Whispers of the Gilded Blade

Previously

…I looked at the blade, then at the Oracle, her ancient eyes reflecting a deep, soul-crushing weariness. The ambition that had driven me to this desolate place began to curdle, replaced by a dawning sense of responsibility, and a chilling fear. The Gilded Blade was within my grasp, but claiming it meant embracing a darkness that threatened to consume me, and perhaps, the world. The choice was no longer about glory, but about survival. My own, and potentially, everyone else's. The descent into the abyss had led me to the brink of a far greater, and far more terrifying, revelation.