Role

Chapter 8

Yet, the price of such constant vigilance and the taint of violence began to
exact a toll on Oroas's psyche. The quiet hours of the night, once a respite,
became a theater for the macabrea stage where the specters of his past
danced in relentless repetition. His father, an anchor in both life and
death, haunted his slumber, accompanied by the sinister silhouette of wraiths
and the faces of those whose lives had been extinguished by his decree.

These nightmares grew more vivid with time, a nocturnal crescendo that
mirrored the frequency of his transformations. Oroas had often shifted into
the form of the cait-sidhe, embracing their agility and stealth in the
pursuit of justice. Yet, he could not shake the feeling that in borrowing
their shape, he had also inherited a shadow of their essence, a psychological
residue that stained his subconscious.

The thought that his mind could be unraveling, frayed by the very magic that
empowered him, was a notion Oroas was reluctant to entertain. The
alternativethat these visions were an omen or a cursewas a possibility
too grim to consider. It was a thought that lingered on the periphery of his
contemplation, an unwelcome guest that he refused to host.

To Oroas, the explanation had to lie within the realm of the rational, the
psychological impact of his demanding role and the arcane energies he so
frequently called upon. It was a theory he clung to, a lifeline thrown into
the tumultuous sea of his thoughts. He hoped that understanding and mastering
the law with Lady Ishuli's guidance might also bring clarity to his troubled
mind. Perhaps, within the ordered sanctuary of the Eternal Library, he could
find the solace to soothe the tempest in his dreams, to reclaim the quietude
that once graced his nights.