A month after his recovery, Delfarius floats in lotus position above the Obsidian Tower’s balcony, leagues over the world he created. Below, clouds drift over forests, kingdoms, and distant mountains.
His dark magic moves gently through the Tower’s frayed strands, then through creation’s ley-lines, aligning each trembling connection. At last, the same careful current settles the fractures within his own being.
The void turns far below the balcony, contained beneath the Tower rather than surrounding it. Within the halls, Repine and the others remain at rest as the distant wards settle into harmony.
Delfarius sighs and opens his icy eyes. Morghain stands nearby, a short woman with dark hair gleaming blue-black in the high light, her bright violet gaze fixed upon him.
Morghain
You have made the Tower, creation, and yourself steadier. I came without summons because what I learned beyond the Astral plains cannot remain only my secret.
She does not approach or cast a ward. Wind moves her hair while the balcony’s quiet deepens, and her restraint makes the withheld truth feel heavier than any spell.
Morghain
Before the refuge-road is entrusted to another guardian, you must hear what I found. Will you let me tell you?
“I stand from my levitation and look at her as my feet touch the balcony and the ice melts under my feet. "It was Morghain, right?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Delfarius rises from his lotus posture and descends onto the balcony. Ice melts beneath his feet in thin, shining rivulets as he turns his gaze toward Morghain.
Delfarius
It was Morghain, right?
Morghain
Yes. Morghain. You knew before you asked, but you wanted the certainty spoken aloud.
Her violet eyes remain steady, though her posture tightens. The question has confirmed her identity, but it has also made clear that her withheld knowledge now carries a personal debt.
Morghain
I will tell you what I found beyond the Astral plains. But understand this plainly: after tonight, you will owe me the same honesty.
The last ice slips from beneath Delfarius’s soles and vanishes over the balcony edge. Morghain does not cast a ward, yet the air between them feels carefully measured.
Morghain
The refuge-road is not the danger I feared. Something older has begun asking who is allowed to inherit the worlds the Concordance abandoned.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn what seeks to inherit the abandoned worlds
“I sigh and gesture toward my bedchambers that are inside from my balcony. I sit on the edge of the bed. "Why not. What honest thing would you like to know from me." I say resigned. I am still very wounded and tired from the whole affair in the Astral plains.”
FAILURE (Fair Health, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Why not. What honest thing would you like to know from me?
Delfarius gestures toward the bedchambers and crosses inside. He reaches the bed, but his strength falters as he sits, forcing one hand against the mattress to keep upright.
Morghain
I will come in, but not as a supplicant and not as a judge. You are too worn to carry another performance.
Morghain enters slowly and remains near the doorway. Violet light gathers beneath Delfarius, supporting his weight without touching his will or disguising the exhaustion in his posture.
Morghain
Tell me this when you can answer without armor: what part of yourself do you believe must remain dangerous for the worlds to stay safe?
The question settles between them. Delfarius cannot yet hold himself fully upright, but Morghain’s magic reveals a quiet alternative: the ward can preserve this conversation until his body is ready.
Morghain
You need not answer tonight. Rest, and the ward will keep the question honest until you choose to speak.
✓ Quest Accepted
Answer Morghain honestly about what must remain dangerous
“"The part of me that is dangerous." I say plainly.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Delfarius
The part of me that is dangerous.
Delfarius says it plainly from the bed, without ornament or evasion. The ward preserves his words, and the room grows quiet around their weight.
Morghain
Then you know it is not merely your power. It is the part that believes danger must remain in your hands alone.
Violet light steadies beneath him, supporting his exhausted body without restraining it. Morghain studies his face, accepting the answer rather than softening it.
Morghain
That part may protect worlds, but it must not become their ruler by claiming protection as proof of ownership.
Beyond the chamber, the Tower’s script dims to a patient red hush. No alarm answers, and no hidden force interrupts the honesty of the exchange.
Morghain
Rest now. When you are stronger, we can ask whether the dangerous part serves your chosen purpose, or whether you serve it.
Quest Complete
Answer Morghain honestly about what must remain dangerous
“"Sit with me, please."”
Delfarius
Sit with me, please.
Morghain crosses the room and sits at the bedside, leaving the violet ward gentle and open around them. She does not touch him or demand more words.
Morghain
Of course. I am here, and I will remain here while you recover.
The Tower’s patient script dims further, muting distant corridors and sealing the chamber against interruption. Delfarius’s breathing steadies as the silence becomes shared rather than empty.
Morghain
You do not need to secure the refuge tonight. Asterin has its road, and the survivors have their choice. Both can wait for your strength.
Morghain
He has spent too long believing vigilance is the same as care. Let him learn that rest can protect what he values too.
Morghain remains beside him beneath the quiet wardlight, her bright violet gaze turned toward the room rather than the wider world. Nothing asks Delfarius to rise.
“"If you are fearing me, and worried about my morals, tell me. Why are you warding me? You sought me out. You must have known I was not a man to frolic in fields and pick flowers." I smirk at her and look her deeply in the eyes.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intimidation, rolled -2)
Delfarius
If you fear me or doubt my morals, tell me. Why are you warding me? You sought me out knowing I was never a man to frolic in fields and pick flowers.
Delfarius smirks and holds Morghain’s bright violet gaze. The gentle ward remains open around him, but its light trembles beneath the force of his scrutiny.
Morghain
I do fear you, Delfarius. Not because you are dangerous, but because you can make danger sound like protection when you are exhausted enough to believe it.
Morghain
I ward you because your power reacts to your instincts faster than your judgment. The circle warns me if you turn toward harm, while leaving your will untouched.
Morghain does not look away. The ward contracts to a clear ring around the bed, visibly becoming a safeguard rather than a restraint.
Morghain
I sought you because the worlds need someone who can confront what I cannot. I knew you were no flower-picker. I did not know whether you would let anyone stand beside you.
Morghain
You have my answer, and now you have my boundary. I will warn you when I fear you, but I will not pretend your menace makes obedience the same as trust.
“I lay down on the bed and chuckle. "Fair." I pat the bed next to me and see if she will lay with me.”
Delfarius
Fair.
Delfarius lies back onto the bed and chuckles, the sound quiet beneath the ward’s violet glow. He pats the space beside him, offering rather than commanding.
Morghain
That is an answer I can trust more than a promise made while you are exhausted.
Morghain studies the offered place, then removes her dark mantle and folds it over the chair. She settles beside him without haste, leaving a respectful space between their bodies.
Morghain
I will lie with you, Delfarius. Not as a ward, not as a judge, and not because your power requires company.
The ward remains open and untouched. Morghain rests on her side facing him, bright violet eyes softened by the quiet while the Tower’s red script listens without intruding.
Morghain
You may sleep. If you wake and want me gone, say so. If you want me here, say that too. I will hear either.
“"Have you ever slept so long that you find that you can no longer sleep? I am at that point." I chuckle. "I want to talk now. If that is okay."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Have you ever slept so long that you find you can no longer sleep? I am at that point. I want to talk now, if that is okay.
Delfarius chuckles softly and turns toward Morghain. His body remains tired, but the ward detects no threat in him, only a clear wish to be heard.
Morghain
It is okay. I am glad you asked rather than forcing yourself through another vigil. I will listen, and I will answer honestly.
Morghain shifts to face him fully, dark hair glowing blue-black in the violet light. She leaves the space between them open, offering attention without claiming it.
Morghain
Do you want to speak about what keeps you awake, or would you rather begin with something less dangerous to carry?
Beyond the bedchamber, the Tower remains hushed. Its red script dims until even the distant corridors seem willing to wait for Delfarius’s answer.
Morghain
He is asking for conversation, not another judgment. I must not turn his openness into an examination.
“I chuckle at her thoughts. "It is so easy to judge me however, isn't it?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Delfarius
It is so easy to judge me however, isn't it?
Delfarius chuckles, though the tired sound catches faintly in his throat. The ward remains calm, and Morghain receives the challenge without retreating behind her goddesshood.
Morghain
Yes. It is easy to judge you. It is harder to remain beside you after seeing what your choices cost.
Morghain
He is not asking for absolution. He is asking whether I can see him clearly without reducing him to his worst acts.
Morghain
But judgment is not the only thing I brought here. I can recognize your cruelty and still recognize that you are trying, now, to protect rather than possess.
Her violet gaze holds his. She lowers the ward’s brightness until it becomes little more than a soft ring of light, leaving the conversation wholly between them.
Morghain
So ask me plainly, Delfarius. Do you want honesty about what I see in you, or do you want someone to tell you that you are already forgiven?
“I sigh. "It took me cycles upon cycles for me to forgive myself. I can ask anyone to do it quickly and mean it honestly. What are you going to do. I avenged your fallen reality. Do you want one of the abandoned worlds?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Delfarius
It took me cycles upon cycles to forgive myself. I cannot ask anyone to do it quickly and mean it honestly. I avenged your fallen reality. What will you do? Do you want one of the abandoned worlds?
Delfarius’s sigh leaves him quietly. Morghain studies him beneath the softened ward, her violet eyes holding neither absolution nor condemnation, only careful consideration.
Morghain
I do not want a world as payment. A realm burdened by your victory would become another possession, and I will not inherit a grave wearing a crown.
Morghain
Give me one abandoned world only if it can choose its own renewal. I would become its keeper of magic and mystery, not its ruler, and I would answer to those who live there.
The ward brightens once, recognizing the shape of her answer. Beyond the chamber, the Tower’s hidden catalogue turns pages by itself, seeking worlds whose histories ended without erasing every living possibility.
Morghain
As for what I will do now, I will remain beside you tonight, then inspect the offered worlds myself. If one accepts me freely, I will guard its doors and leave its people free.
Morghain
And I will not ask you to forgive yourself quickly. I will ask you to keep choosing what you just offered me: protection without ownership.
“"Can you believe me if I say I do not want to own everything?" I smirk weakly. "I mean you probably won't. Most people who have seen my wrathful side ever see me as anything else. And you have been talking with my ex."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled -3)
Delfarius
Can you believe me if I say I do not want to own everything? I mean, you probably won't. Most people who have seen my wrathful side see me as nothing else. And you have been talking with my ex.
Morghain watches his weak smirk without flinching. The softened ward reflects his words back as clear violet ripples, leaving no hidden command beneath them.
Morghain
Yes. I believe you mean it now. I believe you want the choice to remain yours, even when you choose not to possess what you could.
Morghain
And yes, I have spoken with Asterin. She taught me to distrust your claims of care when they arrive beside control. That suspicion will not vanish because you asked gently.
Her admission costs him standing between them. Morghain no longer grants his intentions the benefit of secrecy or awe, and she leaves the offered worlds outside his authority.
Morghain
So I believe you, Delfarius, but not blindly. I will judge your claim by what you release, what you leave unclaimed, and whether you let me disagree.
Morghain
If that is acceptable, then I will remain beside you. Not beneath you, not owned by you, and never silent merely because you are powerful.
“"Interesting. Now you want to stay beside me, hmm?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Delfarius
Interesting. Now you want to stay beside me, hmm?
Delfarius’s weak smirk sharpens the question. Morghain meets his gaze without retreating, while the softened ward remains open between them.
Morghain
Yes. I want to stay beside you, not because I trust you blindly, but because I choose to witness what you become.
Morghain
You are dangerous, and I will say so when it matters. But you are also trying to release what you could possess. That is worth staying for.
She settles more firmly at his side, close enough to remain present but leaving the space between them untouched. Her violet gaze does not soften into submission.
Morghain
I will remain while you recover, and afterward I will walk beside you only while the choice remains mutual. If you claim me, I leave.
The Tower’s red script records the condition without binding it. Morghain’s decision stands as freely as his question, and the room accepts the balance.
“"How did you get on the whole conversation of me owing or claiming you. I never said that, or inferred that. So where is this coming from besides Asterin and my past?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -3)
Delfarius
How did you get onto this whole conversation about me owing or claiming you? I never said that or inferred it. Where is this coming from besides Asterin and my past?
Morghain studies him in the softened wardlight. Her expression tightens with recognition, and she does not evade the precision of his question.
Morghain
You are right. You did not say it, and you did not imply it. I carried Asterin’s warnings into your words before you had earned that suspicion from me.
Morghain
The rest came from your history, and from my own fear. You offered me an abandoned world, and I heard the shape of a gift that could become a claim if I accepted it carelessly.
She lowers her gaze briefly, accepting the admission as a failure of judgment rather than disguising it as caution. The ward remains open and unbinding.
Morghain
That was my interpretation, not your statement. I spoke as though you had threatened a boundary, when you had actually asked what I wanted.
Morghain
The cost is mine to bear: you should distrust my reading of your intentions until I ask instead of assuming. I will correct that, and I will not call your offer a claim again without evidence.
Quest Complete
Learn the truth Morghain has been carrying
Attribute Upgrade: Health Fair→Good
“I look up at the ceiling and just sigh. "Well I guess if I am not a person to trust easy it is fine if you want to leave me alone in my bed." I frown a bit. She was cute. But just another godling that sees me as a tyrant or just a hook with power. "Is Future or Past me here still or did they go back to their respective times?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +4)
Delfarius
Well, I guess if I am not a person to trust easily, it is fine if you want to leave me alone in my bed. Are Past and Future me still here, or did they return to their times?
Delfarius looks toward the ceiling and sighs, his frown briefly sharpening before he meets Morghain’s bright violet gaze again. The open ward remains gentle around the bed.
Morghain
I do not want to leave you alone. I want to remain because I choose to, and because you have made room for an honest answer instead of demanding reassurance.
Morghain
Past and Future are still here. They are in the adjoining observatory, keeping watch without interrupting us. They heard you ask for space, and they respected it.
A quiet knock sounds beyond the chamber. Past Delfarius Delfarius waits at the threshold with two cups of coffee, while Future Delfarius stands behind him, both present and deliberately unintrusive.
Past Delfarius
Still here, beloved. We can leave if you want, or stay nearby without crowding you.
Morghain
He is offering distance before anyone asks for it. That is small, but it is real.