Raising the King: The Lord of Stone
On the Solid Path…
Sweat rolled off Oz’s brow, and it was so quiet he swore he could hear the drop hit the floor. Or maybe that was his imagination. He found his mind got a little overactive when he got so exhausted. It was something he only learned recently as he began to exercise.
I think that might be my cue for a break Oz mused to himself, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get an answer.
“What? Why” The voice of Oliatos chimed in, relaxed but confused.
Auditory hallucinations he responded in his mind, usually, he spoke out loud to his guests when alone, but he didn’t want to waste his breath. I heard the drop hit the floor, but that’s impossible because I can only hear my head throbbing right now
As he spoke, Oz lowered himself to the ground out of the pushup position, laying there for a moment while taking deep breaths before he rolled over to his back and flailed around with his hand until he found his water bottle.
“Well, if you hit a wall, then there ain’t a thing I can do about it. Stoppin’ when you gotta is a skill too.” Oliatos said, though he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice.
Oz frowned before he responded aloud “Alright, what’s wrong? How many did I do?” Oz didn’t need to count since Oli covered it for him, which was nice since he felt like when he counted on his own he’d get messed up.
“Seventy-four. You’re way under the goal.”
Oz winced. Oli was right, they’d planned out for him to do one hundred-twenty push-ups and he didn’t even break triple digits.
“What do you think this means? Maybe we overestimated how much the run, curl-ups, and squats took out of me?”
Oz couldn’t see him, but he got the impression Oliatos was shaking his head. “Doubt it. The regimen has been the same as the past few times we’ve done this set. I haven’t upped the difficulty yet but you’re faltering.”
That caused Oz to frown even more. If he was failing to meet standards he’d been matching previously, perhaps something was wrong. “Oliatos, if there is something wrong with me I want you to tell me immediately.”
There was an uncomfortably long silence before the boy spoke. “*Well… You’ve gotten pretty far. You should be gettin’ to the point now where you can actually use geokinesis, but… maybe I’ve been pushin’ too hard? Few months ago you were still just a skinny kid, and now you actually have muscle but… Maybe your body isn’t takin’ too well to all the pressure we’re puttin’ on it?”
Oz sat in silence. He wasn’t satisfied with that answer. Why couldn’t he handle it? What flaw in him made him too weak? If he couldn’t overcome it, there was no way he could cement his story in the minds of those around him.
“You’re soundin’ like Oryth.” Oliatos chimed in with a sigh.
“Yeah… Yeah, you’re right. I think I need some sleep.”
“Sounds good to me”
When Oz arrived in his room within the Soulscape, he didn’t leave. This was the one time when he was truly alone. Oryth and Oli could hear his thoughts when they were in the courtyard of this place, so he could never escape from their ears so long as they were awake. It was rare though that both of them would be in their rooms though, so it wasn’t often he was alone with his thoughts. Usually being alone was an anxiety-inducing experience, but here Oz knew he need only walk down the hall to find company. That made the solitude bliss. He could make plans under their noses. Specifically, Oliatos’s.
Oliatos was a kind and surprisingly knowledgeable person. His experience had been immensely useful over the past few months. Oz could look down and see the evidence of that, his chest and arms having gained visible muscle definition. However, despite all this progress, Oli was convinced it wasn’t enough.
“How much more do I need just to use this damned power?” He muttered to himself, shocked at how bitter his own voice was.
But, why shouldn’t it be? Oz had trained hours daily for months and yet Oli thought he still wasn’t ready. Maybe the boy was just overly cautious. Or… Maybe he thought lowly of Oz. It felt like the wrong answer, Oliatos was too kind, but still, it itched at the back of his mind.
“I could prove to him I’m capable. I didn’t use Oryth’s power for the first time when I was ready to do it full force, I just did it. I can’t get better if I don’t actually use the power.”
With that Oz nodded to himself and stood, straightening his exomis before walking into the main room of the Soulscape. When he awoke, he just had to make sure not to think of this plan until Oliatos was within his chambers.
The time had come. He managed to dodge his morning training with Oliatos and keep his intentions out of his internal monologue. Then by noon Oliatos had announced he would retire to his chambers. Oz couldn’t help but grin as he strolled to the arena.
“I sense a scheme Ozymandias” Oryth said, an eager edge to his voice.
Oz usually didn’t like to humor the boy but he felt this time they would be in a similar mindset. After all, Oryth was irritated to no end by Oli’s kind demeanor, so going behind the other boy’s back was something he could surely get behind.
“I’m going to use Geokinesis.”
“Oh dear? Before you’re ready?” Oryth deepened his voice to a tone mocking Oliatos. Despite himself, Oz let out a chuckle.
“You’re getting fed up as well?” Oz said as he arrive at the sandy floor of the arena. He stepped into the center of the area.
“I’m always fed up with him. I just want to see the show.”
“I can see you lounging back. I can’t but I just know you are”
Oryth let out a chuckle, “*Guilty as charged. Now, I’m going to be quiet so you can do what you must.”
Oz nodded then closed his eyes. He had never tried this before, so it was something he did blindly, but he followed the method he used for Oryth’s power. He reached deep into himself, feeling the power within. There was a mass of power that he recognized as Orythroneus’s, one which he pulled upon quite often. This power was forceful, it sought to conquer and crush. Its will was the same as its master’s: the will of a tyrant. He traced his thoughts alone the line that bound the power to himself until he reached the other end. Here he found a steady power. If the power of Orythroneus was an unstoppable force, this was an immovable object. Strong and steadfast, there was no denying it could be anything except for Oliatos’s power. Oz latched onto it and allowed it to suffuse his body.
He opened his eyes and saw light everywhere. All throughout the ground beneath him was a mesh of golden light, the same shade as Oliatos’s eyes. He stuck a hand out and the mesh warped, pulling upwards towards his hand as if it was drawn by magnets. It was coming to him. Oz grinned, “It’s that easy huh?”
He couldn’t understand why Oli wanted him to wait. This power didn’t require any focus to use. It was child’s play. He clenched his fist and the mesh rushed up to fall into his grip, then with a brief flex of his will he shaped it. The mesh rearranged itself into the shape he desired, and where it met the ground it formed a circle, about a foot in diameter. A simple start, he’d make a short pillar. All he had to do was pull-
Crack
The second Oz yanked on the threads, the stone moved, it shot up by a foot. But that’s not what Oz was focused on. Rather than exalting in his successful use of geokinesis, he screamed in agony. When he’d pulled up the stone, it had felt as if someone had dropped all the earth he moved directly on his arm. Muscle tore, bone shattered. He gripped his limp right arm as he fell to the ground writhing in pain.
Though his mind was clouded in pain he could faintly hear a voice. It was Oliatos. His words were full of sorrow.
“I told you, you weren’t ready”
Posted Jan 22, 2022, 12:00 AM UTC