Nothing comes to mind with this prompt more than a blessing of great power, but at the cost of your freedoms. At first I was going to do a Djinn, but then I decided to have a bit more fun with it, instead having the end result be a golem. Such almighty strength; but bound to serve and obey anyone who you come across~. But hey, at least it's a happy existence, right?

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14) 'Power’

You made your way down into the deep dark depths of the hidden cavern, its location once lost to time, obscured by forces that seemed to hide what lay within. But you had uncovered it once more. Years of gruelling research and training to track down the elusive location, and pierce through its mighty barrier. The tougher the challenge, the more rewarding your prize felt, as you continued down through the damp, rocky chasm. You expected some guardian to leap out and challenge you, but evidently, it seemed the original owner felt their prior methods would be enough to deter would be thieves. Clearly, they had underestimated your determination to claim this artefact, an amulet said to contain an endless flame that could never be extinguished, a piece of the very sun itself, that could grant infinite power, at a cost to the wearer. But you weren't concerned. As a successful and powerful mage, you knew you could handle whatever ‘cost’ might be in store.

And then you finally came across it. The resting place of the artefact.


A shrine contained within the centre of a perfectly circular pond, glowing ethereal flames igniting from the tips of the torches as you approached, casting odd shapes upon the waters as you crossed the bridge to reach it. Each step echoed throughout the cavern as you approached your prize, a gleaming amulet hanging from a plinth, its ruby studded surface seeming to glow in the dim light, its surface warm to the touch as you picked it up, and staring intently into the crimson gem. Finally… it was yours.

You slipped the crystalline amulet on, letting its runic surface rest against your chest. Immediately you felt it, the power, flowing through you, seeping into your body. The fervent blaze, the smouldering fire. The endless flame, limitless in its potential, and now at your very fingertips.

Excited to test your newfound powers, you raised a hand, fire pooling within it, before shooting out as a massive jet, turning the rock to molten slag. Yes… you would enjoy this. You continued to test out your new abilities on the interior of the cavern, from cones of flame, to white hot blades of magma that cut through anything in its path, to even constructs of flame that obeyed your every whim. You had expected the power of the amulet to have weakened at least a little with how much magical force you were outputting, but if anything, it had gotten even stronger, burning with a greater heat. It was truly infinite. This was incredible. All of this, now yours to command…

You decided to give it one more shot, channelling as much power from the amulet you could manage, letting it's flames spew across your body, enveloping every inch of it in its might, before letting it all converge into your arms, and then your palms, condensing it down as much as it could go, until it was just the size of a melon, before sending it rocketing to the other end of the cavern. There was a brief silence as it collided with the far wall, until…

“BOOOM”

The cavern was suddenly illuminated by a second sun as an explosion rang out, the very earth quaking at your might. You feared the cavern might collapse, that you had overdone it. But though the cavern rumbled and stone clattered to the ground, it held firm, as the light slowly died, allowing you to see the destruction you'd wrought. A large, smooth crater lay where the wall had once been, extending from floor to ceiling, and beyond. It reminded you of the area you now stood within. Perhaps it had been created with the very same method? You couldn't know for certain.

As you finally turned your attention away from the magnificence that had been your spell, you noticed that in spite of all the power you'd consumed, the flames still coated every inch of your body. You tried to dispel the magical flames, but as soon as the spell attempted to leave your fingers, the flames immediately set upon it, feeding off the mana to grow even brighter and vibrant. Your body was now a veritable bonfire as the amulets power engulfed you, the flames seeping into your skin, transforming into ruby-red feathers, spreading out from the amulet like a wave, coating your chest and back. As the changes spread downwards, your feet began to cramp and ache, toes drawn together as they started to fuse and meld together into three, the nails on each hardening and sharpening into claws. An audible ‘pop’ emanates from your heel as you witness a fourth force its way out, just in time for the flames to reach them. But instead of flaring out, these flames seemed to die down, turning into a thick ash that blanketed them in their entirety, before hardening into tough obsidian scales, and leaving you with a pair of powerful avian talons!

Even if you could still cast spells, that option went out the door as soon as the changes reached your wrists soon after, your hands aching as fingers extended outwards, becoming thin and wiry, scarlet plumage flowing across them in an interlocking weave that grew and grew, more colours sprouting from the tips of of your shifting limbs, decorating them in the many colours of the rainbow, as your arms were transformed into powerful wings, luminescent embers cast with every involuntary flap of the new limbs!

All that was left now was your head, but that didn't last long as the feathers coated every inch of flesh, your skull aching as it was resculpted, becoming more angular and aerodynamic, ears vanishing under the feathers, replaced by a crest of luminescent feathers, your face pushing out as your nose and mouth merged into one and stretched out, curving into a sharp point and hardening, your new beak proudly displayed upon your avian head, completing your transformation.

Your wings flapped as you stared down at your reflection in the still waters, marvelling at your new body, its majesty, its strength. No longer was this power just yours, it was you, just as you were it. The Endless Flame, the Eternal Ember, the Immortal bird. The mighty Phoenix. You let out a majestic Squawk that resonated through the caverns. You were perfected. Divine. Freed from your mortality and humanity to become something more, something of worship and praise. Your prior greed and ambitions, they were beneath you now. Why bother with simple power and control, when you could instead inspire and guide, to be a symbol in the hearts of men, so they too could shed such inconsequential vices and become as pure as yourself.

So caught up in your vanity you failed to notice the amulet fuse with your chest, nor the roaring flames of your body finally start to retract, your feathers losing their lustre, turning grey and lifeless, until it was too late, your body going heavy, like stone. No, it was stone. Every inch of your body was petrifying, turning into intricately carved rock, the gemstone consuming even your own agency to fuel its endless power as your thoughts began to slow, becoming as rigid and artificial as the rest of your body

[Completing conversion. Reformatting mind] you found yourself speaking aloud in an almost lifeless recreation of your old voice, the stone consuming your head, eyes becoming carved gemstones that glowed with magical power, much like your new golem core. Your mind shifted, your very manner of thinking adjusting, becoming simple, direct, designed to follow simple commands and orders in the most efficient manner possible. Knowledge of Spells and magic faded. A golem familiar such as yourself didn't need such things. You already held a pure relationship with the magic in your core, it was an extension of your will, and through you, your master's. All your core needed was your directives and duties. Your very purpose for existing. But something still resisted, thoughts of control and power, of independence and majesty, dangerous for a powerful golem such as yourself to possess.

[Impurities in core detected. Purging] You stated, feeling your core heat up, before purifying your internal runes with its divine flame once more, purging memories, emotions, whatever remaining humanity that might get in the way of your duties. After all, you were the endless flame itself, unending and unceasing. And the flame required a wielder to direct its blaze, lest it burn everything to ash.

[Locating Owner]

Your sensors scanned the area for a user, but found nothing. With no master to command you, no purpose to serve, you returned to your plinth and deactivated, awaiting the day when one day you could fulfil your role.