The Warning

237Now hear the warning with which this chapter closes. Carry it with you, for Daeus is among us.

238Do not look for Daeus only in fire and ruin.

239Do not wait for him to come against you with armies, for he has learned that armies can be met.

240His strength is not in his arm. His strength is in his voice.

241He will make greed seem deserved. He will say, Thou hast earned this, and more besides.

242He will make lust seem a thing you rule, when it is the thing that rules you and consumes you.

243He will make cruelty seem justified. He will say, They have brought it upon their own heads.

244He will make betrayal seem necessary. He will say, There was no other path to walk.

245He will make selfishness seem righteous. He will say, Thou alone seest clearly.

246He will not speak his own name when he speaks. He will speak in your voice.

247And his greatest victory is this: that you believe the corruption came from yourself.

248For whoever believes the thought is their own will defend it as their own.

249Remember Namaya, the First Witch, of the Host of Rollo.

250She was given the Gift against him.

251She heard him, and believed him, and freed him.

252And he killed her.

253He was cast into the Chasm, and he did not stay there.

254He passed through the Implosion, and he did not end.

255He walks in this universe, and he has not changed.

256He does not need to break down your door. He needs only for you to open it.

257Daeus is evil.

258Believe him not, for he will corrupt you.