POP!
The sound echoed throughout Olympus, and the world stood still. The wind slowed to a crawl, the falling golden leaves remaining frozen in time for a second.
Then everything came back to... Normal?
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
A series of concussive booms followed after, rattling through the air with jarring force.
The dense, mist-like energy slowly began to move out of its place, and before long, had formed a small whirlpool of golden-white, dense gas.
Hecate's heart shook terribly, her eyes narrowing into pinpricks.
This talent... She must have it for herself!
The other Olympians however, were not so calm.
"Impossible!" Apollo gasped in shock, the scene before him too stunning for him to remain sitting.
Many other Olympians mirrored his reaction, hearts hammering as they beheld the scene before them. Others clutched their seats so tightly they crushed them, their auras leaking out wantonly.
Their shock was warranted because the mortal who was supposed to be dying, was suddenly... Cultivating?
How did that make any sense?
This was a mortal from the desolate world or desolate dimension. A world so thin in aether or any other form of energy, that it was considered barren.
He did not have any aether circulation technique, had never been in contact with aether before now and was just a moment away from death from the pressure of their existence.
Plus, what was that cultivation speed? And what was with the force of these breakthroughs?
But when compared to the last variable in all of these, his previous achievements seemed pale by comparison.
One could still cultivate without aether circulation techniques. Circulation techniques only helped do so faster and more efficiently while building a better foundation for divinity.
And just like Hecate had said, the boy had an insane affinity for aether, so knowing how to instinctively draw aether despite having never come in contact with the energy before, was not all that shocking.
What was shocking was that a mortal body without even the tiniest imprint of divinity, was drawing divine energy—a higher form of aether, that was saturated with divinity and faith.
That was something only mortals who had touched the threshold of the divine, or children born from divine heritage could accomplish.
But not only was he doing that, he was purifying his soul, at the same time cleansing and reforging his body with this energy, with the pressure of their own existence, as a hammer.
BOOM! BOOM!
'First stage awakened. Second stage awakened. Third stage Awakened. Fourth...'
With every breakthrough and realm Hecate called out in her mind, her interest deepened.
But even beyond his cultivation, his soul growth rate was what captured her attention the most. It had already soared past what was normal for a person of the Exalted rank and was quickly nearing that of a Fabled.
Finally, the final "boom" resounded and things seemed to calm for a minute.
CRACKLE!
A crackle of lightning tore through the sky of Olympus, arrogant and unapologetic, and when the gods lifted their heads, the sky had turned a bruised red in the path through which the lightning had flashed.
Their eyes turned back to the mortal. Wasn't this enough surprise from a mortal already?
The next second, Zeus's expression darkened as he sensed something within the boy, his eyes narrowing into pinpricks.
But even before him, someone else already sensed it and moved.
'That bloodline?! How?!' Hectate thought as her palm descended about to eviscerate the mortal before her.
While Nolan was an intriguing specimen, if it really was the bloodline they feared, then they couldn't allow him to live.
However, before she could finish through on her actions, her palm feeling as though it was falling through a vat of oobleck[1] [1]...
ROARRRR!
The roar of a dragon filled the space, escaping from Nolan's mouth, and yet, seeming to have come from the very atmosphere itself.
At that, Hecate paused as Nolan's body pulsed with silver light within the whirlpool of energy.
"Mercury Earth Dragon? Hmmm..." Hectate muttered under her breath.
The others were also momentarily confused.
ROARRRR!
Another similar roar resounded through the air, and they could see Nolan's blood and blood vessels take on a bright silver light before dimming. Even the whirlpool of energy collapsed and began to disperse, saturating the atmosphere once again.
Even the suddenly restless gods, calmed and stayed their hands after sensing his bloodline. It wasn't that profane blood after all.
"Mercury Earth Dragon constitution and bloodline? Hmmm, very impressive. When did they get this powerful though? I could swear I thought it to be that profane blood," one of the gods muttered, others nodding at his words.
Outside the gates of the throne hall, and even beyond Mount Olympus itself, numerous figures could be seen watching the scene with intrigue, wondering just what or who this mortal was.
Hecate, without wasting time, immediately stepped into the throne halls, dragging the still dazed Nolan behind, as the golden doors shut behind them, sealing whatever transpired behind them from prying eyes.
----
[A/N: For those that didn't open the oobleck explanation to know what it means (if you don't know what it means already), perhaps due to the escalating tension and blood-pump in the chapter...
Oobleck is a mixture made of cornstarch and water with a weird property that is the complete opposite of ketchup. As while ketchup becomes thinner (watery) and less cohesive the more you hit or shake it, oobleck becomes stronger the more you do so. If you hit oobleck with force it hardens and becomes almost solid. But if you stir gently it loosens till it feels like you're just playing with thick oil or mucus.]
[Also I know many of us are looking forward to seeing Hera... Don't worry, we'll be seeing her very soon. In the meantime, show your supports; power stones, reviews, comments. They mean a lot to me.]
Thanks for reading y'all ✌️✨
[1] Oobleck is a mixture made of cornstarch and water with a weird property that is the complete opposite of ketchup. As while ketchup becomes thinner (watery) and less cohesive the more you hit or shake it, oobleck becomes stronger the more you do so. If you hit oobleck with force it hardens and becomes almost solid. But if you stir gently it loosens till it feels like you're just playing with thick oil or mucus.