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IABD 13: Power Stone
🕑 Added 2025-02-28 18:54:12 +0000 UTCEverything Matthias had read about Divine Breath in the past two weeks had been clear: every cultivator could only have one Tower.
A cultivator’s Tower was intrinsically linked to their soul, and just as a soul could not have more than one body, a soul could also not have more than one Tower. And yet—as clear as the sun in the sky on a cloudless day—there were the two Towers in Matthias’ soul.
It was undeniable.
More of Altaizar’s words echoed through his mind in that moment:
‘Don’t always trust something just because someone wrote it in a book. At times, words can be untrue.’
Swallowing, Matthias walked closer to the Towers, examining them.
The first Tower’s foundation was a solid mass of stones—large, squared and of uniform size—with their hue darkened as though blackened by fire. They radiated an aura of intense, oppressive power.
Beside the first, the other Tower’s foundation of stones—rounded, small and varying in shape—were of light hues, having a surface glistening with the thinnest layer of frost. They radiated an aura of quiet, boundless strength.
Both foundations were connected by a glistening string—like a spider’s thread—that pulsed with silver and golden light. Within their stone walls—broken by openings where doors would be placed—were dirt floors. In time the Towers’ interiors would likely be filled, but with what?
Matthias could not be sure.
“This is legendary,” he whispered. “But why did I get two? Whose Towers are these?”
Checking the stones closely, he found a glowing rock on the glistening Tower near the opening where a door could be placed.
“There are some words written here.” He squinted at them.
The words were not in the northland script—or any other language he’d ever encountered—yet he could read some of them.
“The Tower of…” He paused. “The Tower of…”
Every word after ‘of’ was obscured as though being seen through a pane of glass coated in thick mist. Cursing, he went to the Tower of dark stone, finding another stone etched with that Tower’s name.
Again, the words were shrouded in mist.
“Damnit, the books said I should be able to read the words on my Tower,” Matthias growled, thankful that Altaizar wasn’t in this realm with him. He could speak freely. “What in the name of the ancestors is going on? I get a shadow-tendril that I know nothing about, then I Awaken to Divine Breath and it just raises more questions!”
His head hurt.
Matthias Stonebreaker was by no means a dullard, but he didn’t consider himself a great scholar either; he’d spent far more time buried in difficult books in the past two weeks than he would have liked, and his head was feeling like his brain was ready to boil out of his skull.
Still, the need to know was burning inside him.
“Maybe the words will become clearer if I build my Tower?” Matthias considered aloud. “Something else to ask Master Altaizar about. Oh, and I should check for my power stone.”
Excitement burned through him; this was very different from anything he’d ever imagined for himself.
The Gift was a fluid thing, where one’s power grew based on their practise, skill, knowledge, inner strength and endurance. Life Enforcement was a simple enhancement of the physical form, though certain powerful items could channel Life Energy into new abilities.
Divine Breath was different, it provided specific powers laid out in cosmic lettering, almost feeling like getting ready to receive new gifts during the festival of Godsreturn.
“What will I get?” he wondered. “More shadow powers, maybe? I know I’m stronger, but I hope I get more than—Oh! Oh! I found it!”
On the inside of the Tower’s stump—opposite where a door would go—was the power stone. As he approached, the dark rock began to glow with a fiery orange light.
Letters blazed into being, scrawling their way across the rock’s surface.
They were clear; he could read them as easily as any words he’d ever encountered before.
He bent down to read the stone, his eyes eagerly drinking in the details.
“One with Truth and Nature,” Matthias read. “All material has purpose. All thought has intent. The world is filled with illusion, where physical things do not always match their purpose. Mortals and deities alike become too easily entwined with the form of things, when what they should cleave to is the nature of things. By ascending this Tower, you have grown closer to the nature of things, becoming less attached to their illusionary forms.”
Excitement grew in Matthias. That sounded legendary.
“Being closer to the nature of creation, all you are and all you do has grown closer to its purpose. To its nature. Your body is healthier, and will grow healthier still. For that is the nature and purpose of the body. Your muscles will be stronger and your mind sharper, for that is their nature and purpose. All you are is enhanced, and everything you do will more readily fulfil your intent. All that you craft will be more beautiful. All that you learn will come to you quicker. Blows that you strike will bleed more, if that is your intention, or merely cause impact and surprise if that is your wish.”
Matthias’ jaw dropped open. “Everything I do is just…better? I’ll learn quicker, I’ll be stronger, faster, I’ll craft things better…this is great. But, there’s more written here.”
His eyes focused on the burning letters. “Know well that all you take up will also be closer to its purpose. Steel in your hand will be stronger and sharper. Ink on the tip of your quill will splatter less and mark the page easier. Food you prepare will taste better and be more nourishing. Poisons you make will kill more swiftly. “By the deities, that means weapons will be stronger and deadlier in my hand! Armour should be stronger too. Things I craft from stone will be sturdier and more beautiful! This is incredible! But, what’s this…”
He continued reading. “As you climb your Tower, you will grow closer to nature and truth. All you are will become more, but be warned. Your actions will match your intention, and so your intention must be clear. Actions taken carelessly will have a great impact, and if you perform them with the wrong intention, the result could be disastrous. The truth is a powerful thing, and must be spoken carefully. Walk forward in truth.”
Matthias fell silent. This power was profound and would grow greater. But there was a responsibility that came with it.
“If I strike out in anger to hurt someone, my intent will make the hurt greater,” he whispered. The boy shuddered, thinking about this power in someone else’s hands.
Someone like Haakon.
What was the big man’s intent when he’d gripped him by the shoulder? Surely, it was to hurt and scare him. What would have happened if his actions had grown closer to his intention by way of divine power?
Matthias doubted he’d have a working shoulder right now.
“I’ll guard my intentions with care,” he vowed. “And do what I think is right.”
Touching the stone within reverence, he moved away from it.
“Alright,” he said. “I’d better get back to Altaizar. Maybe I…” He paused. “Cultivating two deities creates one power on each Layer forged from both deities’ strengths, but that’s with one amalgamated Tower. Since I have two Towers. Does that mean I get two powers?”
Matthias went to the Tower with stones coated in frost.
It did not take him long to find the power stone this time: it was also on the opposite side of the Tower where a door would be.
As he approached, the stone began to glow with blueish-white light and the frost thickened on its surface. Letters scrawled across the surface in crystals of ice.
He bent down to the stone, reading the letters.
His eyes grew wide.
“Oh, by the gods, it is a different power!” he cried. “The Realm in Dream. Sleep is akin to death, while dreams lay between the material and after-world. Part of creation is a dream, and a seed of creation has now been placed in your dreams. No longer will dreams be simply dreams to you. They will manifest as reality, and you shall be fully aware when in a dream. While mortals waste half their lives in sleep, you can use your dream-time to learn, train, rest and contemplate. Learn to control the dream to increase your options within the dream realm. But heed these two warnings. First, all you gain in a dream will be gained in the waking world, but all you lose will also be lost in the waking world. Injuries to the dream-form will manifest in the physical. The second warning is that, not all dreams are friendly. Be careful where and how far you wander.”
Matthias paused, contemplating what he’d just read. “It sounds like if I get stronger in a dream, I’ll get stronger in real life?” He imagined how quickly he would grow if he could train while he slept, especially when combined with the ability of the other Tower.
Something, however, bothered him. “What does it mean by ‘not all dreams are friendly. Be careful where and how far you wander’? “Something else to think about. I’ve got two Towers, two sets of powers…and no answers.”
He paused, thinking about the mysteries surrounding him.
Frowning, he looked at both Towers, then down at his shadow.
He called upon the shadow-tendril. It rose from his shadow, writhing silently by his side.
Matthias’ frown deepened, and he looked from tower to tower. Neither had made any reference to shadow powers nor did they seem to belong to the god of shadows, Lykosion. Both pulsed with a divine energy…and if he were to be honest, his shadow-tendril felt nothing like them.
He reached out, rubbing the tentacle with his finger. “You’re not from Divine Breath at all, are you? So, where did you come from? What are you? What happened to me when I went off that cliff?”
He thought about the strange images that had gone through his mind as he’d fallen:
A white moon.
A black moon.
Bonfires.
Shadows twisting.
Snippets of phrases.
“...mother forgive…”
“…forbidden pillar…”
“...older pillars of power…”
“...lungs you have…”
Then, a phrase, clear as day.
“Tonight, we kill death.”
Then there was that dream of the man Awakening to Divine Breath.
If none of that had come from a spontaneous Awakening, then where had it come from?
###
When Matthias opened his eyes, the rain had slowed.
He was still standing in the exact spot he’d been earlier, though Master Altaizar had moved.
“Ah, you’re back,” a voice called from behind him.
Matthias turned; the mage was hovering in the air cross-legged, scrawling in a thick notebook. “I thought I’d just jot down some notes while you were off exploring.”
“How long was I gone?” Matthias asked.
“No more than five minutes, I’d say.”
It had felt like he’d been exploring the Towers for much longer.
“So, what did you find?” Master Altaizar asked him with a gleam in his eye. His quill was poised above the notebook, and he looked excited, like he was relishing the moment. “Which deities or deity did you cultivate for your Tower? What power did you get?”
“Um,” Matthias paused. “Well…I’ve got two Towers in my soul, not just one.”
Altaizar froze, looking up from his notes slowly. “…what? Are you sure?”
Matthias nodded. “Each had a different power stone, and they were connected to one another by some kind of glowing string.”
“I…but…” Altaizar muttered. “…a soul can only ever have one Tower. You are sure that is what you saw?”
“As sure as I am that you’re there right in front of me.” Matthias swore.
“That can’t be…” Altaizar’s eyes grew wider. “My collection of manuals on Divine Breath isn’t complete, but there being only one Tower is the basic of the basic. It’s one of the first things that one learns when studying the art. What…what deities did these Towers belong to?”
“That’s the thing, I couldn’t read that information.” Matthias explained. “It was obscured like it was were buried in some kind of mist. It was strange, Master Altaizar.”
“Strange? The word you should be using is ‘incomprehensible’. Matthias, I have never heard of Towers’ names and deific sources being hidden from their cultivators. Never. Books can be wrong, but you are breaking fundamental truths when it comes to Divine Breath.”
Altaizar stepped away from Matthias. His eyes narrowed, and something about his expression sent a chill through the boy.
He felt like the mage was looking at him like a specimen he was about to dissect.
“So, what…what do we do?” Matthias asked.
Altaizar frowned. “I was going to help you learn how to use your powers so you could claim your vengeance, and after that we would move onto solidifying your foundation…at your age, that will likely take years—”
“—years?” Matthias baulked.
“Yes. It is the most critical stage in the journey of a practitioner of Divine Breath. You cannot build your tower without a strong foundation. Sure, there are shortcuts that would allow you to skip that stage and progress quickly to building your first Layer, but that would result in a weak Tower. Weak Towers collapse, and you do not want to know what happens to a soul when its Tower collapses. The fact that you have two would only make things…”
Altaizar trailed off, shaking his head. “This is beyond me.”
“Pardon?” Matthias said.
“I said, this is beyond me,” Altaizar grimaced, looking up at the skies. “I intended to see if your determination would let you Awaken to Divine Breath out of my own curiosity…but—to put it bluntly—it seems that I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.” His face was growing grimmer by the second. “I think it is time for us to part ways for a time, Matthias.”
“Huh? What? Why?” the young man was shocked.
“There are others who know far more about cultivating Divine Breath than I do. With all that you’ve told me; I’m not fit to lead you through solidifying your foundation. You’re going to need someone with more expertise than I. Someone like my mother.”
“Mistress Polla?” Matthias asked, barely remembering her from when he was a child. “Mother says she was Master in the Vale of Magi. Won’t she be busy? That’s one of the reasons you took over to work with Bregindoure, isn’t it?”
“There’s more to that story than I wish to share,” Altaizar admitted. “But as for her position in the Vale…trust me, she will take a leave of absence for this. Potentially, a long one. As for myself, I need to travel from here. I have to look into this more carefully.”
Matthias fell silent. Just what was going on?
What had he uncovered?
“I am going to return to my Tower and write a letter to my mother now.” Altaizar nodded, floating high in the air. “But before I go…tell me, what powers did you gain from your Tower, er, Towers?”
Matthias told him about One with Truth and Nature and The Realm in Dream.
Altaizar’s eyes widened. “Many would complain about such abilities. They are not—as one might say—flashy. There are no firing beams of Divine Breath or crafting powerful elixirs or potions, controlling minds, or conjuring or turning one's skin into steel, but both those abilities have incredible potential to help your growth. Excellent foundation abilities.”
“That’s what I thought,” Matthias agreed. “Though…turning my skin into steel does sound legendary. But I think I like my abilities better.”
“That’s very mature of you,” Altaizar complimented him. “Hmmm, and they seem to centre around creation, truth and reality itself. What deity would that…hm. More things for me to research.”
“Is my situation really so unique?” Matthias asked, worry growing in him. “I’ve not been…selected for some great task, have I? Like fighting some ravening, ancient evil or something?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Altaizar patted Matthias’ shoulder. “What a remarkable imagination you have. It’s not often that great powers choose us for anything, even if it might seem that way. The truth of it is that the greatest tasks are the ones we choose for ourselves. Pick well, Matthias. You have greatness in you. Anything you choose to do, will be great.”
“Even petty revenge?” Matthias grinned.
“Even petty revenge,” Altaizar chuckled. “Alright, I’m going to take my leave. We’ll meet again tomorrow. I’ll teach you some basics before mother comes. And come she will.” His gaze sharpened. “And by the way, Matthias…congratulations, you really did stop at nothing to achieve what you wished to achieve, and you were rewarded for it. Keep walking your path.”
Matthias nodded. “I will. See you tomorrow.”
“Until then.”
With those words, the mage flew into the sky, soaring toward his tower.
Matthias watched him disappear above the trees.
He took a deep breath, letting earlier worries and questions abate.
“First, I’ll tell Dagma and Bregindoure. Then?” He clenched a fist. “It’ll be time for some revenge.”
###
Altaizar frowned deeply as he flew toward his tower.
“Dreams of the shadows,” he whispered beneath his breath. “…what did you do?”
###
Author's Note
So fun fact, the title of this chapter is a reference to an old ass Dreamcast game called Power Stone. It was very good for its time!
Comments
Lon
So both of his powers are all about turning things more real… Even if his Towers are so different in appearance they represent the same divinity… Which makes me think that Matthias took Divine Breath from only one Deity instead of two as he thinks. And it would explain why he can’t see the name of his Towers… Because maybe they are incomplete. Which would too mean he has only one Tower but two aspects of it? Maybe because of his shadow tendril. Mistress Polla is the one from chapter 1 isn’t she? She did say she hoped Matthias' mother would forgive her, which implies that both were a bit closer or knew each other… Matthias’s mom wouldn’t leave him to a total stranger willingly of course.
Jeff
All this talk about shadows and death, in the end he gets powers that involved reality and illusions. I feel let down. What does this have to do with "I am Death" or "killing death"?
Brian Small
Matt: I’m not going to have to fight some mad,shadowy orb in an underground cave that spits out monsters, will I? Altaizar:…what stories have you been listening too?!?
mant06
The developement of the shadow and its abilities will be interesting to follow. Given that the shadow came from an old magic item there is a fair change that its abilities are mana based and it has in effect given Mathias a manapool, which could further his crafting abilities provided by the essence divine breath(currently they help making high quality items).
mant06
That may well be, especially considering there may have been just a suitable source for such a craft in the ritual shown in the begining. On another note there may be other cultivators with two towers. In Kyembe's world those magic seems similar to how the old magic sounds, there are wizards called demonbound who seem to have the soul of a suitable entity bound to their own soul giving them access to magical abilities and possibly manapools.
Decide
Sounds like the shadow thing isn't his, but rather some type soul graft.
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Andrew C.
Love the small reference to the Ravener
thaughton2
Huh. So Altaizar understands more than he showed.
