Thanks for waiting. Back home now so should be back to normal release schedule. Hope you like the chapter! Took me ages to write and I think it still needs some polish so I'll probably do another pass tomorrow to tidy up some of the ideas and make them clearer. I think it's pretty much there though.
Hump took a seat in the Trial of Pestilence chamber in front of Plague Zombie Tom. Tom’s eyes were closed and he was completely motionless, not even his pustulous skin oozing with its usual decay. Everything was frozen in place.
The Timestop Hourglass was already active. Two hours. Two hours to get this done or fail. Gods knew what would happen next if he did.
He rolled his eyes. It had never been made much sense using the phrase, but now that he knew the gods were dead, it made even less. Habit was habit, he supposed. He’d been cursing the gods a long time, even if he didn’t believe it.
Today more than ever, he found himself blaming them for much. The era of the Pantheon was over. Today, the old gods would be free, the very core principles of Alveron would change, and so would the world order.
And if this worked out, Hump would have the very thing everyone wanted—the Divine Sparks. The old gods, Godfrey, Baelkor, the Demon Lord, the surviving members of the Pantheon, and most likely, the Chosen of Alveron seeking what remained of the gods. Every one of them reflected very poorly on Hump’s future.
Fortunately, that was also a problem for future him to solve.
Right now, he simply had to achieve what few but the legends of the past had accomplished, and in two hours no less. When advancing to Rank 6, it had taken him the best part of an afternoon. So little time to create a Soul Domain really was daunting. More than daunting. It seemed impossible.
His heart raced. What if I fail?
His friends and Celaine were right in the centre of everything, and they wouldn’t leave him. Baelkor and Owalyn were battling below. Heaven itself was collapsing. His people were fighting down below.
A surge of fear snuck up on him. He was a simple hedge wizard. The apprentice of a master that had never had such ambitions for him. What would the old man say to me now that I’m caught up with the gods themselves?
The moment he thought it the answer came to him as a memory, clear as if the old man were sitting beside him.
“Doubt is the enemy of wizards. A wizard must believe in himself first, only then will the world obey him.”
“But what if I fail?” Hump had asked.
“Simple.” The old man had poked his chest. “You focus and try again.”
Hump smiled. His heart slowed, and a sense of calmness came over him. It was time for wizard’s logic over emotions. The only emotion he had room for now was resolve.
He opened his spellbook and once more studied its instruction.
THE BOOK OF INFINITE PAGES
Spirit Forge
Enhancement | Internal Essence | Tier 6
Description
Through repeated refinement, the soul condenses into a dense, stabilised core, its once-fluid structure forged into something enduring. Hardened walls contain the growing pressure, allowing for greater essence flow without collapse. With each cycle of essence that passes through it, the soul is tempered further—strengthened, solidified, and shaped into a vessel capable of more. It is in this vessel where a domain can be forged.
Origin
The River and Waves
Spirit Well
Spirit Overflow
Notes
y.403 – Nithrand – To those who dare forge their spirit anew, know this: you now stand at the precipice of greatness, where brilliance and ruin share the same narrow edge. To press onward is to invite the flame of change. But should you endure, should you temper your soul in the crucible of your own making, you may yet rise to the heights of the old. Push further, and shape not only your power, but your dominion over essence itself. Bend the world to your will.
Things were different now. He possessed something that perhaps no wizard of his rank had ever grasped—half a Divine Spark. Not just insight, but power. While he was fairly sure that didn’t make him a god, it had changed something fundamental inside. His soul was strong—it had to be to survive the trials he’d put it through. But now… it was brimming with power so great that he couldn’t quite quantify it. It strained against the walls of his soul much like the essence of his Spirit Well once had, threatening to burst it.
His soul was tempered, but it was not yet shaped into the vessel he needed. He’d compressed such power before to form his Spirit Forged core, but it was far more than before.
The walls were still settling. He sensed every aspect so clearly, even compared to the past. There were three distinct layers to it: his core, where his life force came from, a more nebulous cloud of essence that surrounded it, and the wall that contained everything. Ordana’s fire had added to all three layers. They were denser, drew more essence from the environment, and stored the essence with intent that better matched his own. He had yet to recover, but the supply of essence felt almost endless.
Power enough that he thought it might rival beings like Godfrey or Baelkor.
Of course, his body and skill were still very much that of a Rank 6 wizard, but at least in this one aspect, he was far beyond that now.
If there was ever a time to breach the seventh barrier, it would be now. The time was right. Even his tiredness was beginning to dissipate.
Today, he would join the ranks of the ancient wizards—those that advanced without the help of a god.
Some of the Three Eyes had already achieved it. Wizard Aldric and his domain of Silver Rain. Master Dorn, whose aura had gathered around him like the ocean itself before his death defending Elenvine.
It was said that wizards could once call down the very stars and create mountains themselves. They possessed the power to rival gods. Now, Hump thought differently. The gods had sought the power of Samuel Durain, the power of the First Master, the Wandering Wizard.
He would not rival them. He would surpass them. The Divine Sparks would find safety in him, and he would lead the people of Alveron and the Twelve Realms into an era where magic and knowledge was shared, just as the First Master had wanted all those years ago.
The chains of the Pantheon would be broken today, and the Old Gods would be released.
And it would be because of him and no one else. The grand formation containing the Divine Sparks would bend before his will.
Hump looked up at Plague Zombie Tom, resolved to do what he must.
His own enlightenment wouldn’t be enough. There was so much he didn’t know. To advance now, he had only one way forward.
The old man had often said, “Nothing pushes a wizard to grow like reaching their limits.”
Hump’s soul was pushed to its very edge already. If he wanted to break through, the fastest was to do this was to dive back into the plague domain left behind by Gius. It was there that Hump had gained the most insight—there, where his soul was pressure to its limits. He’d glimpsed what it took to build a domain and now it would be his guide. The clue was there, to figure out the rest, he had to overcome it and reach the soul at Tom’s core.
By exposing himself to that power, he could understand it. He’d come close before. For a moment, he had embodied the lava aspect of himself and almost managed to reach the core. If he could do that now—if he could truly understand essence and the nature of his soul, not only could he reach the core of Plague Zombie Tom, but he could form his Soul Domain.
That was far simpler in theory than practice.
Hump braced himself for what was about to come. The pain of that poison wasn’t something he ever got used to, but he did become resistant to it. Every time he’d been here, he’d managed to get a little farther into the domain. Now, he was just one step away.
Once more, he dived into that poison domain.
Hump thought back to his last attempt to reach Plague Zombie Tom. He’d come so close—so close he could see the heart of his soul—yet failed one step away. The poison of Gius had been too overwhelming. The Rivers of Lava had risen at Hump’s feet and offered their protection, but they fell short of a domain.
It would be different now. Hump didn’t force his way forward. He took a moment to envision what Algwyn had called him. It hadn’t been enough last time, but now, it would be different.
Hump manifested his soul.
The plague domain pressed back. Heat surged through his body as the green fog engulfed him, sickness clawing at his lungs and veins. The corruption of Gius pressed against every part of him, seeking weakness, seeking entry. It carried the same weight as before—the lingering will of a god so absolute that even after death it still possessed so much power.
This time, Hump didn’t resist it. He let it wash over him. He stood still within the endless green and felt the plague press against the walls of his soul, remembering his last attempt. The choking pressure. Lava rising at his feet. The glimpse of the soul beyond the poison cloud.
Back then, he’d sought to push through. Now, he tried to understand. Gius hadn’t simply imposed his will on this place. He had transformed it. Every strand of plague essence, every current in the fog, and the corruption of a soul itself.
And so, Hump focused inward. He felt the shape of his soul so clearly, contorted by the pressure of Gius’ domain. The dense core at his centre. The vast sea of essence that surrounded it. The walls that held back this foreign intent. Ordana’s spark burned through every layer, changing them.
Yet beyond the Divine Spark, his dragon blood, and even his power, there was still him.
Ignarok.
The name stirred a fire in his chest. Essence responded to it. Even the Divine Spark lost its aggression and placated.
This was him. It was his intent—his perspective on the world. His insight into essence and magic.
His will was that of the earth and fire.
The world answered. Scarlet light spread beneath his feet. Molten cracks split the ground, and rivers of lava erupted from within, spreading across the plague-choked land. Heat rolled outward in waves so intense the poison recoiled from it, burned back. Not through force, but through nature. It was so easy. The very nature of his flame had changed with the Divine Spark. Fire flowed so naturally around him, resonant with his will, like an extension of his own body.
A path cleared, and the blue light of Plague Zombie Tom’s soul finally broke through the green. Hump strode toward, each step leaving molten footprints in his wake.
Hump strode toward it. Each step left molten footprints in his wake. Lava spread outward in flowing streams, carving glowing paths through the endless poison fog. Smoke and ash spiralled through the air around him while the dragon in his blood stirred eagerly.
Ignarok. The name no longer felt like someone else. It felt true. His soul resonated with it. His will was made manifest, embodying it.
Yet the deeper he walked, the greater the pressure became. The fog thickened, pushing inward with crushing force. Hump remained focused on himself—on the essence of his will. Fire to burn away corruption. Earth to endure it.
The rivers widened around him. Stone trembled beneath his feet. Pillars of flame erupted to the sky, illuminating shapes moving within the green haze like twisted silhouettes.
The fog surged in response. It crashed together before him like a living wall. The blue soul vanished from sight. His lava was forced back. His manifested soul strained under the pressure.
Hump stopped dead in his tracks.
Gius’ domain pushed against him with unbearable force, driving him backward inch by inch. With a thought, stone erupted behind him, anchoring him in place as he fought to hold his ground.
Still not enough. The stone cracked and crumbled. He felt his will caving. His power giving.
His teeth clenched. Sweat mixed with plague essence across his skin as he forced every shred of will into resisting the pressure. The soul was just out of reach. He could feel he’d reached a limit. There was something he wasn’t grasping. His soul was strong, his intent focused, his understanding of himself clear—so what wasn’t working?
Why could he not breech the barrier of the seventh rank?
What am I missing? What more is there to do?
The answer came to him. Fire and earth were only two parts of him. Ordana’s Divine Spark had influenced him, pulling his thoughts toward flame and destruction. Algwyn’s name, Ignarok, had given him visions of lava. But Hump had forgotten something fundamental.
His greatest strength had never been fury or destruction. Again and again, through every battle, every nightmare, every impossible moment, was the light. The White Flame. The beacon that brought hope.
It was so obvious. That was what had been missing.
The pressure intensified, but Hump roared back against it. White fire exploded from his chest. Radiant light pierced the plague fog in every direction, cutting through the green haze like dawn breaking over night. The domain trembled. Poison split apart beneath the brilliance. Molten stone erupted against beneath Hump’s feet while rivers of lava surged outward around him.
And White Flame flickered over its surface, pure and unyielding. The plague fog couldn’t touch it. The smoke of his own lava was pierced by its light.
Hump walked forward once more, no longer forcing his way through the domain. The pressure vanished before him. At least, he reached the soul.
Blue essence floated within the heart of the plague domain, vast and impossibly dense. Hump extended his hand toward it and felt the immense power within respond instantly, latching onto him.
The moment the connection formed, the plague domain blurred away around him as his consciousness returned to the chamber once more.
Around Hump, the chamber was ablaze with lava and white fire, but neither Walt nor Plague Zombie Tom were touched by it. His soul blazed, energy surging within. It was the most powerful Soul Manifestation he’d ever managed, but it was no domain.
A domain was no projection but came from within. It was contained in his soul, housed in the core that was tempered through Spirit Forge. He was skipping some steps. His Spirit Well was far from full, but the essence of the Divine Spark would more than compensate for it. Already, it seared at his insides, awoken. It flooded his soul with essence, surging in a great blaze. The walls of his soul strained against it, but this was only the beginning. With a thought, Hump drew his soul back in, and along with it all the essence that had gathered around him.