Chapter 75

The two images before his eyes, of the past and present, nearly split Wil’s consciousness in half. The pain was nearly unbearable, and tears streamed down his face as he struggled to concentrate on both at once. He had been brought here, unwillingly, by the Coin to witness something.

Although he felt used by the gods, he would bear witness to what they needed to show him. They had saved him before, from Aachen and in the North, it was not impossible that they would do so again. With the challenges before him, he needed all the help he could get.

So, with a headache that nearly blinded him, he stared at the frozen image of the Patriarch, focusing on the past, rather than the crimson haired Desire of the present. She had nearly reached whatever she was after, a ‘Shard of Divinity.’ The same item she had taken from the Azure Lord.

Whatever her reason, it didn’t bode well for any of them if she accomplished her task, but there was little he could do to stop her, not as he was now. She was clearly powerful, a High Ranker, and was much closer to the shard then him.

‘If the gods have a plan to stop her, they better do it quick.’ Wil thought, turning his attention back to the Patriarch.

Like a painting, he saw the Dragon in humanoid form, its sword’s slash nearly upon the defenseless Patriarch. He could see the self-assurance in the Dragon’s face, that knowledge that the human’s death was inevitable.

From the Patriarch, he could see resignation and acceptance. A peaceful calm that came to some who face death and do not fear it.

Suddenly, in the sky above the Patriarch, a Golden Coin formed in the shaft of divine light. Spinning slowly, he could see the Seven-Pointed Sun symbol and the Three Wavy line of Aruna on its opposing sides.

It was the only object in this vision of the past that could move, and Wil watched in fascination as it spun in the sky above the Patriarch, absorbing the divine heavenly light that remained from the Patriarch’s Ascension. Slowly, the light it gathered grew stronger, and the frozen scene of the past thawed.

The attack nearly reached the Patriarch but was slowed by the power of the Coin in the sky. Taking advantage, the Patriarch closed his eyes, clasping his hands tightly, as if in prayer. Around him, divine light gathered, taking the forms of the Mythological Creatures the Patriarch had just defeated.

The Golden Eagle flew around his head, as small as its mundane counterpart, before it shimmered and formed a golden cloak that draped itself across his shoulders. The Wind Horse galloped in a circle, rearing up aggressively against the Dragon, before it leapt at the Patriarch, in a flash it was gone, replaced with golden, knee high boots.

The black beetle swept out of the light, settling on the Patriarch’s head, its form melting into a black helmet, its pincers wrapping around his jawline.

Finally, the Dragon Turtle roared into existence, challenging the world around it, before it turned its massive body into a pair of scaled gloves that formed around the Patriarch’s clasped hands.

With each new item, the Patriarch’s power grew, his mana growing stronger. But when compared to the Dragon, it was nothing, the light of a candle compared to the sun. Wil had no idea how the Patriarch could accomplish anything, even with the added strength he had been given, when the voice whispered once more.

‘Witness, Chosen. Our fates are linked, in a way. I will show you the reason for your presence here.’

The kneeling Patriarch, with his hands clasped together in prayer, spoke for the final time in his life.

“I Wish.” He said, and his power exploded around him, golden light shone with such intensity that Wil had to cover his eyes with his hands, lest he be blinded by the sight before him. A massive spell matrix, larger than anything Wil had ever seen in his life, spread across the sky. Millions of lines and symbols, flowing swirls and obtuse runes formed the spell.

It was overwhelming to Wil. He couldn’t find a single spot of commonality to the magic he used. Nothing aligned or matched to his knowledge. What he was seeing was esoteric and cryptic, obscure spell craft that he never knew could even exist, and he had no idea of its purpose.

“I wish…for peace. I wish to be a light for humanity. To show them the path forward, and to shelter them from the darkness. I wish to right the wrongs I have been a part of, to protect those that cannot protect themselves. I wish for you to be gone, Dragon! To never stand in the way of humanity’s progress! I give my power, my life, my very soul to make this wish come true!” The Patriarch shouted, and his magic responded.

The spell matrix burned with a golden flame. It started in the center, consuming it whole in moments, spiraling outwards until nothing was left. It was then that it leapt from the spell matrix to the Patriarch himself. He was on fire, his last spell consuming his life and soul for fuel.

“Gods Bones. What kind of spell is this?” Wil wondered aloud, as the kneeling man burned. The golden flames spread from his body to the palace around him, becoming a bonfire so bright that it was as if a second sun had risen in the sky above Aaru.

‘Wish. The greatest of magics, something that only the gods can use. It requires a terrible price from its caster. Even the gods are wary of its use, the sacrifice required is more than they are willing to pay. For a mortal, it means death, and the inability to ever be reborn.’ The voice whispered, and Wil could hear the sorrow in it.

The Patriarch burned, and the golden flames around him swelled, reaching high into the air. The Dragon, frozen in time, suddenly began to move, his attack reaching the fire. The golden flames leapt towards the approaching blackness, consuming it and using it to fuel its magic.

The golden flames formed long, fiery chains that shot from the bonfire that consumed the patriarch. The Dragon had only a moment to take in this new change of events before the chains wrapped tightly around its body.

“No! I will not be imprisoned!” He shouted, and his magic responded to his call. The darkness around him grew, trying desperately to corrode the golden chains of the Patriarch’s wish. But no matter how hard the Dragon struggled, the chain wrapped tighter.

Frantic, it changed back to its true form. In seconds, a thousand foot long, black Elder Dragon floated in the sky above Aaru. The chains around it grew with its body, wrapping around its torso and wings. More chains joined it from the Patriarch’s Pyre. Unable to sustain its flight, the Dragon crashed to the ground.

The few remaining buildings crumbled, although there was little left now to destroy. The crowds were gone, the past closely matching the present that Wil had seen. The ground around the city, already damaged, cracked and splintered on the Dragon’s landing. Great rents formed in the city, and all-around Wil, he could see the land crumbling.

With a final, frustrated roar, the Dragon’s head disappeared in the binding chains. Its massive body, trapped, fell into a crack in the ground, the darkness swallowing it. From the crack, inky black water rose, tainting the land around it and Wil could swear he could hear the Dragon’s frustrated roars from beneath the earth.

The fires the Patriarch had summoned faded, leaving nothing but ashes.

The Coin in the sky flared with brilliant, divine light, before fading and falling to the ground. Wil stretched out his hand on reflex, despite not being near it. The falling coin seemed to pause for a split second, before shooting towards him. With quick reflexes, he snatched the coin out of the air, gripping it tightly as the city shook around him.

Astrid and his friends were gone, forced from the vision of the past. Wil could only assume they were now in the present, frozen in time as whatever control the coin had over this reality faded.

“Why was I brought here? What was I supposed to ‘witness’? The destruction, the elder dragon, the Patriarch’s insanely powerful spell?” Wil wondered aloud, opening his palm to look at the coin within.

“I do not know your gods, Wil, but you are now the only living mortal to have witnessed the spell I used. Perhaps that was their purpose?” A man spoke from behind him. Stunned at the sudden voice, Wil spun around to see the Patriarch, standing behind him, wearing simple, white robes. No sign remained for his struggles, or the power he wielded.

“How are you here? I thought the ‘Wish’ spell would destroy you?” Wil asked, confused.

“It did. I am merely an echo. A fading remnant, tied to your token.” The patriarch said, smiling as he walked forward and plucked the coin from Wil’s hand. Flicking it into the air, he caught it again, before handing it back to Wil.

“We do not have much time, Wil. And I have one final thing to do before I fade.” The Patriarch said, before reaching out his hand and making a ‘plucking’ motion with his hand. From nothing, a white object appeared, as if he was pulling it into existence.

His pale, white hand was wrapped around the bone handle of a sword, the same one that the Elder Dragon had wielded against the Patriarch, ages ago.

“This is for you, Wil. A token to remember me by. It’s called ‘The Dragon’s Tooth.’” The patriarch explained, holding the blade out towards Wil with both hands.