Chapter 591: Ryun

    Creation

    The last time Ryun felt as he did now, he was wild, unrestrained. Focused solely on his Wrath. So much so that his emotions had given birth to the Essence of his Wrath into the world around him, nearly pulled it from its plane of existence.

    He was more under control now, but his emotions were no less powerful, no less raw. He just had more to ground him. His bond to Erdania and Selia was there, in the back of his Mind and Soul, a constant source of support.

    He had failed them, forced them to think and care about him when they too needed to lean on him. They too were attacked, their children nearly killed. Instead, he had done as he always did, acted selfishly. He was ashamed of that. It was perhaps the first time that he had felt that emotion.

    But now, he let go of his thoughts, and purposefully emptied his mind. He let those emotions rise to the surface, and turned his entire being to a singular purpose. To create.

    He unloaded his density in to the world, his being seeping into the entire workshop. There were tools here whose nature and purpose he didn’t understand or know, but as his being mingled with everything, purpose and intent became clearer.

    He felt Erdania do the same behind him, her Essence spreading through every solid Essence around them. Their two beings, their Souls mingled with each other, closer than any two beings ever could be. In the back of his mind, he felt Selia, sending her own support.

    As he, and they, activated the Presence of the Eternal Hunters, her presence grew in his mind, all three of them growing closer.

    They felt the deepest parts of his being, and he felt theirs in turn.

    He didn’t allow himself to perceive their reactions to what they felt, and instead turned his full attention to the task in front of him.

    Bright Star burned in his hand, and he raised the hammer. With his authority he moved the materials from the chests around him even as he pulled more from his storage and territory.

    A canister split open and a molten, liquid, metal poured out. He didn’t know the name of the material, but he knew it. It was powerful, of the highest tier. A burning liquid that ignited the air the moment it touched it. If not for Ryun’s authority, him Ending the fire the moment it came into being, it would’ve burned and consumed all the air in the room. It called to him, its very nature echoing the burning anger that filled his Soul. He pulled it over the anvil to join gemstones and other materials.

    Immediately, he felt the difference in his ability. He had been so much greater when they had made Scorn, now he felt how diminished he was. His nature fought his desire to create.

    Ryun focused his mind, let his anger fuel his will. Aspects were malleable, all reality was, everything was a matter of perception, of personal understanding.

    He turned his will on the materials, on Bright Star, he wanted to create something that would destroy, that would bring things to an End. That aligned with his nature, and for a moment he felt it work. The molten metal, blazing with orange light, flowed as his hammer and will guided it.

    It wasn’t enough. He pulled from Selia, her nature, her understanding of Creation. They were all three of them one. Concepts and ideas swirled inside his head. A fire that burned the forest down to bring about new growth.

    It was so hard, it was as if the world was fighting him, and every swing of the hammer was harder and harder. As if he was swinging it through water.

    The anger inside of him fueled him. He focused on his skill, his smithing and his Essence manipulation, and he bent his will upon them. The skills trembled, they grew and evolved, then merged.

    The Bearer of Burning Anger holds a well of Deathfire within, that the wearer can tap into and use at will.

    Stats: +15000 to all stats

    Base Bonus: +5000 to all base stats

    Cost: Soul, Mental, Essence drain when used.

    “Ryun?” Erdania called out, but Ryun was lost in his mind.

    His anger had lessened, but that just allowed him to feel so much more. Things that he had ignored. There were more powerful emotions within him. More things that hindered him. He was terrified of losing them, of never seeing his children, of losing that chance before they were even born. He was ashamed with how he had treated Erdania and Selia, he shouldn’t have retreated into himself after the attack. He felt guilty for nearly attacking Zach. And so many other emotions.

    “We’re not done,” Ryun said as he glanced at Erdania. He put The Bearer of Burning Anger aside and with his authority reached for another piece of metal, this one so cold that the air around it chilled instantly, a mist gathering and shrouding it.

    Ryun raised his hammer and went to work, again.

    They finished the work a day later. A whole day of nonstop work, of creation.

    Ryun felt lighter, as if he had put aside some great burden. His emotions were dimmed, far easier to parse through. He could think with far greater ease.

    He realized just how unreasonable he was. Not because he thought that he was wrong about what he had planned to do. He would still kill anyone in his way if it was up to him. But it wasn’t, not anymore. He wasn’t alone, he had people he loved, and he cared far more about them than anything else.

    It seemed so ludicrous to him now that he would go against them and what they wanted and believed. The decision wasn’t just his, the three of them were a unit, a family.

    “What did we do?” Erdania said as she looked at the items on the table in front of them.

    Six spheres were lined up before them. At the far left, the black orb with orange wisps within, holding the essence of flames, death, and anger. Next to it was one that was pure white, with tiny dots of pale blue, the air around it was so cold that he could see the difference, a wall of mist and steam swirled on the side where the Bearer of Burning Anger stood next to it.

    The third orb was the color of the earth, with veins of bright green metal woven through it. The fourth looked as if it was made out of a pink cloud. The fifth was blood red. The last one was dark blue, with a rippling surface like a surface of water.

    Each of them held within them a piece of their Souls, a piece of his emotions—Anger, Sorrow, Shame, Love, Guilt, Fear. Paired with materials and Essences that he thought best matched what he felt—Deathfire and Metal, Frost and Metal, Death and Earth, Mist and Blood, Metal and Blood, Water and Metal.

    Each of them was slumbering, like Scorn, but he could feel that there was something to them, an awareness.

    “I feel... better,” Ryun said slowly, then turned to look at Erdania. “Let’s get back, we need to prepare for the war, and I have gifts to give.”