Northern slowly closed his eyes and took a step closer. Then he touched the Paragon's forehead.
Paragon Raizel wasn't dying. He was already dead. Yet his will burned so fiercely that his soul refused to perish, his True Name neither wavered nor dissolved despite death's cold grip.
His will stood indomitable, terrifying in its resolve.
As Northern's fingers met the cold skin, a world unfolded before him. A world that defied logic and reason.
Beyond that chaotic vision came a fundamental understanding of what Burning Storm truly was—not merely the True Name, but the very depths of his soul, the tapestry of his memories, every hardship and triumph that had forged him into being.
His father.
Veiled Light.
Though Veiled Light had revealed himself as a greedy man who bore no shame for his weaknesses and limitations, Burning Storm loved him still. Everything he was had sprouted from a single seed: the yearning to make his father proud.
