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Despite his head start, Greyson’s lead on Ander vanished as the Exarch’s age betrayed him. He turned to defend himself, but with a swift twist of the wrist and a slamming of the head into the wall later, Greyson was on the ground at the lord general’s mercy.
“Wait! Wait! I s-surrender!” Greyson cried, throwing his hands up in desperation as Ander raised his sword.
“D-don’t you need to take my prisoner? To try me for my crimes?” The Exarch pleaded, willing to grasp any objection to delay his fall into the Hells. Ander paused a moment, but then his face hardened.
“I have been sent by the Valkyrie Herself to cleanse Her Church of the evil that has been festering at its heart for too long! I’ve already seen more than enough evidence of your sins, Greyson! And I’ve already decided what your punishment shall be!”
Ander pulled his sword back further to deliver the final blow, causing Greyson to shriek with even greater desperation.
“Wait! Wait, damn you! You know about Project Angelus, about our attempts to bend the Valkyrie’s servants to our will. But you might not know the full extent of my little project. There are hundreds – thousands – of angels down here, in various stages of the process!”
For just a moment, Ander froze in horror. He had seen the evidence firsthand in the Heavens, even suspected the magnitude of the Church’s blasphemy, but to have it confirmed was disturbing. Taking advantage of the brief pause in his execution, Greyson hurried onward.
“Listen, those brands aren’t going to be easy to remove - we made them to overcome angelic regeneration after all. But . . . but, if you spare me, I will help you figure out how to undo them. Surely that atonement for my crimes would be enough? Then, afterwards, you could lock me up! I’m an old man, I don’t have much time left anyway, and –“
“Shut. Up.” Ander growled, but he still hesitated to deliver the killing blow. Because as much as he hated to admit it, Greyson was right. The angels the Church had kidnapped and experimented on were undoubtedly mutilated. And given Her display with the poor angel’s soul trapped in the crystal, Miriam was unlikely to be sympathetic to their plight. They would all be considered tainted, and She might very well destroy all of them. That seemed like a tragedy, made worse by the idea that it could be averted. But if averting that meant letting one of the corrupt Exarches, and possibly one of the worst, survive . . . well, that was a difficult decision. Fortunately Ander was used to difficult decisions, and he’d had more than his share of them since embarking on this quest so long ago. He already knew the answer he would choose even before he thought about it.
“No deal. I’ll figure out how to save them my own way!” Ander said, letting the sword fall at last.
“Wai – ARGH!” Greyson cried, breaking off into an awkward gurgle as Justice found his throat. The fallen Exarch managed a few last weak bubbling coughs as his blood sprayed onto the nearby wall and floor in front of him. But not even his clenched hands around the wound could stem the flow of blood, and he soon crumpled to the floor with a final, rattling sigh.
Ander began to wipe the blood off the blade when the peculiar sound of clapping caught his ear. Whirling, sword held at the ready, Ander found that a gorgeous woman stood clapping at the nearby doorway, a satisfied smirk on her face. She was dressed in the ornate robes of the Speaker, and so despite having never seen her before Ander knew this must be Speaker Morganna. The heart of the Church’s corruption. Stepping fully into the hallway and closing the door behind her, Morganna favored Ander with a smile and raised her hands.
“I am unarmed, and have come here only to fulfill the function of my office – to speak.”
“You don’t speak for the Valkyrie, so I can’t imagine we have anything to talk about!” Ander growled, but for now simply held his ground – it was difficult wrapping his mind around the idea that the leader of his enemies had come all this way and put herself at his mercy just to talk. This conflict had long since gone beyond the ability of words to solve. At his argument, Morganna simply smiled and stepped forward.
“That is where you are wrong, my dear child. I doubt that you have heard the full –“
From within its sheath, Sin Eater snarled loudly. Morganna stopped immediately at the sound, going incredibly still. But only for a moment, and then she chuckled – but approached no further.
“So She gave you an angel slaying blade, did She? Of course. She did, after all, send you to slay . . . me.”
For a moment, the dim hallway brightened as a golden glow surrounded Morganna. The Speaker of the Church stretched luxuriously, the tips of her white wings brushing against the walls, as she was revealed for what she truly was – an angel.
“Ah, that feels good. It is rare indeed that I have the opportunity to stretch my wings, particularly since claiming the mantle of Speaker. But we all have to make sacrifices.”
Switching his grip on Justice to a one-handed grip, Ander pulled Sin Eater from its sheath, the blade literally singing as it was drawn. The former lord general raised the tip of the deadly weapon to point at the angelic Morganna, causing her to retreat a step but no farther.
“What the Hells is going on!?”
A sad, soft smile crossed Morganna’s lips.
“So She sent you to kill me but didn’t explain why. I figured as much. Alright then. Let me tell you a story, my child. I think you will find it most enlightening, in a tragic sort of way.”
Morganna flared her wings, taking a deep breath, and then began her tale.
“Long, long ago, there was a terrible war between humanity and the Heavens. The reasons for the war and the war itself are unimportant, but suffice to say humanity lost – naturally. As punishment for its sins, Miriam abandoned humanity to the forces of the Hells. But She was not entirely without mercy. A small number of angels, led by the archangel Marisiel the Protector, would remain on the mortal plane to prevent the darkness from consuming humanity entirely. But only just.”
Morganna shook her head, her eyes haunted.
“Can you imagine it? Centuries of watching those you had sworn to protect being trampled on, tortured, ruled by those you had likewise sworn to destroy. But you can do nothing! Certainly you can save a few here, discretely guide a few to safety there, but the vast majority of your charges must be left in horrific agony. They must all suffer for the sins of their ancestors, because that is the will of the Valkyrie – the Vengeful Goddess!”
These last words nearly came out as a scream, and Morganna paused for a minute to regain her composure. Finally she shook her head and continued.
“All hope is not lost. We manage to create a few precious locations where humanity can live free – but not without fear. The vast majority of humanity remains firmly within the grip of the Hells, and that grip persists for so long, and with such brutality, that humanity forgets everything else. The existence of the Divine Couple . . . the ability to use magic . . . even the concept of civilization . . . all gone. All that remains are the fiends, each set up with its own little tribe of fearful, feral, human worshippers. It’s possible that things would have remained this way forever but for two dramatic events.”
Morganna lifted a finger.
“First, the Death of Marisiel. You know from your history lessons that Marisiel is known as the lost one, the one who fell in battle against the forces of the Hells, never to be seen again. This is largely true – Marisiel did go to investigate a disturbance at the largest of our “safe” zones for humanity, and she never returned. Upon investigating we discovered a smashed city and the remains of some profane ritual of immense power. It was assumed at the time that Marisiel was overcome by the fiends released by the ritual, and dragged down into the Hells for an eternity of unimaginable torment. We’ll get back to that matter in a bit.”
Morganna extended a second finger.
“Second, the rise of humanity. To this day, I still do not understand it, but somehow humanity rallied. Slowly at first but with increasing success, the humans threw off their shackles and tore down their fiendish oppressors. Without any aid from us, mind you. Somehow, your noble race was able to push itself up out of the muck, and keep pushing until the fiends were almost entirely routed and humanity was once again dominant on the mortal plane. It was awe-inspiring and frankly, a little humbling to watch. Unfortunately humanity’s ascent also presented us with a problem – no human born outside of our little sanctuaries knew anything about the Gods. To them, the demons and devils ruling over them were the gods, and they had just killed most of them.”
Morganna gave a bitter laugh.
“I’m sure you can see how this understandable belief in humanity’s absolute mastery of existence had to be quickly squashed. Humanity’s arrogance was what had led to its fall in the first place, and a second challenge to the Divine Couple’s authority could not be tolerated. Already we were seeing the signs as humanity reclaimed its ability to use magic – in particular, a group of six idiots who would come to call themselves “The Lords of Blood”.”
Morganna gestured with her extended fingers, first towards Ander, and then towards herself.
“And now we come to our part in the story - to the Church’s part in this sad history. After we contacted the Valkyrie with our growing concerns, She agreed with our assessment that humanity needed a lesson. But thankfully, mercy was to be shown, and humanity would be led forward rather than pushed back down into the muck. It was to me, and me alone, that the task to teach humanity fell. It proved to be the hardest task I have ever been given – oh Gods, was it hard! But I strove, and I fought, and I schemed, and ultimately I forged an organization that would lead humanity back into the light. That organization you know today as the Church of Light.”
Morganna sighed, looking down at the floor.
“Despite my divine mandate, for a while I thought it was certain that my fledgling Church would fall. I could not reveal my true nature, because in a way, the foundation of the Church itself was a test – whether or not humanity wanted to be saved. It turns out, thankfully, that humanity did want to be saved, but there were many challenges in those early days, and I made many mistakes. So many mistakes . . .”
Morgana trailed off, staring wistfully down into the floor. Eventually she stirred and continued, but her voice now was much quieter. Tired.
“My worst mistake by far was that once, I did reveal myself as I am doing with you now. I did it to inspire a single man, in the hopes that it would give him the courage to do the impossible assignment I was asking of him. It worked for a time, but I overestimated the strength of Man. Ultimately he betrayed me, forsaking his oaths and transforming from my spy into the seventh Lord of Blood. But it was not I who paid the price for his treachery, but instead my sister Marta. They . . . captured her, violated her, all as part of their insane attempt to claim immortality. I don’t think poor Marta ever quite recovered from that, and nothing could be done to heal her.”
Morganna’s fists clenched, and her face took on the familiar aspect of divine fury.
“But there was one thing I could do, and that was to avenge her. And even though we were not ready, the Church went to war with those godless sons of bitches! And do you know what? Somehow, we won. It proved to be even easier than I thought possible, perhaps because the Lords’ own empire crumbled in on itself. I suppose by the end, even their own followers realized what monsters the Lords of Blood had become. And with them gone, the Church’s authority was virtually undisputed. Oh, most of the world still lived in ignorance of the Gods, but its influence was now fragmented. Piece by piece, we absorbed the scattered tribes of humanity, until finally the entire world once again lived under the banner of the Divine Couple.”
Morganna gave a wistful smile.
“But that’s not the end of the story, is it? Otherwise we wouldn’t be standing here with you pointing that abominable blade at me. And so at last we come to the saddest part of my tale. I just told you that the Church was created to re-educate humanity on the existence of the gods, but that’s not the sole reason. After the defeat of the Lords of Blood, and all humanity was once again reunited, I took steps to set in motion the second part of my mission – the Crusade against the Hells. The singular defining purpose that the Church has worked toward since its creation, at least up until I canceled it during your recent incarceration in Ironheart.”
Morgana shook her head sadly and stared down again at the floor.
“The official goal of the Crusade was to conquer the Hells and dethrone Azguloth. But as we both know, Azguloth was safely imprisoned beneath Ironheart. And of course, angels are powerless within His domain, so the invasion had to be fought entirely by humanity. It was an impossible and pointless demand to make – even without Azguloth, the Hells can never be conquered. The fiends cannot die, not permanently, and their ranks constantly swell both from the natural deaths of evil people and the damning deaths of our own soldiers. Even imprisoning them all is impossible – this facility houses dozens of the Hells’ leaders, and it requires all we can do to keep them here. So, realistically, I was commanded to force humanity into a war that it could never win.”
Morganna dragged her eyes up to look at Ander, and her fists clenched again as her eyes started to smolder.
“But do you want to know the worst part, the true selfish reason I was asked to start a war that would consume countless thousands of the Valkyrie’s most devoted followers over the many centuries to come? The real reason for the Crusade was never to conquer the Hells – it was to locate Marisiel the Protector and rescue her! All those poor noble souls, damned forever, just as part of a rescue attempt for a single soul valued beyond measure by the Valkyrie. In Her mind, it was humanity that was responsible for Marisiel being dragged down into the Hells, and so it was humanity who would pay the bloody price for her release. But I’m sure the thought has occurred to you . . . if the actual goal of the Crusade was to recover Marisiel, why was she never found? It is true that you never broke down into the Ninth level, and it’s certainly possible that a prisoner as important as Marisiel would be dragged into the depths of Azguloth’s own fortress. Really though, that’s just wishful thinking, the same kind I had after every report on the Crusade – maybe Marisiel was being held in the next fortress, down on the next level!”
Morganna’s anger was dispelled by a dry, hopeless laugh.
“So I spent the centuries as the casualties continued to mount, hoping against hope that Marisiel would finally be found and this horrific sacrifice could be ended. I rarely took a leadership position after the Crusade began, preferring to remain behind the scenes and provide guidance only when necessary. But the Crusade took on a life of its own, and as the one responsible for starting it I despaired at the loss of every brave soul. Sometimes, when it became too much to bear, I would abandon whatever humble duties my current human persona fulfilled, and wandered the countryside as myself. Those times, when I could just be what I was created to be – a divine guide and protector – where the only times I felt truly happy.”
Morganna favored Ander with a genuine smile, leaving him wondering if she was smiling at him or at the memories. He didn’t have long to wait for an answer.
“A number of years ago, I came upon a small farmhouse under attack from a pack of demons, called forth by a warlock. I arrived too late to stop the slaughter, the cruel sport the demons played upon the innocent family as a prelude to the real horrors waiting down in the Hells. But I did arrive in time to slaughter the demons in turn, and prevent any innocent souls from being damned. I was about to go hunting for the warlock when a young man returned to the burned ruins, the sole survivor of his family. He was understandably traumatized to return home to find his home in shambles and his family butchered, and my heart went out to him. I chose not to strain his sanity further by appearing, and so hid myself and watched him. I was worried that after such a crippling event, the man would remain a broken shell for the rest of his days, assuming he didn’t cut it short by his own hands. So . . . I decided to try and inspire him, to give him something to live for.”
“No. This is a lie.” Ander breathed, his blood running cold as he recognized the story. But he was unable to tear his gaze away from Morganna as she continued calmly telling this section of her story, still smiling at him.
“I connected my mind with his, and showed him a glorious vision, of joining the Church’s Crusade and leading it to victory over the fiendish hordes. It was simply a vision meant to give him a possible direction in life, and to do something constructive. Although I worried about the poor man’s soul, I was still convinced in the necessity of the Crusade, and figured even if he didn’t amount to much at least the man would have the chance at vengeance by skewing a few demons in their own home.”
As Morganna continued to speak, a golden glow briefly surrounded her again. When it faded, her features were completely different. Ander’s growing horror was only magnified by the recognition of Morganna’s new face – the face of his veteran instructor at Dawn’s Hope.
“Did you think angels could only assume one human form? I have made use of dozens over the long years.” Morganna said, chuckling in the voice that once barked orders at him, that taught him how to wield a blade.
“I made use of several guises to track the young man’s progress after he came to Dawn’s Hope, driven by what I had shown him. First out of a desire to continue to watch out for him, and later from the conviction that he was somehow special. There was a fire in him, a spirit of greatness untouched by the tragedies he had experienced. I certainly had not put it there, but I had given it direction. And now I molded it, forged it into the weapon of the gods as I had promised in my vision to that young man. I suppose . . . in a way . . . I taught that man like a mother teaches her son, and . . . I suppose . . . I came to view him as such. The son I could never have . . . I was so worried about him when he first set out on the Crusade as a newly-ordained paladin. But like any mother, my heart swelled with pride as he succeeded – nay, thrived – on the battlefield, and grew into the warrior who fulfilled that vision I had for him. And he – you – went on to become the greatest Lord General my Church has ever known!”
Ander’s mind whirled at these revelations, both personal and existential. He could feel the firmament of his beliefs, and his world view, crumbling and shifting beneath his feet. He wasn’t sure what to do now, but he could feel the familiar righteous rage starting to ignite.
“Why!?” He rasped. “If you’re not lying to me now, then why did you turn away!? All this sacrifice, all this effort – why did you throw it all away by forsaking your oaths to the Valkyrie!?”
“BECAUSE IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!” Morganna screamed back, matching Ander’s glare with one of her own. She paused a moment, and then continued in a quieter voice, but one that was still trembling with rage.
“Just before your last great success leading the Crusade in conquering the Eighth Level, I was approached by a very old associate. Dacian, avatar of Athelion, or the Hierarch as he now referred to himself. My shock at his survival turned to horror as I realized what he had become, but he had something he wanted to show me. My horror only deepened as he pulled out a long elegant feather that shone with its own inner light. The feather came from Marisiel, and he offered it to me as proof of his claims. He then went on to explain that Marisiel was in the custody of his ally the Baron of Gast and that I was to make no attempt to free her. Furthermore, Marisiel had never been down in the Hells – she had been found by some mortal explorers who discovered her in the ruins of the destroyed city! Do you understand, my son? The madness of it all? The Crusade’s entire purpose had been to rescue Marisiel from the Hells, but it could never succeed because she was never there to begin with! All of those innocent paladins, every last one of those poor souls, damned and lost forever for nothing! NOTHING!”
Morganna’s anger faded with a sigh, and she slumped, weary as she continued in an exhausted tone.
“At first I didn’t want to believe it, but eventually I accepted it as the truth. I was so angry then. I felt betrayed, both by Miriam and Marisiel, led by them into leading humanity on a tragic goose chase that consumed many of the best humans I ever met. Perhaps Miriam had known about Marisiel’s condition all along, and simply lied to me so I would be complacent in the damnation of so many righteous souls. Perhaps due to the interference from the profane ritual’s energies, Her omnipotence failed Her and She really did believe Marisiel was lost in the Hells. I did not know what to believe, and then I realized I did not care. Because it didn’t matter why this happened, only that I had sent so many people into the maw of the Hells after a nonexistent goal.”
Morganna snorted and shook her head.
“After that, I knew I could no longer follow the Valkyrie. So I set out on my own path. Miriam is right about one thing, however – my Church is corrupt. No human institution is immune to its escalating seduction. So even limited to my indirect control, I simply had to manipulate the right people into the positions of power to get what I wanted. My only price was for them to cancel the Crusade – I understand it was still a hotly contested issue at the time even so. By the time you returned triumphant from the Eight Level, the matter had been decided, although it would be more of a slow withdrawal rather than a sudden stop.”
Morganna smiled sadly at Ander.
“I understand you raised quite a fuss when you found out the news. When you resigned and left the Church in disgust, I almost followed you to explain. But I wasn’t sure you would even believe me, or even if you did what good it would do. You’ve always been headstrong, Ander, and I was afraid if you chose not to understand you would expose me. Or the knowledge of all that I have done, you included, would destroy you. So I let you wander off alone and confused, and for that I am sorry.”
“Confused? I wasn’t confused then, I was frustrated and angry. And you still haven’t explained all . . . this!” Ander retorted, gesturing angrily at the surrounding walls. Morganna took another involuntary step back, and then returned Ander’s glare.
“Fine. So after you left, I spent the intervening years consolidating my hold on the Church and figuring out what to do. I knew the Valkyrie would not tolerate my disobedience forever, regardless of what I could tell Her regarding Dacian’s treachery and Marisiel’s fate. Shifting Her focus from me to the Baron of Gast would not spare me from Her wrath. And in a way, Dacian and his pet Baron’s goals were aligned with my own – namely, thwarting Miriam’s will. So I reached out to them, to see about an alliance.”
“From defying the Valkyrie to joining forces with the man who wanted to release Azguloth. You certainly didn’t waste any time choosing a different path, did you?” Ander growled, earning a frown of displeasure from Morganna.
“This was about survival! Not just my own, but my Church’s survival! For all I knew Miriam would decide because I had founded it, my Church had become tainted as well and needed to be destroyed! Does that sound familiar, Ander!?”
Ander winced as Miriam’s words from their last meeting echoed inside his head. Morganna nodded in satisfaction.
“Anyway. It wasn’t a full alliance, just an exchange of information . . . and a few key personnel. I still wasn’t even in full control of the Church yet, so the Exarches are to blame for the specific deals made. Except for one deal, I suppose. Still feeling rather petty about Marisiel’s role in all this, I arranged for one of our worst inquisitors, a Brother Corwin, to be transferred to Ironheart to help the Baron break her. The man was a depraved psychopath, the sort attracted to the work of the Inquisitors but lacking the moral integrity necessary for proper work. I understand he was quite successful at making up for the fact that Marisiel never did experience the Hells. His services also resulted in the Church acquiring some very interesting information from the Baron regarding soul crystals. So for me it was a win-win exchange.”
Morganna paused for a moment to frown at Ander.
“And then you came back. Sent by Miriam to “cleanse” the Church. I always knew the Valkyrie would express Her wrath eventually, but I never suspected She would send you. You are of course the natural choice – the charismatic war hero to rally the masses, and the one person I would hesitate to destroy. It was only dumb luck and your own arrogance that led to your capture – I had set up the binding circle with the expectation that Miriam might send one of my sisters to assassinate my puppet Council. Turns out the magic works just as well on elevated humans.”
Morganna shook her head yet again, this time with a smirk on her face.
“Your existence still provided me with a problem however. At the time I assumed that you were a willing and knowledgeable participant – that Miriam had told you everything or at least enough to fully understand what you were doing. That level of knowledge was dangerous to me, and I assumed despite knowing full well what was going on, you agreed to come back and kill me.”
Morganna chuckled.
“I guess I made a lot of incorrect assumptions about you, but it certainly wasn’t the first time I made such a mistake. I knew Miriam would just send you back if I killed you, so I had to put you in an out of the way place. Ironheart worked perfectly for that. Unfortunately some of the Council members wanted their pound of flesh, wanted to study you, and I didn’t have the influence to deny their request. I understand the last fifteen years were rather unpleasant for you, and I am sorry for that as well.”
“Unpleasant doesn’t begin to describe it. And you have still failed to answer my question. Why have you done this!?” Ander snarled, finding himself losing patience now that Morganna had divulged most of her secrets.
“Legacy. I wanted to make sure that something remained despite my failures, that no matter what the Valkyrie did I would have accomplished at least one good thing. After you showed up, I knew I didn’t have much time left so I accelerated the project and assumed direct control of the Church now that the work is nearly complete. You are welcome to believe whatever you want about me, but please understand that I never wanted to throw away so many people for no reason.”
Morganna took a deep breath, and then launched her final explanation.
“I canceled the Crusade after I discovered its true purpose was impossible to accomplish. But I never forgot the sacrifices already made, and swore to myself that I would give meaning to all those senseless damnations. It was always my intent to renew the Crusade at a later date, to make the officially stated goal the actual goal, and somehow accomplish the complete extermination of Azguloth’s pets. Thanks to my association with the Baron, I finally discovered exactly how to do that. With the correct combination of arcane brands, angels could be prevented from becoming powerless within the Hells. And with their souls bound into crystals, they could be revived at a later date, saved from permanent damnation in the event of death in battle. I could create an immortal army, one to match the fiends and lock them into eternal battle on their own plane. Humanity would be freed from the threat of ever again being under the fiends’ heel, and in time, we would break the fiends for good.”
Ander snorted.
“So all these angels you have mutilated, they all came here for their own free will?”
Morganna shrugged.
“No. I knew virtually none of them would agree to the procedure, or to serve under the few humans necessary to direct the new Crusade. So I had them begin research into obedience runes as well, to force my sisters to cooperate!”
Morganna paused to jab a finger at Ander.
“Do you understand, my child!? My sisters should have protected humanity, should have never sent you to die in their stead on the gods forsaken darkness of the Hells! I’m simply forcing them all to do what they should have done long ago! This is our war, and it’s time we started being the ones to fight it! And lest you think I am saying this only thanks to the virtue of safety . . .”
Morganna shrugged one shoulder out of her robe, and pulled down the underclothes to reveal the bare flesh. Although only faintly visible even in her true form, the scarred lines of the unholy brands were still there. Satisfied with what she had shown, Morganna shrugged back into her robe.
“I have done monstrous things Ander, but I am not a hypocrite. I would not allow my sisters to suffer anything I was unwilling to undergo myself. The runes are not complete, of course – I was still waiting for Greyson to make the final adjustments to the obedience runes to ensure unquestioning obedience. Once all preparations for the new Crusade were complete, I was going to step down from my position as Speaker, have my brands completed and quietly join the ranks of my sisters. It is the only thing I know to do in order to atone for everything I’ve done, for how I failed humanity.”
Ander grimaced.
“So you have done all this – for what? To assuage your own guilty conscience? And what have you hoped to gain by telling me all this?”
Morganna shrugged.
“In the end, you have the same choice before you as you have always had. You can stand with the Valkyrie, or you can stand with me. But now, I have ensured that you can at last make an informed choice – you know everything now. I can only wonder why the Valkyrie chose to keep such important information from you – or did She simply expect you to follow Her orders blindly?”
Turning away, Morganna walked over to the door. She paused to look back.
“I will give you a few moments of privacy to make your final decision. Will you continue to follow the orders of the Valkyrie despite Her callous disregard for humanity? Or will you join me in heresy, but perhaps a necessary heresy to correct the mistakes of the past? As always, only you can make that choice. But you had better decide quickly, as I will expect your final answer momentarily.”
And with that, Morganna resumes her human form and shoves the door open and steps out, leaving the doorway hanging open behind her. Alone in the hallway again, Ander slumps and gasps for air, suddenly weary. The numerous revelations Morganna had revealed were certainly soul shattering and disturbing, but could he really turn his back on everything he had fought for up to this point?