I watch as mordret leaves, he shoots me a odd glance. Like that of someone who embarrassed to talk about something. Wonder why, in the end it doesn't matter. I turn back to my normal size. The king of ashes shrinks, although he's still a little more then 12 feet tall. I'm lucky the snow castle was build with such a size in mind. Nephis walks over to me and puts both of her hands on my shoulders
"what happened"
her expression is quite intense. Its been years since I last saw her.
"I died"
she let's go her eyes narrowing
"thats how you became a sovereign"
I shake my head
"other way around. I became a sovereign and using it and the snow crown i brought myself back fully. I could have brought myself back, but I would have fully died soon after"
sunny walks over his eyes going from where the mirror gate was to me
"So its a ability you already had but couldn't use without getting supremacy. I kinda get it. Its like that time i got my head cut off, I lived of course, but without a head and that isnt very good for living"
I nod
"yes it was a lot like that time in the second nightmare. I could survive for a short time, but without intervention I would have died"
sunny face goes from someone trying to joke to completely blank. Neph seems a little confused but accepts it. She's more worried for storms... death.
"So how did you become a sovereign? What was your act of defiance"
I look away
"it was against fate. At the end of the third nightmare a string of fate was separated from me, my act of defiance was gaining that back. By all means it was artificial"
I look back at them. Sunny seems to be in shock, neph seems to be happy im even alive.
"I do have a request. Can I have whats left of storm?"
Far later in Antarctica. I hold storm stepping into the grave. I put them down slowly.
"As the first lord wrote, your nightmare is over"
i climb out putting the frozen soil back on the top. I put a large rock as the gravestone. Next i do the same for sun. I look down at the two new graves. There's already a few there. Sunnys cohort, my cohort, a civilian scientist and a empty one for jet. I remember, I finally remember it all. The feeling is crushing, knowing someone I cared so much about was right there, yet I couldn't ever truly understand that. I turn my head, looking at the ruins of falcon scott. A failure, thats what it was. If I had been stronger I could have stopped that from happening.
"What... is this place?"
I glance back at the king of ashes, his full name has been lost so I call him rua. He's physically late 30s looking now. He's got a more rugged look to him with the start of a beard. His slight dragon like features have become far more prominent. He clearly went outside a lot more by his darker more tanned skin. He's in fancy scalemail under his armor, he's resting his arm on the sheath of his sword. Most importantly on his head a red crown that looks like horns with 5 beautiful blue gems, the ash crown.
"It was called falcon scott. It was a great siege city, the greatest of them in this quadrant. In the end a corrupted titan destroyed it, the vile thief of the snow crown."
His face becomes troubled
"im sorry"
I turn away
"dont be. I failed as simple as that"
I walk on the deck of the ship, storms last hope its called. Seer of the infinite sits on the railings humming, her mask next to her on the ground. Her robe hood is pulled down to show her face. The melody is haunting and quite melancholic in nature. When I approach she looks over at me. Her face is covered in scars, that look to be made by her own hands. Their quite old, probably made when she first got her flaw.
"I would say you are death"
I nod
"i am."
We dont talk for a while, there's a oddly sad vibe to this whole thing. After some time she speaks
"I will be challenging the third nightmare soon."
I nod
"be back by the time he gets here"
she laughs, its not a pleasant sound yet I'd rather she be laughing then anything else
"I will be here just in time to give him a very good show"
Later I clench my hands. There's not many citadels under my control, the thing is the snow castle resonates highly with me making the power it gives closer to that of a great citadel. Well its not quite on that level but its closer to it then a normal citadel. I slowly step up the stairs and I sit on the snow throne. Its... far too big, im tiny compared to it.
"Pfft, hah... hahaha..... hahahhaha!"
I laugh for a while, its slowly turns into sobbing. I curl up on the throne, its my fault storm and sun died. Of course I lost, I was a saint fighting a great titan. A hand grabs my shoulder gently. Entropies soft voice carries
"Come now my dear"
I slap her hand away.
"Tell me. How would I have become a sovereign naturally?"
Her hand lowers to her side
"its after the last sovereign comes down from the moon. You would have lost everything, even your army to become a sovereign. I know you dont think their existences are worth all of that"