>>6140095You see your wife overcome with fear, her terror at realizing what's to come scaring your daughter. You struggle as hard as you can, trying to force yourself to awaken, but it's hopeless. Trapped in the void between life and death, unable to protect your family.
“That's not good.” Meloka says, her expression growing serious and resolute as she readies herself to face what's coming. Alone. “Stay with your father, I'm going to the roof.”
“But-!” your daughter shouts, only for your wife to go over to her, placing her finger on your daughter's lips.
“No. Now is not the time for arguing. If your father wakes up, you have to tell him immediately, understand?” your wife tells her, you releasing a huge sigh of relief. She remembers! “Tell him that I'm on the roof, and that- That I love him.”
“Mom?” your eldest asks, suddenly seeming equally confused and terrified. But your wife doesn't comfort her, taking up her cloak, staff and hat before heading out of your view, leaving you with just your daughter over your body.
“She remembered. Now I just have to hope it's enough.” you say, Jergal tilting his head slightly with an ominous creaking noise you interpret to mean he wants an explanation. “When anyone channels the power of the leylines through my tower, as long as I'm within it, it also sends a small surge of power into me. Enough to wake me up if I'm unconscious or otherwise incapacitated.”
“...So what?” Jergal asks you, not sounding impressed. “What will that do, waking? The more you exert yourself the faster you accelerate Death through your blood. You cannot survive your injury.”
“Sure I can. I just have to remove the source of the Death, right?” you ask, Jergal nodding ever-so shallowly. “Then I'm set. I just have to wake up, and I'll live.”
“But then what? You already lost my tome, not only that but gave my spells to the enemy.” Jergal says, you sensing a fury you've never felt from the ancient god before, an anger that reminds you of your father's own when he's lost to that Berserker God form. Angry and alien, with no compassion or recognition of you whatsoever, seeking only to destroy what it sees. “You have failed.”
“Give me just this one chance, Lord Jergal. If you do not bind my soul here while my body still has life, I'll not only get the tome back but kill that bastard this time.” you tell Jergal, meeting the deity's gaze. He seems unimpressed with your resolution. But, in the orb you see your daughter holding your hand, looking so desperate as she looks upon you. Pleading silently with her eyes for you to get up, to just GET! UP! And then, you feel it: Power.
