Epilogue Zelktor Castle, Capitol of Piran (Patreon)

Epilogue

Zelktor Castle, Capitol of Piran

Visions flowed past Queen Zelkie’s mind. These weren’t her visions, not instead these were the visions being performed by her own bonded dragon. The dragon whose very eyes now glowed white and covered with thick film to protect the dead organs. Eyes who had long ago been traded away for the gift of prophecy.

Zelkie watched as the golden bubble that had been over the land finally faded. With that bubble bursting, part of Zelkie’s heart dropped. She knew what that meant. There was no way to stop all the corrupted pillars from spreading their malevolence now.

“It seems your daughter missed her chance.” The bonded dragon Khalette said through their mental link.

Sighing dejectedly Zelkie relaxed the tension that had been building within her shoulders and let out a defeated sigh.

“So, it does.” Zelkie replied.

“What is your next step?”

Taking a minute to gather herself Zelkie tried to get through her plans. She had contingency plans of course, the path of her daughter succeeding and bringing Lykan to the fold was a long shot at best. She of course had other plans, but none that would be as straight forward as having Lykan to act as a scalpel for the boils that were festering all over the land. Still there was one thought that caused her mind to pause.

“Did he die?”

More visions past their shared consciousness. There was the Azani whore of course, then there were tracks of devastation. All signs point to the five remaining pillars within the jungle basin all turning over to the great forest spirit. While not ideal, that was better than the alternative. The alternative of course being that the corruption would be able to run rampant.

This meant that the great forest spirit’s foothold on the realm would double, making the inevitable rise of another god almost impossible to stop. Still, that would be a problem for another day. As for today they had to worry about resources.

So many visions went past.

In all versions of the future the land went dark, and visions were unable to pierce the full veil of darkness. Yet unlike every other time before, this time Khalette could see past the veil. She saw a war-torn land burnt by ash and sulfur, but alive. She saw cities and villages slowly come to life. Finally, one image of a girl drawing a painting caught Khalette’s attention. The painting was expertly done, depicting a man standing over a horde of corrupted beings. While the being could have been anyone, the features and body type were that of Lykan Vov’Vita.

Seeing the vision made it was clear that this image of time came well after the darkness spread across the lands.

“So, there is still a chance?”

“There is always a chance.” Khalette replied, before finally giving way to the fatigue that often filled her mind now when she used her gift.

Lovingly, Zelkie stroked the head of her best friend, the scales rippling under the gentle touch. Feeling the warmth and love from their bond and the direct contact Khalette relaxed her mind and slowly fell into a deep slumber. She had given Zelkie everything and more so that she could be successful as a leader. It was now up to Zelkie to use the information she had on hand to the best of her abilities.

“Thank you, my friend.” Zelkie whispered as her friend’s mind slowly faded away into a deep slumber.