Midnight on Blackrock Mountain was dull, especially for Dick, who lived in Blackwing Lair. In this enormous cage, only Nefarian's room offered a view of the sky outside. Every other room relied on lamps for light.
Contrary to his usual habits, Dick had not gone to bed early. Instead, he sat in his room reading the Black Dragon Prince's extensive collection of books. In that vast library, he had even found a copy of The Tenets of the Holy Light handwritten by Lord Faol himself, and immediately immersed himself in it as though he had found a priceless treasure.
At first, Dick had thought being a paladin was merely a profession, no different from the other eleven classes.
But after truly entering Lord Rank and experiencing the tangible existence of the Holy Light, Dick had become somewhat lost again. At heart, he was still the atheist he had always been, yet his present circumstances left him unable to find his bearings between faith and disbelief.
During his time in the Silver Hand, most knights believed that the more sincerely they devoted themselves to the Holy Light, the greater the power it bestowed upon them!
Dick had scoffed at this, because he had met a real "deity." Elune herself had told him that the Holy Light did not need their faith. Simply remaining true to their innate goodness was the greatest sincerity they could offer it!
But that did not explain why those fanatics' Holy Light was so concentrated, nor the Holy Light of the Ashbringer, which he had witnessed more than once. Its overbearing, searing power was utterly unlike the balanced, peaceful Holy Light in his own hands. Dick had once thought this was caused by differences in the wielders' personalities, but after meeting another hero paladin, Duke Bolvar, whose