Confrontation/Chapter 17

“What do you seek?” the angel asked me, standing before the door of the light temple in the ethereal realm. The creature was clearly unhappy for my presence.

“Friend,” I said, “I am not your enemy. I agree with you entirely: the peoples are a danger to the temple. I have heard your complaints to the Lord of Light and know also that she has spurned your wisdom.”

“Who are you?” the creature asked, flexing one lavender wing and then the other. “What do you know of this?”

“I am Xilar,” I replied, “and I bear a message to you of hope and purpose, if only you accept.”

Several other Brilhado gathered around me then, and I stood, continuing to speak.

“The Elemental Lords are not the only ones who ignore the danger the people present. My liege brought the same call to the Lady of Creation and she spurned his wisdom. In time, we know that they will come even here into the ethereal realms and wage their war.”

Many of the Brilhado nodded and murmured in acknowledgement of the wisdom of this, it so clearly echoing their own fears about the wars that I myself had helped create in the world of Lore. This was exactly as Lord The’Galin had predicted, but he had given me further instructions. “How can we protect ourselves if among us there is doubt and fear? Listen well, my master bids you seek aid from the Darkness Lord and gain insight from him.”

I then departed and waited several days, but the success of my attempt became well-known, for when they had approached the Darkness Lord, he had reproached them for their disloyalty to the Light Lord and their fear of humanity.

“You have returned,” the Brilhado said, seemingly pleased by my faithfulness.

“I have. I will not betray you or use you. I speak to you only the truth. Creation has become wicked and it threatens us all. The Darkness Lord has rejected you and he too seeks to use you, better we use him instead. He intends to use his darkness against you as you are creatures of light. He is the opposite of you as surely as death is opposite of life. But there is a way..... Let us raise an army that defies both death and life and that serves neither.”

“You speak of necromancy,” the Brilhado remarked. “It is a forbidden art.”

“It is forbidden by those who would sell us to our destruction; let us act that NONE may turn us aside.”

“This is well,” said the Brilhado, “but what shall serve as the basis? We can raise wizards among men, but we must start somewhere; who shall form this army?”

“Unity is important in this. The answer is quite obvious. Let us find such among your brethren who fear to serve, who doubt. Let us release them from their doubt into true immortality, lest they turn upon us in ruin. In doing so, we will be sure that the Brilhado are undivided.”

“You wish for us to raise our own brothers as the undead?” the Brilhado asked, somewhat taken aback.

“It is either the Brilhado stand as one or the Brilhado are destroyed by creation. Doubt is a disease and you have the cure. They will not ever die. For a moment of pain, you will grant them everlasting power. This is not an act of murder or evil, but one of the ultimate love and kindness....”

The Brilhado murmured among themselves some more, but when they did not actively dissent I knew already that I had won.