EPISODE 220: POTENTIAL MADNESS 10

— GREAT EDRYAN, YEAR: 7292. SEASON: NEW BEGINNING.

" Here. Be. Dragon. "

I laughed. It was funny, so I laughed, slightly shaking my head at the absurdity of the sign. Madria tightly clung onto my hand, pondering over the sign outside the entrance to the Mountain of Final Hope. Then, in conjunction with me, she began to laugh. That only encouraged me more as I burst into a fit of giggles and more. I slapped my knee and shook my head.

"Here. Be. Dragon," Madria restated, her laughter warming so many places in my heart. I was falling in love, how couldn't I, especially when we shared so much in common? Outside of my mother, Madria had always been my biggest supporter—the Gamal House in general, but…

Maybe after this was done and over with… maybe I would tell her. My mother wanted to see me wed before her departure, and if I had to choose someone right now, then Madria was perfect. I looked at her apologetically as I loosened our tightly clasped hands. Maybe we held some sort of trauma bond; perhaps it would be healthy for us if we had more opportunities to split work and duty and just play—explore Edrya together like a normal couple from Earth exploring a big city like Chicago or New York. Unfortunately…

"Someone has to ring the doorbell," I joked, trying to let her go to step forward by myself. It was inherent within me to place myself at the front—not only because I gave an oath to do so but because it was the only way I knew how to lead beyond just pointing and ordering.

Madria immediately got a look on her face. It said: Really, you're really going to do this now , Lawruthian ?

I remembered our conversations in the Hall of Attributes under the pursuit of Olvido. Madria wasn't some princess who needed to be protected at all times waiting for the traditional prince to rescue her… but… I wasn't a traditional prince.

Madria gazed at me, her deep golden-brown eyes locked past my helmet visor and into mine. Her hair was getting longer, more similar to her mother's and sister's. She still kept it in the style of a straight bob, and I had come to love her new look. She was confident, perhaps she even had a bit of my cockiness. She tightly clasped my hand back, unrelenting—not willing to let me go alone. Her eyes spoke more words than her mouth could.

That's why I began to Love her.

At Imperius Academy, on our official meeting in Class One as young adults, that was when I first took an interest in her… and perhaps it was when she first took an interest in me. What a journey we've had thus far. It wasn't long, in fact, officially, it'd only been just over two years since we really began to know one another. I recalled my days walking the campus and Madria's insistence that she and Amaya accompany me nearly everywhere I went. I chuckled inwardly. This… this was nice, different than my… last love.

Together… together… we walked forward and placed our hands on the giant doors that led into the Mountain of Final Hope. They slid open seamlessly and the armies and [Path Walkers] entered behind us. I focused and it was here I instinctively realized… something was wrong.

I paused in my steps, and every force behind me paused as well. I frowned… have you ever had a feeling of déjà vu—like you've been somewhere or done something before. That feeling within me was magnified—it wasn't something small, something I could easily brush off. This was magnified by a thousand-thousand times. There was a piece missing and I didn't know what it was. The air seemed heavier, isn't wasn't stale, but charged—it felt like a storm was coming… no, like one had already passed and I was in the direct aftereffects.

"Lawruthian," Madria questioned, no longer laughing as it snapped me from my state. "What's wrong?"

Madria's voice seemed to work like a verbal cue as if I was a brainwashed subject finally being given a command. My voice emerged as a whisper, like a dying, thirsty man begging for one final drink. It was dry, and my body inwardly shivered from a cold that didn't exist.

"I don't feel my connection with… Her ."

Although my voice was a whisper, the implications it caused were far beyond. My mother and her cohort each held visible reactions, as did Madria and many others who were close enough to hear what I said. It was like a crowded stadium doing the wave the way they moved one by one.

This was… new… not new but… unfamiliar to me at this stage of my second life. For once, there was no external connection to me—there wasn't a second pair of eyes watching my movements and being able to directly communicate into my head. It was weird but… not unpleasant. She was not connected to me…

"Something isn't right," my voice heaved out.

I looked up at the faith— the faith . The faith of the Edryans near me that constantly screwed in droves to be delivered to the Goddess. It was listless— directionless . Usually, it would stay gathered before going off in a certain direction—toward the constellation of the Goddess above. This time it was aimless—casually floating around as if it held no owner.

I frowned. We hadn't entered deep into the Mountain of Final Hope—in fact, half of the forces were still outside the entrance.

'Minerva…,' I silently called, hoping for a response I knew wouldn't come. She hadn't responded in the last few hours. I still felt our connection alerting me that she was alive but… it was radio silence.

"Perhaps entering the Mountain of Final Hope has restricted our connection in some manner," Madria stated, but the frown on her face was similar to mine.

" No… it did not. ."

My body jumped, startled by the words that emerged from my mouth. The phrase felt foreign, harrowing, and familiar altogether. Like it was something I was supposed to be intimately familiar with.

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" No, it did not. "

I started again—slower this time, rolling the words over my tongue as if I were familiar with them. The feeling of déjà vu increased, heightening until it was the only thing that consumed my mind.

" Here. Be. Dragon. "

" No, it did not. "

The warning of Minerva entered my thoughts, breaking away everything until they were the sole thing I heard.

'Aspect Rasheed has some type of perk that allows him to manipulate time or something similar; you have to be careful when facing him!'

I whispered, my throat dry and body cold. "We've done this before."

"Hmm," Madria questioned, partially listening as she concentrated.

"We've done this before—we've already faced Rasheed."

I looked up at the faith, it was listless and far removed from what I was used to. Then, strangely, instinctively, I grasped at it. It came willingly, unrestrained, as a small piece entered my body.

[Chosen of Madris] has activated!

Gather the Faith of the People has been triggered.

+100 Free Attribute Points.

"Huh, that's not quite… what… I wanted."

It'd been a while since I gained attribute points through faith. My actions didn't feel right. I tried again, tangibly grasping the faith—it seemed responsive, and without warning, the surrounding faith began to shift and converge until an unfamiliar golem formed before me. The thing looked rough as if it had been built in a hurry without much care or thought behind its creation. However, I could recognize my work from anywhere. It had that familiar distinct artisan craftsmanship all my works held.

"What the fuck is this…," I whispered. "And why is it here?"

The golem was tall enough for me to enter, armor and all. That wasn't the problem—this thing was crafted out of faith. This thing was a work of desperation, and as I stood there, a connection between the golem and I formed, giving me access to its attributes and more. I wasn't the only one who reacted to the golem that appeared but my mind remained occupied by what I read.

"Three skills… (Golemancer's Ascendancy)… (Golemancer's Convergence)… and….," my voice trailed off as notifications appeared before me.

The golem [???] created from the faith of the magi is unstable and will shortly collapse. ‎ 00:1:33 remaining.

The very power that radiated from this thing was beyond anything I could comprehend—its very presence caused the air to shimmer like a heat wave.

"I… built this?"

The golem [???] created from the faith of the magi is unstable and will shortly collapse. ‎ 00:1:29 remaining.

The seconds ticked down. I let go of Madria's hand, and this time, she didn't resist. This work was built from desperation, from struggle—from want and desire to slay Rasheed. I built this… not me but me . A previous version of me built this to beat Rasheed. And…, they failed.

"Stay here, everyone—I alone will enter," I began to speak, already formulating a plan.

"You will do no such thing," my mother's voice immediately responded.

I frowned, I knew I shouldn't have tried that. "Then, only me and the [Path Walkers] should proceed."

The glowing pink light that had been gently hovering above me descended and I lowered my gaze as did others to avoid being blinded by the light.

"What have you realized my little warrior—what is it that irks you and has you believing entering the dragon's den is a choice you must do alone," Queen Titiana questioned, voice gentle but powerful.

I felt like a child again in the presence of her much larger form. Power radiated from her body, and my Intent interacted with it, which let me know her Power was dwarfed when comparing it to the nameless golem. This thing wasn't just stronger than her—if I entered it, I was confident I could fight not just my mother but her entire cohort with just the three skills it held.

And…, that Lawruthian lost.

If I had entered this thing before, fought Rasheed, and now I was entering—no—I was once again entering the Mountain of Final Hope then that means whatever I did didn't work. Rasheed was playing a game just as the Gods were—and, perhaps… I've lost—countless times. A startling thought was entering my head.

I hesitated. I knew my mother felt the Power of this creation before me, but I wasn't sure if she was able to piece together the same information I was just by seeing it. I spoke softly, my head still bowed as I put more and more pieces together. "This golem is created by me."

The light reverberated from my words, and I continued, fully explaining my thoughts to my mother. "Minerva told me Rasheed has the power to manipulate reality—I still believed we held the Power to face him… I was wrong. This golem explains that to me—don't you feel its Power?"

Even in a nonactive state, the golem before me radiated Power. It was far beyond what I had ever felt—it was like standing next to a charged electrical grid and feeling the power of energy coursing through transmission lines—except multiplied by ten, twenty, a hundred times. This thing could kill me with the slightest raise of its hand. And, I failed to kill Rasheed with it? That startling thought was spoken next, hopefully, it would convince my mother.

"We… cannot beat Rasheed—we can't kill him, but perhaps… we can make a deal."

I patted the golem's leg, and slowly, it began to disappear. Rasheed was mad, but… if I knew anything about him… then he was open to a deal of equivalent exchange.

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