Mordret/History

After the anomaly was destroyed, the Valor clan's power grew. Anvil and Gwyn had a son, Mordret, but Anvil harbored an inexplicable suspicion that the child was not his. However, according to Jest, considering the situation at that time, nothing should have happened.^[1]

Mordret's early life was marked by isolation and a search for belonging. As a child, he had vague memories of his parents, barely remembering his mother, and knowing that his father did not like him. He was quiet and withdrawn, failing to speak his first words until the age of four, at which point he hoped to impress King Anvil, only to be handed off to the Dreamspawn. There, he came under the care of Asterion, a dangerous but charming figure whose warm golden eyes concealed a ruthless nature. Seeking security, the young Mordret latched onto Asterion as a surrogate father, silencing his inner caution. He spent twice as many years with the Dreamspawn as he had with the King of Swords, experiencing a shallow form of care. Eventually, Asterion discarded him once his Divine Lineage had been Awakened, leaving Mordret bitter and hurt. At that time, he had already shattered into seven fragments due to his Flaw, and he emerged as an amalgamation of six parts of a once-whole person, carrying the burden of the useless seventh fragment, yet simultaneously feeling a sense of relief.^[2]

After his time with Asterion came to an end and the deal his father had struck was complete, Mordret believed he could finally return home to Valor, imagining that as the Prince of War—having conquered the First Nightmare at the age of twelve and become a master of a Divine Aspect—he would be welcomed by his true family and acknowledged as a worthy heir. However, this hope was shattered when he realized he was not welcome in the Great Clan Valor. His father treated him with open contempt, the elders and branch families were wary, and even the retainers found him eerie, causing him to become an outcast in the royal court, barely a prince and the prince of nothing. Having been rejected for the third time in his short life, Mordret understood that he would never belong anywhere, not because of his actions but simply due to his nature, which was unlike that of other people.^[3]

Abandoning his desire for acceptance, Mordret rejected reliance on others and became aimless and alone, growing cruel, indifferent, and callous while aspiring to become strong enough to be entirely self-sufficient. Despite this, Clan Valor feared his eerie nature and terrifying potential, forbidding him from challenging the Second Nightmare and withdrawing support to keep him under control. Refusing to be appeased, Mordret exiled himself to the Chained Isles, settling in the Sanctuary of Noctis, where he secretly prepared to challenge the Seed of Nightmare. When his plans were discovered, the Knights of Valor ambushed him and destroyed both his body and soul, intending to kill him. However, Mordret did not perish because of his Divine Aspect and his inhuman nature. Unlike others, whose being consisted of soul, body, mind, spirit, shadow, and the spark of the Flame, Mordret possessed an additional component—his reflection—which was his true self. Even after his body and soul were destroyed, this reflection remained, allowing him to survive. Unable to kill him, even the King of Swords instead imprisoned him, which led to Mordret being confined in the Night Temple.^[3]

Chained in the mirror cage and utterly alone, spent his time reflecting on his wasted life, the betrayals he endured, the birthright denied to him, and the precious things stolen from him. Gradually, he allowed hatred to consume him, filling himself with bitterness, anger, and unbearable resentment, particularly against Clan Valor and his father. Though the hatred was not overwhelming at first, Mordret consciously chose to make vengeance the axis of his existence, forging a destiny focused on ruining those who had wronged him. During his long imprisonment, he patiently contemplated how to destroy Clan Valor and take his father's life, viewing the act as a daring rebellion against a godlike figure. After six years, he emerged from the Night Temple transformed from an aimless youth into the murderous, calculating figure known as the Prince of Nothing.^[4]

Nearly a decade later, Mordret had reached incredible heights: Clan Valor was destroyed, his father, the King of Swords, was dead, and Mordret himself had become Supreme—an achievement attained by only six others in history. He had singlehandedly waged war on humanity, achieving feats such as conquering the Nightmare Seed to become Ascended, joining the Song Domain to plot against Clan Valor, defeating Madoc of Valor and an army in Antarctica, challenging the Third Nightmare, and returning Transcendent from the Tomb of Ariel. He also decimated the House of Night, invaded the Sword Domain, and disrupted the Domain War, weakening Anvil and contributing indirectly to the death of the King of Swords at the hands of the Lord of Shadows. However, Mordret ultimately failed in his personal goal of killing his father with his own hands, leaving him aimless once more.^[4]

In this void, he discovered a desire to live for its own sake, realizing that survival and existence could be a reason in themselves. Anticipating the return of Asterion, the monster who had raised him, Mordret focused on survival and strategic goals: retrieving his Flaw from the Great Mirror to prevent Asterion from obtaining it and achieving the status of Supreme, both of which he eventually accomplished. Despite these achievements, his challenges and struggles were far from over.^[4]

Mordret succeeded in becoming Supreme without the guidance of the Nightmare Spell, achieving what he considered his greatest triumph, yet the accomplishment was marked by bitter irony. In seeking absolute self-sufficiency and freedom from dependence, he built a Domain that encompassed only himself, despite once desiring to belong and not be alone. Now crowned, he felt neither pride nor gratification, only grim anticipation, knowing that Supremacy was merely enough to survive the return of the Dreamspawn, not defeat them, and so he began preparing for war.^[5]

Although the Human Domain, led by two Supremes with Divine Aspects, appeared strong, Mordret believed it would inevitably fall due to the perilous nature of the Dreamspawn and the sinister capabilities of Asterion, who could turn strength against itself. He judged that Changing Star and the Lord of Shadows were too attached to humanity to abandon it, ensuring their downfall, while he himself, unattached and unwilling to go down with the ship,” chose survival above all else. To that end, he claimed the Hollow Mountains, a desolate region shrouded in white mist, as his Domain—an impenetrable fortress from which he could remain safe while still invading Asterion's lands.^[5]

The Hollow Mountains, however, proved more complex than expected: a vast scar left by a slain Void Creature that existed both as its own realm and a bridge between countless realms. While strategically sound, the region was bleak and inhospitable. Mordret avoided the interior darkness, which nullified his reflective powers, and instead built an abode on a peak while hunting Nightmare Creatures to expand his army of vessels. These vessels resided in his personal Mirror Realm, where he constructed a lively city inhabited only by himself. Outside of it, he faced an empty, featureless expanse of white mist, surrounded by no one but his own reflections, making his existence profoundly isolating and insufferably dull.^[5]

Despite having shaped himself through reflecting the world's cruelty, Mordret now found himself reflecting only himself, becoming more alone than ever before, even compared to his imprisonment. As he continued to build his forces and spy on humanity, he acknowledged both the necessity of his actions and the dullness of a world without others, even briefly considering alternatives. However, before he could act on these thoughts, the Dreamspawn escaped the lunar prison and descended into the mortal world.^[5]

When the original Mordret was twelve and faced his First Nightmare, he gained his Aspect and his Flaw, which shattered him into seven pieces. Each shard inherited certain aspects of the original Mordret, but none were whole, and all were incomplete — missing parts they remembered but no longer possessed or were capable of. Instead of learning to live together and complement one another, one of the shards — the strongest, best suited to be a protector, but lacking compassion — chose to make himself whole by killing the others. That shard slew five of their number and absorbed them, regaining many of the original Mordret's parts and coming close to becoming a complete person again. Other Mordret survived only because he had inherited their death; if he died, all of them would die. He was the weakest and most vulnerable, lacking many things that made him harmless, but this very inheritance of death spared him. He further revealed that his surviving counterpart, though nearly whole, still lacked a crucial part — the ability to feel regret. This absence defined him, shaping what he had become. Still, despite being unable to regret, Mordret longed for home and belonging, and so, before coming to Bastion, he hid the Other Mordret beneath the city in a place where no one would ever find him.^[7]

Mordret had grown weaker as if he did not possess six soul cores anymore. Instead, there were five strange creatures helping him — like the lesser versions of the reflection creature on the Reckoning Island. While the Night Temple army fought with himself, the five creatures attacked the town that they had left unprotected, slaughtering every human who lived there.^[8]

He later possessed the old priest who tended to the Ivory Lord. He spent months carefully putting a few useful ideas into the Ivory Lord's muddled mind.^[9]

The roles the Spell assigned to him and Kai were warriors of Twilight. A terrible battle occurred in Twilight countless years ago, with the forces of Defilement attempting to destroy the city. The streets of Twilight became a battlefield, with countless humans fighting against the abominations and some turning into abominations themselves. A powerful sorcery awakened, swallowing all of Twilight. This resulted in them being trapped in frozen time upon entering the Nightmare.^[10] He can only move due to his ability.^[11]

After Sunny deactivated the defensive array of Twilight, he realized that all the warriors were Soul Stealers.^[12] He killed Soul Stealer's vessels to acquire his Monster core.^[13] After the explosion, he appeared next to Kai and realized that the Dread Lord had the denial amulet.^[14] After Kai destroyed the amulet, he tried to possess the Dread Lord but was thwarted by Kai, killing it first. He was expelled from the Dread Lord's body and cutting off one of his cores infected by corruption.^[15]

During the soul battle with the Dread Lord, somehow a seed of corruption his soul. He managed to extricate the infected part and turn it into a Reflection before it spread, bringing him back as a mere Beast.^[16]

Somewhere near Verge, he went on a scouting mission with Nephis.^[17]

Mordret is the self-proclaimed Prince of Nothing, who can enter a being's soul through the eyes. His connection to nothingness extends to the original body he was sent into in the Second Nightmare, which belonged to a mysterious mist creature that consumed every living soul in the Kingdom of Hope^[18]. Mordret also underwent a transformation in the Ebony Tower, which belonged to Nether, the Prince of the Underworld.^[19]

Despite being feared by many, Mordret's true strength is questioned by his peer, Effie, who mocks him for being all show and no substance. She calls out his lack of courage, noting that in all their time facing Nightmare Creatures and fighting for survival, Mordret remained inactive in a "perfectly safe prison cell". She also criticizes him for never initiating a soul duel with Morgan, despite receiving a direct and "brazen invitation," implying that he avoids real risk and danger. Mordret, for his part, remains condescending and composed, dismissing Effie's barbs with a "pleasant smile" and sarcastic politeness, although there is a moment when his smile becomes "a little forced" upon hearing the name of the Lord of Shadows.^[21]

He commands a powerful arsenal—described as a "distinguished collection of Transcendent attires"—indicating his combat capability and dangerous potential. However, the gravity of his threat is such that Effie and her allies resort to releasing a Cursed Demon to delay or destroy him. Mordret is caught off-guard by the appearance of the Demon, and though surrounded by his Transcendent vessels, he is slow to react. The creature, capable of "sensing someone's gaze and gazing back", becomes aware of Mordret the instant he recognizes it. His fate is left unclear, but the implication is that he is either consumed or at least completely incapacitated by the encounter. Even the Lord of Shadows, who had previously frightened Mordret, considered him enough of a threat to offer this monstrous "gift" (Refer to Abjuration).^[21]

After the war ended and new Domain emerged, Morgan helped to salvage the remains of Valor at the start and then disappeared without a trace. Even Cassie do not know where she is. Most of the remaining members of the branch family of Valor who did not perish in the war died gruesomely after. It was no big secret that Mordret killed them. He went into hiding after the emergence of new Supremes and abandoned the Stormsea Citadels.^[22]

After Mordret vanished, Sunny designed the Shadow Clan to be immune to his influence through the Mark of Shadows. Mordret's absence is especially problematic because he was believed to know more about Asterion, the mysterious third Sovereign of humanity, than anyone else. Without him, Nephis and her allies have been unable to uncover critical information about Asterion, effectively hitting a wall in their investigations. Though gone, Mordret's presence continues to loom over their efforts, his potential return casting a long and dangerous shadow.^[23]

Mordret entered the Palace of Imagination not only because Morgan had learned of his other self's existence, but also because of deeper reasons tied to his own survival. After losing the chance to take vengeance on his father — a purpose that had once defined him — Mordret admitted he had to turn toward the future instead of clinging to the past. His current actions were not driven by choice but by necessity. He explained that he had hidden his Flaw, his only weakness, in the Palace of Imagination, a secret place even his father had not known about. However, this secret had been compromised: Ki Song had discovered it, not through divination, but because someone had told her — someone who knew more about Mordret than anyone else and who had the power to bargain with her. That someone was the third Sovereign, the Dreamspawn, who knew his weakness. Mordret revealed that his Flaw was no longer safe because the Dreamspawn was coming, and when he arrived, no one in any world would be safe.^[24]

The deal between Mordret and Sunny formed out of grim necessity. Mordret positioned himself as indispensable, claiming to be the one who knew the most about the Dreamspawn, Asterion. He warned Sunny that neither he nor Nephis could afford to kill him yet, since his knowledge was crucial for their survival against the coming threat. When Sunny pressed for proof, Mordret revealed disturbing truths: Asterion carried the lineage of the Heart God and possessed the ability to assimilate multiple Divine Lineages, already having taken several and now hunting the remaining ones — including Sunny's. To prove his worth, Mordret offered this knowledge as a "taste" of his value. In return for acting as bait for the Castellan and helping them against Asterion, he demanded safety — specifically, that his other self be moved to Ivory Island and guarded with the same devotion Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie showed one another, protected from the Dreamspawn, Morgan, or any harm at all. Sunny, wary of deception but convinced of Mordret's hatred for Asterion and seeing the leverage of keeping his other self as a hostage, reluctantly agreed.^[25]

In the end, Mordret double-crossed Sunny by pretending to be weak and in need of help, claiming he wanted Sunny and Nephis to protect his gentler other self from the Dreamspawn. In truth, he had been secretly regaining his Awakened strength by killing reflections like Madoc and absorbing their essence, all while hiding this fact to lower Sunny's guard. When Sunny confronted him, Mordret revealed that his story about entrusting his other self-had been a lie from the start—he never intended to rely on anyone else. Instead, he seized the Other Mordret, declaring that only he could protect him.^[26]

He had hidden him within his Mirror Realm, a personal Domain that reflected his Soul Sea, making it the safest prison for his Flaw. Mordret admitted that he had never truly trusted Sunny and Nephis to protect the fragment, nor had he ever intended to ally with them—his real plan had been to regain enough power to reclaim his Mirror Realm and imprison his other half within it. He further confessed that while Sunny had suspected him of being the Nihilist, the murders in Mirage City had been committed by someone else, since Mordret had been far too careful to leave corpses behind; his own victims had simply vanished into mist. Having used Sunny and the mercenaries to reach this point, he explained that he did not want Sunny dead—at least not yet. Instead, he needed Sunny and Nephis alive to act as shields against the Dreamspawn, bearing the brunt of its fury so that he might survive.yet. Instead, he needs Sunny and Nephis alive to act as shields against the Dreamspawn, bearing the brunt of its fury so that he might survive.^[27]

All events unfolded exactly as Mordret had predicted: the name of the Dreamspawn spread like a plague, and although Changing Star and the Lord of Shadows tried to slow it, they failed. Soon, Asterion revealed himself to the world, and within days everyone in both worlds carried the idea of him in their minds. He then planted another idea—whether Changing Star could be trusted—so that even those who believed in her still harbored doubt, allowing the Dreamspawn to enter their hearts. At the same time, Changing Star and the Lord of Shadows hesitated to confront him directly because he used the people of Bastion as a shield. As more humans fell under his hex, his Domain grew stronger, and with it, Asterion himself.^[28]

Recognizing that the time to observe had ended, Mordret chose to act, driven by his desire to live, which meant everyone else had to die. He left the Hollow Mountains and descended upon Red Hill, where he engaged in countless soul duels simultaneously, taking over both mundane people and powerful individuals alike. While mundane souls offered no resistance, Awakened and stronger opponents had to be fought in the soul arena, where Mordret could only mirror their Aspects and Memories. Despite his superiority as a Supreme, he sensed something eerie—a third presence in the soul arena, an unseen figure whispering into the minds of the enthralled, its reflection visible in the Soul Seas. These whispers reached Mordret as well, confirming his fear that he was not entirely immune to Asterion's influence.^[28]

Although he resisted most of the implanted thoughts and emotions, some residue remained, like a layer of dust covering an immense mirror. Still, he pressed on, convinced that Asterion would become unstoppable if humanity fully joined his Domain. Declaring war on the entire world, Mordret conquered vast regions, including the Glass Hell, Godgrave, Moonriver Plains, the Chained Isles, and territories up to the Black Mountains, while pushing the Human Domain south and causing massive casualties, especially at Red Hill. Despite not enjoying the slaughter, he continued, knowing the war had to be won. However, constant exposure to the Dreamspawn's thralls and repeated clashes with Asterion gradually increased his contamination, slowly causing him to lose himself.^[28]

Amid this, a solution appeared when he encountered the unconscious Song of the Fallen, the only person capable of erasing Asterion's hex. Realizing her value, Mordret decided to spare her life.^[28]

Mordret, the King of Nothing, had transformed Red Hill into a stronghold of his power by slaughtering the population and turning humans and Nightmare Creatures into vessels of his fragmented soul, while his forces flooded the Hive tunnels to harvest and enslave abominations. He claimed the Glass Hell as his home, strengthened himself by conquering countless Corrupted souls, and declared his intention to conquer all Citadels and expand his control over the Hunger Domain, asserting that survival justified any collateral death and that neither Sunny nor Changing Star could destroy him. Mordret rejected the possibility of saving enthralled humans, arguing their existence made the Dreamspawn immortal and creating an inescapable paradox, and declared he had no grand plan beyond survival, willing for everyone else to die if necessary. Even when attacked by Sunny, Mordret remained confident, demonstrating that his power, control over vessels, and strategic positioning made him a nearly unstoppable threat.^{[29][30][31][32][33]}

At the Weeping Goddess above the Lake of Tears, Death Singer warned Seishan that Mordret's Dream Gate was opening as forces of the Human Domain defended the Citadel to allow civilian evacuation. Seishan and her sisters—Beastmaster, Moonveil, Lonesome Howl, Silent Stalker, and Death Singer—stood alongside Nightingale, Saint Kai, and other Saints such as Bliss, Helie, Ceres, and Siord to hold the line against Mordret, whose Mirror Gate manifested as the lake became still like glass, releasing grotesque silhouettes, immense champions of the Mirror Domain, smaller abominations, and Hive monsters, initiating a devastating assault despite the Human Domain's extensive defenses.^[34]

Mordret's vessels advanced with perfect unity under his control, breaching the first defensive lines despite heavy casualties from arrows, Aspect Abilities, and coordinated attacks by Saints and Awakened; he overcame Echoes, thralls, and winged defenders, forcing Kai and the Human Domain to hold him back long enough for civilian evacuation, while Seishan engaged directly, sustaining her strength through her Dormant Ability and Blood Sisters as Mordret's swarm pressed relentlessly, impervious to ordinary slaughter since each vessel was only a shard of his soul.^[35][36]

As night fell, Mordret's forces continued their relentless assault, overwhelming human defenders and inflicting heavy losses on Saints including Beastmaster, Death Singer, Lonesome Howl, Ceres, Helie, and Bliss; even Nightingale, transformed into a midnight-scaled dragon, was gravely wounded while disrupting the Mirror Gate, demonstrating Mordret's continued threat until reinforcements led by Morgan arrived at sunrise, bringing a river of liquid metal and Awakened forces to turn the tide against Mordret's assault on the Lake of Tears and Citadels.^[37]

He used his Mirror Gate above the Lake of Tears to project countless vessels—humans and monstrous forms—through which he spoke, mocking Asterion with a Reflection that addressed him as "teacher" while refusing direct engagement. He recounted his rise to Supremacy, his long-standing desire to kill the King of Swords, and his intent to claim the Citadel over Asterion's dead body, demonstrating his audacious ambition and control over both humans and abominations. During the ensuing clash, Mordret's vessels advanced with deadly precision, surviving Asterion's devastating attacks in swaths of blood and haze, while collateral damage from the battle destroyed escape routes and killed countless soldiers and civilians. Ultimately, Mordret ensured strategic dominance by collapsing the wall of the plateau and destroying the Citadel, leaving it unclaimed and cementing his ruthless power and influence over the battlefield.^[38][39]

The King of Nothing, Mordret of Nowhere, prepared the Ebony Island by bringing some of his vessels, most of which were Nightmare Creatures rather than humans, to fortify the island. Colossal abominations, such as a hideous tick and a spider-ape hybrid, were positioned and protected by swarms of smaller creatures and humans, who moved obsidian blocks and metal plates as if constructing artillery and defensive fortifications. Crystalline insects deployed like stealth aircraft, horned beasts hauled massive shapes, and scarlet seeds were planted across the island and its surroundings, creating potential minefields from the scarlet jungle. Rain shivered at the display but was reminded by Cassie to focus on her own work, and Cassie recounted how a previous battle between two Saints had destroyed an island, leaving only one Citadel in the Chained Isles. Meanwhile, Mordret acted simultaneously across multiple fronts—breaking blockades, battling predators, invading territories, and observing key figures—before interacting with a reflection of himself in a mirror, noting the miniature realm it inhabited and comparing his mercifulness to that of their father.^[40]

Supreme Mordret and his other self, Saint Mordret, faced each other in the mirror, one expressing contempt, the other wistful sympathy, as the captor and the captive. Supreme Mordret criticized his counterpart for being barely human, incapable of anger, resentment, or moral judgment, and claimed that the perception of him as nice was a facade masking his emptiness, while asserting that neither of them truly deserved to be called human. He revealed that he kept Song of the Fallen alive as both a hostage and insurance against the Lord of Shadows, while expressing excitement at waging war freely, embracing the destructive legacy of their War God lineage. Saint Mordret questioned the feasibility of Supreme Mordret's plan, noting the overwhelming power of the Dreamspawn and the limitations of relying on Lady Cassia, yet Supreme Mordret insisted that holding nothing back and taking a stand on the Ebony Island was necessary, comparing it to his past fight with Morgan where he won by abandoning all concern for survival. Ultimately, he resolved that the decisive confrontation would occur on the Chained Isles, intending to create new memories of war there while fully committing to the battle against his maker.^[41]

After the fall of the Longing Domain, leaving only the Hunger Domain and the Mirror Domain at war, a new conflict unfolded in the Dream Realm. When Cassie and Rain arrived at Ebony Island, Mordret was advancing relentlessly, his vessels spreading like an unstoppable wave across the River of Tears and threatening the Black Mountains. However, once the Dreamspawn seized the last bastions of the Longing Domain, including the four Great Citadels, all of humanity fell under Asterion's control—not out of belief, but because they had been infected by the idea of him and enthralled by his power. With humanity unified and devoid of internal conflict, their military cohesion grew beyond human limits, and Asterion began leading battles personally, using his insidious Aspect to assault Mordret's mind directly or from afar, slowly poisoning it despite the difficulty of influencing a Supreme.^[42]

This gradual erosion of Mordret's mind should have weakened him, but it did not, due to Lady Cassia, Song of the Fallen, who protected him and was blamed by humanity for the war's casualties and the creation of new vessels. Even so, the tide shifted against the King of Nothing. In the west, humanity established a blockade on the River of Tears, forcing Mordret to withdraw his forces, while in the east, his advance in the Black Mountains stalled amid the fiercest fighting, where the Dreamspawn often appeared in person. What followed was a stalemate that eventually turned into a reversal, as humanity pushed Mordret back, causing him to lose ground and vessels faster than he could replace them, even though he could still wound or destroy Asterion's body, which always returned due to the persistence of his idea.^[42]

The prolonged battles reshaped the Dream Realm, collapsing peaks, melting glaciers, flooding plains, and forcing migrations of Nightmare Creatures, while the River of Tears changed course, causing catastrophic floods and forming new landscapes. Amid this devastation, the stalemate ended with Mordret retreating. Unable to contend with the unified and strengthened forces of humanity, he began abandoning territories—first the River of Tears basin, then the Black Mountains, the Moonriver Plains, and regions northward, including Godgrave. Instead of retreating to the Hollow Mountains as expected, he moved east, leading to humanity conquering the Glass Hell and the remaining northern regions, until only the Chained Isles remained under his control.^[42]

After killing the soldiers of the Hunger Domain and leaving Jest alive, Mordret appeared to speak with Cassia, questioning whether she had known what would happen to them before agreeing to an unspecified request. He then traveled through the reflections in the pool of blood to the Night Garden, where he shattered part of the ship's living hull and confronted the defenders of the Great Citadel, offering them a choice between resolving the situation peacefully or through violence.^[43]

Mordret arrived in the Tomb of Ariel through a unique combination of conditions. He used the Night Garden and its captain, Nightwalker, whose mystical ability allowed him to always get to where he wanted to go. One of the Great Citadel's Components enabled its master to open a Dream Gate between two points in the same world, while another was meant to help navigate vast distances. Mordret had already subdued and preserved Nightwalker because he needed him for the task Cassie had requested. His own power, combined with the potent Component of the Night Garden, greatly enhanced his ability to reach distant reflections. However, that alone was insufficient; something had changed inside the great pyramid, making its interior less isolated from the outside world. Most importantly, Changing Star and the Lord of Shadows were already inside the Tomb of Ariel. Mordret used the connection between Rain, the Princess of Shadows, and the Lord of Shadows to trace Sunny's location and plot a course. Rather than sailing blindly across infinity, the Night Garden followed the mystical link between a Supreme and his subordinate, being pulled toward its source, which allowed Mordret to arrive at the Estuary within the Tomb of Ariel. Mordret met the two Supremes and brought them aboard. Together, they returned with the intention of destroying the Dreamspawn and erasing his existence from the world.^[44]