ded

It was hard to tell where the eldritch horror began and where it ended. Each strike against his gelatinous carapace felt like a futile effort, his compacted nyeshk blade like a toothpick against the colossal beast of a Nethradin. From the beginning, it was clear that they were fighting an uphill battle. Something that they couldn't reasonably win, especially without Zeriel.

But, this was a battle that was worth winning. When he looked this beast in it's many, many faces, he saw death. A creature that was not meant to walk these lands, an amalgamation of everything unholy. Strength that even the Archon Eiphraem couldn't hope to eclipse. A monster that threatened to claim anything that he loved, should it wreak havoc on Agartha below.

His blade shook within his grasp as fear threatened to take hold of him. Eyes shifting from side to side, watching as those whose strength he had grown to respect had been toppled one by one. Ohtli, who taught him what it meant to use his powers to cleanse the world and make it beautiful. Eagleheart, who taught him the meaning of selflessness during the war against the vampires.

It was this very spot, all of those years ago. When they waged war against the forces of Baukdengrad. Shen was an entirely different person. Lost and confused, wandering the wilderness. Lonely, wrought by post traumatic stress. A wandering husk of what a Qilin was supposed to be.

How poetic was it for him to challenge death here once more?

But, he had changed now. He had changed so much over the years, and if he couldn't stop a horror like this from being let loose on Agartha? It was all for nothing. Shen knew loss. He knew loneliness. He knew war. It was here where he'd make his stand. He didn't want anyone to experience that ever again, not while he was still breathing.

His soulbond. Something that offered him just a taste of a near limitless amount of energy, but somethingthat was bottlenecked all the same. His mortal body couldn't take the amount of stress it took to intake even a fraction of his Emperor's mana. No matter how much he strengthened his bond or forced mana through, there was no overcoming that inherent limit.

But what if he could overcome that limit for just one moment?

In the final strength of the battle, Angelo was hurled across the ground. Each snap of his bones reverberated throughout the enhanced empathy of the Qilin, making him grind his teeth with each impact. A sharp breath as he watched the beast come crashing down, preparing to consume Eagleheart. Someone who had so much wisdom to pass on, a man who had touched so many lives.

From the beginning, Shen was a prodigy. But the thing he was prodigious at was battle. At a very young age, his skills were able to very quickly outclass the majority of Huangzhou. His sense of justice and dedication may have faltered, and his direction may have been unstable at times. But if there was one thing that was undeniable, it was his power.

And as far as talent went, that was all he was good at.

The rank of Arbiter had just fallen into his lap. Day after day, he slaved tirelessly to make sure that his people were happy. But, he knew that he was better suited to be a weapon. A warrior, the Emperor's divine wrath. It was something that he couldn't accept again until this moment, when he saw Angelo's life threaten to be claimed right before his eyes.

In this moment, all he could do was what he was good at. The only thing that he could do. It was that perception of himself that caused him to rush forward in front of Eagleheart, sword in hand. Blissfully unaware that he was so much more. Ignorant to the fact that he had made so many bonds, and similarly touched many lives. Ignoring that he would be missed.

He was an idiot, there was no doubting that.

In that moment, Eagleheart heard Shen speak. It couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds. ".. Hey, Angelo." he finally addressed the man by his name, time seeming to slow as the Nethradin approached. "I'm glad. Glad that I was able to live a human life, if even for this long. But, I think it's time for me to do my job. I'm sorry."

And with his weapon in hand, Shen leapt straight into the mouth of the monster. A suicidal maneuver, the Qilin planned on landing the decisive blow from the inside. Making sure that he would be eviscerated without a shadow of a doubt, so that the rift could be closed and this saga would finally reach it's end.

Every friend that he had ever made flashed through his mind in that moment. Every experience that he had lived through. From the pain, the stress, to even the simple moments that made him happy. It was so convenient for these things to enter his mind now wasn't it? But, he didn't feelregret. It was quite the contrary. He felt happy that he could live on in the hearts of so many people.

The bottleneck shattered.

His soulbond was recklessly tugged on, forcing as much power as he could through it at once. Every crease, fold, and opening began to glow from within the beast. A blinding cerulean light that poured from the inside, as Shen filled his body with as much energy as he could muster. More than that. More than his mortal body could handle, more than anyone could feasibly take. He was killing himself.

The Spawn of the Rift erupted.

From the inside, an enormous outpour of raw mana lead to a deadly explosion. Pushed out from every direction, chunks of flesh were rocketed out accompanied by a blinding blue light. More brilliant than ever before, a presence so divine that it couldn't have possibly be born from Shen himself. His life for the Emperor.

When the dust cleared, it revealed a rotting man. Gray hair, flesh burning away from his body and crumbling to ash. Wrinkles and cracks formed on his skin, as if he had lived through his entire mortal life in that moment. The decaying Qilin wore a wistful smile, his last sight being the frozen tundra.

A ray of light peeked through the clouds, basking him in sunlight for only a moment. Shen looked up, answering his calling and collapsing to his knees. His gaze affixed to the light. Those blue eyes of his glazed over, and his heartbeat slowed to a halt.

And he died smiling.
(Shen)