216 Dimensionality I (1/2)

The ground began to rumble gently, and a whirring sound, the kind you would hear in a generator, began to emanate from the depth of the crystal as it began to grow increasingly brighter.

An aura of purple energy began to shimmer around it, and the aura shaped into coiling tendrils as they snaked up, trying to reach the cavern ceiling.

”Normally,” said Ven'thur. ”The crystal's mana channels would attach to above, linking it to the rest of Kel'thor, but the blast has destabilized the citadel's position and ruined much of its capability to connect with the crystal.

I, however, am still more than capable of processing this power.”

Ven'thur reached a beckoning hand to the crystal, and the aura of purple began to flow towards it, as if magnetized by the bone. As streams of pure, condensed mana flowed into Ven'thur, he sighed.

”Oh, how thoroughly overwhelming the raw power of a world vein is,” he said. ”And yet, still nothing in comparison to the blindingly bright power you showed me.”

”I realize I have a flair for showing off,” said Li as he remembered the fusion seed incident with Ven'thur on the moon. ”I am glad you appreciate it.”

”Certainly, I do. You know, at first, I mocked your mingling with mortals, but upon witnessing your power, I became more open to the idea that you could seize the future of these mortal lives and bend them to a better path.” Ven'thur brought his hands close together, and a flowing channel of purple energy began to flow between them. ”And now, we begin the ritual to aid you in that noble goal.”

”Will papa be hurt?” asked Tia worryingly as she looked up, her head craning far up as she tried to look at the tall figures of Ven'thur and Li.

”Your father is quite a sturdy one,” said Ven'thur. ”A trait that you, it seems have inherited, majestic little dragon. Now, there is a matter of dimensional fluxes potentially locking him away eternally in the cosmic void he wishes to traverse.”

”Ven'thur,” said Li admonishingly, knowing the lich's words were going to concern Tia. ”I chose you for this ordeal for I believed you to be able to minimize risks.”

”Do not worry, good seer, the probability of such accidents is at less than one percent. But, as I have said before, there is no such thing as true certainty.” Ven'thur's eyes lit up, flashing far brighter red than usual, and his robes began to billow around him, surges of wind rising from the energy he channeled.

The two channels of energy that collided between his hands began to form into a spherical shape, and Li realized it was in the shape of his heart.

Li nodded to Tia. ”There will be no harm made to my body, Tia. That, I can guarantee.”

”Hm, yes, good, good,” commented Ven'thur as he focused on the heart pulsating between his hands. ”This is how I recalled the structure of your being, and as an accomplished artisan, I must say that I have done quite a wondrous job of replication. Now to tether it to a location that bears its same essence.

Though, I must say, this is the first time I am linking another to…themselves.”

”It does sound odd, but trust me, that is what is required here. Somewhere in the depths of existence, there lies a space, a dimension comprised entirely of my own power. A dimension that may as well be a part of myself embodied.”

”This is the first I have ever heard of such phenomenon. I am all too curious to see how this ritual operates. The theoretics of it, I have all accounted for, but to see it play out will truly be a test of my knowledge.” Ven'thur took the heart and gently pushed it out towards the crystal.

The heart of purple flickered like an image cast upon moving water as it drifted slowly to the crystal, as if magnetically drawn to it. The heart sank into the crystal, and then, the light of the crystal dimmed entirely, leaving the cavern in darkness.

Nothing happened.

”What happen?” asked Tia.

”That, my dear, I am not entirely sure,” said Ven'thur, scratching his skull. ”It seems…the crystal has been drained utterly of energy. But that is nigh impossible. The amount of mana stored here is unfathomable, more than enough to establish a link so intimately close as that between an individual and themselves. By sheer metrics of power, this should be enough even for an avatar of a divinity to reach their higher form should they wish.”

In disbelief, Ven'thur tapped at the crystal with a fist in very much the same way someone would hit an electronic device in an attempt to get it to work again.

The crystal responded by releasing an extreme flux of energy that blasted omnidirectionally outwards. Ven'thur flew backwards at high speeds, and Li reacted by immediately sheltering Tia, covering her with his body.

The shockwave broke apart almost every single undead in the cavern, blasting their bones into fragments that scattered away like dust in a strong wind. Only the bone drake remained entirely unscathed.

The crystal had begun to shine with energy colored like the night sky, as if someone had sliced a part of visible space, all its little stars and planets, and painted it over the breadth of the structure. The whirring sound it emitted became immensely powerful, almost deafening, rumbling the cavern.

The fissures underneath the crystal began to crack and grow wider, exposing fiery crackles of magical energy that leaked out dangerously.

With an ear-splitting cry that sounded eerily similar to a distorted scream, the crystal projected a burst of energy above it that tore apart space, forming into a rapidly swirling portal that pitch-black darkness.

Ven'thur floated back to the crystal, recovered from the sudden shockwave, and the red points of light in his sockets narrowed in focus.

”A connection has been established!” he declared triumphantly. He cocked his head as he scrutinized the crystal closer, triumph giving way to sheer awe.

”But the location – I cannot tell where it is. It is not anywhere that has been mapped, not in the millennia this citadel has stood, and we have mapped even to the stars. I cannot even begin to grasp a sense of physical coordinates.

This place – it does not exist in a realm abiding by the material laws that bind us here. It is entirely foreign. Unbound by this world, unknown even to the stars so distant.”

”I ask of you only this: can you pull me out whenever you wish?” said Li.