Was Finn a God now? The thought felt blasphemous, yet Osmund couldn’t shake the feeling that Finn had beco sothing more than human during his ti in the past. The way he carried himself and the sudden explosion of his power suggested he had seen through the lens of the original fragnt bearer and found sothing even the Transcendents feared.
But more than that, Osmund wondered how Finn intended to make anyone a champion at all. Divine power didn’t exist in this world. The laws simply couldn’t accommodate it, that much he was very certain of. Yet, the conviction in Finn’s voice made the impossibility seem like a minor detail that he had already solved.
Suddenly, he was jarred out of his spiraling thoughts as Syf abruptly lowered her head, her movents as fluid as a cat despite her mountainous size.
Finn began to walk down her snout, his steps casual as he descended to the ground. He stopped a few paces away from Cordoza and the gathered crowd, looking around the settlent with a neutral gaze.
"Who else is ready to be my follower?" he asked, his voice carrying clearly to the back of the square.
At first, the majority held back. Their preconceived notions of Finn as a bringer of doom were hard to discard. They looked at each other, waiting for soone of status to make the first move. They were a people defined by their caution, and jumping into the service of a heretic was a leap many weren’t ready to take.
Then, two people stepped out from the throng. Finn’s brows rose slightly in a pleasant surprise as he recognized them. Their nas flashed in his mind imdiately:
Vrylla, the girl whose full na sounded more like a dical condition than a person, and her father, Uxio.
They were the first people Finn had seen when he washed up on the shores of the island. Vrylla stared at him with eyes full of awe and deference, her earlier fear replaced by a frantic desire to be near the light he emitted. Her father, the large and normally stoic Anaelle, tried to maintain his composure but failed. He kept his eyes averted to the ground, unable to look at the boy he had once seen as a simple, clueless and innocent Ossuarist.
Finn noticed their deference, but outwardly, he didn’t react much besides simply acknowledging them with a long, steady gaze before turning back to the rest of the crowd. More Anaelle had already begun to follow their lead. One by one, then in small groups, they stepped forward to join Cordoza, Vrylla and her father.
And as more and more of them stepped forward, Finn was taken by surprise. There were far more people joining him than his earlier observations had suggested.
But then he quickly realized why. It was the title he had given Cordoza. The term ’Champion’ seed to be sothing they knew well. By naming a champion, Finn had elevated his status from a mysterious stranger to a figure of authority. He had given them a structure they understood.
Within a minute, more than a thousand Anaelle were spread out before him, a sea of white fur and matted hair. They dropped to their knees, bowing with a level of respect they usually reserved only for a fragnt bearer like Osmund... In fact, even more.
Finn kept his hands in his pockets, watching them with a calm, analytical gaze. He had gained a following, but he knew that loyalty bought by awe was a fragile thing.
He turned to look at Osmund, who had moved to his side during the gathering. "It seems your people are smart enough," Finn said, a light smile playing on his lips. "At least, most of them are."
He looked back at Cordoza, Vrylla, and Uxio. "You three, rise. Look at ."
They stood, their eyes fixed on his. Finn’s presence seed to grow, a heavy, invisible force settling over the clearing.
"I bestow you titles in my na," Finn declared.
"Cordoza, you are my Champion among the Anaelle. You will be the blade of the Errant Heretic among your people."
"Vrylla, I na you my Priestess. You will be the voice that carries my word and the one who maintains the order of my people among your race."
Finally, he looked at Uxio. Finn glanced toward Osmund, rembering that Uxio was his most dedicated man. The large Anaelle had acted on Osmund’s every order since Finn’s arrival. Taking him under his own wing directly would be a slight to Osmund that Finn didn’t need right now.
"Uxio," Finn said. "You will continue to do as you have done. You will remain in my close fold, but you will report through Osmund. You are the bridge between my authority and the existing order of this island."
Uxio nodded, his posture stiff. He understood the lack of total trust, and the realization sparked a new conviction in his heart. He would earn Finn’s trust through his actions. He looked up at Finn, but the Errant Heretic’s gaze had already moved on.
Finn addressed the entire kneeling crowd. "For those of you who have chosen to be my people, rejoice. My people do not suffer. So long as you do your part, you will be liberated from this prison. The gates of the Stagnant Sea will not hold you any longer."
He looked at his new inner circle — Osmund, Madoc, Cordoza, Vrylla, and Uxio. "Ready yourselves. We have much to do within these next three days..."
.
.
.
The three days passed in a blur of frantic preparation and hushed expectations. The Anaelle settlent had transford from a place of quiet stagnation into a hub of activity, all in preparation for this mont.
And now, Finn stood at the shore of the Stagnant Sea. He stared at the towering, frozen wave that locked the horizon in a stillness of ti. It was a terrifying sight: a wall of water and temporal energy that seed to reach into the very clouds themself.
Finn’s eyes were glowing a bright, incandescent green. He stood alone at the fore, while Osmund, Madoc, Cordoza, Vrylla, and Uxio stood behind him at varying distances.
Finn was using his Error vision at full throttle. He was peering into the erratic, microscopic intricacies of the Stagnant Sea wall and the chanism that held it in place. He tried to rein in the power emanating from himself, but the leakage was still imnse. A jarring feeling of bareness filled the air, affecting everyone nearby. This wasn’t as if Finn was looking at their secrets; it was more like their very sense of self felt stripped and scrutinized. Their souls felt small and fragile in the wake of a gaze that could see the flaws in existence itself.
Madoc and Osmund were the only ones who could stay within a few dozen paces of Finn, their own fragnt-boosted souls acting as a buffer. Behind them, Cordoza was several steps back, his jaw clenched as he forced himself to hold his ground. He was the Champion, and he refused to concede a single step, even as the aura made his soul tremble.
Vrylla was a step behind him, her hands clasped in prayer, her eyes fixed on Finn’s back.
Uxio stood the farthest away, acting as a guard to prevent any other Anaelle from approaching. Not that anyone would have tried. The past three days had shown them enough of the Errant Heretic to know of his terrible might.
Suddenly, the crushing aura vanished. The bright green glow in Finn’s eyes dimd until they returned to their normal state. The weight that had been pressing on their souls lifted, leaving them gasping for air, just as Finn chuckled.
The wide smile on his face told them all they needed to know. Whatever he’d been peering for, he had found it.
"Heh! Very interesting," Finn grinned, his eyes still fixed on the towering wall of ti. "Casmir, you’ve outdone yourself with this one!"
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