Chapter 16:
727 Words
"I feel like you do not understand something, do you wish to ask?"
Malcum turns once more to look at the lich.
"Yes, I learned a lot about this world, the gates or portals and monsters. As well as myself and my powers. But what does it all mean? Why did this happen. I got answers that my mind does not understand."
"There is a saying you humans use for this. The swallows and sparrows know not the thoughts of the geese and swans. Not all things that you, a small being in this great contraption hear or know, would be understandable. Since the only part you can see is smaller than the whole. It is like seeing the result of labour, but not the cost, process or beneficiary. Just accept that you don't and won't know everything and move on."
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The discussion with the lich keeps Malcum's mind busy as he is on a plane once again on his way back home. He is so lost in thought that he doesn't even realize that his hands are slowly emitting and contracting varying colours of light.
Malcum closes his eyes and takes his mind back to the space with the distant stars. Once there he sees the star, he touched last time has disappeared. There is a lot of fog floating in front of some stars. Past events are playing out in them. Some conversations, some near death experiences, other encounters. He realizes that these are memories that needs more focus to further his progress in reaching the stars or fragments. Suddenly he feels a warm, soft touch on his back.
"you are growing. remember our conversation. remember feeling powerful and yet at peace. remember that and you will be at your best."
Malcum upon hearing those words recovers a memory, the one where he and Claudia fought. He sees the fog nearing him and the image brightening as it nears. He sees their fight playing out as he remembers it. Then he notices the smile on his past self's face.
"letting go and giving everything you got. it gives you peace and pleasure. you have a warrior’s spirit, a strategic mind and a kind heart. but where there is light, there is bound to be dark or shadow. but yours is no shadow, it is only dark. your mind may be a good planner, but it has blind ambitions. your spirit though brave, it is blind to danger. your heart though kind is also overprotective and vengeful. these are your greatest flaws and your best weapons."
Malcum then feels as though he achieved a state of enlightenment. He may be more powerful when channelling the right emotions with certain powers against certain enemies. He then reaches out once more towards a star and once again it flows into him. Teaching him more of his power. But this time the words are spoken by an unknown feminine voice.
"From power comes love, from love comes hate, from hate all things die and then power is lost. But even dead things create power that begins it all anew."
And then the name of a skill comes to his kind.
"Limitless cycle."
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Malcum steps back into his house. Walks and leaves his keys on the table and fall onto his bed. The name of the new skill or power still fresh in his mind.
"This skill, this one cool sounding one, sucks. I mean what kind of skill is that?"
Malcum then recalls the description of the power.
"When using powers, if the power's type and purpose matches the holder's desire, purpose and emotion against a suitable enemy or target, the power is amplified every second it is used, and conditions are met. Backlash: holder requires number of seconds spent in hours recovering from a fitting debuff or injury or from exhaustion."
"That is very specific, very hard to achieve and means that I would be useless afterwards. I mean, come on!"
A certain familiar voice in his mind interrupts his tantrum.
"uh-ughm."
Malcum stops to hear what she has to say, but instead hears a bit of silence. Then he realizes what she probably wanted.
"Oh, ok. Thank you for giving me this great power, oh mighty... goddess?"
Malcum can almost hear and see her smug happy face in his mind, glaring down at him.
- Writer
