How many times had Lind dreamed of the current moment? Lanbao was not the first loss to the Fiends but it was the most personal.
The Bastard before him took her. He treated it as a simple act, one not even worth considering who he took. It was only later that Lind would learn the truth.
The Bastard enjoyed making him writhe in pain. He was never the target to begin with! So long as Lind was below the Divine Realm, the Bastard enjoyed his fun!
Even after he became an Apprentice Tier, time was not on Lind's side. If the pattern followed like always, there were no real concerns. It never occurred to him until far too late that his current incarnation had no ties to the old ones.
Lind was himself alone. He had benefitted from the guidance and the perseverance of his other selves, but the path he walked was his alone, not theirs.
