13 True Form
Confusion warred with a strange sense of accomplishment. This wasn't what I had expected, yet somehow, it felt exactly right. A single question hung heavy in the air: what had I just become?
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[Hades POV]
Confusion swirled within me like smoke. I flexed my newfound power, the sensation unlike anything I'd ever experienced. My connection to death and riches felt profound, an intimate bond woven into the very fabric of my being. It was as if I could now not only wield these concepts, but feel their essence resonate within me.
Another change startled me – my energy reserves. They had ballooned, easily five times what they were before. It was as if a vast well of power now resided within me, a seemingly endless spring waiting to be tapped.
But amidst this newfound strength, a disquieting sensation arose. A faint pull, a distant echo from beyond the desolation of this realm. It resonated with the familiar authority of souls and death, and instinctively, I knew – the Netherworld. My domain.
Yet, the connection was tainted, choked by a presence so potent it sent shivers down my spine. I could now clearly feel it, the very prison structure itself pulsed with his power – Cronus. My father, my jailor. The very thought of him reignited the embers of resentment, but I quickly extinguished them. Confrontation now was a fool's errand.
No, I needed a plan, a way to bridge the gap between my current state and the power needed to challenge him. From what I gleaned about dominion, it wasn't just about raw power. It was about mastery, about developing unique techniques that bent the very rules of existence to your will.
A single, potent image flickered in my mind – a weapon. Not a physical one, but a technique, a tool forged from my dominion over death and riches. Something that would give me an edge, a trump card against others who had achieved the second stage.
With renewed determination, I settled back into seclusion. This time, however, I wasn't focused on brute force or merging.
I shut out the desolation, the prison's oppressive aura no longer a distraction. This time, my focus was inward, on shaping my power. My goal: a domain, a pocket reality that embodied death, a weapon forged from my dominion.
This domain wouldn't be about brute force, but attrition. It would be a slow, insidious erosion, a landscape of despair that sapped the strength of my enemies while amplifying my own. Imagine a battlefield where hope itself withered, draining an opponent's energy with every passing moment.
With a deep breath, I plunged into meditation. I focused on death, not just as a concept, but as a physical sensation – the chilling emptiness, the absence of life. I channeled this essence throughout my being, feeling it course through my veins, radiating from my very core.
Time became meaningless as I built this reservoir of deathly energy within me. Slowly, painstakingly, I began to release it outward, pushing it into the desolate wasteland that surrounded me. My touch was subtle at first, a faint chill in the air, a dimming of the once harsh sunlight.
But resistance bloomed. The very fabric of this realm, tied to Cronus' power, fought back. My carefully crafted erosion sputtered, the deathly aura struggling to take hold.
Frustration gnawed at me. Was it the power of this prison holding me back? Was this desolate wasteland simply not a suitable canvas for my vision?
As I pondered, a revelation struck me. Beings of dominion, weren't just powerful entities. They were, in a sense, embodiments of concepts. They are living representations of the laws and rules that governed reality.
This wasn't just about raw power. It was about understanding the essence of death, of truly becoming it, not just wielding it.
A plan sparked in my mind. Perhaps I needed to approach this differently. I didn't just need to push death around; I needed to find a way to become one with it itself.
With renewed purpose, I delved into my core, seeking the raw essence of death within my divinity. It was a primal force, a cold, empty void that yearned to consume. Tentatively, I reached out, trying to grasp this intangible concept, to pull it out and materialize it.
It was like trying to hold onto smoke. I managed to condense a wisp of this energy, a swirling vortex of darkness that pulsed with a terrible beauty. But the moment it brushed against my being, the world erupted in chaos.
A jolt of unimaginable pain tore through me. Bones cracked and splintered under the assault, my internal organs rebelling against the alien presence. With a deafening roar, the fledgling death energy exploded, hurling me back like a ragdoll.
I landed hard, the desolate ground cold and unforgiving. The pain was a dull ache, distant and muffled. But worse was the overwhelming lethargy. My thoughts moved sluggishly, trapped in a thick fog, like someone caught halfway between sleep and wakefulness. This wasn't power; it was a living nightmare.
Slowly, agonizingly, my senses returned. The throbbing pain intensified, a constant reminder of my folly. It wasn't a good experience. Not at all.
Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to focus. Clearly, brute force wasn't the answer. This time, I lowered my ambition, shaping a minuscule amount of death energy, a flicker compared to the first attempt. This time, the pain was still present, a sharp sting that echoed through my mind and body.
But amidst the agony, a flicker of hope. My being, though strained, was adapting. A minuscule tolerance, a barely perceptible shift. A small grin stretched across my face. Slow, steady progress. That was the key.
Day after day, or perhaps hour after hour, time had lost its meaning. With each repetition, I increased the amount of death energy ever so slightly. My body and mind screamed in protest, but I pushed on, the feeling of adaptation growing stronger with each attempt.
It was a brutal process, a slow dance between agonizing pain and growing resilience. Yet, with each iteration, I felt a change. My body, once fragile, hardened, absorbing the deathly energy with increasing ease. My mind, once cloudy, sharpened, becoming a conduit for the raw power I wielded.
After what felt like an eternity of repetition, I opened my eyes, a steely glint reflecting the newfound power within. This time, I wouldn't just attempt to merge. I would be ready. With a deep breath, I erected powerful barriers around myself, a last line of defense against the potential backlash.
It was time for the final step.
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Chapter Length- 1,069 Words
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