In the blazing golden fire, Alaric's painful screams grew quieter as his body slowly began to disintegrate, each of his atoms vanishing into the flames, turning into nourishing particles that fueled the fire even more.
After some time, his body completely burned away. At the spot where he had stood, only a single drop of pure, radiant water remained, floating in the air.
...
Supreme Dimension.
"Agamotto!! What the hell are you doing!?"
Since Alaric had already vanished, Hoggoth no longer maintained a telepathic link with the others in the spiritual realm. Instead, he spoke directly, his voice echoing throughout the World of the Vishanti.
Of them all, Hoggoth's voice was the loudest, the only one that truly carried the fury of a divine being.
"Do you even realize what you've done? You actually shed your tears!? That's more precious than my flame or Agamotto's talisman!"
"And you, Agamotto! If you were going to send your talisman, why did you have to take my flame as a gift!? I never gave you permission!!"
Hoggoth erupted in rage. Agamotto, taking advantage of a moment of distraction, had simply taken his flame and given it to Alaric without words, without consent.
He hadn't asked. He'd just done it.
That drove Hoggoth mad, because it made him look petty and weak before the others. He felt humiliated. Yet what angered him most was Oshtur's decision.
Oshtur had truly given one of her tears to Alaric.
And those tears... were not ordinary.
Even the Book of the Vishanti wasn't as precious as a single one of those tears.
Why? Just look at Agamotto.
As one of the Elder Gods, Oshtur had shed only a single tear in all of her existence and from that tear, Agamotto was born.
Yes, Agamotto was literally born from Oshtur's tear.
That's why from the moment of his birth, he carried divine magical energy beyond mortal comprehension. He became the creator of the Eye of Agamotto, the first to possess the Time Stone, the first to grasp the mysteries of the universe. The all-seeing eye, the all-knowing being, a symbol of divine wisdom.
That's why Oshtur's tears were something incomparable, beyond any known measure.
But now, Oshtur had given one of her tears to Alaric without hesitation.
If that tear were to give birth to a new being, Hoggoth couldn't even imagine the consequences.
"Calm yourself, Hoggoth."
Oshtur's voice rang out calmly, clear and full of grace. Her words cut through the air like light piercing darkness.
"The tear I gave Alaric was not taken from the same essence as the one from which Agamotto was born. It contains neither my emotions nor the memories of millions of lives on Earth. That tear will not give birth to new life."
"I gave it only to help him adapt to the Vishanti's magical energy and strengthen his bond with magic."
Oshtur spoke with composure, but also with firmness.
"Even if that's so," muttered Hoggoth, still unsettled, "there was no need to give him such a rare gift."
Though her explanation made sense, Hoggoth couldn't hide his unease. His heart burned with frustration, but he knew he couldn't question Oshtur's will.
With a sigh, he turned to Agamotto.
"Agamotto, I know you believe in Alaric too. You gave him your talisman, I won't interfere with that. But why did you take my flame without asking? Wouldn't I have given it to you if you'd only asked!?"
Hoggoth's voice trembled with fury. His flame, though not as sacred as Oshtur's tears, carried immense power. Whoever possessed it would gain extraordinary resilience, a stronger body, and a natural affinity for fire magic.
It wasn't an ordinary flame, it was the Flame of the Vishanti.
Its power was almost unimaginable.
Just look at the magic of Kamar-Taj, The Holy Blade of the Vishanti.
That sword was forged from the Vishanti's energy and Hoggoth's flame. It possessed immense offensive power, especially against dark forces, and bore astonishing holy properties that purified and destroyed all evil in its path.
"See you. We will help him." Agamotto's tone was short and cold, as always.
"You...! Next time something like this happens, you'd better let me decide for myself!"
Hoggoth was furious but held his tongue. He knew that any further argument with Agamotto would be pointless, he'd just pretend not to hear and then do the same thing again, without a shred of remorse.
Among the three Vishanti, Hoggoth was the most temperamental, Agamotto the most stubborn, and Oshtur the most cold-blooded. No wonder Hoggoth was the one who lost his temper most often.
As for the amulet Agamotto had sent to Alaric, known as the Eye of Agamotto, it was similar to the one kept in Kamar-Taj. Both possessed the all-seeing power, the ability to shatter illusions, detect dark magic, and even peer into the past and future.
The only difference was that the amulet given to Alaric did not contain the Time Stone.
Hoggoth sighed quietly and was just about to close his eyes to begin meditation when Oshtur suddenly lifted her head.
"Hm? How is that possible?"
Her golden eyes flickered as she sensed something unusual.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Hoggoth immediately opened his eyes, his voice laced with nervous concern. "Did something go wrong with your tear?"
He was still haunted by the thought that the tear could give birth to a new being, another Agamotto.
Although that might not necessarily be bad, he knew it would completely alter the balance among them.
"Nothing."
Oshtur replied briefly and closed her eyes, as if nothing had happened. She didn't want to explain further, not now.
Hoggoth only grumbled quietly to himself.
"What kind of allies are these…"
Though she appeared calm, a storm raged within Oshtur's heart. She had felt something that had never happened before.
Her tear, the one she'd given to Alaric had begun to pulse. Within it, she felt the presence… of life.
If her senses didn't deceive her, it had to be Alaric.
How it had happened, she couldn't comprehend. The very nature of her tear was pure, devoid of emotion, without the seed of creation. Yet somehow, Alaric had made the impossible happen.
Oshtur couldn't let Hoggoth know. If he found out, a new conflict would erupt, one that could shake the very structure of their dimension.
And Agamotto… he would probably just laugh and say he didn't care.
"Another son…?" she thought quietly.
And as surprise filled her being, a faint trace of joy passed through her. She could hardly wait for the moment when she would see Alaric again now, in his new divine form.
Then, everything would become clear.
...
In the meditation chamber.
Just as Oshtur had foreseen, the drop of water that had been floating in the air suddenly began to glow. From it radiated an incredible life force, so pure it seemed the light pierced the very fabric of space.
Rays spread outward, and the form of the droplet began to change, dissolving into threads of light that then condensed into the shape of a human body.
Slowly, out of the light, a figure emerged.
Alaric's body was reborn, pure and perfect, forged from the divine tear and Hoggoth's flame. His skin shimmered like crystal, and around him spread an aura that resembled a fusion of divine and demonic power.
Through the experience of total destruction and rebirth, Alaric had reached a new level of existence.
In his mind, a voice resounded, clear and all-encompassing.
[Through the profound experience of rebirth from ashes and the reconstruction of your body, you have achieved enlightenment. Combined with the body of demonic flame, you have awakened a special constitution: The Body of Gods.]
[Body of Gods: Created from pure magical energy and the divine power of Oshtur. You have become one with divine order.]
[You have gained long life, a powerful body, a natural magical affinity, and an immense amount of magical energy.]