Chapter 13;Gathering The Essence

Lex sat silently, his golden eyes scanning the gathered primordials, calm and watchful.their eyes blazing with barely concealed ambition.

Timorath rose from his seat. He moved towards lex, his golden eyes calm but calculating, his movements having neither fear nor hesitation. "I am ready," he said, his voice even and courteous.

A ripple of quiet curiosity passed through the assembly. A few of the primordials exchanged glances,some intrigued, others surprised,but none spoke. All eyes turned to Lex, awaiting his response.

Lex rose slowly, the glowing mist surrounding his body constantly shifting as he floated forward. He stopped just before Timorath, his eyesexpressionless. "You are wise to step forward," he said, his tone calm yet firm.

Timorath inclined his head respectfully. His expression remained neutral, but his caution was evident as he asked, "This essence,removing it will not affect my control over the laws of time, correct?"

Lex met his gaze and answered . "Not only will it leave your control intact," he said, his voice reassuring, "it may even strengthen your connection to the laws so no need to worry ,it won't change anything that even matters"

Timorath studied Lex for a moment, then gave a single nod, satisfied. Without further hesitation, Lex raised his hand and lifted Timorath's humanoidform gently into the air, the energy surrounding himshimmering faintly and Lex's power enveloped him.

The hall fell utterly silent. The gathered primordialsleaned forward slightly, their attention fixed on the unfolding scene.

A faint glow appeared at the center of Timorath's chest, soft at first but gradually growing brighter as Lex's hand hovered closer. Timorath's body tensed, his golden eyes widening as the glowing fragment of his essence began to emerge. The droplet, small and radiant, floated free of his chest, drawn toward Lex's palm. It shimmered with an ethereal brilliance, pulsing faintly as if resonating with the flow of time itself,a fragment of the Origin Law of Time.

As the essence left him, Timorath felt an unexpected emptiness wash all over him, sharp and fleeting, as though a vital part of him had been severed. His breath quickened, and for a moment unease crept in. "This… feels wrong. Am I truly whole without it?What if I've miscalculated?" his form flickeredunsteadily, as if struggling to maintain coherence. 

But he quickly steadied himself, his thoughts sharpening. "No, the connection is still there. This is temporary, nothing more. He promised it would not diminish my power ." as Lex's hand closed around the droplet, the emptiness subsided. The connection to the laws returned back to him, grounding him. His form steadied, the flickering ceased, and he exhaled deeply, his expression composed but introspective.

The other primordials watched in rapt silence. The droplet in Lex's palm glowed with an unearthly light, its beauty captivating. Some exchanged uneasy glances, their apprehension unspoken but evident. Others remained utterly still, their gazes locked on Lex, who held the fragment with effortless control.

For a moment, the hall was devoid of sound, save for the faint hum of lingering energy. Then, slowly, Timorath descended, his feet touching the ground with a grace that had no external distress. He stood tall, his composure intact, though the experience lingered in his mind,a complex blend of unease and newfound clarity.

Lex turned his gaze back to the primordials, his expression impassive. He allowed the silence to stretch, his presence filling the space until the tension became almost unbearable.

The primordials, still seated, seemed to absorb what they had just witnessed. The realization settled over them, undeniable and heavy: their turn was inevitable.

Who will be next" lex voice echoed through the hall,the primordials glanced at each other trying to see who will go,Eryndral got up from her seat her molten form radiating heat distorting the air around her as she stepped forward.

she came to stand where timorath had stood, The flickering glow of her molten essence dimmed slightly as she visibly steadied herself, her form softening as if to show she was ready.she was resolute and had confident aura that radiated from her.

Lex seeing this was pleased,with a subtle motion he gently lifted her into the air as he slowly extracted her essence,a glowing droplet emerged from her radiating with fiery brilliance .the moment the dropwas extracted she felt hollow emptiness wash over her and for a fleeting moment, doubt crept in. "What is this? Am I losing something I can't get back?" 

Her thoughts flickered to Timorath. "He endured. He recovered. So will I. I cannot falter. I am stronger than this."

As the connection to her law began to return it, she felt a surge of relief. "It's still there. My fire, my essence,it hasn't left me. It's… somehow a little more clearer now."

Her confidence returned, burning brighter than before. "This is who I am. Nothing will change that. I am Origin of fire, and fire cannot be extinguished."

After that Eryndral returned to her seat, Lex remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the remaining primordials waiting. This time, there was no hesitation.Vastoth rose without a word, hismovements fluid and confident as he approached Lex.

The process was swift and seamless. Lex raised his hand, and Vastoth's essence was extracted with an efficiency that made it seem as though it had ended before it had even begun. Vastoth returned to his seat, his expression calm.

Next came Vyrinox. The serpentine primordial moved forward, his golden eyes narrowing as he studied Lex. His movements were deliberate, and though his composure was outwardly smooth, there was a faint unease in his gaze. Lex greeted him with the same calm authority, and the process unfolded as it had for the others, leaving Vyrinox to return to his seat with a quiet, introspective demeanor.

One by one, the primordials followed, each stepping forward, offering their essence, and returning to their place. The hall seemed to hum with energy as the last of the 108,000 drops of essence hovered in the air, glowing with unearthly light. The droplets floated in perfect harmony, each one resonating with its own unique energy, yet none interfering with the other,a balance maintained by Lex's will alone.

Satisfied, Lex stood at the center of the hall, his golden eyes glowing faintly. "Follow me," he said, his voice calm yet commanding. "I will take you to the realms I have created."

With a gentle wave of his hand, the air in the hall shifted. In an instant, the primordials felt a ripple of energy envelop them. The glowing mist around Lex flared briefly, and then they vanished,no sound, no trace, only the faint hum of Origin Energy lingering in the hall where they had sat moments before.

The primordials reappeared in the void in unison, their humanoid forms intact, standing on the threshold of a vast new realm. The expanse of this realm stretched out before them,and what greeted them was boundless expanse that stretched infinitely,their eyes could not see its end.

They could see mountains that stretched impossibly high curved with precision that they screamed perfection.their surface glowing faintly.forest of colossal trees than the tallest structure they have seen their leaves shining with faint glow as well.

The primordials descended slowly, their humanoid forms moving with deliberate precision as they neared the ground. Vastoth, among the group, instinctively turned his focus inward, analyzing the space laws of the realm. His sharp eyes glimmered as he tried to grasp its intricacies, but after several attempts, he furrowed his brow and gave up. "The space here is… solid," he thought, his frustration hidden behind his composed demeanor. "Even flight would be a struggle if one lacked sufficient strength."

Around him, the others were similarly engaged, testing the laws tied to their own domains. Eryndral's flames flickered erratically for a moment as she tried to manipulate the fire within the realm, only for it to remain stubbornly unyielding. Timorath frowned, his golden eyes narrowing as he attempted to influence the flow of time, only to find it unnervingly stable. One by one, the primordials exchanged glances, their silent expressions communicating their shared realization: this realm was designed to be beyond their immediate mastery.

Lex, walking at a measured pace behind them, observed their attempts with quiet amusement. The faint mist around his form shifted gently as he watched them move toward the center of the realm. He could have teleported them all instantly to their destination; the act would have taken no effort at all. But instead, he allowed them to walk, wanting them to feel the vastness of the realm he had created.