The Telgradian turned as he sought to leave the Citadel, the work done. But then, he stopped.

Shinsou watched in quiet disbelief as the demon lay face down in the dusty grass, still breathing and slowly regaining consciousness. Blood pooled underneath it, spilling into the weeds and ferns in the road. Death, even if it was only a temporary one, should have already welcomed this thing, this Nosdyn. But, it hadn’t. It was a few seconds until Shinsou could hear the words of the fallen demon carry to him on the wind, a horrible acquiescence from the sound of his magic crushing his opponent.

The Telgradian’s mind burned with anger momentarily, knowing not only that his most powerful magic had failed, but also that Nosdyn had not been wrong about Draconus. It had been Joshua Cronen who had struck the final blow that killed the dragon. He knew that he had deliberately overstated his role in that fight, but what he also knew was that Cronen could not have killed the Thayne without him that day. With that, the anger subsided, and gave way to stoicism.

Coward and a liar eh? Closest thing to damage you’ve done since you got here.

"You aren’t wrong. Cronen killed Draconus, but he could not have done it without me." The magician slowly spun on his heels on the browned soil, and walked up to the cloaked Nosdyn, kneeling by his side. “He insisted I take the credit, so that the Brotherhood’s name flourished. So we could do good. That was the measure of the man, and that was a gift I hold dear to this day. But make no mistake, demon. However the history books tell it, I fought Draconus and survived. I'll keep on surviving. I wonder if you will, too?”

Shinsou’s ears buzzed as a portal back to the Citadel’s chambers opened ahead of him, the victory over the demon serving as fulfilment. Surveying the landscape one final time, the Telgradian observed the channel of burned grass behind the point of impact of his Shiroihitsugi. The stone houses surrounding it had been shattered to ruins. Finally, he leant down, yanked the back of Nosdyn’s head up and whispered.

“Take my advice. Crawl back to Tular, and rejoice. You survived Shinsou Vaan Osiris, in the Citadel, this time. Next time, out there," Shinsou pointed beyond the portal, "not even the power of N'Jal will keep you safe from me.”

Shinsou face lacked any discernible emotion as he loosed his grip on Nosdyn's head, stood and walked back through the portal to where the monks lay in wait. Still, though, Nosdyn's continued endurance played on his mind. He would have to learn to swallow this blow to his ego, because one day, he was sure he would face the demon again.