The ogre.”
Cassandra nodded, remembering her lessons in the Monastery.
Chaos rebels against order
.
“The Gods gave life to this world, but in doing so they unwittingly called forth creatures like the ogre. Monsters that crawled from the Burning Sea to wreak destruction on these mortal shores.
“Once they understood the terrible consequences of their actions, the Gods realized they could no longer dwell in this realm. Their very presence caused ripples in the Chaos Sea that wouldbring harm to those they sought to protect. Yet they could not abandon the people, either. They needed a hero to defend this realm.”
“But why did they choose Daemron?” Cassandra asked. “Why didn’t they choose you?”
“He was a mortal naturally born into this world. I am a creature formed from Chaos.” The Guardian spoke slowly, choosing his words with great care, clearly uncomfortable with the question. “The Talismans they gave to Daemron would have affected me in dangerous and unpredictable ways.”
Like how the Sword has sustained you for all these centuries
, she thought,
yet the Crown is now slowly killing you
.
“In the beginning, I fought by Daemron’s side,” the blue-skinned titan continued. “Together we drove the Chaos Spawn into hiding.”
“What was he like?”
“A great warrior,” the Guardian replied. “A powerful wizard. A brilliant prophet. A mighty king.”
As he spoke, he looked away from her and reached down to pick up the bowl from the ground beside him, his gaze focused intently on his meal.
“Were you friends?” Cassandra asked, sensing he was holding something back. “Before he betrayed the True Gods?”
The boldness of the question surprised her, but if the Guardian was offended, he gave no sign.
“We were allies,” he answered, turning his head to look at her once more. “But there was always something dark within him.
“A true hero fights for something greater than themselves. He or she is willing to sacrifice everything to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
Like you
, Cassandra thought.
“But Daemron was different. His courage was selfish. He riskedhis life for glory and praise. He was fearless, but only because he was so proud he did not believe he could die.
“It wasn’t enough that the Gods had chosen him as their Champion. It wasn’t enough that they had gifted him with the Talismans. He believed he was their equal; he believed he deserved to be immortal. And he used the very gifts the Gods had given him to take what he thought he deserved.”
Is that so wrong? To seize what you want?
Once again Cassandra was momentarily caught off guard by the words that sprang unbidden into her head. The concept went against everything she had been taught, everything she believed in.
“Didn’t the True Gods sense Daemron’s corruption?” Cassandra asked, ignoring the stray—and unwelcome—thought.
“All mortals are corrupt and flawed next to the perfection of the divine,” the Guardian countered. “Perhaps they felt Daemron was the best they could find.”
“But you knew he was dangerous,” Cassandra pressed. “Didn’t you try to warn them?”
“Who was I to question the judgment of the Gods?” he countered. “I thought my doubts about him were evidence of my own failings: manifestations of my jealousy and resentment that they had elevated him over me. It was only after his betrayal that the truth became evident to all.
“The Talismans were imbued with the essence of the Gods themselves,” he continued. “They possessed the power of raw Chaos: the power of life and creation. Daemron discovered a ritual to unleash that power; he used it to transform himself from a man into an Immortal. But the backlash of his spell changed him in other ways, too.”
“How so?”
“The darkness inside him grew stronger; it consumed his mind and spirit. And his physical appearance was forever altered. TheChaos changed him from human into something demonic and
Cassandra nodded, remembering her lessons in the Monastery.
Chaos rebels against order
.
“The Gods gave life to this world, but in doing so they unwittingly called forth creatures like the ogre. Monsters that crawled from the Burning Sea to wreak destruction on these mortal shores.
“Once they understood the terrible consequences of their actions, the Gods realized they could no longer dwell in this realm. Their very presence caused ripples in the Chaos Sea that wouldbring harm to those they sought to protect. Yet they could not abandon the people, either. They needed a hero to defend this realm.”
“But why did they choose Daemron?” Cassandra asked. “Why didn’t they choose you?”
“He was a mortal naturally born into this world. I am a creature formed from Chaos.” The Guardian spoke slowly, choosing his words with great care, clearly uncomfortable with the question. “The Talismans they gave to Daemron would have affected me in dangerous and unpredictable ways.”
Like how the Sword has sustained you for all these centuries
, she thought,
yet the Crown is now slowly killing you
.
“In the beginning, I fought by Daemron’s side,” the blue-skinned titan continued. “Together we drove the Chaos Spawn into hiding.”
“What was he like?”
“A great warrior,” the Guardian replied. “A powerful wizard. A brilliant prophet. A mighty king.”
As he spoke, he looked away from her and reached down to pick up the bowl from the ground beside him, his gaze focused intently on his meal.
“Were you friends?” Cassandra asked, sensing he was holding something back. “Before he betrayed the True Gods?”
The boldness of the question surprised her, but if the Guardian was offended, he gave no sign.
“We were allies,” he answered, turning his head to look at her once more. “But there was always something dark within him.
“A true hero fights for something greater than themselves. He or she is willing to sacrifice everything to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
Like you
, Cassandra thought.
“But Daemron was different. His courage was selfish. He riskedhis life for glory and praise. He was fearless, but only because he was so proud he did not believe he could die.
“It wasn’t enough that the Gods had chosen him as their Champion. It wasn’t enough that they had gifted him with the Talismans. He believed he was their equal; he believed he deserved to be immortal. And he used the very gifts the Gods had given him to take what he thought he deserved.”
Is that so wrong? To seize what you want?
Once again Cassandra was momentarily caught off guard by the words that sprang unbidden into her head. The concept went against everything she had been taught, everything she believed in.
“Didn’t the True Gods sense Daemron’s corruption?” Cassandra asked, ignoring the stray—and unwelcome—thought.
“All mortals are corrupt and flawed next to the perfection of the divine,” the Guardian countered. “Perhaps they felt Daemron was the best they could find.”
“But you knew he was dangerous,” Cassandra pressed. “Didn’t you try to warn them?”
“Who was I to question the judgment of the Gods?” he countered. “I thought my doubts about him were evidence of my own failings: manifestations of my jealousy and resentment that they had elevated him over me. It was only after his betrayal that the truth became evident to all.
“The Talismans were imbued with the essence of the Gods themselves,” he continued. “They possessed the power of raw Chaos: the power of life and creation. Daemron discovered a ritual to unleash that power; he used it to transform himself from a man into an Immortal. But the backlash of his spell changed him in other ways, too.”
“How so?”
“The darkness inside him grew stronger; it consumed his mind and spirit. And his physical appearance was forever altered. TheChaos changed him from human into something demonic and
Similar Books
