Intermission

[Dreamspeaker]

Somewhere far away, in a castle hidden from the eye of the world...





Years pass, seasons change,
and, perhaps, I change with them too.

Little else is said at first. The blade, a divine prison, is placed aside for but a moment. He's asleep, after all, and I would not want to disturb his rest. He's already done more than enough, more than most allies than I remember. I never thought that a man that inherited the legacy of the one who killed me would become a trusted friend..

.. but I suppose fate always had an odd sense of humor with me.

I question my decisions as of late.
Shouldn't I seek revenge?
Shouldn't I gorge on cruelty,
seek blood, destruction for the loss inflicted?

It's not as if I've become soft, I think. In a moment's notice, I could end a life- a soul even, and not feel a thing about it. A dead man, left in the purity of eternal rest and the stars beyond, would easily be robbed of his freedom simply because I wished for it - and would serve in his state of unliving. I could find a reason to use something to my great advantage and find no shame in it.

Then why did I take those risks?
Why did I let the boy go?
Why didn't I just kill the Patriarch?
Why do I even seek his freedom from the divine prison?

It makes no sense. It wouldn't make sense to those that preach strength and brutality, to our kind- Atrellyans, perhaps, would even mock me for it- but their approach in that regard fell flat on its face. Then, is it a simple, cunning strategy of mine? To manipulate, to be in touch, to appear different? Is it my inner being, speaking louder than my conscious mind, making the right move even when I would not?

.. no. That doesn't makes sense either.

Was it the consequence of taking upon divine flesh and blood, or did it come with passing years? Is it wisdom or a fatal flaw? I couldn't tell.
It's late. Maybe I'm simply tired. Maybe I need to rest and think it over again, think over what comes next.
After all, now more than ever, I have time for that.
Time to answer the question that's been bothering me for a while.



Who am I, really?