could be possible.

  “My guess is that he didn’t want to worry you. It seems unbelievable, I know,” Dabu said with a light chuckle. “But despite his lack of empathy, he has a special place for you in his heart, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”

  Sarah felt her cheeks color slightly at that, and she quickly changed the topic.

  “How is this even possible? Isn’t this divine energy from another world? How can the two of them mix?”

  “I wish I could tell you, but I do not know,” Dabu said.

  “That’s a load of horseshit!” Sarah exclaimed, suddenly feeling very annoyed with this man sitting there and calmly sipping from his cup. “Morgan said you know everything!”

  Dabu’s laughter boomed out in the small enclosed space, but he nodded all the same.

  “Very well. I do know how it is possible,” he said, still chuckling. “What I can’t do, is tell you how.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes.

  “Do not worry yourself overmuch. He will still be the same once he wakes up, but it may take a day or two for him to adjust. I would recommend you hold off on entering the capital until the end of the week anyway. I hear there are some very important guests arriving tomorrow.”

  Dabu then rose from his chair, stretching his arms over his head. Sarah had latched onto his choice of words when referring to Morgan.

  “You said, ‘when he wakes up’. Does that mean he’ll be okay?” she asked hopefully.

  “Yes, I do believe he will be pulling through,” Dabu replied. “Just make sure he receives plenty of water when he wakes up, and don’t let him so much as move an inch for at least three hours.”

  “Why?” Sarah asked, as Dabu made the chairs and glasses vanish, but left the canopy.

  “His body will function a bit differently than it has before. He will need at least that much time to gain control of it, without accidentally killing himself or you.”

  Sarah was skeptical about that.

  “I know he’s strong and all, but how much stronger will he really be?”

  “Strong enough to kill someone who’s already broken past rank 29,” Dabu replied.

  “I’m pretty sure he was strong enough to do that before,” Sarah said with a snort.

  “No,” Dabu said, making sure to meet her gaze. “He was not. You may both have evolved, but do not forget, that ranks are what determine power is in this world. Unless you have reached the Intermediate stage in your ability, you have no chance against someone in a higher tier. True, there are some beasts that you may be able to overcome if you are extremely lucky, as Morgan was when he faced the ice-bristle wolf back at the academy. But fighting anyone in a higher tier of power is almost certain defeat.

  “There is also a much greater gap in power as you reach the higher ranks. For example, you may have been able to defeat a rank 8 opponent, when at rank 3 or 4. But, at a rank 29, you will have a much more difficult time of defeating someone even 3 ranks above your own.”

  Sarah nodded her understanding, noting the grave tone of his vo
ice. She’d begun thinking that by evolving, she’d become invincible and the only way she’d lose was if she faced an Advanced beast way above her rank, or maybe someone at rank 39 and above. But, if Dabu was to be believed, she would be trounced by anyone above rank 29. And, even if she did break through, the competition in the higher ranks would be much stiffer.

  “So which is more important?” Sarah asked, “ranking up, or advancing my ability?”

  “For Morgan, I would say that advancing his ability is the more important of the two. For you, however, I would say to increase in rank. While a supermage cannot advance their ability after reaching the final rank, a regular super or mage can still advance after reaching the maximum of 50.”

  A loud gasp sounded from behind her, and Sarah spun on her knees to see that Morgan was once again breathing, taking in huge gulps of air, as the black veins slowly receded from his face. A wide smile broke across her face as she saw his chest rising and falling, and knew it would only be a matter of time until he was awake.

  “One last thing before I go.”

  Sarah turned her head to see Dabu already fading from the world around them.

  “While it is important for Morgan to advance his ability, it is also important for him to raise his rank. While he may be tempted to wait for his next breakthrough, I would advise him to at least reach rank 29. The both of you will need to be strong for what comes next.”

  Before Sarah could ask him what kind of cryptic BS that was, Dabu vanished, leaving her alone with a slowly stirring Morgan.

  ***

  Morgan’s consciousness began stitching itself back together from the black void of burning pain and agony. The first thing he felt as he became aware of his surroundings once again, was the disgusting taste in his mouth, as well as a raging thirst.

  He felt as though the entire desert had crawled into his mouth and had made its new home there. He tried to open his eyes but found that they were crusted shut. When he tried moving one of his arms to wipe it away, he felt a gentle pressure holding it down.