Solarspire (Rise to Omniscience Book 4) Read online

  Except, it didn’t work. Samuel’s power slammed up against a barrier so powerful that it made him physically recoil, gasping in pain. He dropped to one knee, clutching at his head and glaring up at Gold, his teeth clenched as rage marred his features.

  “What have you done?” he demanded.

  “Made sure you can’t interfere,” Gold replied again, his grin turning even smugger. “Sure, I can’t hold you here forever, but I can do so long enough for the Pinnacle King to wreck your world. And so long as you can’t talk to Morgan, you’ll have no one strong enough to stop him.”

  Gold turned to leave as Samuel gritted his teeth, but he managed to calm himself a bit. It didn’t matter if he was stuck here. Loquin was still free. So long as she could get to him, he was still safe.

  “Oh, I almost forgot to mention,” Gold said, turning to face him once more. “Don’t count on Loquin for help.” He winked, then vanished, leaving Samuel in a state of utter shock.

  How had Gold known about Loquin? The two had been so careful to maintain their distance and act cold to one another. Was that why he hadn’t heard from her in so long, because Gold had trapped her similarly? Come to think of it, how was it even possible? He shouldn’t have this kind of power, especially not in his world.

  Samuel staggered back to his feet and threw his power against the barrier once more. This time, he felt it buckle slightly under the force, before repelling him once again. He growled, then spent the next hour hurling everything he had against the power holding him here in his observation room, but he just couldn’t break through.

  He knew he could do so eventually, but the effort would tax him immensely, and as Gold pointed out, it would take him weeks, or maybe months to do so. Getting back to his feet, Samuel began pacing, trying to think of his options.

  If he was completely cut off from the Five Kingdoms, and Loquin was as well, there would be no way for him to manipulate events as he saw fit, not to mention that he had no operatives on the ground who would act without his say so.

  The first thing he did was split his concentration, using the lion’s share of his power to batter against the barrier. This would leave him vulnerable, but up here, there was really no one who could reach him, and those that could, would be forbidden from attacking him. At least, so he hoped. Gold’s seeming ability to flaunt the rules had thrown him off, but when he looked closely at each situation, he could see that the man hadn’t actually done anything that would gain the Author’s attention.

  Sure, he’d skirted the rules a few times, but never outright broken them. What had him puzzled, was how he could possibly hold both him and Loquin in place. There was no way he could be doing it alone, so he had to be drawing his power from an outside source. The only question was from what or where.

  Regardless, he was trapped and growing desperate. Then, an idea came to him. It was one so crazy that had his world not been on the brink of collapse, he would not even have considered it. His hand swiped through the air, and the main controls for the world came into view. He breathed a silent sigh of relief at that. He hadn’t been sure whether he’d be cut off from accessing them or not.

  His fingers darted over the digital keyboard, entering in a series of commands. Once he was finished, a screen popped up, asking whether he wanted to confirm his selection.

  Samuel stared down the screen for a long moment, his finger hovering over the Yes button. Doing this would drastically alter how the Five Kingdoms would operate, but it might be his only chance to save both himself and his world.

  He stood there for what seemed like ages, his mind turning over the pros and cons of what he was about to do. Finally, with a deep sigh, he hit the button. The screen flashed once, then a message scrolled across.

  As he stared at the message, Samuel could only hope that he hadn’t just made a huge mistake. The letter blazed across the screen, filling his vision and making his heart speed up with trepidation.

  Level limit removed.

  1

  “You can’t be serious!” Sarah yelled, slamming her fist against the table and making it groan ominously. “You’re kicking us out, just like that?!”

  Katherine let out a long sigh, rubbing tiredly at her temples.

  “I’m not kicking you out, Sarah. You know I would never do that. All I’m asking is that you go into a beast zone for a couple of weeks. The West Kingdom is understandably upset that Morgan killed their queen and is sending a delegation over to collect him. It would be best if you were not here when they arrived.”

  “Their queen blackmailed Morgan into competing for her, then tried to have the both of us killed! She deserved no less!” Sarah shot back.

  Morgan watched the argument unfolding before him and wisely chose not to get involved. They were currently seated in Katherine’s private meeting room in the palace, though at this point, he was the only one still in his seat. Both Katherine and Sarah were standing, the former standing on the other side of the rich, mahogany table, and the latter standing right next to him.

  It had been well over a month since the Skyflare tournament, and Morgan had been using that time to relax a recover. Sure, he’d done some training, breaking through to rank 39, but he’d been taking it relatively easy otherwise.

  He’d been spending his time meditating, getting a handle on his new emotions. And ever since his fight with Edmund, he’d been hearing a small voice in the back of his head. At first, he’d thought he’d been imagining things, but after a while, he’d begun getting sudden, violent urges for no apparent reason.

  After speaking with Sarah, she had told him that no, this was not normal. People didn’t feel random violent tendencies towards others unless there was a deeper psychological issue. After that, the voice had started growing louder. It was most prominent while fighting, and every time he did so, it felt as though a beast were trying to emerge from the deepest recesses of his mind and destroy everything in its path. And that was when he’d finally figured it out.

  The creature that had taken over his body to fight Edmund was an entirely different being. Something that was most definitely not him, and now, it was trying to get back out. Meditation helped with this, as well as practicing his fighting forms, but there wasn’t really anything he could do to block out the voice. Even now, it whispered for him to leap across the table and rip the new Queen to pieces, then turn on the girl next to him; her entrails would look so pretty decorating the…

  Morgan slammed his mind shut on that thought, grimacing as he did so. He’d been trying to contact Dabu over the last few weeks but had found himself unable to get in touch with the man. This troubled him to no end, as he was the only reliable source of information he could count on when it came to his abilities.

  Another thing that troubled him was that his memories were indeed returning. He’d regained all that he’d lost in the two years he’d been missing, though he’d yet to regain an entire year where he’d traveled with Samuel. He now knew that he’d been trained by a man named Condor, a small, seedy-looking man with an eyepatch and half his teeth missing. The man was an expert fighter and had taught him a whole lot.

  He also remembered what the man had done to him while they trained. The small alterations he would make when Morgan wasn’t paying attention. While reliving those memories, Morgan had felt a subtle mood shift happen over the course of the two years. He’d gone from an eager boy to an indifferent and unfeeling fighting machine.

  The most interesting part of the memory was the appearance of a woman with long black hair and red painted lips. She had shown up on the last day he and Condor had spent together. She had spoken with him for a few minutes, then left. That night, Condor had removed his memories, leaving him alone in a dark alley.

  “Morgan!”

  Morgan jumped, nearly toppling his chair when Sarah yelled his name.

  “What?” he asked, looking around for the attackers he was sure were streaming into the room.

  “Were you even listening?”

&n
bsp; Morgan looked between a red-faced Sarah and an exasperated Katherine, and just shook his head.

  “The argument is pointless. We’ve spent time in beast zones for extended training before. Why do you care if we go now?”

  “Because you’re resting,” Sarah replied, her tone softening a bit and her features morphing into one of concern. “I don’t want you pushing yourself.”

  Morgan felt an unexpected flush of pleasure at her words. It warmed his insides for some reason when she said things like that. It made him feel…special. Their relationship had been moving along slowly, neither of them sure how to proceed now that he could actually feel. It had been a bit awkward in the first week, neither of them sure how to act around one another, but gradually, they had relaxed, returning to the way things had been before, albeit with a lot more physical contact than there had been before.

  Though Morgan still felt uncomfortable, mostly due to the fact that feeling embarrassed was something he now had to deal with, he went along with it. She enjoyed holding his hand when they were out together, and public displays of affection, such as hugging. Kissing seemed to delight her even more, especially if there were other women around.

  He wasn’t about to complain. No matter how much Sarah enjoyed it, he was enjoying himself as well. This was all so new to him. And every time he thought he’d felt all he could, a new emotion would crop up and surprise him.

  He gave her a half-smile and placed his hand over hers.

  “There’s no need to worry about me. I’m fine getting back into training. After all, I still have goals to accomplish, and it would be impossible to do so if I don’t advance.”

  “So, it’s agreed then. You’ll go?” Katherine asked, turning tired eyes on him.

  She hadn’t even attempted to put any of her usual charm on for him, Morgan realized with surprise. She must really be overworked.

  “Yes, it’s agreed. Do you have a particular beast zone in mind? We’ll need somewhere where the beasts are challenging enough for us to push our limits.”

  Katherine nodded, her shoulders visibly relaxing as she reached into her overcoat pocket and produced a shining key with a red 49 stamped on the center.

  “I swiped this from Gold a while back,” she said, her lips pulling up in a smirk. “Figured it might come in handy.”

  Morgan rose from his seat at that, his eyes practically blazing as he felt his interest piqued. His emotions might have returned, but his interest in battle had not diminished in the slightest, and the idea of a challenge intrigued him to no end. The key flashed through the air, and Morgan caught it deftly, tucking it into a pocket.

  “We’ll go pack our things and head in within the hour. How long should we stay?”

  It would be impossible for Katherine to contact them while they were inside the beast zone, so it was important to figure that out now.

  “You can come back in a week and check in. Make sure you leave from your rooms. I’ll have someone waiting there for you, and they’ll let you know if it’s safe to come out yet or not.”

  Morgan nodded, flashing her a grin.

  “Guess we’ll see you in a week then, Queen Katherine,” Morgan said, making sure to stress the word, Queen.

  She gave him a tired smile, and he saw a hint of her usual playfulness come back.

  “Don’t miss me too much,” she said with a suggestive wink, making Sarah grit her teeth in annoyance.

  She reached out, snatching his hand in hers and giving Katherine a pointed look, then she turned and headed out the door.

  “Don’t you think that was a bit petty of you? After all, she was only trying to help,” Morgan asked as Sarah moved around their room, folding up her clothes and packing them into their spatial bag.

  “Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know that she’s after you,” Sarah replied with a snort. “You can’t play that card anymore.”

  Morgan shook his head.

  “I’m not trying to. You know that I’m only interested in you, right?”

  He was still really bad at being in a relationship and often said the wrong thing, so he really hoped he wasn’t doing so now, as he didn’t want to get her angry again. She’d been a bit short-tempered over the last few days, though he had yet to determine as to why.

  She blew out a long breath, her shoulders relaxing, and she gave him a tight smile.

  “I know. It’s just hard to feel like you could possibly be interested in me when someone as beautiful as Katherine is constantly throwing herself at you.”

  “Yes, Katherine is beautiful,” Morgan agreed, but quickly added, “But I like you, not her.”

  He saw the last traces of tension leave Sarah’s shoulders as she turned her back to continue packing. He thought he could detect the faintest hint of red in her cheeks as she did so, and he smiled to himself. It felt good to be cared for and to be able to reciprocate those feelings.

  From previous experience, Morgan knew that Sarah would take at least another half hour to finish packing, so he took the time to examine his core and status.

  The violet sphere still hung suspended in the center of his chest, with the three rings of light circling around it in the shape of an atom. The red, blue, and gold lights circled his core, twisting and undulating in a confusing pattern that he had yet to identify. He could also see the Skyflare, a teardrop-shaped object sitting at the very center of his core. It was colored a violet so deep that he could clearly identify it, though it had already begun dissolving around the edges as it integrated into his core. He wasn’t sure what would happen once it did, but he was eager to find out.

  Right now, his core was inactive, as he didn’t need the boost to his energy, nor the accelerated healing it provided, yet he could still sense the power contained within, like a raging storm just waiting to break free. He had gained 25 AP in each attribute when he’d broken through to rank 39, though he hadn’t received any new skills, and they had all failed to upgrade. He had a feeling that if he wanted any upgrades, they would happen when he advanced to the next tier in his ability or if he purchased them with attribute points.

  He’d also assigned all his previously gained attribute points but had yet to find the cap that his Intermediate stage would allow, which he considered to be a good thing. Concentrating on his core, Morgan threaded a tendril of reiki up to his eyes, and his status flashed into view.

  Name: Morgan

  Intermediate Supermage: Rank - 39

  Energy to next rank - 88,255/1,000,000

  Ability Advancement - 921,000/5,000,000

  Total Available AP: 0

  Ability - Natural Disaster

  RP - 3,150/3,150 (Regen - 30.2 per second)

  Strength - 305

  Agility - 412

  Constitution - 305

  Intelligence - 315

  Wisdom - 320

  Skills - Supersonic flight, Explosive impact III, Storm forger, Goldfire barrage, Nature’s wrath, Restructure, Beast King’s Rampage

  Traits - Dense body, Recovery, Aura sense (inherited), Aura flare (inherited), Body, Mind & Spirit (inherited)

  Extra - Gravity storm (3rd category), Star breaker (2nd category), Collapsing star

  Skills:

  Supersonic flight - Manipulate gravity and air to reduce your weight and move through the skies. You can now reach your maximum speed instantaneously. There is no longer a weight limit. For an additional cost, you can briefly increase your speed to supersonic levels.

  Cost - 25 RP per second

  Max. height - 200 Ft

  Max. speed - 125 Ft per second

  Supersonic Speed Cost - 1,600 RP

  Duration - 10 Seconds

  Cooldown - 48 hours

  Explosive impact III - Manipulate gravity and air to massively increase your speed and power for a short burst (Currently: Agility & Strength X3.05).

  Cost - 180 RP

  Duration - 4.5 seconds

  Cooldown - 45 seconds

  Stormforger - Manipulate gravity and air to f
orge solid whirling weapons in the shape of your choice. You can change the shape of your weapon without dismissing it. For an additional cost, you can charge your weapon with electricity.

  Weapon Cost - 475 RP

  Duration - Until dismissed

  Charge cost - 125 RP

  Duration - 3 Strikes

  Goldfire barrage - Manipulate gravity and air to create flames using your reiki. You can now fire multiple attacks at once.

  Cost - 200 RP

  Cooldown - 25 seconds

  Nature’s wrath - Infuse your body with the energy of the world, and harness the power of nature from your surroundings. This skill has no time limit but will cause significant strain on the body. It will also drain reiki in ever-increasing amounts the longer it is used.

  Cost - 5 RP per second; cost doubles every five seconds

  Cooldown - 1 hour

  Restructure - You can reshape the earth as you see fit. Control it all, or control none at all.

  Cost - 50 RP per second

  Beast King’s Rampage - Unleash your bestial side and let your power run wild. In this state, you will have no control over yourself and may have trouble remembering your actions during the time the skill is active.

  Effect: All Attributes & Skills are increased by a factor of 5

  Traits:

  Dense body - Your body has undergone an evolution and has become more dense and compact. All physical attacks are now 30% less damaging, and all skill-based attacks have a 1% chance of failing to damage you at all.

  Recovery - The spirits of the air have blessed you with the power of healing. If you can survive for 10 hours after being wounded, no matter the injury, your body will be completely healed.

  Aura Sense (inherited) - You have been bestowed the gift of sight by an Omniscient. By concentrating on the natural energy within yourself, you can read the aura in the world around you.

  Aura Flare (inherited) - You have been bestowed the gift of power by an Omniscient. You can make those around you feel your power, merely by focusing your intent. Your aura will now stun the weak-minded for up to three seconds and may cause some physiological damage as well.