Of Mages and Templars: Finding Balance
For Elissa to understand the Tower, she had to leave it.
To come back to her broken Circle.
The templars were scared, terrified, of the abominations that had overtaken the tower. They could do nothing but watch their nightmares unfold.
They were considering the Right of Annulment.
She talked to Gragoir, tried to get him to reconsider, to let her go in and take care of the situation.
She no longer saw the Knight Commander, fierce and strong.
She saw Gregoir, old, tired, Gregoir, trying to do the right thing.
Gregoir, friend of Irving.
Just Gregoir.
And she didn't fear him as she once had.
The Desire Demon and the templar, too…
She knew that templar. She heard him talking before, to other templars.
The demon did not lie.
She gave him a better, if false, life.
The templars…
They cannot leave.
They must stand and watch, protect.
Protect the mages.
Protect the world from the mages.
Protect themselves from the mages.
They must fear, all the time.
Do not speak to a mage. They will corrupt you.
Do not watch them to closely, for they will trap you and you will be lost.
They are not human. They are not as you are.
They're trapped, almost as much as the mages.
And she thinks she doesn't hate them now. She can't.
They're stuck in this together, after all.
And she thinks she understands.