Becoming A God In Another World With My Crush

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Maia dropped to one knee, her hand slamming against the ground as a glowing sigil spread out beneath her palm. A dome of shimmering light rose around Alyhana, Eli, and Iris just in time to block a wave of lightning that cracked through the air like a whip.

The barrier flickered, unstable, already straining under the pressure of the storm inside the temple.

Maia's shoulders shook. Blood ran down the side of her face, but she didn't wipe it away.

"I'll hold it," she muttered. "I'll hold it as long as I can."

Alyhana turned to her, eyes wide. "You're bleeding!"

"And the he temple is collapsing," Maia said through gritted teeth. "We don't stop now."

Another blast of energy rocked the chamber. The floor cracked. Statues groaned.

Eli crouched beside Iris, shielding her with his body. Maia's eyes were locked on Xander, he was floating, trembling, glowing brighter with every second.

"He's unraveling," she said. "The crystal's too much for one soul to carry. We must perform the ritual immediately."

The power inside Xander surged again violent and wild and probably blood thirsty, then it exploded. A massive blast of energy burst from his body, knocking everyone to the ground. The barrier Maia had cast cracked but held. Barely.

The flame bowl behind him shattered, blue fire scattering like glass across the Xanders body felt like it was splitting apart from the inside out. His skin burned. His chest ached. His thoughts were barely holding together.

'I can't stop it,' he thought. 'I can't hold it. I'm going to burn everything.'

... Kaelhi...!

Lightning cracked through the ceiling, tearing a hole in the roof. Wind howled through the temple like a scream.

Alyhana shielded Iris with her body. "Xander!" she called out. "You have to fight it!"

His eyes were wide, glowing faintly, and his mouth opened like he wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

'The voices... too loud...' He thought as he gripped the sides of his head to stop the head splitting ache.

The doors slammed open with Gaea and Vimea burst back into the chamber, robes torn and faces streaked with dust, Between them, they carried a long, ancient weapon wrapped in crimson cloth, its golden hilt was the only part shown.

The Aurex Blade.

Maia pushed herself to her feet, blood trailing from the corner of her mouth and she stepped forward and took her place beside them.

"Sisters, start the ritual!" She commanded.

The three sisters moved in sync, circling Xander's trembling form. They formed a triangle around him, each one raising a hand toward the storm of energy spiraling from his body.

Maia's voice was the first to rise, then Gaea's, then Vimea's. Their voices layered over each other, chanting in a language older than the temple walls, a language Xander understood.

"Zhaenor, celaror,

vel'han niar—

Kavé orath drévan

serathi thalen."

The runes on the blade flared brighter and Xander's body jerked midair, like something invisible had grabbed him by the spine. He gasped although he had an idea, but he couldn't be sure of they were helping him or trying to kill him. "W-what are you doing?!"

But, Maia didn't stop chanting, neither did the others.

"Vren'thalor, aesharor lurien—

Venar drévan mirathen

drez'kai"

The Aurex Blade rose into the air, floating above Xander's chest as blue and purple lightning arced toward it, drawn like metal to a magnet, Xander screamed.

The Aurex Blade floated higher, suspended in the air above Xander like it had a mind of its own. The runes along the blade flared white-hot, glowing brighter with each strike.

His back arched midair, eyes wide, mouth open in agony. The light pouring from his chest pulsed violently, like it was being ripped out of him piece by piece.

The pain was so intense, Xander started wishing he would die, because anything was more tolerable than this.

Alyhana clutched Iris tighter, shielding her from the wind and debris, and Eli crawled closer to the edge of the broken barrier, eyes locked on Xander. "Is...is he going to die?"

Alyhana didn't answer right away.

She looked at Xander, at the way his body shook, at the way the lightning danced across his skin like it was trying to tear him apart.

"I–I don't know," she whispered.

Xander's voice cracked through the air. "Make it stop—please—!"

Maia's voice rose louder, their chanting persistent despite how torturous it was to use such high rates of magic.

"Lyria'venor, selan'vraeor—

Venar drévan karaveth

drez'kai."

Another massive burst of light exploded from Xander's chest—blinding, searing, and loud enough to shake the heavens.

The shockwave hit like a tidal wave and everyone was thrown back. The statues crumbled, crashing to the ground in clouds of dust and stone. The barrier Maia had cast shattered like useless glass.

Alyhana hit the floor hard, shielding Iris with her arms. Eli rolled across the stone, coughing as debris rained down.

Maia slammed into a pillar, blood trailing from her mouth as she struggled to stay conscious.

And in the center of it all, Xander dropped and hit the ground on his knees, trembling like a puppet with its strings cut. His arms hung limp at his sides, his head bowed, breath ragged as the light around him flickered and faded.

Gaea groaned from across the room, pushing herself up. "Is it over…?"

Vimea wanted to respond, then she saw something that made her words get stuck in her throat.

Something rose from his mouth, Xander's mouth. A soft, glowing crystal hovered just above his lips. It spun slowly, pulsing with violet light,

It floated higher towards the blade innocently it hadn't almost killed someone, and the Aurex Blade responded instantly.

It lifted from where it had fallen, runes glowing brighter than ever before. The crystal spun faster, then shot forward, merging with the blade in a blinding flash of bright blue light.

Everyone shielded their eyes.

A beam of pure energy burst upward, piercing through the shattered ceiling and into the sky above to the point even the clouds parted.

And for a moment, the entire temple was silent, Maia dropped to her knees, her voice barely a whisper.

"The blade has chosen."

Gaea stared at the light, eyes wide. "It… it accepted him. He...he is the Kaelhi!"

Maia glared at her sister, in annoyance and said sarcastically. "Is he now?"

Gaea scoffed in response and crossed her arms as Eli looked at Xander, still unmoving on the floor. "But at what cost?"

Xander's body hit the stone floor with a dull thud, limbs limp, eyes shut. He didn't move. The blue flame in the heart bowl had gone out as smoke curled from the cracked stone. Statues lay in pieces and the ceiling was open to the sky.

Alyhana slowly sat up, her arms still wrapped around Iris. "Xander…?"

No response.

Eli crawled toward him, but stopped halfway, like the old man wasn't sure if touching him would help or hurt.

Maia stood slowly, her voice low. "It's done."

Gaea stared at the blade, her expression hard to decipher. "It shouldn't have worked, we've never done this before."

Vimea's voice was quiet as she eyed her sister. "But it did though."

Alyhana looked at Xander again, her voice barely a whisper. "Is he…?"

Maia stepped forward, kneeling beside him. She placed two fingers gently against his neck.

"He's alive," she said. "But he won't wake for a while."

Everyone was quiet again.

The only sound was the soft wind blowing through the broken ceiling and them Maia said with a tear running down her cheek.

"The Kaelhi has returned."

______

Translation:

"By flame, by sky,

by sacred breath...

We call the blade

to draw what's left."

"By oath unbroken,

by gods unseen... 

Let the blade cleanse

what should not be."

"By light unbound,

by soul set free...

Let the blade take

what should not be."