A blow that earlier wouldn't even have cracked its carapace was the same blow that sent it skidding off the path.
By just the slightest amount, Oliver had changed its direction. An overwhelming strike – a counterattack. A hero's strike. Of course, Claudia applauded. In that void where he'd felt only pain from her thought, he now felt something approaching elation, the promise of power, fingers reaching towards him.
If he'd looked, he might have seen the faint glow about his hands. The same glow that had afflicted Jok as he ascended to the Third Boundary, and received his second Blessing from Varsharn.
It was faint, but there was something there. Something beyond who Oliver currently was. A door to a different world, the key to a box that likely should not have been opened.
"That's it," Ingolsol cooed. He was afflicted by Oliver's own excitement.
