Gawain stepped into the village like he owned the place. Accompanied by flame rebels, he approached me — glancing over to Ostros with a smile. "Good to see you, old friend," Gawain said. "You don't mind if I have a chat with the flameseeker here, do you?"
Nero was quick to refuse them. "We will not have any outsiders intrude upon Arrowfall," he said. "Begone, flame fiend and friends. Your kind are not welcome here."
Ostros spoke up, overruling him. "You shall speak in the privacy of my home," he said.
"Father!" Nero cried. Despite his son's protests, Ostros made room for Gawain and us — ushering us into the ruined remains of his home. Together, we sat around the sunspot before Gawain who — despite his blindness — looked me in the eyes.
"It's been a while since we've last met, flameseeker," Gawain said. "From what I've heard, you've been gathering sacrifices."
"I've been playing with the hand I was dealt," I told him. "Since we first met and now, my flame has only grown stronger."
"Which is why I've come for you," Gawain said. "Allow me to lend you my assistance."
Gawain extended a hand to me. To my surprise, Rosch stopped me from either accepting or rejecting the man's proposal. Rosch, undead as he was, concerned himself with my safety — wishing only to preserve my life.
"Who are you?" Rosch asked him.
"Gawain, the leader of the Flame Rebellion," he answered. Leaning in, Gawain looked to Rosch, asking, "Who might you be? A revenant who clings to a world that has long abandoned him?"
"I am Rosch — commander of Eckard's legion."
Gawain, hearing that, snickered to himself. "Eckard, eh? That name holds no weight in today's day and age. It's a coin minted with the wrong face… but at this rate, imperial credits will be replaced with Valenese Lira."
It seemed like news of a Valenese invasion had spread even to the rebels.
"Flameseeker," Gawain said. "A thousand years ago, Emperor Eckard sacrificed his closest allies to fend off an invasion from the mainland. Today, the Empire he founded has betrayed him."
"A betrayal?" Rosch asked.
Gawain nodded. "My informants and spies have discovered that high ranking members of the current imperial dynasty are working with the Vale Empire. They've sold out their country to the coming invaders."
Rosch sat, a bitter expression filling his face. "Traitorous scum. After everything the emperor has done for them, they turn and sell their own homeland to the mainlanders."
"Not only are they selling their souls," Gawain said, "but they're giving up the immortal's sword — the cursed treasure of Nordsummer."
I shook my head in disbelief. "Impossible," I muttered. "The immortal's sword is just a myth."
"It's no fiction," Gawain said. "You, being the flameseeker, should know that better than anyone."
The immortal's sword — a blade said to have been forged from the ashes left behind by scorched sacrifices. To think that the Vale Empire was invading Nordsummer for a fictional tool. It was utter madness, and yet Gawain had complete faith in the myth.
"The sword is real," Gawain said, "and only you, flameseeker, can return it to Nordsummerian hands." Gawain reached a hand out to me. "Gather the sacrifices and light the primordial flame that lies in the heart of the capital of the empire — in Cardia City," he said. "When the flame flickers, the ashes will be gathered and forged into the immortal's sword — the blade of frozen victory."
He was asking me to walk down Eckard's path. Looking at Rosch, it was clear that Rosch wanted me to follow down that path — a trail that already had been walked by better men than me.
The empire was built upon the embers of the primordial flame lit and emblazoned by Eckard. To light the dead flame again would put an end to the eternal winter, dismantling the barrier that's kept the Vale army from successfully invading Nordsummer.
To alleviate the people of an eternal winter would mean allowing spring to return — allowing time to flow once more. The empire would soon crumble, naturally or from within, and a new ruler would need to rise up.
That ruler, be it foreign or homeborne, would change the world.
"Become the wielder of the immortal's sword," Gawain said. "Conquer the enemies of Nordsummer and build an eternal empire."
In the face of such an offer, I had to stop and think it all over. To light the flame would mean opening Nordsummer up to a full-scale invasion. There was no telling that we'd be able to gather the ashes and forge the sword, and even if we could, there was no guarantee that we'd be able to successfully fend off the full might of the mainland.
But the facts stood — that the Vale Empire was invading Nordsummer and that people within the southern empire, within Cardia City, were helping them every step of the way.
Together, I had no doubt that the invaders would be able to crush the empire from within — an empire that was already stretched thin, fighting with the Nordborne Kingdom, against King Manus.
In the end, I came to a single conclusion — that even if the odds weren't in my favor, a burning fire within me urged me forwards.
Between the titles of flameseeker and flame scourge, I knew which one it was that I leaned towards.
"Interesting proposal," I told the two, "but I'll have to consult it over."
"Of course," Gawain said. "I'll alleviate any doubts you may have."
I wasn't here to consult with Gawain. No — the only person whose opinion I cared about was sitting right next to me. Together, we stepped out to speak in private. "Anise?" I asked her, asking the girl who stood, arms crossed, hand on chin.
"This is madness," she said. "To get to the primordial flame, we'd have to get into Cardia City. To do that, we'd have to fight our way in."
"We could invade," I argued. "The flame rebels and the legion combined could storm Cardia. There, we could find and reveal the traitors."
Anise clearly wanted to argue, but the more we spoke, the more obvious things became. Clearly, there was no stopping the foreign invasion. Not without the power of the immortal's sword.
Truthfully, I wanted that sword. I wanted to wield it — to defeat the invaders and make a proper name for myself. My whole life, I lived as a slave, but the flame scorched away my past, making room for a new future.
"This isn't something I can refuse," I told her. "If I don't do this, all of Nordsummer will be conquered."
I wasn't lying, but despite the reasoning, my personal desires weren't so noble.
I knew that if that sword could deliver on its promises, I could use it to do more than just defend. I'll be able to wield it as a conqueror, sailing towards the mainland and uniting the world beneath a single ruler. Through that, I could put an end to these petty conflicts and bring about eternal peace.
The sword was an eternal winter of its own, smothering the world in its dominion, preventing others from rising up and taking arms against their rulers.
"I'll do it," I told Anise. "I'll burn the sacrifices and free all of Nordsummer from the eternal winter. Then, I'll repay you for everything."
"Repay me how?" she asked.
"I'll find the people who burned your home to the ground and make them pay."
It was a suggestion I knew Anise couldn't refuse. Begrudgingly, she agreed.