Chapter 468 - Divine Posession

Bit of a rush this one after the delays on last chapter. Felt pretty clean though. I get kinda nervous writing finales. It's always such high pressure but I'm really liking how this one's coming together. Hope you like the chapter!

They all stared at Celaine in awe. Her presence had changed entirely—there was a weight to her, a power Hump could feel in his bones. A goddess had descended. Or at least, partially descended. Her power wrapped them in darkness so thick that he felt it physically on his skin, yet he could see through it.

Hump wondered when the last time a god had actually appeared in Elenvine. He was the first to snap to his senses, more familiar with Owalyn’s presence than the others. Looking around, he saw Bud, Dylan, and Emilia still frozen in place, awestruck, while Nisha nuzzled Celaine’s legs as she gently cupped her face.

Celaine—Owalyn—looked up from Nisha, a soft smile on her face. “Well, get on with it. you can only ask for my help once.” Their voices were one, a hint of Celaine still in there, but the ancient voice of Owalyn adding weight to it. The strangeness of it all sent a shiver through Hump’s body.

Even though he knew Owalyn meant Celaine no harm, the sight of her body possessed, her movements guided by another will, felt wrong. Wrong in a way that prickled at the edges of his thoughts. He knew exactly what Celaine would have said—she would have given Owalyn her body if asked, without hesitation. And right now, this was their only option. If they were going to overcome these odds, they needed the help of a goddess.

Hump swallowed, forcing himself to focus.

“Right. Guys, wake up. Let’s do this.”

“Is that Owalyn?” Bud asked, mouth hanging half open.

“It’s certainly not Celaine,” Emilia muttered.

Dylan let out a long sigh. “Your essence is beautiful.”

Celaine smiled, though it wasn’t quite her smile. “Thank you, Chosen of Krioc. As is yours.”

“You are not a goddess of the Pantheon,” Prince Gregory said slowly.

“She is not,” Hump replied. “But she has come because I asked. She’s here to help.”

“I thank you, Lady Owalyn,” Prince Gregory said, bowing his head.

“Do not thank me. I am not here for you or out of any kindness to your people.”

The prince frowned at that and looked suspiciously to Hump. Hump could guess exactly what the man was thinking: How in the world has this wizard called upon a god for help?

He didn’t answer. He turned to the Seal of Elenvine.

There was no time to talk things over.

Hump froze, startled at the sight of Godfrey staring straight at him. Hump’s heart hammered. He didn’t move, didn’t even breathe. A second passed, then another. He was certain the man must have seen him, yet eventually, Godfrey’s gaze passed on without notice, even his eyes unable to pierce the veil of shadows.

Still Hump didn’t move. He watched, waiting to see what Godfrey would do. Soon, the man looked out into the tunnel where they had fought Anthony.

With the man’s back turned, Hump carefully placed the spell formation crafted out of gold on the ground before the seal. The channel that would connect the two didn’t line up perfectly, but he didn’t need it to. It pointed toward the suspended seal, and Hump took his place at the centre. The Book of Infinite Pages opened in his left hand, and he engulfed himself in the intent of the spell formation, reminding himself once more of its workings.

He would have one chance at this. One chance to do it right. To fail would, at best, alert Godfrey to their presence, and at worst, kill them all.

Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath, envisioning the river and waves inside. His body was a tempest. Owalyn’s appearance had shaken him, and he had to admit he felt more pressure now than he had in a long while. But pressure was where he functioned best.

He could do this. He had dealt with many situations like this now, and he had overcome them all. Dragons, princes, liches, and demons. This was nothing new.

A goddess stood beside him, a traitor Chosen of the Ninth Circle hovered in the air before him, demons rampaged through the city, and the Tree of Damnation was open. No doubt Baelkor gazed in from beyond, waiting for his opportunity to enter Elenvine—waiting for the seal to break and for the path to heaven to open.

The situation couldn’t be much worse, but that thought brought a calmness to Hump. Nobody expected him to succeed here. He was just a wizard—a hedge wizard at that. In this city full of powerful Chosen, royal guard, and ancient practitioners, he could only make the best of what he had. If he failed… perhaps somebody else would find a way.

His mind went to his friends—to Celaine and Nisha, to the people of this city. The thought of them didn’t just calm the tempest but brought with it an inner strength. He felt the spark in his soul flare, the core of his being surging for this moment.

All his life, he had been taught that a wizard must be logical, yet there was no denying the power in emotion, just as there was danger. To lose control was to give in to essence and its intent. And now, perhaps more than ever, he could not do that. To falter here and the divine power of the seal would overwhelm him entirely.

It was that divine power he braced himself to meet.

The waves within him steadied, his essence flowing through his channels with a serenity. Doubts fell away. His soul brimmed with power. He felt the world around him as clearly as he ever had, whispering its will to him. And before him, he felt the overwhelming might of the Seal of Elenvine, its power surging outward as it collapsed.

He would not bend before it. It might have been created by the power of a god, but it was old, and it was failing. And now, it would do his bidding.

Hump pressed his staff to the formation, essence brimming in its crystal focus, churning with blue light. He poured his will and power into the golden formation beneath him. One by one, the runes and channels lit up in that same blue essence. It flowed easily. Naturally. He aligned his intent within the runes to that of his spellbook, matching every line and curve in perfect accord. When the final segment of the formation lit, he knew beyond all doubt that he had it right.

All that remained was to forge the connection. He allowed himself a few last seconds to steady his breath, to gather every fragment of focus. And then, he reached for it. Tentatively at first, a sliver of essence extended beyond the rod, urging the power of the seal to come to him. Yet that touch was like the shattering of a dam. Power washed at him in a flood, raging with overwhelming force. Even with the channels, the torrent nearly crushed him beneath its weight.

But the connection channel held. The runes held.

As the divine essence surged through the formation, its many segments slowed the force, tempering it, making its raw might almost palatable. The wild intent was dulled enough for him to absorb it. He drew it into his body, and it surged through his channels.

Bliss.

As sudden and overwhelming as it was, Hump had long since craved the touch of divinity. It had called to him when Bud had received a blessing in Bledsbury Dungeon, the god pillar descending before him, so close he could touch it. Back then, the pure, perfect power of the gods had felt like a distant dream, a glimpse of something beyond mortal reach. The pure, perfect power of the gods.

Now, that same perfection flowed through him. It wasn’t just power—it was order, balance, and truth made manifest. Its intent was flawless, so harmoniously aligned that it didn’t resist him at all, but rather intertwined with his own essence as if it had always belonged there. It filled every channel in his body with a blissful warmth, its touch restoring his weariness and strength. The sensation was intoxicating—a weight lifted, a clarity beyond thought.

Yet even calmed, the energy rushed through his channels with far more force than he was used to. At this level, he could handle it. It flowed from his body in golden streaks where he couldn’t contain it. His staff’s focus turned to gold.

Still, Hump drew more upon the seal. The runes that laced the black orb within faded. The wind of power pouring out in all directions diminished to just the faintest trickle. It was his. All of it was his. He drank from it hungrily, watching the ancient formation unravel before his eyes, and the darkness of the veil became deeper.

As his power grew, Hump felt as if the world truly came into view. Owalyn’s darkness was invisible to him now, and he saw through the shadows of the chamber as easily as if it were day. He looked up, and the battlefield above opened to him, as if a third eye had opened in his mind where distance played no role. Was this the power of Lady Light’s essence?

“I can see the keep above,” Hump said.

“Your eyes are shining like gold,” Emilia said. “It must be from the seal.”

“What do you see?” Bud asked.

Hump described the scene above. The keep still held in places, the defenders of Alveron fighting from the walls and in the courtyard to hold the enemy at bay. Yet in places, they had already broken through. Hump did not look long, but he saw the fires of Elenvine and the bodies that were only increasing.

It lit an anger in him.

“What out Count Daston?” Bud asked. “What of Lady Kaisura?”

He searched hard for Wizard Aldric, finding him fighting side by side with Count Daston.

“Alive and fighting,” Hump said. “But…”

They were bloodied, but strong, and furious. As Hump’s gaze went behind them, he realised why.

Lady Kaisura was impaled on the ground by Godfrey’s golden spear, while Master Dorn’s corpse was on the ground beside her, his eyes burned out and blackened around the edges.

“What is it?” Dylan asked.

“Lady Kaisura and Master Dorn are dead,” Hump muttered. A pit opened in his stomach even saying the words.

Dead. Both of them dead. Two of the most powerful people Hump had ever met, and they were gone.

“Focus on the here and now, Wizard,” Owalyn said through Celaine. “You are reaching your limit.”

She was right. Hump could feel it already. Much more, and shaping it into a spell might be too dangerous to attempt.

The Book of Infinite Pages turned to a new page. The Silver Owl was still on its cover, shining with matching essence. Gold in one hand, silver in the other. The page settled on White Flame. There were many spells to choose from, perhaps more powerful, but only this had burned down a Tree of Damnation in the past. Now it would burn down another.

With a thought, a flame appeared before him. A dancing white flicker, laced with flakes of gold and silver. Hump poured his essence through the spell formation in his spellbook. Trails of light ran between it and his staff, each building on each other, and all of that power leading back to the flame. It bloated to the size of his head, blazing faster and more violently. Its white light was like a lone moon in Owalyn’s shadow, pressing back even that darkness.

“What are you doing, Godfrey? The seal is fading, yet the rift does not grow!” A booming voice came from above.

The flame shook from its power. Hump’s soul shook. Bud drew his sword and stood before Hump, watching the roots of the Tree of Damnation and the hole in the roof with caution.

“Nothing,” Godfrey said. “I am… What’s happened?”

The traitor Chosen raced back into the room. He rushed to the seal, a frown on his perfect face. Up close, he looked so young. His skin lacked any flaws, and his golden hair ran like silk down his back. Even without channelling his power, there was a sheen to him, like light shone from within.

There was a flash of light as his hand gripped the Seal of Elenvine directly. Light and dark fought beneath his grip, the power of the seal and that of the veil it kept closed. Hump’s eyes widen as essence surges to Godfrey, and that same expression forms on Godfrey’s face.

He could feel his essence immediately.

“Uh-oh,” Hump said.

“What?” Bud asked.

“We’re both drawing on the Seal of Elenvine. He’s—”

Godfrey’s eyes lit up. His light poured into the shadow, yet the shadow did not part.

“You said you could hide us,” Hump said to Owalyn.

“I did. You were too slow.”