"Child of my cosmos," he said, "you have devoured much, and in doing so you weakened me. Yet I bear no hatred. For in your hunger I see the spark I once carried. You are the heir not of my throne, but of my will. I shall guard those you leave behind, not as duty, but as family. Go, and carry my legacy into the beyond."
He raised his hand, and the light of the gateway steadied, its turbulence calmed, its passage cleared. The multiverse itself bent in reverence to his gesture.
Igaris bowed slightly, not as a servant to a master, but as a warrior to an elder. "Then I entrust them to you. Guard them well, Origin King. For when I return, I will not be the same."
He turned to his family one last time. Celestara rushed forward, flinging herself into his arms. He lifted her high, her small frame trembling with sobs.
