[Solo]The Nature of Undeath...

[Paladin_Lorenor]

...And something happened...

Lorenor's mind cleared after all he had witnessed. All that had come to pass. There he was fighting a man he was certain would have become an ally, and the town guards were breathing down his neck with bloodthirsty eyes. Lorenor did not want to harm them when it happened, but William's head landed on the ground with a disgusting plop. Blood ichor poured out of the neck stump of William and everything stood still for that moment. Lorenor felt a rush in his body and reality faded away...He faded away.

The fragments of reality shattered like glass before his stunned eyes. What is this...? Before him, appeared a field. One one side of the field was the Holy Light. Glowing with a warmth that was comforting for the Undead Paladin. And on the other side was the Void. Lorenor looked down and he saw a small orb in the field, a planet. ...No...not any planet. But Althanas herself. Lorenor looked about and saw a form manifest in between the Void and the Holy Light. A pang of familiarity burned in his heart as he saw who stepped out of the shadows to meet him in this place of eternal conflict.

"We can finally meet again." The prophet said calmly.

"William Blake...I had to kill him, he left me no choice." Lorenor said to the prophet.

"You were not meant to be there." The prophet said calmly. "To be fair you did not know your Son would be there."

"So...now what?" Lorenor asked.

"You are going to go back but you would never have met William Blake or gone to Stonevale." The prophet frowned for a moment. "You and your kind are not welcome in Stonevale."

"...He said a Haidian was working for them though." Lorenor protested.

"That's not relevant. What is relevant is you have a chance to set things right with your Son." The prophet said "He has a larger role to play in all this because of the tablet's shard."

Lorenor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Why are you telling me all of this?" Lorenor asked.

The prophet paused for a moment. "You are far too important in the events that are coming." The prophet continued. "Live Lorenor...forget about Stonevale, your journey goes on a different path than that little town." The prophet spoke one more time. "Your son will know what to do when you awaken again."

***

When Lorenor's eyes reopened he found himself staring at the black knight. The black knight, his son was fighting Lorenor and he recalled the first time they fought. Here...before the events of Stonevale...I am back in time now. He realized that the prophet had done something to change the ebb and flow of time/space. His claymore was holding the black knight's own weapon in place as they parried one another.

"Why do you hesitate...?" The black knight growled.

Lorenor looked at him and frowned. "I've seen this before..." The first time...Lorenor had been defeated. But this time, he was armed with a knowledge he lacked then. "You won't beat me twice." Lorenor suddenly said.

The black knight hesitated for a moment. A sudden gust of wind filled the Brokenthorn Forest. The black knight listened for a moment. "...The black wind howls." He said quietly.

Lorenor proceeded at that point suddenly. He lunged forward, and released his weapon in a moment, ducking beneath the swipe that defeated him the first time. Instead, Lorenor plunged his hand into the armor of the black knight and proceeded to remove the tablet's fragment. "This does not belong to you." Lorenor said as he watched the man's suit of armour loose it's power.

"...How did you know...?" The black knight asked in confusion.

"You are MY SON." Lorenor held the fragment of the tablet in his hand, feeling the power flowing through his body. "You have summoned me here, and we need to talk. About what is coming...the coming storm. We are not welcome here in Stonevale. It is time for us to head to greener pastures."

"You...ARE Lorenor." The black knight said calmly, realizing that he'd calculated well. All that had transpired was to get his Father out of the shadows...out of hiding.

"Yes I am." Lorenor said. And he stared at his son.

Father and son reunited...the two looked at one another as the wind howled around the forest....