Nixon looked confused. “Alright, um, poor start. 'Ow many years inna’ cycle?”
Aryu was amused by the flustering of his would-be executioner. “One thousand. A thousand years is considered a full cycle of human existence.”
Nixon smiled with pleasure. “Oh really now. I was unaware tha’ such a thing was measurable. Tell me, then; how ever did someone arrive at such a fine number? What was year zero? Surely ya must know tha’ mankind has been around much longer than tha’.”
“Yes, we know, but year zero was the year Ryu purged the Power from this land and cast the remaining humans back to a state of primitives.”
“Ah, well, is tha’ how long it’s been? Well, see, ye’ve already given me more than I had.
“Alright, so it’s been one thousand, one 'undred, and thirty-three years since then, is tha’ correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Alright then, lemmie do a wee bit’o math ‘ere.” He looked as if he was trying to put together a puzzle from Aryu’s perspective. “I’m almost five times tha’ age, t’ give ya an idea.”
“If that’s so, how did you escape the wrath of the false god?”
“Well, tha’s also a long story, but tha short version might be tha’ I was asleep. Know this: his powers didn’t completely wipe tha slate clean. Many lived. Also, as I said, I dunna’ embrace the Power as ya know it. My abilities are Divine.
“My sleep lasts as long as it must, be it a day or a thousand years. My purpose, the reason for my creation, is t’ balance the Power in tha world. Good and Righteous are strong, and those who follow those paths become lit'le more than hermits and prophets. Still, they cause no 'arm, ‘elp all they can and believe their causes t’ be more spiritual in nature.
“Evil… No, that’s a poor word. Let’s say malcontent Embracers of tha Power are who are n’ bound by strong moral code are my business. Often, one of tha ‘good’ meets their end at tha 'ands of one of tha ‘bad’. In a usual mortal lifespan, it 'appens all tha time. Over eternity, it ‘as a lasting effect. When it gets t’ outta’ 'and, I awake, track tha most powerful of these ‘malcontent’ and dispatch ‘em before they shift the balance t’ far t’ be repaired. They upset the balance an’ I keep it. There is no good and evil. It’s always strictly a matter of perspective.”
Words Aryu had heard not long ago. “And the sword?”
“Well, tha’s an easy one. For as long as I can remember, tha individual I’ve ‘ad t’ dispatch has ‘ad it in their possession. Rare is tha bearer of tha’ blade who dunna’ follow tha unrighteous path.”
“But there are those who do? People who’ve held this sword and done good things?”
“Well, first ya must remember tha’ good is relative. Of all tha people who I’ve seen with it, only a small handful believed their cause t’ be evil fer tha sake of evil. Most were just seekers of power who went t’ far. Likely good people, at least on some level. It’s their actions I punish, not their intentions.”
“That’s unfair. What if they want to change? What if they are savable? What if you’ve killed many who could have done greater things than the crimes they’ve committed?”
A thought Nixon was plagued by every waking hour. “I’m not judge or jury t’ these people and their actions. I am and shall always be n’ more than God’s right hand in these affairs. The simple answer is this: if ya follow tha right path, I will remain asleep. If ya don’t, then I will sleep only as long as it takes for ye t’ go too far. I awaken, speak with my followers and search for any information t’ assist me. I begin my 'unt and tha moment I finally arrive to ya is, as ordained by God who made me, tha moment ya pay for yer actions. If I e’er doubted this as the truth, I’d doubt the word of my Holy Father 'Imself. Tha’ is something I will ne’er do, so I hunt, I kill. I am tha vessel of His retribution!”
Nixon was getting fired up now. The emotion with which he explained it held Aryu in awe, his mind removed, albeit briefly, from his current pain and plight. Something in the way he told it filled Aryu with wonder.
But then, there was always the obvious question that needed asking.
“Why me? I just found the sword. I’ve only just become a man. I’ve embraced no Power, and more to the point, I’m terrified by it. I’ve caused no harm, and I’ve killed no one, though I really want to. Yet here I am with the sword, and here are you, an old god’s holy executioner, sent to kill me. Why?”
“I dunna’ know, sir. I truly dunna' know. This time is different. This time everything ‘as changed. I have no followers t’ answer my questions. I ‘ave no signs t’ follow or information t’ collect. I woke alone, only my sword by my side. If I’m awake, the Power is outta balance and I must right it. I am in tune with the strengths all possess. I can sense its ebbs and flows. By tha’, I can track it. It brought me ‘ere. It brought me t’ ya.”
“How do you know it’s me you’re supposed to track?”
“Simple. Ya ‘ave tha sword. Tha sword tha’ ‘as been buried for thousands of years. I was awake while it was buried only once, and tha’ one time has been tha only exception to these rules I’ve ever seen.”
“And when was that exception? When were you last awake?”
“I was here right after tha Third Fall O' Man. I awoke t’ kill the false
