The boy who would become Naravoss knew nothing of love or lineage. He was found as an infant by Mordeth, a being whose corruption ran deeper than the Shadow itself. Mordeth named the child Naravoss, a name meant to carry fear and authority, and from the moment he could walk, the boy was shaped into a weapon.
"You are not a child," Mordeth hissed when Naravoss showed hesitation in his training. "You are the end of the Light."
Mordeth was not a channeler, but his knowledge of the Shadow's workings was vast. He summoned Darkfriends and male channelers loyal to the Great Lord to train Naravoss day and night. These tutors, hardened by the war that raged across the lands, were merciless in their lessons. They pushed the boy to wield Saidin with precision and brutality, shaping him into a weapon capable of bending the One Power to his will.
Naravoss thrived under their tutelage. For him, Saidin was pure euphoria—a torrent of power waiting to be mastered. Unlike the later generations of male channelers who would face the taint, Naravoss wielded the male half of the One Power in its untainted form. It was not a surrender but a battle for control, and he relished every moment of it.
"You are a predator," one of his instructors said. "And predators do not hesitate."
The war against the Shadow reached its apex under the leadership of Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon. A man of unparalleled power, Lews Therin was both revered and burdened by his role as the Light's champion. His Companions, the most skilled male and female channelers of the Age, were his closest allies.
Naravoss learned everything he could about the Dragon from afar. Lews Therin was a man of contradictions: a visionary leader who inspired loyalty, yet one who carried the weight of every life lost in the conflict. To Naravoss, Lews Therin represented everything he despised—idealism, compassion, and the belief that the Pattern would reward sacrifice.
"They call him the Dragon," Mordeth sneered. "But even dragons can bleed."
When Mordeth deemed Naravoss ready, he assigned him a task that would test every skill he had learned: infiltrate Lews Therin's forces and disrupt the sealing ritual. It was a mission fraught with risk but one that offered the Shadow a chance to turn the tide of the war.
Naravoss crafted a new identity, presenting himself as a skilled but unassuming channeler fleeing the Shadow's devastation. His entry into Lews Therin's forces was carefully calculated, his demeanor humble and his abilities just restrained enough to avoid suspicion. Over time, his tactical brilliance and mastery of Saidin earned him a place among the Dragon's Companions.
From within, Naravoss observed Lews Therin and his inner circle. Latra Posae Decume, leader of the female Aes Sedai, was a formidable presence, her will unyielding. Barid Bel Medar, whose ambition mirrored Naravoss's own, was a man to watch closely. But it was Lews Therin himself who fascinated Naravoss most.
"This war will break us all," Lews Therin confided one evening, his voice heavy with fatigue. "But we have no choice. If we fail, the Pattern will unravel."
Naravoss listened with outward respect, but his heart was cold. To him, Lews Therin's compassion was weakness, his hope a lie.
The final assault on Shayol Ghul was an act of desperation. The Dragon and his Companions planned to use the seven cuendillar Seals, artifacts imbued with the One Power, to lock the Dark One's prison. The ritual required an unprecedented weaving of Saidin and Saidar, a union of male and female channelers working in harmony.
Naravoss, embedded among the forces of the Light, prepared for his moment. The cavern of Shayol Ghul was a scene of immense power as the Companions channeled, their weaves filling the air with light and energy. The Bore, a gaping wound in the Pattern, pulsed with darkness, its malevolence palpable.
As the ritual neared its climax, Naravoss struck. His sabotage began subtly, weaving threads of Spirit to destabilize the circle. The disruption spread like ripples in a pond, causing channelers to falter. Then, with a cry of fury, he unleashed a storm of Fire and Air, tearing through the ranks of channelers and scattering their focus.
"Traitor!" a voice screamed as chaos erupted.
Lews Therin reacted instantly, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Hold the circle! Focus!"
Naravoss turned his attention to the Dragon, weaving a massive thread of destruction aimed directly at him. "The Great Lord will rise, Dragon!" he snarled. "You cannot stop him."
Lews Therin countered with a shield of Spirit so powerful that it shattered the surrounding rock. Their weaves collided in a blinding burst of light and shadow, the force of their battle shaking the mountain itself.
"You would destroy the world," Lews Therin said, his voice filled with both anger and sorrow. "But the Pattern will not allow it."
Naravoss sneered. "The Pattern bends to power, Dragon. And I will break it."
Despite Naravoss's sabotage, the Companions completed the ritual. The Seals, imbued with the combined might of Saidin and Saidar, locked the Dark One's prison. The backlash was catastrophic. The cavern erupted with energy as the Dark One's counterstroke tore through the Pattern, pulling Naravoss into the prison alongside the Forsaken and the Dark One himself.
Unlike the others, Naravoss was preserved. The nature of the sealing shielded him from the madness that would later plague male channelers, leaving him untouched but imprisoned.
Naravoss's failure was not a matter of skill or chance. It was the will of the Wheel, a necessary thread in the Pattern's design. The son had sought to destroy the father, to free the Dark One and unravel the Pattern. But the Wheel wove as it willed, and Naravoss's betrayal became another strand in its vast tapestry.
In the silence of his prison, Naravoss waited. Time held no meaning, his mind sharp and his hatred undiminished. The world would forget him, but he would return. And when he did, the Light would burn, and the Dark One would rise.