Let’s close this trilogy of posts with the final arc. We discussed in Part 1 that David was the former ambassador, and now, The Will Chose Thunder to be it’s new champion, and his first act as ambassador was to dismantle the Protectors as they were. He Exiled Jackson, Susan and Urlim. Leaving only David and Justin, and he also promoted Praxis to the new Ambassador. Meanwhile, Puengi makes his return to the Eternal plane, and Confronts Nak Sha, calling out her hypocrisy and challenging her to a duel, which stuns all the Misto. Puengi has a new mist at his disposal, because after the events of WWX, Alago visits Puengi and tells him his story is not finished, he transports him to the eternal plane and tells him to trust in himself, even when other do not, Alago then touches his staff, and leaves him. This grants him the Xera (white) mist, which is the most potent mist – the Fedu (Black) but the Fedu requires a state of absolute desperation to active, the White mist replaces the Venru mist. Puengi Wins the duel because Nak Sha had never seen, taught, nor knew of the Xera mist (which symbolizes how the Misto had never truly valued balance). After his triumph, he is ordained the Champion of the Misto, and then he is attacked by Justin, who had been infused by Veni magic by Thunder, and broke his staff. This staff had symbolized everything that Puengi has stood for to this point, and now he is without it. Puengi then asks Alago what he should do, and Alago dawns him in a disguise and brings him to the Celestial plane and tells him to seek out a blacksmith. It is a good time to now mention the infinite nature of the celestial plane, this is what we’d call heaven, most mortals end up here, so puengi could pick just any blacksmith. But of course he didn’t, he finds the exiled Jackson, who recalls something alago told him years ago, return the dagger to the misto. The dagger is a reference to the crimson dagger, which is the weapon Thunder impaled his father with years ago, and that he left in the King’s body, Alago took this weapon and handed it to Jackson. Alago then visits the both of them, gleeful that Jackson remembered, tells them they must stop the ambassador and takes them both to the Eternal plane.

There they forge the Sword of the Eternal, by taking the Crimson Dagger and infusing it with all 7 mists. Puengi then refuses to wield it, Swords are forbidden by the Misto code, and Alago says nothing. Puengi convinces himself he must do it, for Alago and for the Exiled Celestials, then Alago transports them back to the Celestial plane and tells Puengi and Jackson to climb the tower of the champion, which is the same tower Jackson had to climb to attain his weapon, years ago. They fight their way through, because the Celestial army has turned on them both. Jackson then plunges his sword into the Tower, and it no longer does anything, perplexed, He steps aside and Lets Puengi plunge his weapon into the altar, and they are then surrounded by the 7 mists and transported to the seat of the Ambassador, where Puengi is stunned and shares a heartfelt moment, before Thunder realizes why he’s there, he then summons Praxis and Justin to help defend him, Alago then appears and Summons Urlim to Help Jackson and Puengi. So we have Justin v Jackson, Urlim vs Praxis and Thunder vs Puengi.

Urlim, in an out of character moment, Kills Praxis. Then Jackson Defeats Justin, but again, he spares another person whom perhaps should’ve died. Thunder, realizing he’s now outnumbered, pleads with Alago to face Puengi 1v1 in the Rift of Alago, the place beyond space and time, where only Balance exists. Alago obliges, and the two duel it out, and Puengi is victorious, Thunder is sealed within the rift, and Puengi is the new ambassador. He then restores the Council in a more balanced state, he keeps urlim, banishes Justin to be the new demi-god of Infenion, and restores Jackson and David. So the council is now Jackson, Urlim, and David.

Let’s get back to David, David understood the will’s grand design and that survival is the only victory that matters. He orchestrated the collapse of the celestials in a way that preserved balance and did not upset the will, then was absent during the entire arc, and now sits on the council, he is the villain that won. His manipulation is the definition of evil without malice, he seeks no power, no personal vendettas, he understands balance more than the others because he lived it, and like alago, intervenes in away that only serves the god that rejected him. He is the villain who won because of his pragmatism, he understood the goal, and did evil things to get it. Speaking of the Will, the will (alago) may seem like it plays favorites or is not actually in favor of balance, yet in the end the grand design found it’s champion and balance was restored, as now the divine and the Mortals are aligned and both share 50% of the burden.