No, seriously, dude, how did you know more than people who had studied psionics for generations?!
A group of Shroudwalkers and Holy Guardians stared at Xi Yan in shock.
Xi Yan had delivered a lengthy explanation of the End of the Cycle and the Four Gods of the Shroud, and that knowledge matched their records from countless years perfectly.
The four gods' contracts and their prices, the End of the Cycle's reckoning after fifty years... everything was exactly as Xi Yan had described, and some of it had never even been recorded.
He lightly tapped his temple with his index finger and gave a sly smile.
"It was all revealed to me by Great Prophet Zarqlan."
At once, the eyes of the Holy Guards, the bishop, and the Empress present began to redden. "Zarqlan's grace..."
"So you're saying all the changes in the Golden Holy War Khanate came from the End of the Cycle, and their target is me?!" Xi Yan immediately raised his voice, forcibly interrupting the Holy Guard old bastards' fit of religious fervor.
"Correct. Within the Shroud, only the End of the Cycle has always harbored hostility toward the physical universe. The other four gods do not concern themselves with reality." [Teacher] confirmed Xi Yan's suspicions. "The End of the Cycle is the strongest of them. To interfere with reality, it must rely on faith to forge a contract, while the fate-chosen emperor-"
"Can break that contract," the Empress said.
"...Faith in you can interfere with the Shroud's mind control. No other faith possesses that ability."
Xi Yan's eyes widened.
Wait. He understood now.
All the lore Paradox Interactive had left unexplained finally fit together!
Every mystery had been solved!
Many life-forms existed within the Shroud. The most common were psionic entities. Enter the Shroud a few