Chapter 285 - Zagans Thoughts II (1/2)
With that, Tia flapped her wings once, and she was gone, speeding away up and forwards like an emerald bullet. Her tiny figure flew with complete grace, a wide smile plastered atop her face as the wind billowed and pushed her back while she spun figure eights throughout the wide and free sky.
But despite that, Li kept up rather easily, and Zagan did also, both of them keeping up leisurely enough to track her with one eye while having the other focused on each other and the conversation to be had.
While they flew, Li made sure to keep tabs on the Vukanovi, sensing its health and location.
”But it is not so now. This personage has thought long and at depth during his service to you, Great One, witnessing your dreams of united order and what it must take and what it must mean to embrace that which is different and new,” said Zagan. ”It has become apparent now that change must be in order. Amon was heretical in many ways, but this personage was wrong to blame him for embracing change.”
”Amon?” asked Li.
”The reigning Burning One.”
”And your once pupil,” noted Li.
”Once,” emphasized Zagan. ”This personage will not hesitate to strike down the heretic should the chance arise.”
”And I fear that it will come to that,” said Li. ”If what I remember is correct, so long as the Burning One is alive and maintaining the Rite of the Swarm, then he has control over the entire body of demons, no? The only way to break apart the rite is to eliminate the Burning One, just as was done in the Fourth Darkening.”
”There is yet another way. The Rite of the Swarm may be taken through rightful combat by those with demonic blood flowing within them.”
”That does expand possibilities,” said Li as he thought of the implications of this. Though, as he processed the revelation, he realized it did not change too much. Rather, it made things easier for him.
”Zagan,” continued Li. ”How much of my power have you restored yourself on by now?”
”This personage has feasted quite amply. His strength has returned to a height that eclipses that which has ever been reached before.”
”Good,” said Li. ”Then I want you to face the Burning One and take the Rite of the Swarm from him. Become the new leader of the demons. Be the one to bridge my message to them.”
”This personage has no qualms with that. But the power he holds now will not be sufficientx for the Burning One.”
”Really now? I understand that the current Burning One has been siphoning power from corrupted eldritch sources, but I only have previous Burning Ones to base his power off of. And from what I know, Sunstar alone was enough to defeat the previous Burning One, and if I lend you enough strength, you should easily eclipse that level of strength.”
Tia stopped in the air, huffing as she took a quick break. They had flown up much higher now, up to the point where a huge, full cloud of snowy white floated lazily in front of them. She watched it with curiosity.
Li smiled at Tia. She was probably thinking that the cloud looked like the fluffy sugar candy that some of the street food sellers in Riviera peddled.