Page 83 of Feral Gods
The pain intensifies as more of my essence transfers into the wildspont channels. Fragments of knowledge begin to fade—complex magical formulas, historical chronicles, languages I once mastered, all dissolving like script in water. I cling to core memories—my awakening from stone sleep, Kaia's arrival in our sanctuary, our first connection of mind and body—using them as anchors against total dissolution.
Just as my consciousness begins to falter, a new energy signature joins our network Thane's crimson power surging through the third nexus point, completing the activation sequence. The wildspont channels flare with blinding intensity, magical currents converging toward the temple's central altar where they must be directed toward our enemies.
But something unexpected occurs as the energies merge. Rather than flowing outward as the ancient texts described, the combined power spirals inward, creating a focused vortex centered on our mental link. Through the maelstrom of energy, a new pathway opens—not toward the temple altar but deeper, toward something ancient and powerful buried beneath the mountains.
The true heart of the wildspont,I realize with my remaining scholarly awareness.Not a weapon but a gateway.
As this understanding forms, the vortex stabilizes, the drain on my life force easing slightly. Through our link, I sense Ravik and Thane experiencing similar phenomena—painful transformation rather than simple energy transfer. And at the center of it all, Kaia's distinctive magical signature pulsing with unprecedented strength, somehow guiding the wildspont currents despite her limited training.
This way,her voice whispers through our shared consciousness.Follow the path I'm creating.
With my remaining strength, I surrender to her guidance, allowing my consciousness to flow along the channel she's somehow fashioned through the wildspont vortex. Ravik and Thane's presences join us, our four distinct energies intertwining into something entirely new as we travel this impossible pathway together.
The journey seems both instantaneous and eternal. When awareness returns, I find myself lying on cool stone in a chamber I've never seen before—a perfect dome carved from glittering black crystal, illuminated by soft blue light emanating from a central pool.
Kaia kneels beside me, her face etched with concern that transforms to relief as my eyes focus on hers. "You're back," she breathes, hands cradling my face with tender care.
"Where..." My voice sounds strange in my ears—lighter, less resonant.
"The Heart Chamber," she explains, helping me to a sitting position. "At least, that's what the inscription above the entrance calls it. It's deep beneath the original sanctuary, deeper than the temple builders ever reached."
As my vision clears, I see Ravik and Thane nearby, both similarly disoriented. And beyond them...
"Extraordinary," I whisper, scholarly wonder overriding physical discomfort.
The chamber extends farther than initially apparent, its boundaries housing row upon row of stone figures—gargoyles in various poses of battle readiness, frozen as we once were. Hundreds of them, perhaps thousands, lining the walls in silent testimony to Morwen's widespread vengeance against those who opposed the dark elf monarchy.
"They're like us," Thane observes, regaining his feet with warrior's discipline despite obvious fatigue. "Cursed. Trapped."
"An army," Ravik adds, strategic mind immediately grasping implications. "Exactly what King Kres fears you might awaken, Kaia."
She rises, moving toward the nearest stone figure with reverent care. "They've been imprisoned all this time, conscious but unable to move or speak." Her voice breaks slightly. "Centuries of isolation and darkness."
"Like us," I confirm, struggling to my own feet despite lingering weakness from my sacrifice. "Though they appear to have been placed in deeper suspension. Our limited awareness during stone sleep would be merciful by comparison."
As I move to join Kaia, catching my reflection in the polished crystal wall stops me mid-step. The figure looking back bears my features but transformed—no longer the silver-gray stone of my gargoyle form, nor the midnight-skinned dark elf I once was, but something between. My height and powerful build remain, as do my wings and turquoise eyes, but my skin has softened to a deep slate blue, facial features more expressive, more... alive.
Similar changes have affected Ravik and Thane, I notice with shock. Ravik's obsidian coloring has warmed to deep indigo, his amber eyes glowing with heightened intensity against this new complexion. Thane's iron-black skin now resembles burnishedcopper, his crimson eyes no less fierce but somehow more vibrant.
"The transformation," I breathe, understanding dawning. "Not broken but reshaped—exactly as I theorized."
"We're neither dark elf nor gargoyle," Ravik observes, examining his altered form with cautious wonder. "But something new entirely."
"Something better," Thane adds, stretching his wings experimentally. "The strength without the limitation."
Kaia watches our discoveries with evident joy, though exhaustion shadows her features. Creating our escape pathway through the wildspont energy clearly taxed her developing abilities significantly.
"You've given us back ourselves," I tell her, moving to her side despite my own weakness. "Though at great cost to yourself."
She shakes her head, dismissing my concern. "Not just to myself. Your sacrifice?—"
"Was necessary and freely given." I touch my temple, assessing the extent of my knowledge loss. Significant gaps exist where perfect recall once resided, yet core understanding remains intact. "I retain enough knowledge for our purposes. The rest... perhaps is better left behind."
Ravik joins us, his commanding presence somewhat tempered by the wonder of our transformation. "We're beyond our enemies' reach for the moment, but that won't last. They'll track the wildspont energy disruption to its source eventually."
"Then we use the time we have wisely," I suggest, gaze returning to the rows of imprisoned gargoyles. "Starting with understanding exactly what we've discovered here."
At the chamber's center, the crystal pool pulses with concentrated wildspont energy—raw magical potential in its purest form. Surrounding it, ancient pedestals bear inscriptionsunlike any I've encountered before, their glyphs predating dark elf linguistic conventions.
