Because it won’t satisfy me, Droga said simply.You ask for peace. I do not know the word, and never have.
“Why can’t we come to a truce?” I didn’t think Droga would ever share power, but if there was a chance to save lives, I had to do the diplomatic thing and at least attempt to negotiate.
A truce does not interest me. I am hungry for more than just your demise.
His words were so cool and casual that it was off putting. “Here we are talking about killing each other, and you’re acting so… normal.”
This is normal to me, Worldweaver. You simply don’t remember.
Gods were weird. They had an odd perspective on things. “How can you tolerate this?” I sneered. “How can you sit by and allow others to sacrifice themselves so you can live in a world of your own design? You’ve ruined so many lives due to your ambition.”
You have as well, and will end even more by the time your quest is over.
“That’s different,” I stammered. “I have no choice. You didn’thaveto come to this world just to ruin it. I wouldn’t go to war if I didn’t have to stop you.”
You are making me out to be a monster, when I simply am what I am. And what a hypocrite you are, for you are doing the same thing as I.
My throat tightened. “I’m… I’m doing this for the right reasons. I don’t have a choice.”
Keep telling yourself that, Worldweaver. What makes a god is the knowledge that we are aware that war is useless. I only use it as a tool to serve my own desires, same as you. You choose it to disguise your feeble attempts at power-seeking as righteousness. Do not lie to me. I know you still seek the throne. To do that, you must take it from someone else. So tell me, whose war is this, truly?
My eyes narrowed. “You’re pure evil.”
Droga snorted, and smoke came out of his nostrils.What isevil, Worldweaver? I am death. And death will always want more.
“You’ve hurt so many people.”
Good and bad do not exist in the fae world.
“A convenient excuse to kill whoever you wish.”
It is in my nature to claim. As it is in your nature to battle against me. I will fight to take the souls of this world. And you will fight to stop me. Just like the yearly cycle, where I steal the sun, and my brother chases it back. There cannot be a year of summer, nor a year of winter. It would throw off the natural balance, and as it is known, the light cannot exist without the darkness, for what is happiness without grief? You and I… we were meant to do this forever.
A stillness claimed me as I understood what he was saying. My task had never been to defeat Droga for good.
I had been meant to contain him, and stop his plot at this moment in time. Nothing more, nothing less. There would be other Worldweavers, other champions to put him in his place in the future, as there had been in the past. He would connive other plans thousands of years from now to rule the fae and become the sole god of this world, and there would be other champions to stop him.
But now, that champion was me. I was the only soul who stood in the way of Droga ruling over the fae, and ending our world as it was.
The other Worldweavers had failed to stop him. I would not.
Droga huffed.I do not see why Milonna chose you as her champion. I’ve observed you keenly, and there’s nothing special about you.
“Maybe she knows something about me that you don’t.”
We stared at each other.
You are going to die tomorrow, Droga said. He tilted his antlers as he said the words.
“Yeah. But so are you.”
Droga snorted again, and this time, smoke filled the clearing.We shall see.
I turned away from him, to exit the forest and end my vision. We had nothing more to discuss, so there was no point in staying here. All I knew was that the conversation had given me some sort of peace, and put my mind at ease. Droga faded away, his form turning to smoke as he left for the mortal world.
I knew I’d seen my last days. Because of it, I was unafraid.
Droga could do his worst. He was going to end me… but I swore to the gods, I was going to endhim.
