142 The interlude before the chaos. rough draf (2/2)

Alrick came to record data on some days but otherwise stayed locked in his lab, still pursuing his perfect formula.

Hartley spent his free time consolidating his cultivation and getting familiar with his new found strength at the saint's realm.

...

Sat peacefully in the lotus position, crackling blue lines of elemental power sparkled around Hartley's body, looking like bolts of dancing electricity in a lightning storm.

With eyes closed and his white robe flapping around without the presence of any wind.

He sat like a god lauding over the world, with a bright-blue glow radiantly lathering the space all around him.

Perched on the highest stone peak overlooking the lands below him. His hands calmly rested on his thighs and his hair wriggled across his face with the fluttering wind.

The gigantic surrounding area had lush green mountains, vast crystal-like lakes, fertile flatlands and a prominent blue star as big as the sun dominating the vast sky, showering down its blue light onto the huge uninhabited continent.

This was Hartley's vastly improved inner world. Since becoming a saint his inner world had expanded to the size of a whole continent.

Flashes of blue lights shone like laser beams then faded away as Hartley's eyes flicked open, he stood up with the lines of elemental powers still crackling around him.

Dust billowed out and rocks floated freely in the air on the high rocky peak.

Hartley stood statue-still as he exerted his complete control over one of the most important and fundamental forces in physics.

Gravity!

This was his second domain and Hartley was in complete control of the gravity in a ten thousand mile radius.

***

A single man stood under the large blue star, basking in the glow that coloured the world blue around him.

His tall and thin frame had been rebuilt from Inn the inside out with blue star essence. Wiry muscles wrapped taut around his physique as if he was bounded with rope, the power concealed within was more than he could imagine.

No one below the saint realm could leave a scratch on his body.

Inhaling sharply, looking over the magnificent and diverse swathes of land facing him.

Sudden movements caused the air to ripple, thrusting his left hand to the side leaving fuzzy after-images, three simple finger gestures were executed quickly.

His right hand plunged forward as if ripping space apart, whipping up his robe violently, the black energy lining the seams of the world came cracking and sizzling to life..

With the black energy under his control swirling in a conical pattern around his right arm, the air rippled faster.

Right hand stretched fully forward, the spiralling cone shaped black energy swirled forward compressing itself to the size of a tennis ball.

Hartley immediately used his mastery over gravity to apply a pocket of high density gravity around the black energy.

Bang!

The sound made the ground tremble, a mini black hole burst into existence like a raging beast, spinning counter clockwise and ravaging everything in sight.

It was like an inverted tornado sucking in all materials on the rocky peak.

The maelstrom of destruction lasted a few seconds until it fizzled out and everything evaporated in a puff of black sparks..

Everything was scorched and the rocky peak seemed like a mammoth monster had taken a bite out of the stone mountain. Multiple coils of black smoke swirled into the sky.

Stood in place with a wry smile and satisfied with the results of his simulation, Hartley tried to will his inner world back to its former condition. That's when his smile reversed to a frown.

The damage inflicted on the landscape by the black hole was irreversible, even Hartley, the god of his inner world couldn't recover the materials devoured by the black hole.

It was a lucky thing he wasn't too reckless....

The days continued to roll by without any significant happenings in the capital.