He Who Persists

**He Who Persists** is the second issue in Series 2 of Paladins Chronicles.

As the developer note attached to the end of He Who Persists states, "*Paladins Chronicles are short stories meant to enrich the world of Paladins & serve as context for future events."*

This story was originally posted here on Paladins.com, and promoted here on the official @PaladinsGame Twitter.

## Story

Since the day he returned to this Realm, Azaan had to bear witness to every fear he could imagine. He had come down from the Pyre, convinced that the Abyss had emerged from their slumber, only to be greeted with Yagorath. In this swift victory he learned he was far too late, his own patience outmatched by that of his foes. The Abyss had already taken hold, his only task already failed. How could he be so blind?

Before Darkness ravaged the Realm, there were many moments he could have intervened. The rise of the Magistrate, the assault of Ascension Peak, the releasing of Seris, the assault of Admiral Dredge, the many mistakes of Corvus. As he learned of each of these instances, his fury grew at himself for not knowing and letting them fester. He felt faint hope those in the Realm could fend for themselves, kindled by his own experience, but that light eventually was snuffed when the Maw arose.

Yagorath was an evil that he detested, but one that did not allow the greater threat of the Abyss to rise…at first. However, Seris was clever, allying with the mortals in this moment of mutual destruction to gain a foothold in the Realm. Finally, his attention was grabbed, but the Realm he arrived in was further gone than he could’ve imagined.

After he sealed away the Devourer, he knew it was only a matter of time before his opposite would be set free. He attempted to prepare himself by fighting the minor Lords. Dredge and Raum were formidable, but both would lose to him…until Seris whisked them away. No matter how much he attempted to temper himself for the coming conflict, he still was not enough. So, he turned to the one tool he knew could prevent Nyx’s rise by purging the Realm itself. The Dawnforge.

He can’t help the regretful rage that builds within him now, as he reflects on his former companion. He let her stray so far from their path, and now she desecrated the hallowed ground he forged in her absence. If only he could break through the restraints she left him in…nothing. Every time he attempts to channel his might, the tentacles respond with equal suppression. He feels as they sap energy from him, using his persistence to fuel her Abyssal engine that has consumed the Dawnforge.

Long has the Abyss and Pyre been in stalemate, avoiding direct war since the Reckoning. Ever since the Abyssal Lords were contained to their dimension, the Pyre has attempted to avoid direct contact with the Realm. Azaan himself learned from his mortal rule that the best way to keep a foe at bay is to let people turn to faith. The Pyre would fade into myth, then religion as people remembered them through oral tradition. Through scourges of man, to Magistrate rule, slowly a religion would be born.

Then, Seris happened. They had often led mortals to build monuments to them, as a way to snuff out the Abyss’ presence. However, this left him blind to the Oracle’s cunning as they turned innocents into zealots, who in turn made sacrifices that granted them strength. He thought this a trite issue, of mortals complaining about their own doing and not what it was.

Regardless, he granted a woman’s wish to fight in the name of the Pyre, gifting her a weapon forged from the Dawnforge and embedded with an entity from the Pyre itself. So rose Furia, angel of vengeance. She would become the Pyre’s hand in conflict after conflict. However – as with any newly forged blade – she wasn’t tempered. Her mortality still exists beneath the surface, and it held her back. Azaan wasn’t aware of how out of hand it had gotten…perhaps his faith was misplaced in her.

This loop of reflection, introspection, and frustration was all Azaan knew as time passed. He was unsure how long it had been. From an immortal’s perspective mere moments could be days – weeks even! He watches as the Dawnforge around him slowly morphed to fit its new Queen, becoming an Abyssal Fortress in her honor while she was in the Realm, causing chaos he couldn’t prevent. He would stop her, no matter the cost.

Through all of this, he would remain. It was his purpose, one he would never give up. Lest, the Realm he had lost faith in long ago has started to lose their faith in him. When he escapes, he will make sure to sear every last speck of Abyss from not only the Realm, but all of existence. He will test his might against theirs, and –

“Hey, are you awake? You’ve been staring at this sun for hours…” a voice suddenly enters Azaan’s mind as he frantically looks around. After a long moment of confusion, he looks down to see a small rabbit-like creature on top of a…dragon?

“Oh, the big guy does have eyes! I’m Moji!” the strange being holds out a limb towards him, as if offering a handshake. It is quickly retracted as they seem to notice he is still restrained. “Oh, sorry! Right! I can get you out of that in one second, buuut… it might feel weird.”

“I will allo-.” Azaan attempts to reply in disbelief, but his mouth vanishes from existence as he feels himself fall down to the floor of the forge. He attempts to move, but all he hears is the noise of crumbs breaking.

“Stay still, silly! The spell only lasts a few seconds.” As the magician says this, he is consumed in a puff of smoke as he returns to his normal form, albeit drained from his prolonged capture.

“Who are you? How did you get-” Azaan is rarely confused, but this one has caught him off guard.

“I TOLD you already, I’m Moji. More importantly, come on, my people need your help!” Moji grabs Azaan by the tabard and attempts to pull him away.

“The Realm is being corrupted-” He continues, frustrated by his inability to snap back to his full potential.

Moji raises her hand to count on her fingers. “Yagorath first, Abyss second. You owe me you holy honker.” She points her third finger towards what looks like a swirling mess of magic. “To the Burrows!”

“That monster was sealed away!” Azaan protests as Moji runs behind him and pushes him towards the portal.

“Well whoever did that did a pretty lousy job. C’mon, you better hurry – before Willo blows the place up.” She waves her hands as Azaan begins to float and drift closer to their exit. He simply sighs as the two depart.

**Directions**Anti-Abyss  •  Anti-Darkness  •  Nature Protectors  •  Neutral
**Groups** Bomb Kingdom  •  Deepwerks  •  Eternal Pyre  •  Followers of Io  •  House Aico  •  House Arturos  •  Outer Tribunal  •  Paladins (Former)  •  Red River Orcs  •  Sentinels  •  Shadow Tribunal  •  Summer Court  •  Tau-Kor Monastery  •  Thousand Hands Guild  •  Warders  •  Unknown Groups
**Noteworthy Items / Forces**Crystals  •  Magic  •  Souls  •  Warder's Key  •  Warder's Relic
**Notable Positions**Abyssal Lord  •  Border Lord  •  Grand Magister  •  Pyre Lord
**The Realm**Abyss  •  Aico Tundra  •  Crosswind Hold  •  The Eight Oceans  •  Enchanted Forest  •  Greenwood  •  Lunar Coast  •  Seris (Village)  •  Temple Isles  •  Trade Row  •  Warder's Watch
**Races**Abyssal Creature  •  Animal  •  Construct  •  Darkness  •  Dragon  •  Deities  •  Dwarf  •  Elemental  •  Elf  •  Faerie  •  Goblin  •  Human  •  Leipori  •  Orc  •  Pyre Creature  •  Ska'drin  •  Spirit  •  Stagalla  •  Tigron  •  Transformed  •  Undead  •  Vulpin  •  Wyrin
**Complete Timeline**Complete Timeline  •  Paladins Chronicles
**Story Arcs**Crystal Arc  •  Darkness Arc  •  Ska'drin Arc
**Time Periods**The Ancient Age  •  The Age of the Paladins  •  The Golden Age  •  The Age of Resistance  •  The Lost Future
**Notable Events**Dragon Scourge  •  Goblin Scourges  •  Golden Age  •  Crystal War  •  Koga's Revenge  •  Destruction of Seris  •  Battle of Ascension Peak  •  Warders Return  •  The Fight of the Shattered Desert  •  Shattered Goddess' Return  •  The Summoning of Raum  •  The Darkness Released  •  Shift of Power
**Other**NPCs  •  Updated Bios  •  Alternate Realities  •  Canon Skins  •  Statues  •  Legends  •  Misconceptions  •  Retcons  •  Character Feats  •  Alpha Lore