The Indelina. Blaise was tempted to smack the man, and himself as well. The very disc that he had been hoping to find in Rains Shadow, was in this man's possession, used as a bribe. Somehow, Thadan had outsmarted him. How had he let this happen?

"To create a nexus, you simply place it around your upper arm and submerge it blood. Nothing too drastic for you, I presume."

Blaise rolled his eyes. What did he know? "And you are giving it to me?"

"In exchange for the Heir, yes" Thadan said softly, moving in closer to Blaise. Uncomfortably close. "Think of it. You will be a true immortal. You'll live when the sun sets for the last time, until all the rivers and lakes and oceans have dried up, until the mountains have been ground down to deserts. You can rule the world if you wish. No living thing would be able to harm you or defeat you in combat. With this, you can do anything."

No! No. Blaise thought. I cannot accept that. I would be abandoning humanity. Abandoning a million people to servitude from now to forever. I will not be tempted by him. I will not.

But he would be turning down invulnerability. Paired with his other Eternity Disc that extended his life...he wouldn't be able to be killed.

Stay strong, Blaise. You do not need it. Tell him no.

Thadan grinned, as if he knew what Blaise wanted. Yes, yes. You would be an immortal. Look around you, how could you possibly say no!? Only an idiot would say no to his offer. Are you an idiot Blaise? If you tell him no, you will regret it until the day you make another mistake and crack your disc again and die. To say no means death.

I have to die, eventually. Every person dies. I can try to save humanity and make things how they were before the Last Kingdom fell. I can try...

No, immortals do not die. You wouldn't be an ordinary person--you would be something greater. You wouldn't be human anymore, Blaise, you don't need to save them.

No! You cannot agree to his offer. Say NO!

"I accept, Thadan." Blaise answered, with a touch of horror and a hint of satisfaction. Half of himself was screaming in disgust. Regnine should have killed me when she had the chance. "How will I know where to find this...Heir?"

"The child will have its mother's memorite--the one that belongs to the Eternity Disc she used." Purlip interjected, pleased with Blaise's response, "It is an heirloom of the Last Kingdom. She would have passed it on, not thrown it away."

Thadan continued for her, "That is why this task can only be done by you, Blaise. Only you know how to locate the Eternity discs, especially given your history with this one in particular. Where you find the disc, you find the Heir. And once you find him, you must bring him to us as fast as possible. Here in this cave."

So the couple's intentions really were heinous. Interesting. And I agreed to them. What does that make me? Blaise nodded quickly.

"Now, to make sure you trust me, let's fix your broken disc now, shall we? Take out your Eternity Disc."

Blaise was hesitant, but he convinced himself to remove the single disc which laid in his box, where he had placed it just before falling into the mouth of the cave. As had pulled it gently he picked off leaves that he had covered it with for padding, and let them float to the ground.

This was his life force. If Thadan decided to shatter the disc instead of repairing it, all those years would have been wasted. He would die. Do I trust this man with my very life? I must.

Thadan put out a hand and began the repair. Light blossomed in the cave, making the bats take flight again above them. "The strangest thing about these Eternty Discs is how they react to shattering. An Eternity Disc that has not been bonded to a person yet can be broken, yet still used, and by more than one person if they each have a piece of it." His voice was quiet and thoughtful. It was obviously more challenging to repair such a powerful disc, given how long this was taking compared to the last one. "Yet, if a memorite of a Eternity Disc is broken, the disc is useless unless repaired by another Eternity Disc. Very strange." The light finally died out.

Blaise gasped and felt a surge of strength and energy. Life crashed into him in an immense tidal wave. A broad smile spread across his face as he looked down to see the beautiful, smooth glass. Unblemished.

It seemed more clear to him now that he made the right decision by agreeing to find the Heir. This man kept his promises. He really could obtain that disc and live forever. No more worry. No more struggle.

He slipped the disc back into his black box, which still had a gaping hole in it. I will have to buy myself a new, stronger one. Then he looked up at Thadan.

"You are only one step from becoming who you've always wanted to be. Go when you are ready. Just know that if you fail, or do not return, Purlip and I will hunt you down as we have before, and destroy your precious disc for good. Then, we will kill you. Understood?" Thadan grew quiet at last.

"I am loyal to you." Blaise dipped his head lightly in respect and finally retreated into the pitch darkness of the cave. This time, he wasn't stopped. He was alone, just Blaise and his thoughts.

And Blaise already had an idea about where the Heir would be--the country of Shah Neurn. Yes. It won't take me very long at all.