His heart — gods, his heart — pounded with unnatural force. Each beat wasn't just blood, but power, sent racing through every circuit and node. He could see it, feel it, the pulse of raw energy rippling through his body.
And then came the pressure. His soul — or what he thought was his soul — stretched painfully. A crushing weight pressed on his chest, then expanded outward. His soul vessel was growing, forced to expand to contain the potential bursting within him.
Flashes of sensation followed — elemental echoes flickering through him. Fire sparked inside his veins, heat blooming like embers. A chill gripped his bones, as if ice coiled around his marrow. Stone weighed down his muscles, heavy and grounding. It was chaotic, each element fighting for space inside him.
