Silas stepped through the portal to the other side. He was sweaty, covered in various fluids of unknown origin, bruised and cut up but alive. Even in this state, Maeve ran over to him and threw her arms around him...heedless of the grime of battle caked all over him. The portal sealed behind them with a quiet pop, and Damien announced "Azariel, Master of the Forces of Darkness is dead!"
A cheer went up the likes of which Silas had never heard. Outside, everyone was there and the sky was full of airships and even Io in her draconic glory sat mantling the sun. Underneath her tables had been set with what looked to be food, water and wine. The Guardians approached the tables, even though it was moments after observing the destruction of one of the single most powerful enemies of the Guardians they knew that the best thing to do was rest, eat and clean up. An aquamancer splashed Silas down to clean off most of the grime and he took a glass of wine and stood there and observed. More than a thousand Guardians, five hundred Vampires and the entire Maledictum had made a war in what had seemed like an afternoon. Then it hit Silas, this was entertainment to everyone else. The fighting and the screams and the dying was just entertainment to those laypeople they had just fought and died defending. Such was the world, a place where war was a spectacle to watch from the sidelines...cheering for ones team. Like a game of cricket.
It was much later, the journey home had been mute save for the banter of Guardians and Vampires over their kill counts. In the grandest room of all, Sabrina's own room...Silas stood with the Grand Anchorite of the Maledictum. Sabrina was being told in no uncertain terms Silas was going to go away for a time, to learn the ways of an Illrian Knight and to control him powers and shape them into his own. Dorian was there too, looking sleek and trimmed in his double breasted suit and red tie. It was a kind of goodbye that was hard to say, it stuck in the throat and refused to come out. Sabrina was hugging Silas for the last time for a long time; and Silas felt sad. Silas walked out to find Guardians he knew, shaking hands and saying farewell. The Kin Brothers were leaving too, the gates standing open for them. Nicholas gave him a pat on the back and said "I'll be seeing you when evil comes knocking, I reckon."
Silas smiled and said "I'll be there, you can bet all your money on it."
Last, yet not least, Maeve. She held onto Silas tight, knowing the moment she let him go would be the last time for a long, long time. She placed a kiss on his cheek and said "I'll miss you."
Silas held her hands, but had no words to say. The Grand Anchorite beckoned and, at the bottom of the grand staircase, reality unzipped a seam and both Silas Grey, Illrian Knight and Guardian of the Light and the Grand Anchorite vanished from sight. It would be eighty years until Silas would return to this world again...
The place they appeared in was quiet and dark. Smooth stone met his feet as he walked, water dripping invisibly and echoing in an omnipresent noise. Suddenly, lights appeared glowing about them like werelights. Anchorites were around him, silently watching. "Where am I?" asked Silas.
"The Tomb of Lords" said the Grand Anchorite, lifting his staff to brighten the dark tomb. Before him was a statue of an angel shrouding a sarcophagus with its wings from a light shining from behind. Suddenly, the lights in the room went out and Silas' eyes adjusted. A faint light glowed from a blue orb dotted with green. A tiny simulacrum of the earth, casting its light over the coffin of obsidian and gold. The coffin was made to look like a saintly figure crowned with horns rising above a great many suffering people with light raining down upon them. In one hand the figure held a basket overflowing with those things which might feed the starving, clothe the poor, and cure the sick and in the other a three-headed flail of terror and malice bringing down judgement harsh and swift. Silas touched the surface and asked "Who lies within?"
"A saint among us, whose wisdom and leadership will save the Earth and everything on it from death...a leader waited on for ten thousand years..."
"He sounds special, what was his name..." asked Silas, turning to face the Grand Archon who stepped into the blue glow.
"His name was Silas Grey, the Illrian Shadow. Our lord in the highest for a thousand years."
Silas stepped back, aghast...
"This is your tomb, my lord. Here in the shadow of all the heroes and kings of old will you rest. Know that your life was given to save the multitudes you yourself are above."
Silas could say nothing but turned to face the Anchorite who light his light again, "Come, you have much to learn."
Malachi, silent for the longest time, spoke these words "Welcome home, master."
[HEADING=2]HERE BE ENDED THE SECOND ECHELON, MAKE YOUR FINAL POSTS![/HEADING]
