As the blinding light slowly began to fade, five distinct orbs of different colors revealed themselves, floating steadily in front of Zelos. He immediately recognized them, for they were not foreign objects but creations of his own making. Each orb had been carefully forged years ago, imbued with the essence of twenty Elemental Trolls, and then left to absorb primordial essence from their respective elements for an extended period. Zelos had expected progress, but what stood before him exceeded those expectations.
For five years of his personal time, the orbs had been silently working, yet based on the density of their energy and the purity of their aura, Zelos realized that the flow of time for them had been vastly different. What felt like five years to him was at least a hundred years for the orbs themselves, perhaps even longer. Their power had matured beyond what he had planned, becoming pure vessels of elemental force.
'Excellent. This turned out even better than expected,' Zelos thought, reaching out with his senses to feel the energy of each orb. Each one radiated strength so immense that they could easily serve as the foundation for a weapon, a summon, or even an artifact that transcended the normal laws of magic. Now, instead of simply wielding elemental energy, he possessed five primordial essences refined to their peak.
With little hesitation, Zelos began the next stage of his work. He started a ritual that required a heavy price, not from others, but from himself. He cut off each of his own limbs one by one, aligning them with the elements he wished to bind. His right arm was sacrificed for fire, his left arm for water, his right leg for wind, his left leg for earth, and finally, his heart was offered for lightning. Each time he severed a part of himself, he immediately healed the wound with practiced ease. To him, the process was not as painful as it should have been, for he had long since mastered both his body and his healing magic.
Using the blood from his removed limbs, Zelos carefully drew abyssal marks onto the ground, forming a vast ritual circle that pulsed with otherworldly energy. It was within this circle that he poured the orbs, his essence, and his willpower. His goal was simple but ambitious: to create five primordial demons—creatures that could serve both as independent summons and as weapons bound directly to his soul, much like the Metal Vessels from the Magi universe he remembered from his past life.
The abyss responded. The ritual began to consume everything placed within its boundaries, producing streams of red liquid that devoured the space like living rivers. Slowly, shapes began to emerge. Their forms twisted and grew until they became complete beings, and as they manifested, names whispered themselves into Zelos's mind.
His right arm became Ignis, a colossal, bipedal creature born of living rock and molten magma. His entire body resembled a walking volcano, obsidian armor cracked open to reveal lava churning beneath. His right arm was impossibly large, dragging along the ground, leaving a blazing trail wherever it touched. From his head jutted a single blazing horn, and a vertical furnace-slit glowed fiercely in place of a face. Steam and embers roared from him constantly, warping the air and melting stone wherever he walked.
His left arm became Tethys, a serpentine leviathan, both fluid and solid. Her immense body was composed of deep-ocean currents, swirling with glimpses of a glowing skeletal frame beneath. From her torso extended whip-like arms tipped with clawed fingers, each capable of lashing with the force of a tidal wave. Her lower half was a coiling tail of violent waters, constantly shifting and thrashing. Her face was eerily serene and mask-like, without eyes, framed by a mane of living kelp. A haunting hum resonated from her entire being, deep enough to fracture glass and disorient the mind.
His right leg became Zephyros, a beastly avian-humanoid shrouded in storm clouds and condensed air. His body was sleek and wiry, wings vast and tattered, spreading shadows across the land when unfurled. His talons could shred steel with ease, and his face was nothing but a swirling vortex of wind, drawing in air and light, crowned with faint sparks of lightning borrowed from Voltan's domain. He moved with impossible speed, each step producing sonic booms and ghostly afterimages. His voice was the deafening shriek of a hurricane tearing apart the skies.
His left leg became Terra, less a beast and more a moving continent. She resembled a mountain brought to life, her body vast and quadrupedal, made of stone, crystal, and ancient ores. Moss, vines, and entire trees grew upon her back, giving her the appearance of a living landscape. Glowing mineral seams pulsed within her body like veins of power, and a single massive crystalline eye rested deep within her rocky crest. Each step she took shook the ground with unstoppable force, her presence a reminder of nature's slow but unyielding strength. Weapons could not harm her bulk, for she was endurance itself.
Finally, his heart became Voltan, a dragon formed of pure lightning and light. His body was long, serpentine, and unstable, constantly shifting as arcs of electricity surged across his form. His wings resembled thunderclouds torn open by crackling veins of energy, and his roar was a sound that merged thunder and destruction in a single strike. He was no mere creature, but a living calamity—power moving at the speed of light, striking with enough force to rival a god's wrath.
All five demons existed within their own Perfect Cubes—artificial spaces created by Zelos, appearing small from the outside but infinite within. Inside, their forms were fully realized, and Zelos could observe them as though watching through an enormous screen. Satisfied with their manifestation, Zelos transitioned them into artifact forms, so they could serve as weapons tied directly to him.
Ignis condensed into a pair of arm guards, black and crimson with magma-like streaks across their surface. Tethys became a gauntlet, sleek and shimmering like flowing water, with traces of coral-like design. Zephyros shifted into a set of ethereal wings, reminiscent of the Wings of Icarus once wielded by Kratos, though these could vanish into Zelos' body and reappear at will. Terra transformed into a full-body armor of dark obsidian, imposing and protective, resembling the armor of an ancient knight merged with nature's raw power. Lastly, Voltan condensed into a sword, elegant yet overwhelming, modeled in style after Laevatein from the Fate series, but instead of fire, its edge crackled with lightning blasts far more potent than anything Zeus could summon.
With the ritual complete, the artifacts embedded themselves directly into Zelos's soul and body. He felt no fear of them being stolen or separated, for each artifact was tied inseparably to his essence. With a mere thought, he could summon any of them, switching between weapon and summon form at will. For Zelos, this was more than a creation—it was the culmination of years of planning, a set of primordial companions and weapons that were now an extension of himself.