He Who Fights with Monsters 11 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #11)

by Shirtaloon

“Oh, I know. If he doesn’t fix the link between worlds, I have to.” “You?” “I did tell you I knew some astral magic myself.” “And the World-Phoenix tapped you as Jason’s backup?” “Nothing so direct,” Boris said. “The World-Phoenix doesn’t just grab someone and tell them to go fix a thing.” “It told Jason.” “Dawn told Jason. You’ll find that the great astral beings and their prime vessels don’t always see eye to eye. Especially a vessel preparing to hand over the role to someone new. Prime vessels last wildly varying amounts of time in their roles, and I’ve suspected for a while that it’s more than being burned out by raw power. I suspect that the real problem is ideological incongruity developing over time as the vessel develops an independent identity.” Clive looked thoughtful for a moment as he contemplated the idea. “You’re suggesting that because a vessel needs to fully embody a great astral being, independent thought that diverges from their master’s objectives creates a dissonance that results in an escalating incompatibility? Resulting in the need to pass the position on, ideally to someone indoctrinated into service?”