Is this the end? It should have ended on that desperate night—
Northrend's biting cold wind greedily devoured Toka's body heat, the bone-chilling coldness intertwined with the weakness from blood loss, dragging him step by step into the boundless abyss of darkness.
The shouts of battle and the groans of the dying became indistinct, as if heard through a thick gauze.
Just as his consciousness was about to completely sink—an absolute void descended.
The battlefield, the wind and snow, the pain—everything vanished.
Toka felt himself suspended in infinite darkness.
Then, a brilliant glow, like molten gold, suddenly lit up in the "above" of the void,
It rapidly expanded, finally transforming into an enormous vertical eye, burning with golden-red flames!
The will of Obsidian, the Dragon of Radiance, seemed to pierce through the barriers of space, descending upon Toka's On the verge of breaking consciousness.
He said nothing, only watched.
A dragon claw, formed of light and shadow, carrying an indescribable warmth and sense of power, slowly emerged in the void, gently cradling Toka's suspended consciousness.
Like cradling a star about to extinguish,
In this absolute tranquility and under the gaze of the divine, past scenes flashed uncontrollably through Toka's consciousness:
The cold night of Tok-Aak, abandoned by the Loa, his tribesmen freezing and starving to death, despair weighing heavily on his heart;
The moment the Dragon God descended, a magnificent figure tearing through the wind and snow, igniting the first spark of hope;
That desperate night when he was possessed by an Old God, his body betraying his will, his blade striking comrades, and finally—the divine emblem lighting up, the light of salvation dispelling the darkness;
It finally settled on a scene from not long ago, inside the newly renovated Ital'ruk Temple.
Soft light streamed through the stained-glass windows, and a faint incense permeated the air.
Siye sat across from him, patiently answering every one of his questions about faith, duties, and even trivial matters of life.
Her eyes were gentle and wise.
In his memory, Siye's voice clearly resonated: "Thanks to the Dragon God, I can actually see everyone's general state of faith."
"She said it's just a temporary blessing, to help me sort out and manage the church, which has expanded tremendously recently."
She paused, her gaze seemingly able to penetrate Toka's feigned calmness, "Skala, he's a shallow believer, I suppose, with too much on his mind;"
"That Gulen fellow, he's sharp-tongued, but in his heart, he believes more than anyone;"
"As for Gollon, he's wavering between them—and you, my little Toka,"
Her tone was half teasing, half serious, "Your faith is more devout than theirs, devout enough to become a cleric."
The Toka in his memory had merely lowered his head then, mumbling a response, attempting to cover it up with silence.
Siye calmly added the soul-piercing words: "But you didn't."
Yes, I didn't.
Suspended in the palm of the divine, Toka clearly felt the panic of being exposed at that moment,
The reason was simple yet complex: he was unworthy.
The Dragon God had already saved him once in his darkest hour, which was an immense grace.
He was afraid to ask for more, and a deeper fear was: what if he gained more power but lost himself again, harming those who trusted him?
This fear, like a chain, held him captive in a cage of self-doubt.
"It was your hesitation that led everyone who trusted you into the abyss," a voice resonated in the void.
It was neither Siye's voice nor Obsidian's dragon roar; instead, it was more like an echo from the deepest part of his own heart, coldly stating a cruel truth.
With these words, Toka's vision cleared again.
The surrounding void receded, and he now hovered above the battlefield, clearly "seeing" the scene below:
The allied soldiers were retreating with difficulty under the fierce slaughter of the Frost Howl ambushers.
Every moment, familiar or unfamiliar figures fell, their blood splattering a dazzling red on the snow.
And he lay beneath that blood-stained rope bridge, in an unnoticed corner.
"For everyone, for yourself, will you continue to hesitate?"
Toka heard his inner voice again.
He looked back at the vertical pupil of the deity, finding that the Dragon God was still silently watching him, without urging, without forcing, simply waiting.
Waiting for the truest choice from the depths of his soul.
Toka's consciousness began to fluctuate violently.
He looked at his comrades struggling in a bloodbath below, at the allied soldiers driven to despair because they trusted him, at his own fallen body—
A burning emotion, stronger than guilt and fear, surged forth, violently breaking through the hesitation in his heart!
No more hesitation!
This thought and the voice within him became one.
Not to gain power, not to prove himself worthy, but simply to protect—
To protect those who entrusted their lives to him!
To protect Ital'ruk's hope!
To protect the glory of the Dragon God Obsidian!
To protect everything he had so painstakingly gained and was unwilling to lose again!
The moment he made his decision—Buzz!
The divine emblem pressed against his cold chest, in the gap between reality and consciousness, suddenly erupted with an unprecedented scorching brilliance!
That light directly pierced through flesh and burned his soul!
A warm and immense power instantly swept through Toka's entire body!
The bone-deep agony was gently soothed and dispelled by this power!
The weakness from blood loss was replaced by surging vitality!
His cold, stiff limbs were once again filled with strength!
More importantly, the fear and self-doubt that had plagued his heart were burned away in this sacred flame!
"Nyaaaah—!" In reality, Toka, lying in the bloody snow, suddenly opened his eyes!
A long cry, not of pain but of breaking free from shackles, escaped his lips!
He propped himself up with one hand, and to the disbelief of the fallen soldiers around him, he slowly stood up!
The divine emblem on his chest emitted a soft yet firm golden-red halo, covering his chest like a heart-guard, dispelling the cold and darkness!
His fractured shoulder bones made faint cracking sounds under the divine grace, and his wounds healed at a visible rate!
An unprecedented power surged within his body!
It acted not only on his physical body but also filled his spirit!
He leapt up, returning to the rope bridge.
"For the Emberglow Dragon! For Ital'ruk!" Toka's voice was no longer hoarse, but like a drawn sword, carrying determination and inspiring power.
"Counterattack! Follow me to break through the city gates!"
He picked up a warhammer from the ground; the ordinary weapon in his hand was also imbued with sacred flames.
He was no longer passively defending but actively launched a charge!
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