Chapter 8: Voice of the Land

The surface of the Womb was calm and rippleless, a spotless mirror unbothered by the world around it. Which was strange when considering that the water was in constant motion, slowly flowing up north into a prominent river. This river, if I recall correctly, cut through the Ifequevron forest and emptied into the Shivering Sea. I made a mental note to 'ask' my prisoners about the river's name and about the surrounding lands. The importance of knowing the terrain and basic geography could not be understated- especially since I was planning to rule over it.

Ymir stayed behind while I crafted a slab of ultra-light stone. Hard enough to withstand my weight, yet light enough to not sink. It wasn't a raft but it would do for now.

I carefully stepped onto the slab and pushed away from the bank with a stick. Ymir stood on the bank, ready for anything. Her psychic presence in my head was a constant comfort against the magical pull of the strange lake.

I felt the Red shift uncomfortably the closer I grew to the centre. The Blue on the other hand leapt with joy, as if it was a parched, nearly dehydrated man who had just glimpsed an actual oasis in the middle of the desert. This extreme response really caught me off guard, though I probably should've expected something like this. 

Hm. I kept a close eye on the mostly still water, wary of any lurking magical monsters that might want to gobble me up. A quick scan with my titan powers revealed no overt or covert threat in the lake- none that the worm couldn't help me deal with at least. That was reassuring… mostly.

So why was my magic reacting this way? 

I had my suspicions, of course. The few spells I had casted on my own, required a certain amount and type of 'Colour'. Blue was not the Colour to use if I wanted a fireball, similarly Red wasn't a peaceful or passive Colour- attempting to use it to read minds would end in an uncontrollable disaster for the target as well as the caster. At least, that was what I had felt when I used them.

I could grasp the barebone basics of what principles these Colours were operating on. Red was clearly Fire, Destruction, Aggression. I hadn't failed to notice how eager it seemed whenever I got angry or passionate and how it created a worrisome feedback loop by fanning the flames of my rage and then feeding off of it to create more kindling. This was very alarming. It made me doubt my own emotions, were they mine or being manipulated by a power I did not fully understand?

The Blue on the other hand, was calm, controlled, organised. It was water. 

I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes. If I had learned anything about magic in the 24 hours since I've had it, was that it was an emotionally sensitive power. Strong emotions and intent shaped the structure and effects of a spell. This was also true when it came down to commanding the Colours themselves. The right mindset was key.

I calmed any lingering anxiety and stubbornly ignored any fear. I let the tension bleed away from my shoulders. An odd, but not unwelcome, peacefulness enveloped me. I reached out for the Blue, which I could sense lay somewhere within me. Somewhere deep inside. 

Searching for my magic was such an odd metaphysical experience that I doubt that I could put it into words at the moment. Perhaps I would one day, if I became a powerful sorcerer who knew the ins and outs of magic.

For now, all I did was keep my titan powers at the ready, and let the Blue reach out to the lake under my careful oversight.

The thin rope of Blue fell into the lake and kept falling. If it was the Damian of yesterday, he would've been concerned about running out of magical juice and losing his life-force or something. I was not the Damian of yesterday. The complicated scrying trap I had set up when I had first transformed, had supplied me with enough magical juice to extend this rope for several metres and still have enough magic to cast a few powerful spells. Who knew that sucking nosey magicals dry would be so profitable. Many had just perished, and the only ones still stuck in the trap were entities that had more magical power than any human warlock. 

Unfortunately, none of that pure magical power was endless, and while I had noticed that 'drops' of magic could spawn more drops, it was clearly a slow going process. Magic was consumed quicker than it could be restored. What a bother. If only I could find a way to speed up the damn process.

I was drawn out of my musings by a noticeable tug on the rope. It had reached far deeper than I had expected it to and had established first contact with whatever was calling for it.

Threads and tentacles of Blue magic that were not mine, swam around my probe and poked at it excitedly like an old dog seeing another dog for the first time in his life. My own attempts to poke back were met with much enthusiasm as if the older dog was happy that the younger pup was coming out of his shell. It held my probe in a firm grip and dragged it deeper into the inky darkness that seemed to have no visible end. Apparently, it wanted to show me around its home.

The further down it dragged the rope, the more magic was consumed, to my dismay. We hadn't even crossed that one mile marker and from the looks of it, still had a long way to go. I had massively, deeply , miscalculated. Damian, you dumbass. 

I let the worm provide the energy for the Blue probe to use and cut off access to the stolen magic reserves. No, I wasn't embarrassed… alright, maybe a little. The worm gave out the approximation of a chuckle and psychically reminded me to horde and conserve my magical battery. In a world like this, where magical energy was scarce and a rare find, my reserves were a precious treasure. Holding it back for a time where I absolutely needed pure magical energy was a better idea. 

The probe sunk deeper, a mile became two and two became four. My titan senses told me it had been only two hours since I had let the probe sink. Holy crap, when would this journey end?

I could sense strange creatures moving about, while others watched from afar, unwilling to come any closer. Each of them glowed with a faint inner light- a light blue one that flickered in and out of sight.

Seeing through my titan senses, I could tell that we had entered a large reservoir of some sort. An extremely large cavern filled to the brim with water that had no visible bottom. The pressure here was obscene and overwhelming. Keeping my cool here was the hardest mental battle I had ever fought in my life. At the end of this, I wouldn't be surprised if my nightmares featured thalassophobia or megalophobia in some shape or form.

It was near the entrance of the reservoir that the dark Blue magical tentacle stopped. 

And then it let me see.

Flashes of where we currently were sped past my vision. The Older Blue was the water itself, older than the oldest civilisations of the Overworld. It was connected to this Land- was the Land itself. It knew every creature that dwelt in its deep domain, and what lay deeper still- where none would dare go. It welcomed my presence, which I thanked it for.

This reservoir was absolutely massive . It housed species of fish and other creatures that never saw the light of day. It had also provided water for the Overworld for the past 20,000 years without running out. That was a long fucking time. It also made me wonder what other mind-blowing secrets this strange new world hid in plain sight.

The worm was unimpressed, of course, it was nothing it hadn't experienced throughout its time on the last world. Being old and eldritch did have its advantages, I guess.

When asked why it had brought me here, the Old Blue replied that it was simply curious to see one that had the same Colour and Song as it despite not being part of the greater whole, thus the call to meet. 

It also offered to let me join this little world away from the troubles of men. I politely declined. It argued that I could gain all the knowledge and power that I wanted right here. No sorcerer had ever come as far as I had, nor would they. I was special, it insisted. When I declined once more, the Old Blue was shocked that I would not agree to join the greater whole despite being Blue myself, but did not press the matter. Or so I thought.

The more we conversed in the odd metaphysical pseudo-language, the stranger I felt. There was an itch at the edge of my mind, as if something was under my eyelid. The itch grew… itchier and I felt a presence try and subtly wriggle its way into my magic through the probe. 

Something was wrong and that was an understatement. I remembered the fist-sized sapphire that had tried a similar trick and instantly recoiled. 

The Old Blue burned an angry dark blue once it realised that the jig was up. 

An immense magical pressure built up and tried to pull my own Blue into itself. Any normal sorcerer would be helpless here, if they even had the magical power to reach so deep. Most would've despaired and frozen the moment they were faced with such pressure. 

I was not them and I was certainly not bowing out to some leech that wanted to assimilate me into its hive. The worm nodded in approval.

A bright Blue tinted ball of psychic energy struck back against the aggressor. Magic met magic and I was so pissed off that the second I saw an opening, I wrapped the vicious tentacles of my magic around the Old Blue. 

A heat that I had felt only three times in my life, bloomed once more. Like a gaping void that sought to swallow all whole, it hungered for more- something to take, something to conquer, something to make mine.

I drew the Old Blue's power into me.

There was a metaphysical click , like some door had been opened or some missing piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. I felt the lives of creatures that had previously evaded my notice. I felt the water as it churned and bubbled against air pockets.

I felt connected . Connected to a world yet unseen by the eyes of men- a world of water.

After a moment or two, I decided to disperse the probe and pull my mind back to the surface. 

With a gasp I opened my eyes, finding myself back on the slab, though truthfully, I had never left it.

I wiped my face clean of sweat and grimaced when I looked down at my sweat-drenched shirt. I turned my head and waved to Ymir, she waved back. Heh.

Paddling back was unneeded, the lake, now connected to me, churned to push my slab back to the bank. Well, this was convenient. The things that I could do with total control over a naturally occurring body of water…

And that wasn't the only benefit I had received by linking up with the deep earth reservoir. My control over the Blue had improved by leaps and bounds. The constant flashes of Red had mellowed out.

More importantly, I felt powerful . Strong. Blue magical energy that had once seemed so scarce was now abundant. 

Huh. I looked up at the Mother of Mountains, wondering if I could gain a similar boost for my Red magic. There was clearly a link between certain landmarks or terrain features and magical Colours and while I didn't completely comprehend what that link was- being new to conceptual bullshit and all- I'd be a fool to deny myself a power-up. 

Ymir looked up at me questioningly, I shook my head and we began walking back to the city. 

The city needed me, and there was plenty of time to pursue the magic of Aggression and Passion after my fledgling kingdom was running smoothly. 

Author Note: Damian plugs himself into a powerful leyline in true Planeswalker style. Yay, powerup!