[True shepherds kill without hesitation.]

[I walk the hard road because it is what must be done.]

[The old question: kill a few so that many will live?]

[I had only used the ability that my lover’s experiments had given me a few times. Separating from one that you have bonded with is total agony.]

[I indulged in it a few times during my wanton years. Orgies in the mindscape opened up new paths to pleasure. But in the end, it was always the same. They would tire of it, want their bodies back, the joy of solitude.]

[Now I would seek a way to find oneness with the universe. I would discover the true god. All I needed was to find the right beings to merge with.]

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[I journeyed to the temple that had been built on the edge of an infamous plateau. The priests refused my offer. They put up a surprisingly spirited struggle, but in the end they all became a part of me. They kept fighting after that.]

[Two revelations came to me during the subsequent struggle. Having a member of each of the three species was vital, as it would give me access to each of our natural advantages. But much more importantly, the merger couldn’t be forced. Only the willing could help me find salvation.]

[After I cast the enraged priests out, I made my way to the holy city, Jeratstra. There, I met a hermit turned street preacher. I listened to his maniacal sermons with glee. He agreed to join with me.]

[So it was that during the festival of the eclipse I merged with him. He was in poor health, the process was too much for his fragile body. But he left me a blessing before he passed. His knowledge of her, the dark goddess, was immense.]