Mickvus stared at the plate holding a rock in front of him. He glanced at Avero who was by his side urging him.
'Why don't you go first?' He thought with frustration.
He felt fear. What laid on the plate before him was an energy rock—a rock containing a large coalescence of cosmic energy, and though it was rarely found in the known universe, Thelia had the most concentration of it—a reason why the crystalline planet was valuable to the empire.
Avero and his men had attacked a mining site days back and though they acquired many losses, they got in return vast amounts of energy rocks, plenty enough for the distinguished ones in the army.
Though the energy rock was a way to boost one's abilities and might, it was a double-edged sword—an unstable tool. Due to the vast amount of energy present within it, and the sudden introduction into the body, it results could be otherwise fatal or undesirable.
The body in many cases might not acclimatize to the vast cosmic energy seeking to blend with the body's, and strange phenomenons may occur instead: such as petrification, sudden mutation, loss of limbs, disfigurement and a couple of unseemly results. And those were if the consumer straight up did not die from its consumption.
The success rate was low, but if successful, it could make a powerhouse of the weakest of beings.
Avero, the rebellion leader decided to reward his most loyal men and have them go through the ritual of consuming energy rocks. They would utilize every trick in the book to boost their chances of success and this was just one of many.
Avero nodded to Mickvus, the young Thelian let out a sigh, he knew he was asking what was taking him so long.
Mickvus had made a mistake, what would the others think if he hesitated here? He couldn't afford to lower their morale. He swiped the plum-sized energy rock and in a single move threw it in his mouth. It was tough, but Thelian teeth had evolved to grind even harder things so chewing didn't pose a problem.
He chewed slowly, and as he did, he looked at the eyes of those in front of him. He was afraid. Were the conditions different, he might have pissed himself, but he could not afford to have that here, for his sake and for Thelia.
He swallowed. Thelian men were positioned by him on the chance he went berserk, and they crept closely, Avero and the soldiers watched intently, praying that it was a success.
The first thing that happened was Mickvus's eyes taking a brighter hue. It was like a stream of light was going to burst through his eyes. His body went aglow, momentarily making him phosphorescent. He was like a red flame representing the people's rage.
He fell on the ground in a fetal position, and the men held down their sticks against him. Avero crept forward, breaking through the wall of soldiers. He watched his brother weakly writhing and moaning on the ground. The red light his body emanated had become even darker, like Mickvus was a valley where spilled blood collected.
His body then left the ground, levitating. Thelians were not capable of flight without utilizing cosmic energy so this too was an effect of the energy stone. He floated in the air, limbs loose and drifting, till he suddenly came upright.
Avero looked up, and then squinted his eyes. He could see the rock bits at Mickvus's core, they glowed violently almost as if they burned within him.
In a sudden change of events, the light within him shrunk and disappeared and he fell. That did not make anyone less wary however. Then the transformation began.
A blue refractive rock jutted from Mickvus's shoulders and he stifled a yell, his face began hardening, and so did the rest of his body.
"He is petrifying lord."
Avero simply held out his hand and continued to observe.
Mickvus grew in size as his body hardened, he was already a giant but now, he was getting filled up, his limbs swole, feet, fingers, torso, every part of him, and then it suddenly stopped.
The searing pain thrashing within him shrunk. He opened his crystal blue eyes, and slowly rose to his feet. He towered even the tallest Thelian present by at least two feet.
Avero held out his arm and approached, "Are you there brother?"
"Yes brother." Avero responded, his voice throaty and coarse from the transformation.
"Show us what you can do." Avero commanded.
The guards left Avero's radius giving him room. Mickvus blinked and he was gone, a lingering warped light remained in place, and then meters away from the army stood the crystalline giant.
"Teleportation, convenient." Avero commented, he was not going to consume energy rocks. He believed that a pure blooded Thelia such as himself should be the one to take the throne, he could not afford to have his blood tainted by the rocks regardless of what power it might grant him.
Mickvus teleported back. He saw that Avero was not impressed, and then, he decided to try something else.
He held out his arm, directing it at one massive rock at the side. In the blink of an eye, chunks of the rock disappeared, and it was smoothened. Were it a living creature he had utilized the move on, it would bleed to death.
His new abilities were oddly familiar to him, like he had always had them, and he reckoned that perhaps the rock in him was instructing him.
His large rocky feet left the ground, the air becoming his new plane for movement, and he drifted about seemleesly.
"Flight," he said.
"The cosmic energy within me is abundant, it feels limitless. I have ascended brother, this is the apex of our race."
Mickvus had expected Avero to be proud of the statement, but instead he saw creases on his face hinting on disdain or at very least, indifference.
"Next," Avero cried.