Chapter 1429 A Toast To You All

Published Mar 17, 2026, 08:37 AM

Chapter 1429 A Toast To You All Every eye turned to Rowan and he began to speak, his voice was steady, his eyes were reflecting the scars and the weariness of long battle, and also a stubborn tenderness that could not be suppressed, no matter how much time had passed, it was easy to forget how long Rowan was, and how much he had experienced in that short life. Standing here before then with a cup of wine in his hand, it was easy to forget that this man had just killed an Old One a moment before, and the entire shape of reality had just changed because he willed it, it could be argued that in this Supreme Era Rowan's hand had been involved in some of the greatest changes, yet few knew of him. However, when he began to speak, any doubt about the power he held was blown away by the majesty his voice commanded, "It is a rare thing to stand in the midst of immortals and know that you are among friends, and though the ties that bind us as one extend beyond blood, such things do not measure the worth of the bond that we share. When I left the lower realms for the higher one, when I chose to reshape reality to suit my purpose, there was a reason that I was confident in my success, and it was because I knew that I had you, all of you, standing with me. I wish you could see the light in your hearts the same way that I see it, and then you would understand that it can brighten the darkness in your path and break down the greatest barriers before you. That light is blinding. My friends, my children, I see you all, and you are loved, and I believe in all of you. With all my heart." Rowan looked at them all in the eyes, projecting his strength and faith in all of them, he could see the back of Vracgar strengthened, and the light in the eyes of Andar and Staff brightened, but he knew that it was not enough, for what was to come he must give them more reason to fight, or they would be lost. If he could, he would fight this war alone, but despite his powers, that was not possible, he needed help, and that meant putting the people he had come to care about in danger, "The things that I ask of you to accomplish in my name is beyond impossible," Rowan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "A madman's dream. I ask you to fight in battles against beings that are as old as time, to stand against the might of the Primordials themselves, and my sons, my friends, how you have shone, brighter than the stars, but now I see that even though your light can withstand everything, against the darkness before us, it is not enough... I have not given you all enough. You do not have the time, you do not have the tools to excavate the potential within all of you. I cannot ask you to stand against the Dominion of Primordials, and I do not give you all the tools you need for victory. But first, the toast... to you all, I am Eulxhu, I am Truth, and I say to you, that I will hold the Memory of you all in my heart. Drink up!" The first drop of wine to hit the tongue of Eva brought with it an explosion of complexity that beguiled her senses, she was not even aware of the quiet moaning sounds that she made, every drop of the rich taste that followed told a story of the many years spent on its creation, and the incredible love and attention to detail that was almost fanatical. In her mouth was the taste of the Celestial suns that had touched the grapes for many eras, and the many endless flavors that cascaded after it, rich, earthy, like wandering through a forest in bloom. She could spend hours describing every subtle nuance in the taste, but that would not be enough to scratch the surface, and when the last drop slid down into her stomach, she closed her eyes and savored it. This was a taste that was worthy of many lifetimes of strife. This was crafting that could never be replicated, even if all the ingredients were there. The finish lingered on her taste buds, and she remained in the special place this wine had brought her, staying with it for as long as she could, Eva was not surprised when the barriers over her Memories loosened and she knew that without Rowan reaching the sixth dimension, she might be able to push for higher levels, it would be hard, but this wine had brought her to a place she did not feel she could ever reach. All the vast amounts of energy inside that wine was inconsequential to her, as she had never had any need for Aether or Essence, and as she luxuriated in that feeling, she opened her eyes to see how the others were taking it, and she found the bright greenish-gold energy eyes of Rowan staring at her, a shiver went through her spine. How was it possible that in one moment, he presented a figure that was filled with light and love, and the next, she another side of him, a ruthless predator and a destroyer. However, she saw that the Aether and Essence in the cup of wine that he drank were being channeled towards Cloudy without leaving a drop for himself, not that he had ever needed it. She was distracting herself with random thoughts, but she could not help it, "You can sense it, can't you..." the voice of Rowan whispered in her mind, making her nearly jolt in her seat, "the touch of destruction in my veins. It is woven so tightly into the new creature that I've become, and even though I have hidden it from reality itself, you can still feel it, why is it so, Eva? Is there a part of my disguise that is imperfect?" The question took some time for her to answer because there were so many details in the sentence that Rowan had just said, and even as she pondered his words, it still brought up memories about her past that she had been slowly gaining back, and she replied to him in her head, she was no longer able to send her thought to him, but she was certain that he could hear her, "When I died, my soul was erased and all Memories of me were sealed with my Angelic host inside the Palace of Ice. Yet even in death and the silence that it brings, I could still feel it, the endless tides of destruction in that place, a force that would not give me peace even in death. Before you ask me, it was a place that I don't remember anything about or know what it was, but its weight was enough to impress itself on my dead mind. I can feel the breath of that place, and it scares me Rowan, and now I can feel that breath inside you. It's not exact, but I don't know how to describe the difference." There was silence in her head and then the voice of Rowan returned, "Your Memories, how much of it has returned?" "Everything I know of the fifth dimension has returned, but anything higher than I may have come across while at that stage is blank; I need the power of the Memory Dimension to access my past." "Do you know who killed you, Eva, do you remember how you died?" "That is a question that has bothered me from the moment I awakened. Who was that voice that called me, Daughter of Old Light? I died in a war, true, but why was I condemned to the darkness? The Fate of a Celestial Creator should not be that grim. Even in death, I did not know peace, and if not for you calling me out of that place, I would have languished in torment for all eternity. Now that darkness, that fear that you drew me away from, it is now here with you, you are becoming more like it." "Are you afraid of me, Eva?" It took a while, but a silent voice that was barely above a whisper replied, "Yes, forgive me, Rowan, but I am afraid of you. I don't want to, please Rowan, help me."

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