The wind seemed to have weakened, and the goose-feather snowflakes slowly drifted down through the sand and dust. Although Shade knew he was about to face the final secret, beneath the perfect Yellow Moon, he was unexpectedly calm.
The headless "corpse" on the throne directly ahead remained motionless, but faint specks of emerald light emerged from it. The lights gathered before the throne and descended before Shade and Luvia.
Then Professor Yuke Wood appeared in his ordinary human form, his back to the throne and corpse and his face turned toward the people.
The old man no longer possessed the oppressive, sacred presence he had displayed while seated upon the throne. He seemed as frail as the old professor Shade had first met.
Though no one dared directly observe what stood beside the God Summoner, they could see the old man who had appeared in the light. The Ring Arcanists stirred, unsure what this meant, but Shade knew this was not the beginning of another battle.
The Witches stood closest to Shade. Seeing the mysterious girl seemingly hooking his finger with hers, those familiar with Shade could not help but suspect her identity.
But this was not important. The Long-haired Girl knew that her task—helping Shade defeat the Ancient One—had ended. Now, she only wanted to spend as much time as possible with her beloved before the effects of the Mid-Ring Words of Sublimation ended.
Luvia did not even care about the openly hostile looks Adele occasionally cast at her from behind.
The old professor looked at Shade and let out a long sigh, but what he said was not what Shade had expected:
"What do you think of Thomas Bennett, the man who entered the disorderly flow of time once again?"
"No one fits the description of a 'pawn'