The Lord of Hell, however, did not seem to share in his agitation. Instead, he looked at his cousin calmly.
“Why?"
Karna was shocked by the question.
"What do you mean? We've lost the city! The entire population is under the mind hex of that monster!"
Saint Dar sighed, then shook his head with a smile.
"Lord Asterion... is not a monster. He is the greater good."
He looked into the distance.
“He is salvation for all."
Karna's eyes widened in horror.
He took a step back, but Dar was upon him in an instant. Grasping his cousin by the throat, the fearsome Saint raised him into the air with one hand.
He studied Karna indifferently for a moment, then snapped his neck and threw the body over the edge of the observation platform.
Turning to the horizon, Dar inhaled slowly and smiled.
“...For all."
Below him, Red Hill was finally at peace. The idea of Changing Star could not reach it anymore, and so, she held no power here. Finally, he wouldn't dream of burning alive. His people would be safe — both now and in the future.
The future was bright.
Dar's expression was blissful.
But then, it darkened slightly.
Looking north, he frowned. There, thousands of kilometers away...
The mists of the Hollow Mountains were boiling.
“Do you really think that?"
Dar of the Maharana clan spun, searching for the being who had somehow avoided his gaze and got so close to him. However, all he saw was his reflection on the surface of the clear glass.
The reflection smiled pleasantly.
“That the Dreamspawn will save everyone?" It laughed.
"How can he save everyone? He can't even save you."
Dar's eyes narrowed as he glared at his own reflection.
Far in the north, grotesque figures were emerging from the billowing mist.
The smile slowly drained from the reflection's face... his own face.
It spoke in a cold tone:
“However, you can help me save myself. For that, you have my gratitude — truly."
Dar's hand moved, and the glass exploded, erasing the sinister reflection. At the same time, he closed his eyes tightly.
In the silence that followed, the sounds of glass shards falling were like a terrifying melody.
And from that melody, a chilling voice came once more:
“Open your eyes."
Dar took a step back.
"Open your eyes... open. OPEN YOUR EYES!" He refused.
The voice laughed.
“Ah, I am just joking. I have already entered your eyes, and took everything I wanted from them."
When Dar of the Maharana clan heard those words, he realized that something had indeed entered his eyes.
And then, it entered his soul.
At the same time, millions of reflections around Red Hill moved.
The miner blinked a couple of times, noticing that his reflection had stopped mirroring his movements at some point. Besides him, his wife was looking at the wall of their home in confusion, as well.
The waitress had been taking an order from a client, but found herself getting distracted. Was she just seeing things, or was the reflection looking at her instead of at the guests?
The Awakened warrior saw a body falling from the height of the Red Hill. It hit the surface of the glass with an appalling squelch, painting the square below red. He rushed toward it, shocked, and saw his pale reflection in the growing puddle of blood. The reflection looked strangely indifferent despite his fear and dismay.
The citizens all across the city stopped to stare at the eerie spectacle of misbehaving reflection in shock, and as they looked at the glistening glass, a merciless presence made its way into their eyes.
A litany of screams flooded the streets of Red Hill, making the mystical glass vibrate. There was no blood.
There were no corpses, either.
But by the time the sun rose the next day, Red Hill was no more.