1 Awake

The scientists observed a change in the Enoriel's internal patterns. The chrysalis began to melt away, as the Enoriel's fields slowly expanded. With purpose, his fields reached toward the walls, testing the integrity of the alphavit plating.

"He is conscious." The lead scientist noted. And Imguar dropped everything to come to Ore'Ul.

...

He stood before the transparent shield of Enoriel's containment chamber for a moment, and with a nostalgic look observed the creature in it. The Enoriel seemed calm, hovering within the chamber without further testing the bounds of his prison.

"Raise the shield. I wish to speak to him directly." Imguar directed the scientists.

"Master, is that wise?" Gehezi, whom Imguar put personally in charge of watching over the Enoriel's recovery, dared to speak up. Imguar glanced at him, bemused.

"He won't harm me." He said with complete confidence. He was certain of the strength the Enoriel's Bonds would exert on Enoriel's will. His men were not so sure, but said nothing while one of the technicians obediently input the appropriate sequence into the control panel. The inner shield of the containment chamber slid up into the ceiling. Imguar calmly stepped through and stood before the shining Enoriel.

The Enoriel reached out and enveloped Imguar within a faint field, but did nothing else, as if waiting for his captor to speak.

"What is your name?" Imguar asked.

The Enoriel's light condensed and pulsed, to create the vibration of sound.

"Taenon." The Enoriel's quiet voice echoed slightly across the chamber.

"Why have you come among us, Taenon?" Imguar asked.

"The energy waves swept me away from my Region." The Enoriel answered and Imguar nodded slightly to himself, his thoughts confirmed.

"Then you have not come here by choice..." He stated, rather than asked. The Enoriel said nothing, waiting. Imguar continued.

"Why did you not leave, when you had the chance? I warned you to leave."

"I was not strong enough. I needed more time."

"And the Tormanians approached you." Imguar concluded. "They asked for your help - help, which you could not refuse them."

"Yes." The Enoriel answered. His life crystals shone brightly within the inner sphere of his being. In such close proximity, Imguar could see how small that sphere was, even compared to that of Etashel, the youngest of the Forty Nine.

"How old are you, Taenon?" Imguar asked curiously. The Enoriel appeared to hesitate.

"It is difficult to calculate. There are many temporal distortions in this Region and I had drifted asleep for many years." Enoriel finally said.

"How old were you when you were swept away?"

"Eleven of your months." Enoriel answered.

"Then you are just a child." Imguar said with astonishment and fell into silence. He considered what this meant. From the first time he saw this Enoriel, when he confronted him in Migdal, he had begun to suspect that he had to be unusually young. Etashel was 273 years old at the moment of his death, and still considered barely a teenager among his people. This Enoriel hardly had a chance at life before he had become entangled into human misfortune. Imguar's expression became shuttered, though regret tinted his gaze.

"... Eradu, what do you intend to do with me?" The Enoriel asked into the prolonged pause. Imguar watched him thoughtfully.

"I think that for now it would be best that I keep you here."

The Enoriel's light shifted in response, arches of energy bursting violently around his form, reflecting back from riftanit proofed walls.

"Then I am to be your prisoner, as my brother was before me." The Enoriel concluded. He was upset, Imguar surmised by the reaction.

"You have Etashel's memories?" Imguar inquired mildly.

"Yes. I remember what it feels like to die." Enoriel's voice accused. Imguar sighed.

"I never wished for that to happen."

"My brother begged you to let him live. You told him that you cared for him. But you still ordered his death. You had him poisoned and held him, until he fell asleep. Then you ordered your men to cut out his heart..." The Enoriel said, profoundly disturbed. Imguar sighed, though the memory Enoriel's words stirred was no longer as vivid as it once had been.

Doubtlessly, it was a different experience for the Enoriel, who had just re-lived his brother's life. Imguar could see Etashel's heart crystal shining brightly within the young Enoriel's core, of which it had become an indelible part, along with the nine smaller life crystals Imguar had donated to him. Saving the young Enoriel's life had been costly.

"It was a difficult decision. I had no choice, Taenon. Etashel refused to come with me and I couldn't leave him behind. If I did, the Kan-Ur would have known what I planned to do. They would have stopped at nothing to destroy me."

"You know why he had to refuse to come with you." The Enoriel said. Imguar nodded, his sadness distant beyond the numbness that surrounded his heart.

"Yes, I know."

"... You are the reason why the Kan-Ur are missing from this world." The young Enoriel's horrified conclusion interrupted Imguar's thoughts and returned his attention to the Enoriel.

"You've killed them all." Taenon said, making the obvious connection between facts, which until now must have been unclear to him. Imguar shrugged.

"Well, technically speaking, my servants killed them, not I. But, yes, I gave them my permission. I thought that I could escape your followers, that centuries later, they would finally forget who I was, but they continued to pursue me. Especially one of them. He believed all along that my death was a ruse and he was relentless. I was forced to take measures." Imguar frowned.

"Ettoian was very loyal to my brother..." Enoriel said. His fields around Imladir grew more intense. "Eradu, you have done what my brother feared. You've brought death and misfortune to thousands of people." Enoriel said with distress. His energy patterns moved in agitation, brightly cascading along the black walls, where the ethsin strands broke apart at their touch with alphavit, then condensed again as they returned to the Enoriel's control.

"What's done is done. All of this is long in the past." Imguar said. "If you truly have Etashel's memories, then you know that I am only cruel when I have to be. War and betrayal are a way of life in Llanor. Always have been, always will be."

"It does not have to be that way." Enoriel disagreed.

"Etashel believed that, too. And I have told him why I disagree."

The Enoriel was silent for a moment.

"Imladir. My brother tried to help you, because he considered you his responsibility and cared about you. But I am not him. My duty is to the people in my world. I must return to them. You will have to kill me. Or let me go." The Enoriel said firmly.

"Taenon... If I wanted you dead, you would have been dead already. Would I have gone to all these measures otherwise?"

"Then let me go." The young Enoriel pled.

"I cannot. At least, not yet."

"Why?"

"Because if I do, you will interfere in my affairs again, and I do not want to hurt you. Despite what I did, I did care about Etashel, and you are now the bearer of his soul."

"I do not have the power to oppose you, Eradu. If you let me go, I will leave. I will not interfere again."

"Can you truly make me such a promise?" Imguar raised an eye-brow. "You are injured, which is partly my fault, though it was unintentional. It will take you a long time to regain the strength needed to leave this world. If I let you leave, where will you go? There is no place where you could go where people would not find you. They will come to you, with requests and demands, which you won't be able to deny. That is in your nature. You will learn things, which you will deem evil, and you will feel bound to try to stop me."

"Are you committing new evil, Eradu? Have you already not done enough?" Enoriel reproached. "You are a king, now. None in this world have the power to oppose you. Do you not already have what you want?"

Imguar smiled.

"I am a conqueror, Enoriel. What I have will never be enough. After I subdue this world, there will be others. It is not such an evil goal. I know you don't understand this. Etashel did not. You are not a human." Imguar shrugged at the self-evident fact.

"Everyone in this world commits evil, Shellanie. It is in our nature. You cannot change that. But, at least, if I keep you here, I can protect you from it. Here, I can keep you away from those who would try to manipulate you for their selfish aims. I am doing this for your own good, Taenon. This way you cannot act against me and I won't be forced to harm you further."

"Please, Eradu. I must return to my Region." The young Enoriel's voice was almost desperate.

"You will not be a prisoner, Taenon. I would prefer the term 'guest'. When you recover enough to become able to leave this world, I give you my word that I will let you go. If you have Etashel's memories, you know that I never break my word." Imguar offered. Enoriel grew quiet.

"... If I were free, it would take me two of your years to recover. In this cage, I will have to remain your 'guest' for more than four years." The Enoriel's tone held dismay.

"And what is time to you? Four years here is barely a month in True Time. You are immortal! But if this bothers you, you do have another choice. I could allow you increased freedom, as long as you agree to my terms and give me the same promise that Etashel once gave me."

"I will not." The Enoriel said firmly. Imguar looked at him silently, then smiled.

"Well, we shall discuss that later. I must go for now, Taenon. I interrupted something important to come here and speak to you. But I will be back soon. Then, we will speak again at length. I am glad that you are recovering."

"As you wish, Eradu." Enoriel said, his light moving slowly, confined by the stark darkness of the walls around him. Imguar left the containment, and the shield slid into place behind him, leaving the Enoriel alone in his alphavit prison.

...

"He is dangerous in this form." Indatu Gehezi told Imguar, both his voice and face reflecting deep misgiving. He was watching the Enoriel from outside the containment area. Imguar shrugged dismissively.

"He refused to accept Etashel's limitations. He is afraid. To give up all that natural power, and become almost helpless... I understand why it doesn't appeal to him."

"I am not sure how long we can contain him. He is growing stronger by the moment. And I know of no means by which to detain the Legalen in its full strength. Even as young as that one is." Gehezi pointed out.

"He had no reason to accept my terms. He knows that I won't kill him." Imguar mused.

"He will try to break free." Gehezi said with certainty.

"I know. And I will give him a reason that he will have to accept. He won't like it, but it must be done, for his sake as well as ours." Imguar said softly, not paying attention to his servant's concerns. Gehezi looked at his master questioningly. Imguar smiled.