68th Day of Summer, 517
Elias stood alone upon a hill that windswept day, the air around him thick and choking with the impending force gathering upon the horizon.
A storm was coming, all could tell as much, but only one soul had decided that he would go out and greet it.
He thought he had sensed it early this morning, before even the sun had her chance to rise; the taste, the feel, the promise of power unbridled. It had been enough to draw him up and out of his comforts in Ravok to this lonely place in the wilderness, a place all his own, a place to meet the maelstrom. Here he could feel the wind's desperation to be unleashed, pent up in the sky and teased just short of release, it growing madness was palpable even now. There was an agitation in the very air he breathed, but also such a trembling sense of anticipation that Elias could barely contain his own overwhelming excitement. There was to be a storm unlike any other he’d seen in recent memory, and already the skies had all the makings of bedlam unprecedented.
It was perfect.
It was with an odd feeling of exhilaration that kept him there upon that hill instead of fleeing to any shelter he could find like a sensible man. For whatever reason the Caldera stood upon the edge of the precipice, staring out into the darkened pallor of the world beyond with resolution that showed in his smile. The waiting -the dreaded prelude to something so gargantuan in size and scope- inevitably gave birth to many a wild and dangerous thought within his troubled mind; those of crippling doubt in his mad plan, right alongside with those of delight in its imminent success. Each was a wind that swirled within him like the storm that the charged horizon promised, twisting and tugging at his heart, coloring his views of what was to come next in bewildering hues of apprehension and exultation. They were both entirely unwanted and utterly coveted at the same time, and as the thunder boomed across the sky, so too did it shake within the man struggling to contain his emotions.
The preamble itself was exhausting, but Elias found it strangely sweet, somewhat comforting even. When was the last time he’d felt such enthusiasm over something that wasn’t in service to his faith or his nation? The answer was, of course, too long. His torturers and handlers had beaten and instilled in him something fierce and painfully deep-seated that he knew would always be there regardless of how much he tried to fight it, but at times it was... incomplete. Not false per say, but sometimes merely lacking in a purity that could not even begin to compete with what he felt then and there as he faced the burgeoning clouds that now loomed above. In his mind whispered many voices, each with a dark task, each with a wicked promise, and none ever granted him a moment of quiet.
That was until today.
Until the storm had drowned them out.
As the first spikes of blue and white lashed out from behind the blackened skies and preceded another boom, Elias closed his eyes and allowed the res to begin drifting from his fingertips.
The rain struck first as a light mist, drifting from the pregnant clouds like an ethereal curtain. Then, with an abrupt hiss, it began to fall in earnest, as if signaled by the next crashing blow of thunder that sent shivers down his spine and filled the world with its unparalleled power. The waters drenched him in a matter of ticks, and the wind, in its jubilation, whipped the droplets about him in tumultuous fashion while his res began to spread. The air had held a chill before, but it was absolutely freezing now, battering against pale skin with a harshness belied by the crazed grin of the one it assaulted. The mage’s fingers tightened, pressing against the old scars on his palms, in turn his res heeded the voiceless command without tarry, swirling around him more fervently now, mirroring the pattern of the gathering winds that playfully threatened to throw him from his perch atop the hill. He remained resolute however, bathed in the blue tint of his own creation and only partially aware of the storm that had surrounded him. When the thunder sounded again, Elias roared with it, his arcane conjuring whirling around him as it gathered the rainfall, pulling each drop from its natural path before adding it to the massive vale of water that now wrapped around his form.
He could feel the storm responding, throwing more and more of its fury his way. The powerful, ethereal entity was no doubt curious to see what the single mortal creature might do with even a fraction of its strength, and so it humored the prideful mage. I can control it. I can tame it! The thunder crescendoed, beckoning the tiny creature to do what it could with its magic lest the winds carry him away like so many scattered leaves. Throwing his arms to either side of him in a sweeping motion, the pale blue res slithered away in response, the water following behind like two swirling serpents illuminated by the flashes of light that descended from the churning firmament above. I can wield it. Control it! He stepped back, arms arching upwards and the watery construct responding eagerly, tendrils wrapping themselves around him, swirling about his pale frame. I will make it mine and mine alone. With a thrust, the reimancer launched his hands forward and the res shot skywards, carrying with it the water it had collected as it rocketed up.
The wind, the rain, the lighting and the thunder themselves, all of it would soon be his to command, he just needed more control. As his res spread out into the sky above him in search of just that, Elias's fingers splayed, swirling the magical, water, and air into a spiraling vortex above him. The clouds drifted from their course, confusion and furor filling the air as nature's course was altered. He felt the heart of the storm skip a beat, yet it still beat to a rhythm unknown to any mortal man. The clouds gathered above him now and Elias let himself become immersed in the sway of the motion, eyes shut against the bite of the rain, mind as one with the raging power of the maelstrom's might.
He would conquer this force of nature soon enough, but first he had to understand it.
A storm was coming, all could tell as much, but only one soul had decided that he would go out and greet it.
He thought he had sensed it early this morning, before even the sun had her chance to rise; the taste, the feel, the promise of power unbridled. It had been enough to draw him up and out of his comforts in Ravok to this lonely place in the wilderness, a place all his own, a place to meet the maelstrom. Here he could feel the wind's desperation to be unleashed, pent up in the sky and teased just short of release, it growing madness was palpable even now. There was an agitation in the very air he breathed, but also such a trembling sense of anticipation that Elias could barely contain his own overwhelming excitement. There was to be a storm unlike any other he’d seen in recent memory, and already the skies had all the makings of bedlam unprecedented.
It was perfect.
It was with an odd feeling of exhilaration that kept him there upon that hill instead of fleeing to any shelter he could find like a sensible man. For whatever reason the Caldera stood upon the edge of the precipice, staring out into the darkened pallor of the world beyond with resolution that showed in his smile. The waiting -the dreaded prelude to something so gargantuan in size and scope- inevitably gave birth to many a wild and dangerous thought within his troubled mind; those of crippling doubt in his mad plan, right alongside with those of delight in its imminent success. Each was a wind that swirled within him like the storm that the charged horizon promised, twisting and tugging at his heart, coloring his views of what was to come next in bewildering hues of apprehension and exultation. They were both entirely unwanted and utterly coveted at the same time, and as the thunder boomed across the sky, so too did it shake within the man struggling to contain his emotions.
The preamble itself was exhausting, but Elias found it strangely sweet, somewhat comforting even. When was the last time he’d felt such enthusiasm over something that wasn’t in service to his faith or his nation? The answer was, of course, too long. His torturers and handlers had beaten and instilled in him something fierce and painfully deep-seated that he knew would always be there regardless of how much he tried to fight it, but at times it was... incomplete. Not false per say, but sometimes merely lacking in a purity that could not even begin to compete with what he felt then and there as he faced the burgeoning clouds that now loomed above. In his mind whispered many voices, each with a dark task, each with a wicked promise, and none ever granted him a moment of quiet.
That was until today.
Until the storm had drowned them out.
As the first spikes of blue and white lashed out from behind the blackened skies and preceded another boom, Elias closed his eyes and allowed the res to begin drifting from his fingertips.
The rain struck first as a light mist, drifting from the pregnant clouds like an ethereal curtain. Then, with an abrupt hiss, it began to fall in earnest, as if signaled by the next crashing blow of thunder that sent shivers down his spine and filled the world with its unparalleled power. The waters drenched him in a matter of ticks, and the wind, in its jubilation, whipped the droplets about him in tumultuous fashion while his res began to spread. The air had held a chill before, but it was absolutely freezing now, battering against pale skin with a harshness belied by the crazed grin of the one it assaulted. The mage’s fingers tightened, pressing against the old scars on his palms, in turn his res heeded the voiceless command without tarry, swirling around him more fervently now, mirroring the pattern of the gathering winds that playfully threatened to throw him from his perch atop the hill. He remained resolute however, bathed in the blue tint of his own creation and only partially aware of the storm that had surrounded him. When the thunder sounded again, Elias roared with it, his arcane conjuring whirling around him as it gathered the rainfall, pulling each drop from its natural path before adding it to the massive vale of water that now wrapped around his form.
He could feel the storm responding, throwing more and more of its fury his way. The powerful, ethereal entity was no doubt curious to see what the single mortal creature might do with even a fraction of its strength, and so it humored the prideful mage. I can control it. I can tame it! The thunder crescendoed, beckoning the tiny creature to do what it could with its magic lest the winds carry him away like so many scattered leaves. Throwing his arms to either side of him in a sweeping motion, the pale blue res slithered away in response, the water following behind like two swirling serpents illuminated by the flashes of light that descended from the churning firmament above. I can wield it. Control it! He stepped back, arms arching upwards and the watery construct responding eagerly, tendrils wrapping themselves around him, swirling about his pale frame. I will make it mine and mine alone. With a thrust, the reimancer launched his hands forward and the res shot skywards, carrying with it the water it had collected as it rocketed up.
The wind, the rain, the lighting and the thunder themselves, all of it would soon be his to command, he just needed more control. As his res spread out into the sky above him in search of just that, Elias's fingers splayed, swirling the magical, water, and air into a spiraling vortex above him. The clouds drifted from their course, confusion and furor filling the air as nature's course was altered. He felt the heart of the storm skip a beat, yet it still beat to a rhythm unknown to any mortal man. The clouds gathered above him now and Elias let himself become immersed in the sway of the motion, eyes shut against the bite of the rain, mind as one with the raging power of the maelstrom's might.
He would conquer this force of nature soon enough, but first he had to understand it.
