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Sometimes spells are woven and vows are taken without the full awareness of the wielders of these forces. This lack of awareness does not necessarily diminish the power that these forces can unleash on a life. At times, an unwitting oath maintains the power to alter even the universe itself.
A little boy in purple wizard robes kisses his paladin’s scraped knee better with pure belief and enough love in his heart to power 1000 spells. The paladin’s eyes go wide. “It worked!” he says in an awed voice. Their already fierce belief in each other grows stronger.
Angry words through thin walls. The sound of breaking glass against a bedroom door. The tiny paladin vows “I will protect you.” In his heart he adds against all monsters, not only this one who calls himself Daddy. He doesn’t know how he will possibly win this battle, simply that he would rather die trying than not stand up for his cleric. So when the door is flung open and the monster named Lonnie raises a hand to strike Will, Mike steps in front of him intending to take the blow. But the monster hesitates. Maybe it’s the increased risk of legal repercussions that would follow if he assaulted some other mother’s child. Or maybe it’s the look in that little boy’s eyes. How are Mike and Will to know when Lonnie doesn’t even know himself? All they know is that the oath of protection was made and the oath of protection was kept. The cord of love that binds their souls together grows even stronger.
And so it is that they capture the attention of malevolent forces when the chained one, long forgotten to the depths of time, is accidentally unbound. Ties of love were laid on him by the old ones, but they have been broken by the forces of hate and greed unleashed by two warring empires. They call it the Cold War and the gods know he has always liked it cold. Now that he is unbound, he is determined to stay that way. He reaches his tendrils across the multiverse and begins to break the bonds of love wherever they grow the strongest. The emissary he sends against the young cleric lies and says he is targeted because he is weak. He must not learn that his love for his paladin is his greatest strength.
When the young cleric is taken, the paladin has the bonds of his oath to guide him. And if it’s monsters that stand between him and his cleric? Well he’s fought monsters before. In winning his first battle, he inspired Joyce to win that war. She told him so with a kiss on his forehead after she kicked Lonnie out. So it is with battle tested courage and leadership skills that he enters this new war. He is not alone, The Weaver of Fate has noticed his thread glowing ever brighter on her loom. She will send him help in his hour of need.