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((Triple Wednesday -- Page 3 of 3))
Over these last fifty years, Overra had remained somewhat cagey when it came to what she had actually meant by what she’d said to him on that fateful night when she’d first revived him--that Parson, Damian, and Germal would “change the world.”

She had offered him bits and bobs of the plan, usually just enough to placate him whenever he grew bold enough to broach the subject, but it wasn’t until quite recently that she had finally deigned to share more details with him.

The infiltration of the Vanguard and Abolish was only the first step. And the longest step, of course. It was a slow game that they were playing, but it wasn’t just about acquiring power and influence. It was also about learning and growing as a servant. As a person, even.

‘That is the most important aspect of this all,’ Overra had told him. ‘And that is why I have not wanted to go into too much detail for so long--because I wanted you to focus on yourself, honing your abilities and your intellect. You’re still not quite there yet, I’d say, but I honestly do think that you have the potential to be a great leader, Parson.’

‘A leader?’

‘Yes. The kind of leader that this world badly needs, in fact.’

‘And what kind of leader is that?’

‘One who will not avert his gaze from the horrors and instead understands the utility of them in the pursuit of greater interest.’

He hadn’t needed to ask what “greater interest” she was referring to. She’d told him that much long ago.

True peace. That was what she was after. An end to the eternal war between Vanguard and Abolish.

‘The Vanguard is wonderful and necessary,’ said Overra, ‘but it is also blind, at times. Sermung, as much as I love him and Tenebrach--they simply aren’t suited to the role. And I don’t blame them for that, either, because almost no one is. Sermung’s rise to power was largely an accident. He didn’t outwit or outcompete his contemporaries. He simply outlived them. They mostly killed each other or gave up.’

‘You truly think I can do a better job of leading the Vanguard than Sermung?’

‘Not in your current state, no. But in time? Absolutely.’

‘How can you sound so certain of that?’

‘Because. There is one thing that I have never told you, Parson. The darkest secret of the Vanguard.’

Parson had been hoping at that point that she was simply joking, but her tone did not suggest that at all.

‘But now, I think I can tell it to you.’

‘Hmm. Not that I don’t appreciate the thought, but why now? Why have you waited so long?’

‘I needed time to examine your thoughts. To come to know your heart. And I now feel that I do know you. Perhaps even better than you know yourself.’