Chapter Text
He awoke with a gasp, like coming up for air after spending a minute too long under water. Consciousness flooded his system in one fell swoop as magic surged under the surface, through each individual cell that made up his very being.
This is what he’d been waiting for, this is why he’d suffered centuries in an odd sort of stasis. He’d seen the rise and fall of empire after empire, felt spikes in magic and heard whispers of legend that were so close to the real thing he’d nearly deluded himself into believing it time and time again, but nothing had felt quite like this.
He could feel it all, feel the very Threads of Fate weaving across his skin into an achingly familiar cloak he’d both hoped to burn and dreamed of wearing once more in equal measure.
The sigil inked across his left shoulder warmed subtly, filling him up with the feeling of home.
After an entire millennium of waiting, he had work to do.
The King had returned.