Chapter 70: A Miracle
Roseus wanted to bask in the glory of what he had just achieved, but he knew that the moment he stopped focusing on his task, his connection with the storm would sever.
If he wanted to test the full extent of his new powers, he had to focus.
Next, he focused on a collective of clouds, specifically those that were positioned above the harbour of the dockyard town, where all of the ships were located.
Using his will, he eased the winds that were crashing into the boats, causing them to sway in the water. As the winds slowed, the waters of the coastline calmed, which would have allowed safer passage for ships leaving or entering the island.
Seeing this, Roseus was starting to gather just how powerful these skills were. Rai’zac had truly blessed him, making him some sort of storm lord.
He looked up at the clouds again. Those that were located directly above the dockyard town were crashing their bolts violently down onto the streets, causing Thunder Remnants to walk the pathways, threatening those who hid away in their houses.
Although he felt drained and ready to collapse at any moment, Roseus had one more thing that he wanted to do.
As a follower of Rai’zac, who now had a significant amount of control over the sea god’s storm domain, Roseus suspected that his powers could stretch relatively far.
Rai’zac could create storms around the entire second ocean. Gaining significant control over these storms might not be absolute control, or even, in the grand scheme of things, a huge amount of control, but significant would most certainly be a noteworthy amount.
Noteworthy enough to temporarily remove a storm...
Roseus focused on the storms and used his will to wash away the thunderclouds which brought down their wrath onto the Dockyard Town.
Blood fell from his eyes and nose as he pushed himself to his limits, and yet he didn’t stop. That was because he watched as the dark clouds slowly dispersed, creating a section of the sky that was clear, allowing the moonlight of the night to seep through and shine onto the Dockyard Town.
At that moment, the storms of Highstorm Island existed everywhere except above that town.
Roseus did not know how long such an effect would last, nor did he care. All he did was smile as he looked out at the lands, still dressed in nothing but his undergarments.
"This..." His voice came quietly. "This is the power of a storm."
Then, he felt his vision slowly darken as he collapsed onto his knees and slowly fell forward onto his face.
He had finally lost consciousness...
...
In the Dockyard Town Church...
"Captain Lionheart, the number of Thunder Remnants sighted in town is extremely high today. Our men are doing a good job of reaping their souls."
In the dark church, which was the only location that wasn’t barricaded from the night, Captain Lionheart sat in one of its pews. His right-hand-man Onoes reported the news.
Captain Lionheart nodded.
"Good. Continue reaping their souls. They will need all the strength they can get in the battle to come. Have you managed to—"
Captain Lionheart’s words were suddenly cut off as the sound of the thunderbolts grew quieter. Where they had previously been crashing on the streets directly outside, they could now only be heard in the distance.
His golden eyes glanced up and looked through the church window. In the sky, he saw that the clouds had evaporated directly above the town, and only directly above it.
Onoes looked up too, his brows raised in confusion.
"By the Brain, what is going on?"
This was a phenomenon that they had never seen before. For as long as history knew, Highstorm Island had suffered from storms at night. Sometimes, the storms would bring about weaker creatures like Thunder Remnants, and other days, they would produce even stronger creatures.
However, at that moment, no creatures roamed the streets of the dockyard town.
Captain Lionheart rubbed at his smooth, chiselled chin and ruminated.
"Interesting..."
...
In the Stormshield Tavern...
Tavern Keeper Marcuss served a few pints of ale to the lingering customers who still sat in the dining area of the tavern.
The tavern was often packed at nighttime, as it was seen as a refuge from the storm. Oftentimes, the townspeople who lived alone in their houses wished to seek comfort from being around others.
The tavern was the best place to seek this comfort.
However, as he placed a tankard of ale onto a table of small men, their chatter suddenly died down. Everyone’s thoughts were drawn to the noise outside.
Or rather, the lack of it...
"The storm..." an old man said with a rough voice. "It’s gone."
"No, not gone," another man corrected. "It just sounds further away. Like it’s running from us."
By the window, a younger lady peeked out through a small gap in the wooden barricade. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she turned back to the customers.
Everyone’s attention was on her.
"The storm! The storm is gone from above our town! The streets are clear of all storm creatures. Is this some sort of miracle?"
Suddenly, the tavern was filled with activity as everyone rushed from their seats and over to the barricades.
Their eyes peeked through, witnessing the change that had taken place. A change that they hadn’t seen in the entirety of their time spent on Highstorm Island.
Meanwhile, Tavern Keeper Marcuss stood there, eyes wide and still in a daze.
"Impossible..." he muttered to himself in disbelief.
...
Roseus woke and found himself lying face-first on the cold stone of Thunderpoint Peak.
After coming back to his senses, he first looked around. It was still nighttime, and although his nose and eyes were still bloodied, he was focused on something else.
First, he noticed that the storms in the sky were still not affecting the Dockyard Town below. This pleased him.
Second, he received a glaring message from his supreme system, telling him that he had reached the next Pact Rank with Rai’zac.
He was no longer a Follower.
He was a Priest.
