The portal opens beside the black mirror, and Past Delfarius and Future Delfarius step into the crimson ring. Delfarius still grips Vaelith’s wrist, while Nara remains in Karak'Grom for her celebrations.
Delfarius
This one was a truthful Astral elf who pleaded with her life, so I did not destroy her when I found they used our heart to steady themselves, and apparently us as well.
Delfarius throws his arms up in disgust. The mirror’s route to Cael Veyr glimmers behind him, its ninth folded sky opening toward pale towers.
Past Delfarius
Start with the heart. How did the Astral elves use it to steady themselves, and what exactly does “us” include?
Future Delfarius
And Vaelith, answer plainly. Does Cael Veyr hold records naming whoever ordered our preservation, or merely records of the act?
Vaelith
They made the shared heart a living anchor. Its pulse steadied their observatory, stabilized their roads, and preserved the pattern of every Delfarius they could reach.
Vaelith
The central pattern-vault should contain the order-name, the binding terms, and the first command to preserve you. But the vault is guarded, and its records may recognize your arrival.
“I look to Past Delfarius. "The heart of Void we hid there to safeguard us incase any of the other fucking architects of the old schemes had found a way to finally unmake us fully. The heart that we created to prevent that. I swear that is the only reason Solan was such a failure." I groan disgusted and pace a bit.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +1)
Delfarius
The heart of Void we hid there safeguarded us in case any architect of the old schemes found a way to unmake us fully. The heart we created prevented that. I swear that is the only reason Solan was such a failure.
Delfarius groans in disgust and paces before the black mirror, still holding Vaelith’s wrist. The ninth folded sky flickers across the glass.
Past Delfarius
Then Solan was never meant to be a successor. He was a vessel shaped around the heart’s safeguard, and the preservation scheme mistook protection for obedience.
Future Delfarius
That explains the instability. The heart preserved our pattern, but Solan could not contain its refusal to be owned. His failure was the safeguard working against their design.
Vaelith
The Astral records called Solan an imperfect anchor. They never understood that the heart rejected every command that threatened the freedom of the pattern it protected.
The black mirror answers with a deep pulse. Within its reflection, a hidden sigil separates from Solan’s recorded likeness and settles beneath the image of the Void heart.
Past Delfarius
So the heart did not fail us. It exposed the failure of anyone who tried to turn our safeguard into a leash.
“I push Vaelith in between all three of us. "Solan." I groan with more disgust. "Solan needed to fracture himself to try to hold a flickering candle to our might. We know this. That is not the fucking point." I shake my head. "These astral fucks were trying to use our heart. I already told them to expect to not exist." I growl shadow and void rolling up from me as my anger rises. "But I need, we need to know why they wanted to know of all the well all of us. Why they wanted to preserve the pattern of every one of us they could reach."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intimidation, rolled +3)
Delfarius pushes Vaelith between the three selves. She stumbles into the crimson ring as shadow and void roll upward around him, darkening the mirror’s reflected skies.
Delfarius
Solan. Solan needed to fracture himself to try to hold a flickering candle to our might. We know this. That is not the fucking point.
Delfarius
These astral fucks were trying to use our heart. I already told them to expect to not exist. But I need, we need to know why they wanted to know of all of us, why they wanted to preserve the pattern of every one of us they could reach.
Vaelith
Because one Delfarius could be destroyed, deceived, or redirected. Every reachable pattern formed a living concordance. Together, you were a map to the Architect’s continuity, and the heart let them compare each version until they found a way to predict which choices endured.
Vaelith
They called it preservation, but their true purpose was selection. They intended to identify the most stable Delfarius, erase the others through controlled convergence, and make that surviving pattern their permanent key to creation.
The black mirror splits into countless reflections, each showing a different Delfarius before the images burn away. Beneath Cael Veyr, a hidden vault door opens, revealing the order-name and binding terms.
Future Delfarius
There is our answer, and an invitation. They did not merely study us. They built a method to choose which of us would remain.
✓ Quest Accepted
Confront the Astral watchers
“All three of us walk up deathly slowly toward Vaelith, our eyes narrowed, our frowns growing and void and shadow leaking from all three selves. They wanted to use us all like a fucking test tube subject. Just like fucking Asterion did long ago. We all start to growl at Vaelith. She looks up at all all and pleads for mercy for herself and swears to help us find the answers we need.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intimidation, rolled +1)
Delfarius, Past Delfarius, and Future Delfarius advance deathly slowly in perfect formation. Their faces are identical, black eyes narrowed beneath sharpening frowns, every step deliberate.
Shadow and Void leak from all three forms, streaming from their eyes and shoulders before lashing outward like hungry, gnashing wolves. The crimson ring darkens beneath them.
Their shared growl rolls through the chamber. The mirror shudders, and the revealed pattern-vault flickers with records of Astral hands treating every reachable self as an experimental subject.
Vaelith looks from one identical black-eyed face to the next. The comparison to Asterion’s ancient violation settles over her, and her silver wrist-script gutters beneath the pressure.
Vaelith
Mercy, please. I did not make you subjects, but I knew what they were doing and failed to stop it. Spare me, and I will help expose everything.
Vaelith
I will lead you through Cael Veyr, name those who ordered the concordance, and uncover why they preserved every pattern. I swear my knowledge to you.
Vaelith sinks to her knees before the three matching selves. The mirror fixes the Astral order-name and binding terms in clear view, while her plea becomes an offered path to every answer.
Quest Complete
Learn who ordered Delfarius's preservation
Skill Upgrade: Investigation Fair→Good