LoreThe Forest Keeper bellows a deep laugh.
Thanos glares at him. "How do you know my name? About Vera and Sindr?"
"Thanos, a Relic like you cannot depend on mortal company your whole life," the Keeper says, stilling himself. "Sindr. Vera. The Fens. The Axons. Erthe and Ealdormere... They will all be gone one day..."
"A Relic?" Thanos scoffs. "The Relics are a myth. You think I'm one of them? This is some...some sorcery...a dream..."
"The weight of eternity is heavy, but I assure you, you will find beauty amidst the madness... Relicry is a gift, but it is not without its cost. Look to the order amidst the chaos -- to the music in your heart. "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything."
Come
Release your hate
Revile your pain
Lay down the weight
Crushing your soul
Oh, the well lit halls of my home
Painted by polyphony
May I find some peace
Solace in this harmony
Built from broken, nameless sound
Hear
Colors unseen
Cast from their mouths
Halls once well lit
Dampened and dim
Have you grasped the infinite?
Can you feel the weight of eternity
Mocking, mangling
Smothering you with hands that never shake?
The Forest Keeper explains that Thanos possesses a power beyond anything he can imagine, but he must learn to control it. Sindr will never stop pursuing the magical energies of the world, and Thanos must become strong enough to stop him. He must bear the ancient Crown of Septentria.
Thanos stares at the ground in silence for a long while. Then, he looks to the Forest Keeper with resolve in his eyes and bids:
Reveal to me
Those glorious wanton days
The Keeper places the Old Crown on Thanos's head, flooding his mind with revelation
At last I feel
The truth is gripping me
I can scarcely draw my breath
My soul is drifting toward
The valley deep within
Thanos is granted knowledge of the history of the Relics, of Etymos, of their fall, and of the rise of Erthwile man.
He sees his father, Renatus, is actually Xanthos, who the Thuleans in Septentria call Xanthochroid. This makes Thanos the rightful bearer of the Old Crown and successor to the throne of Thule.
When Thanos reopens his eyes with a terrified gasp, the Forest Keeper removes his mask. Thanos realizes it is his father, who he thought dead, and collapses in tears. Xanthos encourages him once again to turn to music in times of doubt:
Melt my heart, O music
Let flow your stream
Resonant chambers of rage
Passion or fear
Melt my heart, O music
Let flow your streams
Resonant chambers of rage
Contentment, passion, or fear
Life to ever-sleep
For only you can strike us with your magic
Comments23