“My head is spinning.”

“I don’t expect you to take all this in lightly. The Thayne reborn were free of the Illar’s sway, who had all but perished in the War of the Tap. To end the war proper they created N’Jal.”

The spider god. The great usurper. The enemy within. Ruby had fought enough of her zealots to know that her reach was endless and her presence maddening.

“That went well…”

“Surprisingly, it achieved their goal. They wanted to draw the severed threads of the Tap to Althanas. N’Jal’s madness weakened the belief in the Thayne and the people began to dream of long forgotten memories. Slowly but surely, wellsprings re-appeared as the first remembered from where, and whom they had come. Unfortunately for Tantalus, the return of the Tap brought about its own problems.”

“The War of the Tap?”

“You remembered your history lessons. Yes. The War of the Tap. The Illar discovered what the new Thayne had done and sent their most powerful envoys to our world. You have met some of them, and there were five in all.”

“The Forgotten Ones…”

“They came to destroy the Tap not because they were jealous of the Thayne, but because they were scared of what Tantalus, and his new Thayne could do if they ever drew upon its power.”

“We are all puppets.”

“Of Tantalus, yes, but his mission remains unfulfilled. Lysander’s rebirth reminded him of why he existed in the first place. Duffy, when he found Tantalus’ corpse was inspired by the history I have just shared with you. Now, three weeks away, that mission will come to an end.”

Leopold made to resume the vision but Ruby interrupted.

“Duffy’s known about this all along?”

Leopold hesitated.

“It’s best I show you.”

The temple re-appeared and, in a flash, Thayne and Illar were clashing swords and the temple shook. The Mystic, Shinsou, and Duffy harangued from the flanks though the wrath between old enemies paled their efforts. Ruby could not keep track of the blows, and in a heartbeat, the party had assembled the Reliquary and driven the blade into Apotheosis’s heart.

The temple fell silent.

“What just happened?”

“Lysander knows that the only way to kill something born of the Tap is to sever the connection between them. The sword does just that. Severs soul from body. The Illar were the manifestations of the Tap’s desires and dreams.”

The light blades fade and the wings shatter below, leaving Apotheosis humbled. Lysander withdraws the blade and steps back with guard raised. The otherworldly presence gone; an elf remains.