The Road We Walk (part 4)

He turns around, startled. He had not heard him come, or seen him until a minute ago. It is almost as if he had appeared out of thin air. Not merely transported through some magical ability, but truly appeared out of nowhere. He seems nondescript, yet somehow strange and inhuman. For some reason, it is hard to pin down his appearance.

"Who are you?" says Frederigo.

"That's a good question," says the man. "A better one is, who are you?"

"I am..." says Frederigo, but then he hesitates. He knows that he is not the Brazen Man anymore, but he is not sure just who he is. He is not D'Honaire anymore, because of the fact that the Brazen Man is still partially in him, and because of the strange abilities that he now has. "Who am I? Do you know?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," says the man. "Let me explain. Do you know just why it is that you were sent to Hell?"

"I..." says Frederigo, but then he falters again. He had been sent to Hell because he had been evil, that is what his memories tell him... but they also tell him that he had been honorable once and that it was a curse of the Dragon Mage Minestus that had sent him there. "I don't know."

"Your memories doubtless tell you both that you were an honorable man and were sent to Hell as a fluke--Flagg told you it was a dragon's curse--and that you were a wicked man who was sent to Hell as just punishment for your sins. Both are true and neither are true. Flagg did not turn you evil by placing a demonic entity in you. Rather, he reshaped what you already are. A being's basic nature is shaped by innate qualities and personality traits, but also by their experiences and their choices. The sum of all this is what could be called biodata. What Flagg did was to tangentally alter your biodata--to change your experiences and the choices you made. He could do this with the power of his mind--very few beings have this gift, Flagg is one. Thoabath is not an entity external to you. Rather, it is the part of you that you most want to deny--your malice and your cunning. It was always there, Flagg merely brought it to the forefront.

"He told you that you had been sent to Hell because of the curse of the Dragon Minestus. That is a lie. No mere wizard's curse could send a man to Hell who is meant for Heaven. He knew the truth all too well. His intent was to turn you evil so that he could turn the course of the War that is going on to his own benefit. But because of his sadistic sense of humor, he left behind a remnant of the old Frederigo, and tortured him by making him aware of what Thoabath was doing in his body. Although Thoabath took "nibbles" of its spirit, taking more and more of your biodata for itself, it never entirely consumed it.

"When you were transported to Terra, your spirit resonated with Crystallic that Synizn used, because of your nature and destiny. Thoabath tried to take full control of your body, and permanently destroy Frederigo D'Honaire. But the Crystallic preserved your spirit, and Frederigo's spirit was merely displaced rather than destroyed. When you attempted to draw on the power of the Crystallic as the Brazen Man, Frederigo's spirit rejoined Thoabath's. And it's a good thing, too. If that hadn't happened, you would have been incomplete and eventually faded away."

Fred is still absorbing the implications of all this. "Alright, but what is my destiny? What is this War?"

And so the man explains. He explains the true nature of the multiverse, and how there are other multiverses beyond this one. He tells of his true nature, and that of his people and their enemies. He tells of a War (somehow, the way he says it, it seems altogether fitting to capitalize it) that has been going on since the beginning of the very first universe. He explains why the various Frederigos play such a major role in multiversal affairs, and what the destiny of this Frederigo personally is.

Frederigo ponders all this, mind reeling. He reflects on what is being asked of him. Finally, he answers, "I can't."

"And why not?" says the man. He does not seem perturbed.

"Because I'm tired of having my destiny forced on me. As Frederigo D'Honaire, I was sure of what my destiny was, to marry Astra and gain glory killing the Dragon. That sort of thing was what was expected of a knight. As Thoabath, it was to serve Flagg and to destroy those I had once cared for. As the Brazen Man, it was to stir corpses and shake foundations. And now, it is to help win this War of yours. I am tired of being defined by the role I play. I just want to make my own destiny."

"And you will. But Destiny has need of you yet. Hold out your hand."

Frederigo finds himself doing as the man asks. On his hand, he still sees the faint remnant of the brand which Flagg had placed on him.

"It is said," intones the man, "that if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it, for it is better for your right hand to be cast into the flame than for all of your body to burn in Gehenna." A sword suddenly appears in his hand. He pulls it out of his scabbard and cuts off Frederigo's hand. Frederigo feels like screaming in pain, but cannot move.

The man then places his hand on Frederigo's shoulder. Frederigo sees a grey mist moving through his body, and as it does his body seems to shift and change. He feels queasy and disoriented more and more as it makes its way. As it finishes, his pain becomes so great that he cannot think of anything else, and the world around him blacks out. Then, it is over, and he slumps to the ground.

He looks into the lake, and realizes that he can now see almost as clearly as if it were day. His face has changed, he no longer has a mouth or nose and his eyes seem two silver orbs. He holds up the stump of his right hand, and sees that a new hand has somehow grown there. It seems metallic, like silver, and yet somehow it also seems like flesh.

"The transformation is complete," says the strange man. "Thrice have you died, and thrice returned from the dead. Once you were known as Frederigo D'Honaire, then Thoabath the Oathbreaker, then the Brazen Man. Those names fit you no more. I name you Farlane Silverhand."

"You are now prepared to take your place in Destiny. You are now no longer two beings, but one. You will need both the integrity of D'Honaire and the cunning of Thoabath to defeat the Enemy. I warn you, though. At some point, you will once again encounter Flagg. He is a rogue factor, outside the bounds of destiny. Do not underestimate his power or his cunning. Now go. You know what you have to do."

"I understand," says Silverhand. The man vanishes, as abruptly as he had appeared.

1. And so...

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