Chapter 269 (2/2)

But then Randidly noticed what was happening, and he immediately switched back over to a training spear. Because this slender white spear was engraved with a rune that absorbed Aether from the air… and from Azriel.

Once he realized what was going on, Randidly found the strange connection that was beginning to form between him and the spear, and the thin trail of dirty Aether that was flowing over to him from it. After being exposed to the Aether from his Aether Crossroads for so long, this Aether was incredibly muddied and intractable, and it was hard for Randidly to see any use for it.

Still, there were more questions than answers here. After all… he had gotten this spear by cracking the spear of Haelthing of the Devourer. Which would seem to imply that perhaps this spear was the weapon used by Haelthing, and the other was just… a sheath…?

The way that the previous iteration was designed was completely counter to this theory, however. It was much more likely that the previous obsidian spear had, in fact, been prepared in order to seal this spear, keep it out of others hands.

Because, like Randidly’s other Aether connection, the one the spear was trying to form with him flowed both ways. Randidly didn’t really understand what it would be taking from him, but he sincerely doubted that it would be a healthy relationship. If it hadn’t been due to his increased sensitivity to Aether, Randidly probably wouldn’t have been able to so easy keep the connection closed as well.

Even so, even due to the danger…

Randidly opened his eyes, which flashed emerald. Some things were worth the danger. There was a secret tied into this spear, something that Randidly couldn’t currently get the shape of. But knowing more would help, and he could sense that he was very near a realization.

So, with his mental state at its highest, Randidly felt along the connection to the spear, and began to press Aether from his side, towards the spear. Initial results were very poor; clearly this connection was not designed this way, nor was it strong enough to handle the strange Randidly was putting on it by forcing the Aether down it. Multiple times that small, weak connection collapsed, and Randidly could only sigh and hold it, waiting for it to reform.

Part of the problem was how pure and plentiful his Aether was. It gave Randidly a very warped sense of normal, in terms of Aether. But slowly he honed his control, until a small, even flow went along to the spear.

The Engraving on it began to glow, and then shift, twisting, the energy flow reversing. At first it was slow and unsure, like old machinery, starting after years of disuse, but then something gave, and there was a crash. Suddenly the spear began to devour the energy viciously, and then it continued to suck, eating away at his will, causing him to go slightly lightheaded, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it.

At the same time, an explosion of meaning smashed into him, setting him trembling. As the wildness of the energy slowly began to abate, its volatility subsiding, it slowly settled into identifiable matter: feelings, emotions, and memories. Rich, thick emotions: Love, Fear, Respect, Determination, Regret.

They rushed through and filled Randidly as he supplied more and more Aether, churned out after years of storage.

Within the currents, the Aether flowed faster and faster, more and more, so much that even the deepest depths of Randidly’s Aether pool began to swirl, albeit slowly. This was the largest expenditure of Aether he had ever embarked upon, and his body and mind began to buzz strangely, a weird resonance occurring as so much power was channeled through him and into the spear. The world around him went white.

Then… it stopped. The memories slowed to a trickle. More information flowed into Randidly, but with a start, he realized that it was information about what was going on around the spear. Strips of incomplete meaning that it had sliced, directly out of the air and ground here, and fed to Randidly.

Surprised, Randidly stopped the flow of Aether. If he could absorb meaning through it… that would be interesting. But that was for another time. For now…

Randidly touched the memories, and they swirled around him. And he felt it, a picture slowly emerging out of the memories, pieced together through a thousand small moments, slowly coming together.

My name...is Aemont. And by feeding this spear… I could obtain a power the defies the will of the Spearman. I could steal another’s strength. I could cannibalize someone else’s soul.

But…

I could not. I could not sacrifice another for my own power. So…

So, there is only one choice. To use my own emotions to feed the spear.

To give away my heart, to obtain the power to protect, and to have faith I won’t forget my motivation… once i’ve become a shell of the man I once was.