62 Lord of Storms

Nikolai grinned foolishly even though he'd been hit. His blood pulsed in delight and excitement. Even the will of the True Imperial was far more peaceful than usual, quietly resting in the recesses of his mind.

"How did they manage to kidnap you and Petrov?" Chen turned the motionless body of the former Guard Commander over. Frowning at the swollen lips and sunken eyes. "Fates! Whatever they did to him must have been terrible."

Nikolai stared at the body of the man who'd betrayed him. Some part of him wanted to leave Petrov to turn to dust along with the rest of the city, but they'd been companions and friends for many years. His conflicted emotions must have spread to his face since Elya squeezed his shoulder gently, commiserating at his apparent loss.

"He followed me to unify Volhiniya." Then betrayed him for an addiction. "There's still so much I want to tell him." To ask him why. "He deserved better." Nikolai didn't really believe the words, but there was no purpose in shattering the honour of a man who'd done so much for him.

Lost in thought, Nikolai ignored the heavy silence which descended. He rolled the focus across his palm, memories swirling in his mind of an exuberant, if sickly man, sharing cups of cider beside a campfire.

"What were those things?" Elya asked, breaking the silence and rubbing her scar with brow furrowed deep in thought. Nikolai stared at her, the concentration on her face bringing a soft smile to his and banishing the sad thoughts of his old friend. There would be time to think about it later.

"Remnants of the war you could say. Soul creatures." Nikolai didn't want to discuss the Anima's and their possible ambitions or abilities now they were reunited. At least not for the moment.

"We're letting them go?" Chen gazed into the distance, armoured fist resting on his lance.

"We can't chase them like this." Elya sighed and leaned against the throne. She placed her gauntlets on the surviving armrest and patted Nikolai's arm as if she was comforting him. "We achieved our goals. Even if we did catch them, they'd just turn into smoke and run away again."

"After causing so much trouble they can just get away like this? It's a smoke."

"What does smoke have to do with it?" Elya glanced at the Thunder Lancer, her nose twitching in confusion.

"I think he was making a pun on 'it's a joke'." Alexis offered from her seat on top of a handful of rubble she'd converted into a makeshift chair.

"Probably." Nikolai chuckled at the discomfort playing across Chen's face. Elya tilted her head as if she was contemplating the humour in his wordplay and Chen shrunk further into his armour.

She shook her head and observed Nikolai carefully, eyeing the collar and his torn clothing. "Will you be able to move?"

"Soon. Are we in a rush?" Nikolai stretched his muscles carefully, executing the breathing exercises of his Master to bring his limbs under control.

"Our forces are still fighting on the plains."

Nikolai's head snapped up, a tremor running through his body as a faint wave of Magical power in the distance caught his attention.

"In that direction?" He pointed towards the strange fluctuations he could sense.

"Did something happen?" Elya followed his finger, squinting in surprise at his accuracy.

"Yes. Magic." He clarified at her blank expression. "We have to move."

"It will take us a few hours to get back to our lines." Alexis pointed out, already moving among the exhausted Knights to get them prepared to march. The Knights wearily got to their feet, shouldering their injured companions.

"Too long." Nikolai muttered, tugging at the collar around his neck fruitlessly. It would take another Mage or the tools in his Tower to get free even though the iron was already flaking under the horrifying after-effects of the Soul Rend. Chen and Elya were the only ones in any condition to make it in time but based on the ripples of power he could sense they would need a Mage in support. Whatever spell was being cast was massive. High level War Magic.

Seven silently came before Nikolai, presenting Nezgrom.

"I can't do anything…" Nikolai's voice trailed off as he glimpsed the vial floating in the embedded crystal. "It's done?" he whispered, stunned at the sight. Seven made a few short motions, blocking the view of his hands from the rest of the hall. Nikolai barely caught the signals, the will of the True Imperial awakening at the sight of the vial of blood.

"What is that?" Elya came beside him, ignoring Seven's dirty looks. The Hand would have kept her in the dark if he could, but Nikolai didn't care about Seven's feelings at this moment.

"A choice." Nikolai licked his lips, drawing the vial free and weighing it in his hands. "I doubt even the First Emperor knew what his actions with Heaven's Spire would cause. Blood is a mysterious thing. Mixing and changing in unfathomable ways and the blood of our kind even more so. Some of these changes are good and others… aren't."

"You're not making much sense, and we don't have much time. I think."

The waves of Magic in the distance were getting stronger, as if to prove her right and Nikolai tore his gaze away from the vial to stare into the distance, catching flickers of rune formation within his Sight. "She said it will work?" He asked Seven, already knowing the answer. The blood was almost writhing with life and potency. Distilled from the Son of Heaven himself, Nikolai had spent months isolating the powers which the Children of Heaven were only now manifesting. The Emperor had asked for a cure, fearing the changes were a curse which could lead to the return of their Gods, and Nikolai had made great strides in creating the vial which he now held, especially with access to Natalia's eyes which could see through the essence of all things.

This was the blood of Imperials before the Compact, instilled with terrifying powers and a touch of the Divine.

Without it, there was no way to break free of his shackles and aid his allies. No one would blame him if he chose to take the easy road and let his subordinates face whatever spell was being cast alone. But if he absorbed the blood, there was a chance to regain his powers and more. There would also be consequences.

There was a reason Imperials had bound themselves with the Compact after all. No one wanted to attract the attention of their Gods, except the Theocracy, but those lunatics had given their freedom away long ago.

"Do you think he'll blame me?"

Seven shrugged, gesturing that it was his choice to make, and all their research indicated someone would inherit blood like this at some point in any case.

Elya just smiled and patted him on the head. "It's your duty to aid your subordinates. They came for you."

"I wonder what it was like to be Divine?" Nikolai murmured raising his shaking hands. There hadn't been much of a choice.

One hand gripped the Azokarri focus, the other a vial of pure Imperial blood. Nikolai glanced at Elya, imprinting her features in his mind before continuing. He had no idea if his plan would even work but he needed to rush.

He drew on a tiny thread of energy, all that he was capable of utilising at this moment, and chanted a small spell. The vial hovered above his hand and shattered, the blood turning into a mist which Nikolai thrust against the focus. The mist worked like a crucible, melting the focus until a liquid pool spun between his fingers. With a quick twist of his wrists Nikolai sent the mist deep into the amber liquid. Revolving slowly, the crimson striations in the amber liquid looked like a poorly made dessert and Nikolai grimaced at the shrieks coming from the focus. The Azokarri spell and Divine blood were at odds with each other, pushing at each other to retain dominance. Nikolai was hoping to use their contradictory natures to maintain control. With a deep breath Nikolai clapped his hands together, letting the powers seep into his skin.

The liquid passed through his flesh and into his blood, coursing throughout his body and changing him deep within. The Imperial blood hungrily absorbed the will of the True Imperial, replacing his own blood drop by drop and Nikolai fell to his knees in agony. Each drop that was replaced felt like it was seared away in an inferno before it could be replaced. The liquid focus avoided his blood stream, pouring into his bones and coating them like enamel. The pain lasted only for a few moments and Nikolai spasmed as the powers settled within him.

He felt a deeper connection to the energy around him, his blood pulsing in time to the power in his surroundings. The focus' sentience swum along his bones, trilling in excitement at the connection while lamenting the loss of its form. With a thought power coursed through him, drawn from the veins of energy underground. He blazed with light, rising to his feet as his Magic returned.

The instant his blood was changed he could sense the attention of powerful beings, eyes from thousands of miles focussed on the changes in his body but with a command, the focus lit up in defiance, blocking every stream of sense pouring down on him.

He reached up to grab the collar which had lost its power under the cascade of Magic and the iron crumbled at his touch.

Free, he spread his arms wide open and Nezgrom slammed into his hand, bursting alight with barely contained thunder.

"I'll be going ahead." His voice boomed across the hall with unconstrained power and many Knights slumped in the face of the pressure he exuded.

Nikolai chanted his Thunderform spell, lightning tearing into the sky as the familiar wings sprouted from his back. He turned to give Elya a smile which turned into a smirk at her gaping expression. Even Seven looked flustered in the face of his power. "Make sure to catch me." Euphoric under the streams of energy binding him to the earth, Nikolai tossed Elya a wink and moved before she could say anything.

He'd deal with the Magic facing his army first.

Then he'd figure out just what had taken such an interest in him and what the blood had done to him.

The Thunderform wings unfurled, and he crouched a little, clenching his teeth at the trembling which passed through him. Even Divine blood couldn't wash away the effects of Stardust.

With Nezgrom tightly grasped in one hand, he tore through the sky.