Role

Chapter 16

It was not in peaceful solitude that Ixen found his answers, this time.
Instead, it was in quite the opposite.

Speaking with the preservers was always very hit and miss. Sometimes, he
learned things. Gained insights. Had his beliefs tested. Sometimes, they
cursed his name and this was all. Ixen enjoyed both of these. The former
made him grow. The latter proved he had grown. Both of these were promising.

The enemies of the craft, those that wished to destroy magic were different.
He actually quite liked many of these. They often had such a simple and
practical view of the world that it gave him hope. They were focussing upon
the wrong things, but destruction was destruction, and they made no secret
about their desires for the most part.

The conversations that gave him answers were with one of each of these.

He had spoken little with Ivyln before. He decided afterwards this had been
a mistake. This one was wise. He talked of how contradictions are but
sparks. Fuel.

The Preserver on the other hand. This Travanz. This one was not wise. This
one spoke of how he wished to reach the Azure Fields. A place where he
would be preserved forever.

From them both, Ixen realised his answers.

Yes. He preserved things. He was flawed. He was imperfect. Yet, he wished
to destroy the preservers. A contradiction.

It still made him angry. Still set his teeth to grinding behind his mask.
The knowing that truth was indeed a lie. That he was as infected as the
rest of them.

But that didn't matter.

Because unlike Travanz, he did not wish to be preserved. He only wished his
dream to come to pass. For the world to be made new. There would be no
Azure Fields in that world, he was sure. No land of eternal preservation.
The Light preserves?

There would be no Light either, then. Yes. This would be good.

SO he'd use that anger. That resentment. These contradictions. They would
all be fuel for the pyre that would devour the world.

And that, at least, was true.