Chapter 311: 311
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"You will?" asked Mason as he stared at Li in a flash of disbelief that quickly turned into apologetic recognition. "Of course, good seer. Forgive me if you thought I was doubting you."
"Do not beat yourself up about it," said Li with a nod. "All your life, you have known one god, one light. And I will say now that your faith is not misplaced. Your god of light is certainly a powerful one and, deep down, a good one.
He would be happy to know that there are genuine people with genuine beliefs under his light even now."
"Good seer, how would you know this?" asked Mason.
"Call it a hunch. Something you pick up from being close to divinity for so long." Li stepped forwards and waved everyone else back except Asala.
"Asala, is this the layout for the Midpath bridge?" said Li as he peered straight ahead.
Twin obelisks of sand, much larger than the ones she had erected across the Midpath, stood beside her, and from their rune carved surfaces there arose a massive flux of brilliant white magical energy that flowed out in whirring strands.
The strands wove around each other in equally sized hexes, building up a complex and clear outline of what the Midpath bridge must have once been. It looked exactly like a blueprint drawn up by an architect, and even Li found himself impressed at its sheer scale and artistry.
The Midpath bridge stretched from this side of the continent to the other, a full dozen kilometers or so, with the bridge itself being nearly half a kilometer wide. The bridge's design itself looked like a strange blend of classical Greco-roman architecture and fantastical magic elements.
The length of the bridge was a construct of pure energy, and flickers of faint color indicated that when completed, the colors of the rainbow would run down the length of the path. Classical arches set apart in intervals of a hundred meters rose across, and perched atop them, there were facades of winged angels raising torches high up, acting as beacons of light.
"Angels," muttered Mason under his breath. His blue eyes glistened as he saw the beauty of the statues apparent even through the incomplete blueprints of weaved white lines of magic. He saw their great wings unfurled to their sides, stretching downwards as if to c.a.r.e.s.s the bridge in protective embrace.
When his eyes moved to the angels' hands, they narrowed in confusion. "But…"
"Doth they look different from the angels that thou know?" said Asala, gently.
Mason nodded.
Li had to agree. He had seen an angel statue here or there, for they were talked about in the myths of Soleil and the light as servants of the great god Helius before they ascended to Valhul. In any depiction of angel in Soleil, they were distinctively human, the only inhuman part of them being their wings.
Harpies, to be precise, as was apparent by their taloned fingers and pinkies that stretched out from behind their hands to form their wings.
Though, as Li realized, they were different from normal harpies too. Their torsos seemed mechanical in nature, formed from smooth, metallic surfaces interlocked around an orb-like core.
He knew what these were. Angels, especially variants at a higher level, were more mechanical than organic beings, with the highest ranked types such as Seraphim looking like winged mechs more so than any flesh and blood fighter.
These were Aviania, level seventy angels that harpies using light based divine magic could ascend to when they met some conditions.
"I mentioned before that the harpies of the north too worship the Light," said Asala. She pointed to the hollow statues of the Aviania. "Tis why. The harpies are sons and daughters of the Light also. The originals if I may add. Successor to the first angels that once guarded this realm."
"The Light was not vested unto man?" said Mason.
"Oh, it was," said Asala. "But not only to man. Tis' a strange thing, how thy kind hath warped the Light. The main tenet of it still stands, that the Light shall shine upon all no matter their shape nor size, and yet, how that principle has warped to the shape and size of man only is one that still confounds me."
"Will these Aviania activate if I restore this bridge according to the blueprints?" said Li. His eyes, now far more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to the flow of magic than before, could tell that this blueprint, this weave of white hexes, required additional divine energy to fill in.
But he had to hand it to Zahaka. The design of the blueprint was masterful. All he had to do was pump in his power, and the hexes would circulate them, shape them, and form them exactly into the specifications of the bridge.
In a way, it was very much like the ritual she used to channel Li's power to transport him back from Valhul to the physical world. It would seem that she was continuously studying, improving upon her former designs to create newer and better spells.
He wondered how far the goddess had progressed by now.
"Aviania? That is their name?" Asala scribbled down a note in her tablet. She looked to Li with the stylus at her lips. "As for thy query, I doth not know. The Midpath was built in the dawn of the Convergence when yet the gods still roamed this realm, and since then, there hath been none godly enough that could ever restore it."
"Suppose there is no harm in trying," said Li. He walked to the edge of the cliff face, standing between the two obelisks drawing up the blueprints.
"Stand back, all of you. The scale of this operation is beyond you all for now," said Li as he stretched his arms out to the side. An aura of green started to shimmer and flicker all around him, waving faintly at first before filling in with bright color that crackled.
"Go, papa, go!" said Tia as she clapped her hands, always eager to see Li display his power.
Li smiled and tilted his head back for a bit, making sure everyone was far enough back, and when he confirmed they were, all of them watching him with intently, he took in a breath. He slowly put his arms forward, his fingers splaying out.
He watched arcs of radiant green streaking out from his fingers and arms, reacting with the white lines of Zahaka's old magic. The hexes that interacted with Li's life energy glowed the same shade of green, showing that his divine magic was just as compatible here as Helius's must have been long ago.
Then there was no need to hold back.
Li unleashed his power full throttle, his eyes glowing so bright they could have blinded anyone that stared at them. A mountainous aura of trembling green rose up around him for a split second, lighting up the sky in a verdant instant before the entirety of that magic packed aura funneled into the blueprint.
The rainbow path, once a construct of solidified light, filled in with bony white ashwood. The arches dotting the path, once comprised of solid golden light from Helius, instead now built themselves out of the same ashen wood, vines and leaves curling out in decoration where before there would have been patterns of gold in the shape of sunlight.
And yet, it was not that Li's energy overpowered the original design.
No, instead, it was more a fusion.
The ashwood path started to light up, seven neat rows of flowers, each a different color of the rainbow, growing across its length, maintaining the rainbow lighting that was part of Zahaka's original design.
Amid the leafy green that grew on the now wooden arches, there arose countless sunflowers, their golden heads shining bright with the resplendent l.u.s.ter of the sun.
The Aviania, however, did not manifest, remaining as unaffected blueprints unreached by Li's divine power.
"Odd," said Li as he peered at the hollow hexes making up the Aviania. Maybe he could not create life under another god's domain.
He briefly considered spawning treants or some other guardian familiar in place of the Aviania, but he did not have to consider long.
A flash of golden light broke from the sky as clouds parted. The light enveloped the length of the bridge, and as it touched down on the divine construct, the Aviania begin to fill in with solid gold.
Li widened his eyes in surprise. This was the unmistakable energy signature of Helius. And, as he realized, it was not just the god's power that was here. No, Helius's presence was also here, if a bit faint.
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"You will?" asked Mason as he stared at Li in a flash of disbelief that quickly turned into apologetic recognition. "Of course, good seer. Forgive me if you thought I was doubting you."
"Do not beat yourself up about it," said Li with a nod. "All your life, you have known one god, one light. And I will say now that your faith is not misplaced. Your god of light is certainly a powerful one and, deep down, a good one.
He would be happy to know that there are genuine people with genuine beliefs under his light even now."
"Good seer, how would you know this?" asked Mason.
"Call it a hunch. Something you pick up from being close to divinity for so long." Li stepped forwards and waved everyone else back except Asala.
"Asala, is this the layout for the Midpath bridge?" said Li as he peered straight ahead.
Twin obelisks of sand, much larger than the ones she had erected across the Midpath, stood beside her, and from their rune carved surfaces there arose a massive flux of brilliant white magical energy that flowed out in whirring strands.
The strands wove around each other in equally sized hexes, building up a complex and clear outline of what the Midpath bridge must have once been. It looked exactly like a blueprint drawn up by an architect, and even Li found himself impressed at its sheer scale and artistry.
The Midpath bridge stretched from this side of the continent to the other, a full dozen kilometers or so, with the bridge itself being nearly half a kilometer wide. The bridge's design itself looked like a strange blend of classical Greco-roman architecture and fantastical magic elements.
The length of the bridge was a construct of pure energy, and flickers of faint color indicated that when completed, the colors of the rainbow would run down the length of the path. Classical arches set apart in intervals of a hundred meters rose across, and perched atop them, there were facades of winged angels raising torches high up, acting as beacons of light.
"Angels," muttered Mason under his breath. His blue eyes glistened as he saw the beauty of the statues apparent even through the incomplete blueprints of weaved white lines of magic. He saw their great wings unfurled to their sides, stretching downwards as if to c.a.r.e.s.s the bridge in protective embrace.
When his eyes moved to the angels' hands, they narrowed in confusion. "But…"
"Doth they look different from the angels that thou know?" said Asala, gently.
Mason nodded.
Li had to agree. He had seen an angel statue here or there, for they were talked about in the myths of Soleil and the light as servants of the great god Helius before they ascended to Valhul. In any depiction of angel in Soleil, they were distinctively human, the only inhuman part of them being their wings.
Harpies, to be precise, as was apparent by their taloned fingers and pinkies that stretched out from behind their hands to form their wings.
Though, as Li realized, they were different from normal harpies too. Their torsos seemed mechanical in nature, formed from smooth, metallic surfaces interlocked around an orb-like core.
He knew what these were. Angels, especially variants at a higher level, were more mechanical than organic beings, with the highest ranked types such as Seraphim looking like winged mechs more so than any flesh and blood fighter.
These were Aviania, level seventy angels that harpies using light based divine magic could ascend to when they met some conditions.
"I mentioned before that the harpies of the north too worship the Light," said Asala. She pointed to the hollow statues of the Aviania. "Tis why. The harpies are sons and daughters of the Light also. The originals if I may add. Successor to the first angels that once guarded this realm."
"The Light was not vested unto man?" said Mason.
"Oh, it was," said Asala. "But not only to man. Tis' a strange thing, how thy kind hath warped the Light. The main tenet of it still stands, that the Light shall shine upon all no matter their shape nor size, and yet, how that principle has warped to the shape and size of man only is one that still confounds me."
"Will these Aviania activate if I restore this bridge according to the blueprints?" said Li. His eyes, now far more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to the flow of magic than before, could tell that this blueprint, this weave of white hexes, required additional divine energy to fill in.
But he had to hand it to Zahaka. The design of the blueprint was masterful. All he had to do was pump in his power, and the hexes would circulate them, shape them, and form them exactly into the specifications of the bridge.
In a way, it was very much like the ritual she used to channel Li's power to transport him back from Valhul to the physical world. It would seem that she was continuously studying, improving upon her former designs to create newer and better spells.
He wondered how far the goddess had progressed by now.
"Aviania? That is their name?" Asala scribbled down a note in her tablet. She looked to Li with the stylus at her lips. "As for thy query, I doth not know. The Midpath was built in the dawn of the Convergence when yet the gods still roamed this realm, and since then, there hath been none godly enough that could ever restore it."
"Suppose there is no harm in trying," said Li. He walked to the edge of the cliff face, standing between the two obelisks drawing up the blueprints.
"Stand back, all of you. The scale of this operation is beyond you all for now," said Li as he stretched his arms out to the side. An aura of green started to shimmer and flicker all around him, waving faintly at first before filling in with bright color that crackled.
"Go, papa, go!" said Tia as she clapped her hands, always eager to see Li display his power.
Li smiled and tilted his head back for a bit, making sure everyone was far enough back, and when he confirmed they were, all of them watching him with intently, he took in a breath. He slowly put his arms forward, his fingers splaying out.
He watched arcs of radiant green streaking out from his fingers and arms, reacting with the white lines of Zahaka's old magic. The hexes that interacted with Li's life energy glowed the same shade of green, showing that his divine magic was just as compatible here as Helius's must have been long ago.
Then there was no need to hold back.
Li unleashed his power full throttle, his eyes glowing so bright they could have blinded anyone that stared at them. A mountainous aura of trembling green rose up around him for a split second, lighting up the sky in a verdant instant before the entirety of that magic packed aura funneled into the blueprint.
The rainbow path, once a construct of solidified light, filled in with bony white ashwood. The arches dotting the path, once comprised of solid golden light from Helius, instead now built themselves out of the same ashen wood, vines and leaves curling out in decoration where before there would have been patterns of gold in the shape of sunlight.
And yet, it was not that Li's energy overpowered the original design.
No, instead, it was more a fusion.
The ashwood path started to light up, seven neat rows of flowers, each a different color of the rainbow, growing across its length, maintaining the rainbow lighting that was part of Zahaka's original design.
Amid the leafy green that grew on the now wooden arches, there arose countless sunflowers, their golden heads shining bright with the resplendent l.u.s.ter of the sun.
The Aviania, however, did not manifest, remaining as unaffected blueprints unreached by Li's divine power.
"Odd," said Li as he peered at the hollow hexes making up the Aviania. Maybe he could not create life under another god's domain.
He briefly considered spawning treants or some other guardian familiar in place of the Aviania, but he did not have to consider long.
A flash of golden light broke from the sky as clouds parted. The light enveloped the length of the bridge, and as it touched down on the divine construct, the Aviania begin to fill in with solid gold.
Li widened his eyes in surprise. This was the unmistakable energy signature of Helius. And, as he realized, it was not just the god's power that was here. No, Helius's presence was also here, if a bit faint.
"You will?" asked Mason as he stared at Li in a flash of disbelief that quickly turned into apologetic recognition. "Of course, good seer. Forgive me if you thought I was doubting you." "Do not beat yourself up about it," said Li with a nod. "All your life, you have known one god, one light. And I will say now that your faith is not misplaced. Your god of light is certainly a powerful one and, deep down, a good one. He would be happy to know that there are genuine people with genuine beliefs under his light even now." "Good seer, how would you know this?" asked Mason. "Call it a hunch. Something you pick up from being close to divinity for so long." Li stepped forwards and waved everyone else back except Asala. "Asala, is this the layout for the Midpath bridge?" said Li as he peered straight ahead. Twin obelisks of sand, much larger than the ones she had erected across the Midpath, stood beside her, and from their rune carved surfaces there arose a massive flux of brilliant white magical energy that flowed out in whirring strands. The strands wove around each other in equally sized hexes, building up a complex and clear outline of what the Midpath bridge must have once been. It looked exactly like a blueprint drawn up by an architect, and even Li found himself impressed at its sheer scale and artistry. The Midpath bridge stretched from this side of the continent to the other, a full dozen kilometers or so, with the bridge itself being nearly half a kilometer wide. The bridge's design itself looked like a strange blend of classical Greco-roman architecture and fantastical magic elements. The length of the bridge was a construct of pure energy, and flickers of faint color indicated that when completed, the colors of the rainbow would run down the length of the path. Classical arches set apart in intervals of a hundred meters rose across, and perched atop them, there were facades of winged angels raising torches high up, acting as beacons of light. "Angels," muttered Mason under his breath. His blue eyes glistened as he saw the beauty of the statues apparent even through the incomplete blueprints of weaved white lines of magic. He saw their great wings unfurled to their sides, stretching downwards as if to c.a.r.e.s.s the bridge in protective embrace. When his eyes moved to the angels' hands, they narrowed in confusion. "But" "Doth they look different from the angels that thou know?" said Asala, gently. Mason nodded. Li had to agree. He had seen an angel statue here or there, for they were talked about in the myths of Soleil and the light as servants of the great god Helius before they ascended to Valhul. In any depiction of angel in Soleil, they were distinctively human, the only inhuman part of them being their wings. Harpies, to be precise, as was apparent by their taloned fingers and pinkies that stretched out from behind their hands to form their wings. Though, as Li realized, they were different from normal harpies too. Their torsos seemed mechanical in nature, formed from smooth, metallic surfaces interlocked around an orb-like core. He knew what these were. Angels, especially variants at a higher level, were more mechanical than organic beings, with the highest ranked types such as Seraphim looking like winged mechs more so than any flesh and blood fighter. These were Aviania, level seventy angels that harpies using light based divine magic could ascend to when they met some conditions. "I mentioned before that the harpies of the north too worship the Light," said Asala. She pointed to the hollow statues of the Aviania. "Tis why. The harpies are sons and daughters of the Light also. The originals if I may add. Successor to the first angels that once guarded this realm." "The Light was not vested unto man?" said Mason. "Oh, it was," said Asala. "But not only to man. Tis' a strange thing, how thy kind hath warped the Light. The main tenet of it still stands, that the Light shall shine upon all no matter their shape nor size, and yet, how that principle has warped to the shape and size of man only is one that still confounds me." "Will these Aviania activate if I restore this bridge according to the blueprints?" said Li. His eyes, now far more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to the flow of magic than before, could tell that this blueprint, this weave of white hexes, required additional divine energy to fill in. But he had to hand it to Zahaka. The design of the blueprint was masterful. All he had to do was pump in his power, and the hexes would circulate them, shape them, and form them exactly into the specifications of the bridge. In a way, it was very much like the ritual she used to channel Li's power to transport him back from Valhul to the physical world. It would seem that she was continuously studying, improving upon her former designs to create newer and better spells. He wondered how far the goddess had progressed by now. "Aviania? That is their name?" Asala scribbled down a note in her tablet. She looked to Li with the stylus at her lips. "As for thy query, I doth not know. The Midpath was built in the dawn of the Convergence when yet the gods still roamed this realm, and since then, there hath been none godly enough that could ever restore it." "Suppose there is no harm in trying," said Li. He walked to the edge of the cliff face, standing between the two obelisks drawing up the blueprints. "Stand back, all of you. The scale of this operation is beyond you all for now," said Li as he stretched his arms out to the side. An aura of green started to shimmer and flicker all around him, waving faintly at first before filling in with bright color that crackled. "Go, papa, go!" said Tia as she clapped her hands, always eager to see Li display his power. Li smiled and tilted his head back for a bit, making sure everyone was far enough back, and when he confirmed they were, all of them watching him with intently, he took in a breath. He slowly put his arms forward, his fingers splaying out. He watched arcs of radiant green streaking out from his fingers and arms, reacting with the white lines of Zahaka's old magic. The hexes that interacted with Li's life energy glowed the same shade of green, showing that his divine magic was just as compatible here as Helius's must have been long ago. Then there was no need to hold back. Li unleashed his power full throttle, his eyes glowing so bright they could have blinded anyone that stared at them. A mountainous aura of trembling green rose up around him for a split second, lighting up the sky in a verdant instant before the entirety of that magic packed aura funneled into the blueprint. The rainbow path, once a construct of solidified light, filled in with bony white ashwood. The arches dotting the path, once comprised of solid golden light from Helius, instead now built themselves out of the same ashen wood, vines and leaves curling out in decoration where before there would have been patterns of gold in the shape of sunlight. And yet, it was not that Li's energy overpowered the original design. No, instead, it was more a fusion. The ashwood path started to light up, seven neat rows of flowers, each a different color of the rainbow, growing across its length, maintaining the rainbow lighting that was part of Zahaka's original design. Amid the leafy green that grew on the now wooden arches, there arose countless sunflowers, their golden heads shining bright with the resplendent l.u.s.ter of the sun. The Aviania, however, did not manifest, remaining as unaffected blueprints unreached by Li's divine power. "Odd," said Li as he peered at the hollow hexes making up the Aviania. Maybe he could not create life under another god's domain. He briefly considered spawning treants or some other guardian familiar in place of the Aviania, but he did not have to consider long. A flash of golden light broke from the sky as clouds parted. The light enveloped the length of the bridge, and as it touched down on the divine construct, the Aviania begin to fill in with solid gold. Li widened his eyes in surprise. This was the unmistakable energy signature of Helius. And, as he realized, it was not just the god's power that was here. No, Helius's presence was also here, if a bit faint.
