Looking back at everything now, I realize that it is quite possible that Raelia Kyburn knew exactly what was going to happen in those mines. With the vast resources available to the Dominion in those days, it is not impossible to assume that she understood exactly what she was walking into, who the other Incarnations were, and what they were most likely to do. It was a gamble, of course. There was no way to know for sure how things would turn out, and what the Angel would do. But I think she predicted a lot of what was to come. Even what happened to her. In fact, I think she was counting on it.

Vhael had walked ahead of the others in the transformed mine. His was a single-minded determination, and he seemed to be driven by a volatile anger. Arioth and Gilvern regarded him with caution. The man seemed likely to lash out at anything that came too close, and they had no idea if this was his natural state or if he was particularly agitated in this place.

No one would blame him if the latter was true. Before their very eyes, the dark, claustrophobic gloom of the mines had been transformed into rolling savannah beneath a clear night sky. They had been displaced, for all intents and purposes, moved to another land entirely. For all they knew, they could be on another continent. The depth of this power was unfathomable; it was impossible to tell if they had in fact been transported or if this was an illusion. If it was the latter, it was extremely convincing. The wind blew, the blades of grass rustled in the breeze, and there was the unmistakeable freedom of the empty sky. Their senses told them they were outside, far removed from the darkness they had descended into, yet there was another sense, instinct, perhaps, that told them they had not moved at all, that they were still in those mines.

And then came another thought, into each of their minds – that somehow, both was true, that they were occupying different realities, experiencing different things, whilst moving towards the same, singular goal – to come face-to-face with this reality-warping entity.

All things considered ‘agitated’ was a mild response for Vhael. Gilvern himself had not quite moved past the ‘dumbfounded’ stage, one that he seemingly shared with Arioth, judging by how the man blinked many times at his surroundings, convinced that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

‘Fascinating,’ he breathed. ‘This kind of power is the realm of the gods.’

The only one who did not seem to be taken aback by the mind-bending power on display was Raelia. She looked at each of her companions in turn, then sped up to catch up to Vhael, falling in stride beside him.

‘You don’t seem to be too surprised at what’s happened,’ she said, watching him. Vhael said nothing.

‘You were all members of the 53rd Battalion, but it’s strange. Out of everyone, they all seem to treat you like a viper in a room, as though you’re liable to strike anyone.’

Vhael’s eyes flashed at these words, but still, he said nothing. Raelia smiled as she regarded him, her eyes flicking down to the golden band he bore on his finger.

‘So much anger in you,’ she said. ‘So much hate. Is it born from righteousness? Or is it merely something in your blood? An obsession?’

At these words Vhael’s hand lashed out with the speed of striking serpent, closing around Raelia’s neck.

Despite the suddenness of the assault, Raelia didn’t lose her smile. Vhael, his eyes filled with murder, maintained his grip on her throat. Firm, but not constricting. Not yet. This was a warning.

Gilvern rushed up to them.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ he demanded. Vhael didn’t answer.

‘I’m curious,’ said Raelia. ‘The 53rd Battalion is seen as the hope and pride of the Fellvar Empire. You were supposed to be the revival of duty to the fallen Imperial Crown, given duties to restore the prestige and sovereignty of the nation through acts of heroism and the acquisition of knowledge. Yet it seems that you have been obsessed with assassination.’

‘My actions are not up for discussion,’ said Vhael, pushing her away. ‘Least of all by the likes of you.’

I know you turned against your erstwhile allies,’ said Raelia gesturing towards Arioth and Gilvern. ‘If anyone is owed an explanation, it’s them.’

‘In truth, it doesn’t matter to me,’ Arioth said. ‘The concerns of the 53rd Battalion and the Lethean Orders are no longer mine. Third Moon seeks knowledge, pure and simple.’

At this, Vhael turned a vicious glare on Arioth. ‘That is precisely why I turned on all of you. What became of the 53rd Battalion? We were meant to restore the dignity of the Fellvar Empire, created to avenge the defeat of our people.’

An aura of lightning formed around the devil, and his skin darkened, blackened as though burned.

‘Then came the Lethean, a bastardization of the will of Fellvar, an obsession with death, born from the ignominy of defeat. Then from them, Third Moon, the Cult of the Red… obsessions with knowledge, with the depths of hell, and to what end?’

‘So, you’re a loyalist,’ said Arioth. ‘I have to say, that was definitely not what I expected from you. So, instead of striking a blow at the Dominion, you have turned your hand against your own people?’

‘I walk the true path. Do you suppose that I should leave traitors in my wake?’

‘He’s lying,’ said Gilvern. All eyes turned to him. ‘I’m sure some of that’s true, but not all of it.’

‘And what do you know of the matter?’ Vhael growled. ‘You’re a babe in the woods. You barely understand why you’re here.’

‘My deaths serve as proof of your lies,’ said Gilvern. ‘I’ve seen you many times, in many lives. You’ve been responsible for so many of them, I cannot think it was all the name of the Fellvar Empire.’

‘Indeed,’ said Raelia. ‘The old wars are won, and the concerns of the Dominion have ensured that the people of Fellvar are no longer subjected to the terms of their original surrender. That which you seek to avenge no longer exists in this world.’

‘Are the those the sentiments of the Third Princess? Or is the opinion of the Kyburn Dynasty that there is no longer a war to fight?’

Raelia simply smiled, assured of the might of the Dominion. What could a single assassin do, after all?

‘The Third Princess?’ Arioth’s eyebrow raised, turning to Raelia. ‘I see.’

‘It is the opinion of House Feldarius that the Lethean Orders have failed,’ said Vhael. ‘But while there is a member of the 53rd Battalion true to its mission, it will not be disbanded. Even if I’m the only one.

‘For far too long, the Dominion has remain unchallenged. It has become an aged, decrepit beast, straining beneath the weight of its own legend. Now they look to the Wandering, hoping that the mysteries of reincarnation and resurrection will lead to the birth of an eternal empire. They hope to rally the Incarnations to their cause, or more accurately, bend them to their will.’

‘Its decadence has become a disease, infecting the halls of power with both complacency and corruption.

The Kyburn Lords are the heart that sustain this sickness — but the heroes who won their wars and earned them their glory are gone, and I tell you now their old enemies have returned, bringing with them the brandished blade and a new bloody age of war.

We shall see how long they will survive.’

‘That doesn’t answer the questions I have,’ Gilvern said. ‘Why did you seek my death so many times? Why was I a target?’

Vhael looked at him for a long moment, then a cruel smile spread across his face. ‘You’ll have your answers soon enough.’

And with that, Vhael turned and continued down the path to the tower in distance. Gilvern growled in frustration and followed.

‘Best not to press the issue,’ said Raelia as he passed her. ‘He’s liable to kill you just to prove a point.’

‘He wouldn’t risk it now,’ Arioth interjected. ‘Not when all four of us are needed for whatever this is.’

‘Is that a chance you’re willing to take?’ Raelia asked. ‘He isn’t unintelligent, but at the same time, he’s far more volatile than I would have expected. I’m sure that the notion that we are needed is the only thing that has kept his blade from our throats.’

‘That’s the feeling I get as well,’ said Arioth. ‘We should be ready to fight if that changes.’

Gilvern looked at Vhael’s retreating back. The memories of his deaths were foggy and indistinct, but he knew one thing: fighting Vhael had never gone well for him.

The path before them seemed to stretch into a great distance, with the tower seeming many miles away, but the air around them twisted and warped. Lights with no discernible sources cast beams of multi-hued light from random places in the sky. As they walked, the tower seemed to lurch towards them, as they covered a great distance in a few steps, inflicting them with a severe vertigo that nearly made them swoon.

Except Vhael. If he was astounded by the warping world around him, he did not show it. If he was physically affected by the altering perception of the world, he did not show it. When they came to the foot of the tower, the avatar reappeared before them.

It’s gaze swept over each of them in turn, and they heard its voice in their minds once more.

‘Within you shall see me as I am. When you step through that door, you will enter into the darkness of your future, of all the paths you would walk as an Incarnation. The road has been long and filled with pain, I know. But your journey isn’t over yet, fallen king.’

It seemed as though this last was directed at them in particular, but perhaps to that eviscerated spark of awakening that dwelt within each of them. The avatar faded, revealing a great door to the massive grey tower, rotting and crumbling, it’s stone’s toppling upwards, floating into the sky above them.

They were here at last.