Judgement

[GDPR 014 48]

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“May fate be generous, for I will break destiny.”

 

They stood before the crucible, Avenel -- the leader of the group, held two artifacts, a prismatic device that gleamed faintly; an old relic of when he was an Archon, that which held the capability to make them, and the next was a metallic core that seeped with astral energy, the old Spell Forge core, which allowed one to manipulate and create spells. He put these artifacts through the crucible, watching as the sins of his past were melted away, dissolving with aid of the blue flame. 

 

He walked over to the basin, and set a small piece of The Cradle metal ‘fore the liquid filled it, surmising that it will be the core for the stone.The group waited and watched, their thoughts on the Philosopher’s Stone as the liquid -- a manifestation of the otherworldly makeup of these artifacts -- flowed through the basin, converging on the metal. 

 

The liquids, nebulous in their color, touched base with The Cradle, and immediately coalesced around it, fusing with rapid splashes and swirls. The process let out astral lights that swirled around the chamber, flitting past the group as they watched in awe. Something was being made, something beautiful and never before seen. The fluids and metal rose from the basin, swirling about as its shape and color constantly changed, breaking the laws of the world as its very being casted solid shadow. Avenel, The Hanged Man, took a step forward, his being shadowed by the great legend before them, that which emitted such energy to force men to their knees by its very present; that which teemed with unknowable knowledge and power.

 

The Philosopher’s Stone

 

 

As he walked closer to it, the air around the artifact alternated between thick and thin; the power of the Stone altering the very reality around it, passively at that. Light fluttered past Avenel as he grew near, moving past the group and dissipating into the air. The sheer power of this beast would be used, and he kneeled before the stone, grasping it with both hands. 

 

The group saw him take hold of the stone and for a moment, there was silence, before a starlight sphere grew from the legend’s center, and swallowed both him and the Stone whole. There was panic, and perhaps curiosity as the sphere remained, as though the forces of reality were parlaying with the Destiny Breaker. 

 

Avenel felt something was over him as the sphere covered him. He looked onward to see the stone, gently thrumming like a heart. It was ready to be commanded by his ideas. He hoped nothing more than to begin the process, and turn himself into a man. When his thoughts poured into the Philosopher’s Stone, light shined on him, covering his entire body. It filled him with warmth, made him feel light -- a process he assumed to be painful was in fact gentle, like a kind dream. The light washed over his skin, changing and reforging it as it passed over him. It was like water washing over his person, and with each wave, it changed more. His body looked younger, his being felt lighter, he felt his age ticking back; he felt the curse within him change. He felt tired as the process continued, the waves lulling him to sleep. He closed his eyes, and allowed all that would occur, the great change. Whether or not he would come out alive, it was of no concern, at least he wouldn’t die an Elf, and be able to join his brothers, or be terminated from existence. 

 

The process took what seemed hours. Time itself seemed to stop within the chamber, until finally -- light pierced the sphere, and cracks ran down it like an egg. It broke apart, vanishing into the air; leaving a divine light that blocked sight of the alchemist and the stone. It was when the light vanished, was it revealed that the Philosopher’s Stone blinking rapidly, moving slowly; what occurred took a great toll. Though, what stood before it was a figure with pale skin and ash brown hair, with piercing blue eyes that had golden flecks. He looked to his hands first, and then to the group. The stone, with much of its power, remade him.

 

For the first time in a long while, he smiled, and spoke.

 

“Finally, I am free. A child of the Cosmos.”

 

“What is your new name?” They asked, to which he paused, and stared them down, contemplating. He was the first of this line, one hoped to expand. His humanity filled with the want to create more, and truly build; the past, while part of him, was behind him, letting him plant newer and greater things for the future.

 

“Gereon de Wees.”

 

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