While, seemingly naturally, the flow of the battle pushes him closer and closer to the shrouded Dreadgod.
We’re only going to get one shot…
When Lindon gets close enough, he focuses his energy on his left hand. A claw of Forged Blackflame overlays his own, resonating with the Void Icon.
He rushes at the Silent King and slams the technique home, swallowing the Dreadgod in a black explosion.
All over the battlefield, the halos flicker. But they don’t break.
And when a bloodless but wounded tiger’s face emerges from the cloud of destruction aura, its one remaining eye blazes with rage.
…but they’ll take it from there.
An ice-cold arrowhead the size of a ship slams into the Silent King. It pins him to the ground for an instant before he breaks it into pieces and re-forms his body, roaring until a Forged blood dragon hits him from the side.
All we do is keep a tag on him, and let the Monarchs handle the rest.
In the vision, Lindon launches dragon’s breath every time the Silent King tries to sneak away, and Northstrider and Malice lead the battle. The frustrated Dreadgod tries to flee, but he’s cornered by land-ravaging techniques that send dust clouds billowing into the sky.
One problem, and it’s not terrible, nothing worth mentioning, but he is going to try and bring the others in.
One reason why the Monarchs didn’t kill the Dreadgods every time. Push one too far, and it called for its brothers.
The King roars, and all hunger madra in the world trembles with its cry. Lindon’s arm rings like a bell, and even he feels an overpowering urge to go to the tiger’s side.
We’ll have to do something about that. If only you had some kind of genius mind-spirit to h—
Dross’ voice cuts off and the image of the roaring Dreadgod freezes.
It melts and re-forms, and now Lindon feels himself pinned to the ground by a massive claw. The Silent King looms over him, looking down unharmed, as Malice’s armor bleeds away to essence behind him.
You can’t run from me here, little spirit, the Dreadgod says. I will tell you how this proceeds.
Time rolls backwards.
Once again, Lindon is trying to get close to the Silent King while pretending he’s fallen for the illusion. He combines his powers into one technique, and The Dragon Descends forms on his hand. He slams it into the tiger in a mighty explosion.
The Dreadgod dissolves into light. It was an illusion all along.
A claw strikes Lindon from behind, and he feels the pain even in the vision as his body carves a trench into the earth.
He looks up into into the pale white sky…which peels away like a coat of paint and reveals a floating island. The island is dominated by a tall white tree. One crowned in a circle of light.
Lindon recognizes it even before he sees the sacred artists pouring down from it. This is the headquarters of the Silent Servants, the cult of the tiger Dreadgod.
Northstrider crashes from high above, borne down by their collective will. Malice is pelted by a barrage from the reinforced army and pushed back.
The Dreadgod focuses its will on the city of Moongrave. In a flash of purple light, its circle of defensive scripts is overwhelmed and falls.
The people of the city are his.
Northstrider dies.
Malice flees.
Lindon sees the near future. His perspective drifts rapidly into the sky, where he sees the continent of Ashwind spreading out before him, from the Trackless Sea in the far north to the jungles of the south. The land is covered by points of white light. Millions upon millions of halos. Each a spirit proclaiming allegiance to the Silent King.
Lindon feels one halo settle onto his own soul, and in the vision, the technique brings peace unending.
If you see a pair of Monarchs containing me, then you cannot see Fate. I am not what I was. I am unlimited.
Dross clears his throat, and the sound cuts through the vision.
The dream of the Silent King’s victory pauses.
Well, see, if we’re being technical, I did say there were reinforcements on the way. I didn’t say there were only two.
The top-down view of the Ashwind continent covered in white light is still frozen…except for shining green leaves, which drift across the vision as though blown on the wind. The leaves are the only things moving in this still world, and each has a strange shape at its center.
A shape that eerily resembles an open eye.
Another voice joins Dross and the Silent King. A woman’s voice, gentle but mocking.
Here kitty kitty kitty, Emriss Silentborn says.
Even trapped as a passenger in a vision, Lindon can feel the Silent King’s horror.
No…