Dice Cast

"Stand down!" Norwick ordered the others to leave the plain council chamber, including the palace attendants.

The father and son exchanged a knowing glance, and Norwick decided to answer his son's doubts.

"Why, Father?"

After the outsiders had left, Doom asked his beloved father, "Your condition is terrible. It's most likely a psychic curse. They attacked you as a test of us."

"Our enemies have changed. The greatest threat is no longer the Orks, but the wizards of the City of Truth!"

"I know you don't understand, but you must obey the king's orders for now."

King Norwick's voice was faint to the extreme, and every word came with immense effort. "Son, I made these arrangements only after careful consideration."

Norwick smiled weakly.

His son's sharpness pleased him. Doom's judgment was based on reason and came very close to the truth.

But he had never encountered the gods, and his perspective was temporarily limited.

What afflicted Norwick was no simple psychic curse. It was a test by the gods—their dark will.

"You're right. That's why Ennio will lead half the Night Watchers to seal off the City of Truth."

"Have Big Brother face the City of Truth? That's too dangerous. Why not send me?"

You're the one who'd truly be in danger!

Norwick desperately wanted to tell his son that, but he couldn't explain. The gods of the Warp had already made their move, and the City of Truth was their claw. Their target was Doom.

Norwick knew exactly why his body had become like this.

Four gods had invaded his soul months ago, constantly eroding his sanity and trying to turn him into their puppet.

The king had wrestled with the gods in his consciousness, endured the torment of his soul, and resisted the corruption of Chaos.

He knew how exceptional and powerful Doom was, but Norwick, wise throughout his reign, knew even better how shameless the gods could be.

The gods' focus on Doom was at the heart of their game. They wanted to claim his son in both body and mind.

Using the faith of the City of Truth, the gods were infiltrating Nul's purity before drawing Doom into their embrace.

But that required time. The gods needed time, Norwick needed time, and Doom needed time.

The gods needed time to lay out their plans and infiltrate. Norwick needed to buy time. Doom needed time to grow.

Norwick desperately wanted to tell his son that the true enemies were the gods standing behind the priests, and that they were the source of all darkness.

But he couldn't!

While the gods scrutinized him, his wisdom and gaze were likewise scrutinizing them.

If he exposed the gods' false faces too soon, they would only grow more reckless, turning their vengeance upon all of Nul without holding anything back.

Norwick knew clearly that drawing the gods' attention to himself was safer than letting them freely choose someone else to toy with.

And he dared not!

Confronting the gods and witnessing their might had driven home to Norwick the powerlessness of being human.

Even he—the most tenacious soul in Nul—could remain lucid for less and less time under the gods' evil gaze. His body needed life-sustaining potions to keep functioning.

Doom was extraordinary. His body and mind might be able to resist the gods, but what about his own judgment?

Seeking them out willingly and resisting them passively were entirely different things.

The gods' temptations were everywhere. Even the promises they made were enough to stir Norwick's heart.

Norwick didn't dare gamble on Doom rejecting the gods. He didn't dare gamble now and stake everything on the future while dragging things out.

He hoped that the son in whom he had placed such high hopes would develop a more mature mind and broader perspective, allowing him to see through the gods' falsehood and terror.

"Ennio will do well. You needn't worry." Norwick's thoughts had slowed greatly. After a long while, he finally said in a low voice, "He's more mature than you and can handle the blockade."

Doom said no more. Aside from his father and himself, Big Brother was the most steady and intelligent person he knew. Sealing off the City of Truth alone shouldn't be a problem.

"Go." Norwick urged Doom to leave. "Have Harlan come see me. I have a task for him."

"Go make your preparations. Harlan will depart with you. The troops on the front line are waiting for you."

"I understand!" Doom rose and left. He knew there was no time to lose.

The troops on the front line were waiting for their commander. An army could not go a single day without its leader. He would respect his father's arrangements, wipe out the Orks as quickly as possible, then turn around and concentrate his forces against the new enemy.

He was certain that his father's condition had something to do with the priests of the City of Truth.

"Brother!" At the doorway, Doom met his elder brother—Ennio Norwick.

Ennio wore a plain-patterned royal robe and was adorned only with a gold ring bearing the family crest. His blond hair and blue eyes came from Queen Daisy, as did his calm and elegant bearing.

Compared with King Norwick's formidable presence, Ennio hardly looked like a warrior. He was tall and slender, with a refined air more suited to a civil official.

But no one should underestimate him. As the eldest son, he was the most authoritative person beneath the king.

Ennio's face was calm and unruffled, but Doom still noticed his anxiety in the slightest changes of expression.

They had no time for greetings. After exchanging a knowing nod, Ennio entered the council chamber.

Doom turned and left, immediately setting to work. After meeting Harlan and Flano, he briefly explained what had happened, then went to bid farewell to his mother.

"Ennio..." Norwick was panting violently, his condition even worse than before. His voice seemed to be torn from his lungs. "My eldest son, in whom I placed such high hopes."

Ennio dropped to one knee. He understood that this was no time for father and son to indulge in affection. The situation was urgent.

"I need you to lead half the Night Watchers and seal off every route out of the City of Truth. Nothing in, nothing out!"

"Let no one who comes out escape. Erase them all!" Norwick's voice was weak and hurried, but still as sharp as ever. "Nothing from inside the city can be allowed to spread. Destroy everything."

"The Night Watchers' minds will face unprecedented challenges. Build mental barriers and prevent... psychic influence."

"What if they try to break through the blockade?"

Ennio's brows drew together as he began calculating the cost of a complete blockade. "How long must we maintain it?"

"They won't come out!" Emotion finally appeared on Norwick's gaunt face, along with a disdainful sneer. "Until they have absolute certainty, they won't attack head-on."

King Norwick knew that the gods' influence was limited for now and that they had to accumulate strength.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be chattering inside his head and furtively making underhanded moves through corruption.

His expression changed again, and he spoke solemnly to his eldest son. "You know how bizarre psychic methods can be. Make sure the guards remain constantly aware of their own minds and prevent any silent infiltration."

"I understand!"

"As for the duration of the blockade..." Norwick gave a clear yet vague answer. "After Doom exterminates the Orks, he will immediately come to reinforce you. You'll join forces and begin a new operation."

"As for how long that will take, it depends on the ability of your heaven-sent brother."

Ennio's palm twitched. Lowering his head, he said, "I understand! We'll seal the city and await reinforcements."

Seal the City of Truth with all their strength and await Doom's support. It meant entrusting everything to his brother. They had no other choice.

"Ennio!" Norwick sensed the turmoil in his eldest son's heart and spoke earnestly. "It pains me to entrust your fate to Doom."

"You should know and understand why I've done all this."

"You lack my foresight regarding the future, but you should have noticed the situation at hand. An enemy we have never seen or understood has appeared."

"Our strength and wisdom are not enough to oppose them. We must rely on an outside power. Until that power has matured, protect him!"

At last, King Norwick forced his frail body upright and looked at his son with blazing eyes. "An unprecedented challenge, and an unprecedented opportunity. If we survive this, Nul will be reborn from the ashes, and a broader world will await you."

"I understand!"

Ennio let out a long breath and accepted the burden that weighed a thousand pounds. He understood that his father must already have a plan and had begun to fight those enemies in the darkness.

As his sons departed one after another, the council chamber fell silent. King Norwick exhaled a breath of foul air and murmured into the empty room:

"Gods. You've made your move, so I've cast my dice."

"In this somewhat restrained game, I've wagered the entire future. Now it's your turn to play."

(Brothers, please help me out with reads and stats these next couple of days!)