Rayan lifted his sword. Light blazed across the steel, as hot and blinding as the sun. He thrust the divine blade forward. The moths broke to either direction, opening the way. The sword sank straight into the paragon’s chest, the steel of his armor not even slowing its push. The pale-skinned man gasped, blood gargling out his lips.

He lifted his ax, determined to attack even in death, but Rayan gave him no chance. His legs planted, and before the ax could fall, he ripped the blade upward at an angle. Armor melted. Bones parted. He cut the paragon’s shoulder off from his body, dropping the ax harmlessly to the ground, the shaft still clutched tightly in the ghost grip of his fingers.

The moths burned away like embers released from a fire, leaving nothing behind but a faint whiff of smoke. Rayan stood over the body, eyes cast to the heavens, as he whispered a prayer of thanks.

Slowly the song faded, and the sounds of battle returned to him. The fires had spread quickly during his duel, and their smoke flooded the entire intersection. Thanese soldiers fought to the west, and while Rayan’s initial instinct was to aid them, he realized the bulk of the crowd that had come to witness the execution remained trapped in the clearing. Why had they not fled?

“Heretic!” he screamed, grabbing the attention of the former paragon. Arn punched a soldier thrice in the chest, bending his armor inward to ruin his own innards, then turned to aid Keles beside him. She was parrying a series of sword strokes, and when she finally stepped forward to counter, Arn flung the body of his recent foe into a direct collision.

“What is it, Paladin?” Arn asked, sounding annoyed by the interruption.

“We need to get these people out of here!”

“Then offer up a path!”

An inferno sealed off the east, and soldiers battled to the west.

“What of the south?”

“Blocked off, from what I can tell,” Keles said, rushing to his side.

“Then we unblock it.”

Rayan lifted his sword high above his head. His spirit soared, and he refused the temptation to doubt. Light blazed across his steel, a beacon of white that pierced the haze of smoke and fire. Though his heart cried the name of his goddess, his own lips shouted a different message.

“To me, people of Thanet! Follow the goddess’s light!”