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But in the end, he had gotten it to work. And that incredible power, while certainly dangerous, could also be considered a boon. Like a wild horse, it was just a matter of taming it.

Plus, it came with the added security of no one else in the world ever being capable of using the Clown Pit against him. It would immediately reject and obliterate anyone who dared try.

He breathed in deep, taking some of the ardor into his own body. This, too, was a supremely dangerous tactic, requiring a well-practiced hand with ardor manipulation and also the kind of bodily resilience that only an emperor possessed. But it was worth the effort, because it allowed him to become part of the flow itself, meaning that he could even more easily guide it.

It was almost like making the flow of ardor an extension of his own will.

It was exhilarating. Euphoric. A raw feeling of power and freedom. Of living energy. If he could've stayed like this indefinitely, he very well might have.

Every time he did this, he recalled the tales from his mentors. Tales of the great inventors of old, of how they had used this very same technique to tap into untold power from the planet itself. Exceeding beyond themselves, beyond their own genius, into a greater height of knowledge than was perhaps otherwise possible on this plane of existence.

He'd thought that such tales were exaggerated. And perhaps they were. But in moments like these, he could see at least a glimmer of truth in them.

He didn't know about tapping into any genius beyond his own. That part still seemed hyperbolic to him. He never felt like new ideas were coming to him here. But the drunken feeling of power? The sheer potential? And the creative spark to go forth and build more wonders?

Those were all there.

The storm was calming almost totally, now. And it was beautiful. The lightning was gone entirely, but the fire was still there, though it was now orderly. A nearly perfect stream, flowing in repeating, algorithmic patterns all around the bowl, creating a visible containment field around Asad and Qorvass.

Tears welled up in his eyes, wavering against the encircling whirlwind.

This always happened to him. He couldn't help it. Witnessing the majesty of any fusion forge at the peak of its ability never ceased to move his heart.