Dailin looked within his creature and saw what it saw. The Nightmares frenzy intensifying, the beasts ripping the realm apart haphazardly as they searched for more Vail to eat. Dailin witnessed this from many perspectives, glimpsing the realm in the way his monster did. It left him dizzy and overstimulated, enough that he’d become selective in his gaze, focusing on one scene at a time.

There were so many of the creatures, and with most having the colored shell of onyx, it appeared there was a growing dark slowly blanketing the realm. Or eating it with how the monsters were destroying everything in their path. Worse the Nightmares were guzzling down any Mana they came across, their enthusiasm enough to make it appear they were dying of thirst. They swelled as they drank, at times so quickly their carapaces broke apart to allow their under flesh to spread quicker.

From Bliss many scouts he saw the scale of the Nightmare, both in its rising numbers and growing size. Mountains weren’t uncommon to see amongst the hordes moving upward. There was no doubt of their direction, regardless of their haphazard searching, it was still uniform enough to notice an accent. At the moment the hordes weren’t headed directly towards him, but if they began following the Mana they would. And he had no intention of fighting the swelling horde, not yet. Not when the battle would change little, and only served to distract him.

There was the storm to deal with after all, and its hundreds of Anchors that maintained it. Anchors that must be finely crafted if these objects continued to work even within the destructive nature of the Chant they spun. Just thinking of the task had him grow weary, and he curst the Vail of the past once more for inconveniencing him. For deciding not to merge the Anchors in a way that allowed him to end the affair with one chant.

No, he was going to be forced to go from tower to tower till enough had been dealt with. That the storm would part and he could claim whatever laid beyond. Only then would he send forth vengeance down upon the monsters that had hounded him all his life. After, he’d deal with the Giver and bring peace to this mad filled realm.

“More are coming Maker.” The creature said pressing itself closer to him as they stared into each other’s eyes. New images flowed into his mind, more waves of beasts on the move. The majority were heading up and to his left if. Their movement was also more unified than those before and with their combined might the Nightmare carved away the realm quickly as they headed upward. The Giver and he had made a mistake leaving behind so many corpses for the Nightmare to feast on. The act had them more energetic than ever before, the creatures desperate for more, when he’d thought the large meal would have quelled some of their hunger.

It had not. Dailin took that as an indication for him to get moving. He closed his eyes to Bliss mind, freed himself from the many sights and wandering thoughts his monster produced. A beast that grew faker to him with every passing day. Being able to look within it, see how things moved was making him realize how much he'd projected onto the creature. He’d believed in some deeper reasons behind its actions, yet he’d been shown there was none. He was all that it wondered about, his state of being its only concern.

It made him feel lonely, and his home appear empty. There were thousands that resided within it, but none were people, all were puppets, in his eyes at least.

The souls were still there waiting to be reawakened, he’d only have to make his creature free them, and life would return. His journey of unwanted solitude would be down, and he would have a family again.

‘Soon,’ he thought to himself moving towards the panel and his throne of carved gold, inlaid silver, and plush silk-covered cushions.

‘You could do it now,’ one of the voices whispered to him. “There’s no need to hold it off, you have the means to survive, you don’t really need this monster.’ It pressed.

‘Perhaps,’ Dailin said to it as he sat and connected with the Oasis. ‘But I’m not a gambler, especially when it comes to my life, Bliss will remain how it is till all other threats have been dealt with.’ The voice remained quiet, content for now like most. As long as he was committed to fixing Bliss the heartache he felt at times stayed away. It also filled his mind with the hope that someday soon the puppets would be people again, his mistake fixed, and mercifully forgotten.

Still, the urge was there to take the Voice advice, even as small as it was. It hadn’t been off with its assessment that he could deal with things on his own, or with a lessened version of Bliss by his side. The two of them had added another three layers to the Oasis. Another three whose sole purpose was to store Mana. And with how large each new addition was, the amount was lakes upon lakes of the substance. With the size of each addition, Dailin wasn’t sure if he’d been able to add more to his home on his own. The sections he crafted and forged together alone were large than Sanctums now. Being in a realm of stone, it made it hard to tell just how large his home had become, but he wouldn’t be surprised is it was the size of a notable landmass.

He’d wanted to make more layers, but each took so much time an effort now, and both by the looks of things, he was out of. It was best he got going before the Nightmare made contact with the true crushing flows of the Mana from above. He didn’t want to deal with Titans just yet.

Dailin sat and got comfortable in his seat and connected with the panel and bean activating runes. As he looked out with his Ward eyes all he saw was swirling Mana, a sea of it circling his home. He also saw Bliss hurrying back recalling its many constructs to his location for the journey ahead.

“Will the souls be alright?” he asked glancing at his creature who’s taken a standing position at his side. “The storm won’t hurt them will it?”

The creature made the pose at thinking, tilting its head to the side, eyes pointed upward. “I see nothing that should Maker, the Vail of the past didn’t seem worried about wills interfering. My constructs won't fare that well though, but I can always reform them if needed.”

Dailin mulled over the words, just because Bliss said it saw nothing, didn’t mean that was true. As for the constructs if they couldn’t survive the storm there was no need of them. “Undo your forms Bliss, and bring all the souls inside, we don’t know what to expect and I’d rather not lose members of my family permanently.”

“Truly we are all blest,” the monster said one of its hands brushing through his hair. “To have a Maker so caring.” The thing finished and he watched the thousands of constructs dissolve away.

“if you would be so kind Maker as to open one of the gates,” Bliss said. "We can begin our journey to salvation.

‘Salvation’ Dailin thought, a loose smile marking his lips as he deactivated the Amplifiers and opened a gate. ‘Oh, there going to be salvation alright, all saved from you and this nightmare of a realm.’

How badly he wanted it done, these rushing of events keeping him on edge, the never-ending struggles and threats that kept prompt up, the endless running. He couldn’t stand it, it was too outside what he was used to. He longed for routine, a set of reoccurring and safe events he could sink himself into. Let his mind rest and thoughts simmer way to blissful unawareness for a time.

‘Those lives you threw away remember, you thought yourself more deserving than those, to unbecoming of you because they had the audacity to allow inconvenience.’ A voice said. 'Dared to ask that you work for something you wanted, so off you went rolling a token of chance and praying gods would deliver you something befitting.’

He felt, in some odd manner, the Voice close on him, as if it was a real mouth whispering into his ear. ‘Congratulations, you got exactly what you deserved.’ Dailin threw the Voice back far into his mind with the rest of those with sharp tongues.

A pair of hands wove around his neck. “Everything alright Maker?” his creature asked weaving warmth into its words.

He breathed out, keeping his eyes closed and spoke: “Fine Bliss, just going over tasks that need to be done.” Refocusing on the Mana infused realm. “Are all the souls inside?’ he asked the creature that was rubbing its head against his.

“We’re all here Maker,” it answered. “We’re all ready to bring about paradise.”

“Paradise,” Dailin echoed, closing the gate and willed the Oasis upward. ‘Gods let it be, let us have our moments rest, we’ve suffered enough.’ He thought watching the Mana rush by.

He reactivated the amplifiers when he witnessed a flash of light, then another. It wasn’t long before he was bombarded with luminance streaks dancing across the realm. The sound of it rattled his ears enough that he’d disconnected from the Wards that allowed him to hear. He even began messing with the amount of light that displayed in his mind. He diluted it till the light was in a comfortable range and Dailin watched the weaving lightning as he surged upward.

His eyes shot open when a bolt cam directly at him and struck his home. The panel flashed red with warning as the reservoirs in the fourteenth layer dipped, only for it to instantly refill. Yet after it dipped again as he closed his eyes and watched Oasis begin to get it from multiple angles. The higher they went, the more lightning he witnessed. This pattered continued till the birth of them was so numerous the light produced was almost permanent.

Opening one eye Dailin saw that the Mana rushing into the Oasis was keeping pace with the volley of strikes hitting his home. If not he would have descended back down and made more layers, uncaring of the Nightmares approach. This had been avoided however thanks to a simple fact. Even with the power the storm held, it was still just that. The strikes were random, and only so numerous because of how many were being formed at once. Still, it had him nervous, those bolts would have shattered any Sanctum, maybe multiple if they’d been lined up.

Whatever may have once been on the surface, by now it was long swept away. The revolt against the Vail must have truly been a terrifying force for the Vail of the past to see this as a logical move. Or maybe a very spiteful one, the Vail were that kind of people.

“Quite the display, isn’t it Maker?” His creature said from another Construct touching the panel. He hadn’t noticed it, so distracted by the zigzagging lightning that bloomed everywhere

“Indeed,” he answered. “The Vail must have fallen far after their retreat into stone. Otherwise, I don’t see how the Nightmare would have ever escalated to a threat if the Vail had access to power like this.

“Wait till we reach the surface.” Bliss commented smiling at him “You’ll really know then, understand how much they need us Maker. After this display of self-inflicted harm, it should be clear to all they need a guiding hand to protect them from themselves.

“What are you seeing Bliss?” He asked opening both eyes.

“Its best you wait and see, it will make you more aware of the, situation we’re in.” It said, which sent worried thoughts racing through his mind, only to be slowly soothed by Bliss humming to him with his spell.

Chewing on his lip Dailin closed his eyes and waited, letting the light show distract him from his gnawing thoughts. With the aid of Bliss humming it worked. But as the time dragged on and the Mana they were swimming in continued to reign over his vision, his patience began to wane.

“How much longer”? he asked

“A Sequence or two Maker,” it answered.

Sighing Dailin asked: “How long has it been since our ascent?”

“A little over a Round.” The thing said not moving its eyes from the panel.

“What?” He blurted out as he leaned away from the panel, pressing closer to a Bliss that was hugging him from behind. “That can’t be,” he murmured. “Not that much, there can’t be.”

All that unclaimed Mana, all that power just waiting for anyone to take it, the Nightmares would grow into a landmass. The Giver, even Bliss, would be an endless tide of Constructs, all capable of limitless growth. And that was just the excess Mana the Anchors had let slip away.

Bliss had told him the Chant above was meant to use every drop of the substance to maintain the storm. Yet it seemed the flaw in the Chant prevented that as well. There would have been no River, no tide of Mana the Nightmare could gorge itself on. The Vail would have remained safe underground with the oversaturation of Mana no longer an occurrence. There may have even been peace, some calm and order while the Vail waited for the storm to end. Which it wouldn’t have, and in that other realm of little Mana, there would have been no means to travel above and try to end the flawed Chant.

“Maker,” Bliss called out. “Close your eyes, were about to reach the surface.”

He did, his curiosity hungry for the scene Bliss wouldn’t describe. And in a handful of seconds he saw why as the Oasis entered open air. He gasped in awe as the sight fell on him.

His eyes aimed upward, he witnessed an ocean above his head. A moment later a pulse went out and the sky was on fire, tornados of flame circled about that had once been water, all of it churring the Mana below. After the sky light up like a sun as the entire storm turned into streaks of lighting. He might have gone deaf by the thunder if he’d been connected to the Wards responsible for sound. Thankfully he had not and so was allowed to watch in comfort as the storm changed again, back into the tide of water suspended in the air.

His eyes were pulled to a small gap in the vortex above, and as he squinted and willed to see further he saw why. There was an Anchor nearby, some of the stone it once sat upon was still under it, floating in the air with the rest of the tower. Mana was rushing towards it from above, causing a beam of light to descend onto the tip of the structure that rose high enough to be level with the clouds. Most of the Mana disappeared within, but remnants trickled down from the base and worked its way to the Mana below. That's when he noticed it, so taken by the sight above he’d put the rest out of his mind.

‘Oh gods,’ he whispered as a growing dread worked its way up his spine as he scanned the horizon of the realm. Mana went on forever. An ocean, a literal, and deep ocean of Mana filled his version. All of it withering as the winds and attacks from the storm assaulted it.

Dailin took deep breaths, tried to calm himself as he forced his hands to stop shaking. The act did little to slow the emotions coursing in him as he stared at the madness.

It was clear now, this was the realm of Madness, and he was stuck dealing with the nonsense that came with it.

“Wonderous, isn’t it Maker?” His creature said, the sound breaking a spell that had come over him. And as the words registered the dread he felt gave way to anger, and scorn.

“Wonderous.” He said, his voice filled with disgust as he opened his eyes and stared at the construct in front of him. “There’s nothing wonderous about this Bliss.’ He hissed as he rose from his seat freeing himself from the clinging arms of another Bliss. He continued to breathe heavy as he paced about the room,

“This, this is a disaster.” He half-shouted as panic began to take him.

“Please Maker calm.” The beast spoke, warmth flowing with its words, and soon the chamber was filled with constructs humming a soothing tune.

Dailin rejected it, and sent a blast of compressed air expanding outward. The singing constructs were sent flying back, many crashing into walls and falling into the surrounding pool, the singing stopped.

“This is not the time for false calm, and dazed senses.” He growled. “I’m panicked and worried for a reason Bliss.” The name coming out harsh.

“There’s a curst ocean of Mana below us!” he shouted his arm lifting up in exasperation.

“And it’s wonderful." Bliss said again, causing him to spin about and look at it, his eyes screaming of constrained rage. “We can use this Maker. I could form an army of constructs that could easily cleanse this realm. Or you could perform a spell to do the same, what’s wrong with this circumstance Maker?”

“What’s wrong?” He replied walking over to her his fists clenched tight. “What wrong Bliss, is that it’s an ocean covering the entire realm, an ocean anyone, or anything can use.” He said slowly to it. “An ocean so deep it took the Oasis a Round to travel through Bliss. Can’t you even conceive how long it will take to use all this power? The impossibility of trying to hoard it for ourselves.

The creature just stared at him, the smile still there but the eyes gave off a feeling that it wanted to console him rather than understand.

“Can you not see Bliss?” he shouted and grabbed hold of it shoulders, shaking it as he spoke: “This. Is. A. Disaster!”

The creature eyes widened with shock, but not because of any kind of revelation. No, only surprised concern as it formed an extra pair of hands to hold him with. The act only made him more infuriated, the creature to unaware of what he wanted.

“My sweet wonderful Maker.” His creature began wrapping itself around him. “This task was always going to have its difficulties. But no matter what, your will, will be done. This realm will be made into paradise. You’ll just have to be a little patient.”

Dailin growled as he untangled himself and pushed it away. “Patient,” he said with a laugh. “Patient Bliss, really?” His runes glowed brighter as anger built up. “This will be well beyond patience, it will take Cycles to consume this ocean, and that’s if it wasn’t added to. Yet we have a storm above our heads, Anchors leaking Mana. When battle ensues, it may never end Bliss.”

“I’ll be fighting a never-ending war for survival!” He shouted, the Mana within him reacting and streams of lightning shot from him. The torrent lasted near a minute as he breathed heavily, then it faded with his frustration. Leaving him feeling tired as his worries returned to press against him.

“No,” Bliss said in a stern tone, its eyes staring into his. “I will be fighting a never-ending war Maker, not you,” it corrected and stepped closer to him but keep its hands to itself. “You will live as carefree as I can provide, protected within the wonder you’ve made. As you planned.” I said softly warmth pouring out of its words. “It’s why you recently asked me to take care of the Nightmare and Giver. Remember?”

“I didn’t realize how long it was going to take,” he said quietly.

“Why does it matter?” the creature asked “Hundreds, thousands of Cycles it doesn’t change the fact that we will win in the end, that paradise will be made and all saved.”

“I wanted peace now,” Dailin said, and he clenched his jaw as other words tried to flow out. Instead he screamed them in his mind. ‘I wanted to end you, fix my mistake. I can’t do that with the Nightmare and Giver hounding me!’

The monster moved closer and placed a hand on its chest as it stared deeply at him. “I know it’s not fair Maker, this realm is against us, it knows what we strive to achieve. And so it blocks our path. But don’t lose hope, everything will be fine in the end, we’ll have our salvation. It’s just going to take a little while.”

It pressed its head against his chest, and its hands wrapped around him softly. “I’m sorry for that, but there’s only so much I can do to speed things along.” It admitted to him, and Dailin more for show than care, hugged the beast.

“I understand.” He said, pushing down his irritation and anger before it caused him to speak something that would put him in danger.

They stayed that way as he got his anger under control. Though he held no hope of doing the same for his fears and worries, and growing dread. His instinct told of a calamity approaching, one that made it feel like there was danger just around the corner. He wanted to flee from it, but there was no other path but the one in front of him. He didn’t want to travel it, but there was a force pushing at him, time running out.

He took many calming breaths, none of which actually worked but it did serve to distract him, for a short time at least. But the flashing of the panel runes and the urges of instinct forced him to leave that state and focus once more on the ails of this life. Separating himself from Bliss he hurried back over and sat in his throne. Hands gliding over the runes and eyes shut, the realm returned to him.

The Oasis was being hammered by lightning strikes, shredding winds, searing flames, and at times water vortexes. Yet his amplifiers kept the Oasis powered, Mana continued to surge in and replenish all that was spent faster than the storm could deplete. Still the sight of it all, the destruction trying to rip his home apart. It dad Dailin calling to Mana, the pool around him answered and more came seeping from pipes. He sent desires into it, demanded it to take shape. The substance responded, condensing together and hardening into a crystal-shaped amplifier. Another push of will had Mana carve into the object, Wards spun about its surface then solidified. The new amplifier pulsed with life, already calling to the substance outside his home.

The act lessened the jitteriness in his hands and he performed the spell again, making more amplifiers and bunching them up with the others made of stone. He’d made seven more before turning his focus back to the madness outside, and to the Anchor in the distance.

It took maybe a minute to get there. With no stone barring his path and being able to see his destination. He’d willed the Oasis to travel speeds he hadn’t dared before. The Mana below followed along, seemingly like a giant hand continually engulfing his home.

The moment he neared the Anchor Dailin could tell the Vail of the past were leagues beyond what their kin were today. The Wards carved into the metal nearly matched his. The spacing, the alinement of everything, how Wards overlapped and came together. All of it was seamless and impossibly complex. The Anchor was also larger than any Sanctum, yet compared to his home, it looked like a small house.

Calling to his claimed mana, he began sending waves out, coating the construct before him. He willed the substance to take control of the Wards and the underlying workings of the Anchor. But the moment it tried, Dailin felt his Chant being pushed back. The Anchor Wards glowed brighter and the beam of light, made up of called Mana, increased as the tower powered itself to fight against him.

He tried sending his spell down the Anchors top, but there to it was repulsed. The Vail of the past must have been accustomed to this kind of attack, and given the endless Mana. It might have been a common occurrence practitioners used to undo the workings of rivals.

Dailin huffed in annoyance, no matter how much he willed to his chant, and poured Mana out, the tower continued to push his spell away. Normally he would have kept trying, as his home would easily outlast anything else when it came to a contest of storage. Yet both his home and the tower and access to limitless Mana.

With a frustrated grunt, he called back is power and began to think. Like always this realm wasn’t going to make things easy for him. Well easy in ways he preferred, but there were others.

Moving the Oasis, Dailin aligned one of the prime Hearts at the Anchor, and with a great deal of enthusiasm pressed his favored rune and birthed a blinding light.

The pressure from the blast pressed the ever-shifting storm higher up in his region. The slicing winds vanished, along with the spinning vortexes of flame and water. His attack engulfed the Anchor, and his beam of light continued on outwards. It illuminated the realm, more than the flashes produced from Lightning. It showed to him the magnitude of the sea below him, how it just kept going.

Then stopped.

His brows furrowed as he looked at his light, eyes trying to squint even though they were closed. He called to the Mana within him to see further and was rewarded with clarity.

His beam had struck surface, one that refused to be erased like all else that came in contact with the Oasis wrath. It left the light spreading about the, wall?

Yes, it was a wall that was barring the path of the beam.

A jolt from his panel, accompanied by its usual pulse broke Dailin from his stupor and he noticed that he’d burnt through two of the outer layer’s reservoirs. His hand sprang up from the rune, and the light and flame bathing the realm winked out.

His mind eyes took a moment to readjust to the drop in brightness, but soon enough he saw the Anchor was no more. Its siphoning of the Mana above hadn’t been quick enough to hold back his attack. Dailin stared at the space where the tower used to be. Somewhat pleased things had worked out, since his feeling of accomplishment was being tarnished with, regret.

It was a waste, people had spent a great deal of their time and effort crafting that object, one that had lasted for thousands of years. And now it was gone, made to be like it had never existed. Even the act of its undoing hadn’t changed anything in his favor. The small gap in the clouds above filled in and the storm continued to rage unaffected by the Anchors absence.

‘There are hundreds of them,’ he reminded himself, eyes already scanning for another target. ‘One isn’t going to make a difference.’

He sighed, 'one down, hundreds more to go.' That thought had him tempted to just blast them all to dust, almost. But not yet, the feeling of regret he was experiencing had his mind working for alternatives. And there was one idea that had his attention, one he wanted to try first before result entirely to brute force.

Scanning the horizon with Ward enhanced eyes, Dailin found others. Floating pillars that reached up into the clouds and siphoned the Mana coming from above. He aimed at one, willed the Oasis to move, and soon enough, found himself surging through the realm. The ocean below was racing just as swift to keep up with his home. The new Anchor was a perfect replica to the one before, even down to the carved décor that covered its surface. The only difference was the amount of landmass still attached to it.

Out of a small hope that not everything was the same, Dailin sent forth waves of Mana and tried seeping into the tower. Sadly he encountered the same resistance as before. His Mana was repulsed as the Wards of the Anchored glowed brighter. He wasted no more time on the act, instead enacting his new plan.

With thought and urge of will, his Mana pulled back and encompassed the Anchor in a sphere. He’d been forced to send a layer worth of Mana to accomplish his goal, so the barriers were strong enough to keep the beam of Mana from the sky from smashing through. That and the random strikes of lighting and other powerful forces of the storm gnawing at his work.

The Wards of the Anchor brightened more and Dailin felt through his Chant the structure doubling its efforts to pull Mana to it. A soft smile touched his lips as he pushed more power to his spell. Joy raced in his chest as he witnessed his scheme beginning to work. The pressure and forces arrayed against his barrier increased as the Anchor grew desperate. Yet his spell held, and would forever since the Oasis was a superior working than the Anchors.

Minutes passed, and Dailin watched as the ray of condensed Mana coming from above thinned. The glow of the Anchor did as well, it's pull growing weaker. Two minutes later and the beam of Mana ceased. The Anchors Wards began to blink off and on, then went dark altogether. An increased weight pressed against his barriers as the Anchor lost its ability to float. Dailin smile widened to something Bliss would display as he felt elation course through him. With little flare he sent Mana diving into the construct and began looking over its design.

It didn’t take him long to notice discrepancies in its craftsmanship. Unlike the Wards outside beautiful done and made by skilled hands. The inner part he could see had been tampered with, shoddy Wards and modifications to older ones filled his mind as the mana scanned the interior. Not that he knew what any of it did, his knowledge from the Vail was lacking when it came to understanding the Wards on display. Even with his own home, he hadn’t a clue how things worked, only that it did and that was good enough.

So he couldn’t tell where the flaw was in the obviously rushed modifications only that it had one. And now seeing the state of the interior he was surprised any of it worked at all.

‘It must have been one heck of a rebellion for the Vail to be this desperate to damage their greater works,’ he thought. But none of that matter now, and as his Mana seeped into every crevice, he called to it. Demanded it to change the artfully crafted Wards into ones of his own liking. Wards pulsed back to life began to shift, and weave into new patterns. Much of it would be the same, the Anchor would call to unclaimed Mana from above to power it, but for now, that would be all. No longer would it aid in the creation of the storm that was pelting his home.

The whole chant was completed in only a handful of seconds, and the Anchor was brought back to its full glory. The shoddy work once desiccating its inner halls had been whipped clean and replaced with craftsmanship equal to that of his home. The pressure on the barriers lessened as the Anchor floated. And he was about to undo them before stopping himself as he recalled the idea he had for the Anchors.

He thought it over as he waited for the Oasis to be full, only then did he act. Taking two layers worth of Mana he sent it surging towards the structure. When it connected the loose stone was crushed to pieces as the Mana went about its work. Mana once liquid in appearance condensed and hardened. A new tower formed and spiraled down aiming at the ocean below. Wards danced about the length of the Anchor and for a breath, it became inert as everything shifted. Then it pulsed back to life as the Chant finished and the Vails longest-lasting creation was improved upon.

Dailin felt a bit of pride looking at the change. One tower aimed up consuming mana, another aimed down. He sent a string of Mana and willed the Anchor to activate its new addition. Instantly a blazing beam shot down into the Mana ocean, burning down into the depths. The sight made him sigh in relief and he willed the tower to stop, pleased with the demonstration.

Sweeping his gaze back to the horizon, the Oasis began to move again, tides from the ocean following in its wake as he headed for more Anchors.

‘Two down, hundreds more to go.’ He thought, but it didn’t weigh on him as much as before. Soon not only would the storm be weakened, but he would also have a force of flying fortress to cleanse the realm below for him. And while that happened distracting his enemies he would fly upward and claim the source powering the realm.

‘Then,’ he voiced in his mind. ‘I’ll have everything I need to cleanse away all my mistakes, all my problems. I and those I love, we will finally have paradise.’