The sun was scorching hot, and the heat was burning my skin. The sky was like a furnace. I felt something watching me. Not out of hostility, but out of curiosity. I looked around, but could see nothing. I felt like time was running out. I was supposed to be doing something, but what? Suddenly, the scene around me changed. I was no longer in the desert, but by some abandoned ruins in a coniferous forest. Something else was watching me now, and it felt hostile. Before I could find where it was coming from, something dove out of the sky and the hostile creature was gone. The hostile feeling disappeared and the curious one returned.
Before I could do anything, I was carried up into the sky. Nothing was holding me up. I looked down and became dizzy. I have a fear of heights. I lost control and started falling back to the ground. Just before I hit the ground, I woke up. I was so relieved that it was just a dream. Oops, I guess I never introduced myself. My name is Taemar. I am fifteen, almost sixteen and a part of the tribe of Semryst. There are only a few tribes left now. About fifty years before I was born, there was a huge war between the four continents, Ionan, Volcantru, Aerio, and Maltrox.
Somehow, Volcantru developed a strange weapon using dark magic. Volcantru was the only of the four continents to use dark magic. Once activated, this weapon was supposed take out an entire continent. Well, something went wrong. The weapon was vastly more dangerous than anyone anticipated. It blew up, wiping out Volcantru, Aerio, and Maltrox. Even the magic of the elves and dragons of Aerio couldn't stop it or slow it down. They all died in the blast. The dwarves on Maltrox were able to escape to Ionan. Soon after the blast, however, the tainted air reached Ionan. It caused a devastating sickness that spread relentlessly through the land. The majority of the population was killed. Some say that the dwarves went back to Maltrox, but no one knows for certain.
Now there are only five major tribes left. Zavnric is the largest. Konoba is the next, then Trunsken, and then Semryst. Zavnric is an actual city. Konoba is an old fortress in the cold north. Trunsken and Semryst are just little more than villages.
Okay, enough about history, now back to the present. I got out of bed and got dressed. I was outside eating breakfast by the fire, when I felt something watching me. The sun wasn't up yet, but there was a faint light in the east. I turned around and stared out into the darkness. I see a pair of eyes reflecting the firelight. I sigh with relief. It is just one of our neighbor's hunchback cows. I turn back to the fire and finish breakfast.
When the sun comes up, news of an Explorer runs through the village like wildfire. Explorers are people who roam and explore the forsaken lands. They also sometimes go to Maltrox, where the taint has mysteriously vanished. The Explorers have gliders, and they island hop from island to island to get from Ionan to Maltrox and back. Some Explorers say that there is a hidden dwarvish city on Maltrox. Volcantru and Aerio are still covered with the taint, or so they say, because nobody ever returns from going there.
When the Explorer finally shows up, it is around midday, and the sun is high in the sky. The Explorer arrives looking tired and haggard. The odd thing is, he is coming from the south, from Zavnric. Usually the Explorers drop their stuff of at Trunsken, the nearest place to the islands, and then they head back to Maltrox. The Explorer heads straight to the center of the village. Everyone was whispering as they gathered around him, to hear what he had to say. He held up his hands to quiet the crowd.
"I have bad news!", he cried, "Zavnric has been destroyed. The Seven Magi that have governed the land are no more. Only one was still alive when I reached the city, and he was nearly dead. In his hand, there was a scroll. Before he died, he said, 'Prophecy...scar...ring...two...save...world.' That was all he said until he died." By now, all the people were whispering among themselves.
The Explorer raised his hands again. "I would like to read you the scroll, for it has to do with this very tribe, and the people in it. He opened up and began to read it.
'On the plains of Lentra,
In a tribe that's small,
Two young young men are friends,
Who alone can save them all.
They must cross the sea to Maltrox,
Find what's hidden in clear sight.
Then go on to Aerio,
And find a land that's full of light.
One has a scar of a Z,
The other has a emerald ring.
They must work together,
To destroy Volcantru's sting.
There will be two others with them,
To stay and help the lot.
If ever you find a need for help,
Use fire and lightning to strike the top.'
I think that there are two young men here, now, that would be the ones mentioned in the prophecy. I would like to help them on their journey, as I have been to Maltrox before." As the Explorer droned on, I looked down at my emerald ring. I turned and found my best friend, Anrin, in the crowd. I signaled to him that we needed to get out of here. He has a scar on his hand that is shaped like a Z. He held his hand up and showed that his scar was glowing. Luckily, no one had seen it.
We met behind a building near the edge of the village. I walked over to him. "Something about that man didn't feel right", I said "I know what you mean." he replied, "That man was lying about him wanting to help us, but he was telling the truth about the scroll and Zavnric. He felt kind of demanding and hungry." "Hungry?" I asked. I had no idea what he meant. Anrin had the uncanny ability to be able to sense if someone was lying or if they were telling the truth. He laughed, "Not hungry as in for food, but hungry as in for power, or maybe money." "Either way", I said, "We need to get away from here. Let's go climb one of the trees."
There were a lot of willow trees on the plain. They were perfect for hiding, spying, and watching without being spotted. We ran when nobody was watching. When we looked out, everyone was trying to find us. They finally stopped around dinner time, but we were still wary up in the tree. We weren't sure when we should go down. I was debating whether or not to go, when Anrin nudged my shoulder. "Look!", he said, "The Explorer is going into that hut over there, probably to get a bed for the night. We should go in and steal the scroll from his room."
Anrin is the one who is usually good at coming up with plans, so I let him do the planning, adding my little bits every now and then. It took us about an hour to finally come up with plan that had a slight chance of working. Anrin was to go and talk to the Explorer in the front room, while I snuck in through the back door and grabbed the scroll, and all the Explorer's money, so we could buy supplies. Then, I would come around to the front and moo like a hunchback cow. Anrin would come back out, and we would leave to get supplies at Trunsken. Then, we would follow the scroll and fulfill our destiny.
We snuck into the village, and went over to the hut where the Explorer was lodging at. Anrin went in and began talking to the owner of the hut. When a different voice joined the conversation, I knew it had to be the Explorer. I snuck around back and opened the door. I tiptoed to the guest room and found that the scroll was just lying on the bed. I walked over to the bed. I paused before reaching for the scroll. Something felt wrong. This was just a bit too easy.
I could hear footsteps coming down the hall. I reached for the scroll. As soon as I touched it, I became temporarily paralyzed. I fell to the floor. The Explorer came into the room, dragging Anrin behind him. Anrin looked he could only move his feet, which was a slight problem, but I was sure he could do something about it. He turned and tried to knee the guy in his groin. It looked like he hit a wall. He dropped to the floor with pain.
The Explorer gave us a leering smile. "Well then,", he said, "Now I don't have to go and find the other one. You're both here." He then pointed his wand to us and said, "Negric Petrifica." Me and Anrin both dropped to the floor, and the last thing I remembered was a large white cloak.
* * * * * * * * * * *
When I finally woke back up, I was in a stone room. It was a fairly small room. There was nothing in there with me except for a large fire-pit in the middle of the room, that was underneath a blazing bonfire. Anrin was on the other side of the room. I noticed that there were intricate designs carved into the stone. It looked too fancy to be human. I stood up, and heard a clanking sound. I tried to move, but found that I was chained to the wall. I called over to Anrin, "What happened? Do you remember anything after the room back in Semryst?" "No.", he replied, "But I can tell you for certain that the Explorer has Dark Magic. That's probably what stunk the air around him."
Before I could ask him what we should do, the Explorer himself walked in. "Welcome to the lost city of the dwarves. I finally found it after reading the scroll and trying to understand it. The entrance to the city was in a clearing in the forest. It wasn't that hard to find." I interrupted him. "How long have we been out?" I asked. "Oh, only a couple of days. Not really that long. Anyway, back to my story. I found out that the dwarves here have a secret. They have a dragon here that is about to die. I will collect its life tear and become one with the dragon. When we are done with this, and Aerio, you two will be of no use to me. I will sacrifice you on Volcantru so that I can gain more power for myself."
Anrin tried to spit into the man's face. "You will never taint a dragon, and we will never help you. We will find a way to escape, and rest assured, we will hunt you down and you will be the one to die!" The Explorer smiled and opened his mouth to say more when a short, stocky man, which I presumed to be an dwarf, barged into the room. "Master!", he cried, panting, "It is time. The dragon is about to shed it's life tear!" The Explorer rushed out of the room, in front of the dwarf.
In their haste to exit the room, the dwarf had left the door open. Anrin looked at me. "We need to escape! We need to do something! What can we do? Oh this is not good! What can we do? How are we going to escape?" "Oh, calm down Anrin. We will think of something." I replied. I looked at the fire to try and think. As I looked at the fire, it seemed to be dancing. It seemed to be alive. It seemed to be beckoning me, calling me. I stared intensely, and I felt it become apart of me. It burned within me, begging for me to use it.
I concentrated on trying to melt the chains that were chaining me to the wall. All of the sudden, I felt the chain come off the wall and I could move! I went over to Anrin. I pushed the heat down through my arms and into my hands. I grabbed his chain and it melted beneath my fingers. We fairly flew down the hall. We soon came to a room that was crowded full of dwarves. There was a large and majestic blue and black dragon in the center of the room, and the Explorer was walking up to it.
Me and Anrin pushed our way through the crowd, and most of them let us through. We we got to the edge, we started sprinting towards the dragon. "No!" Anrin cried as the dragon knelt to shed its tear. That shout attracted the attention of the guards, and they started firing arrows at us. I got hit in the foot and fell down. "Keep going!" I yelled to Anrin. "I'll take care of the archers."
I concentrated on the arrows flying, and was able to reduce them all to ash. I sat up and watched Anrin run towards the dragon. His hand was up and his scar was glowing. Something caught the light as the dragon flicked its head towards Anrin. He looked like something had hit him in the chest, because he flew backwards and crashed into me. "I caught it.", he whispered excitedly, "I caught the dragon's tear!"
I looked up and saw the Explorer coming towards us with his wand out in fron of him. "Noooooo!", I cried. I lifted my hand and engulfed him in flames, but that didn't seem to harm him very much. All of the sudden, a lightning bolt shot from Amrin's hands. The Explorer was hit straight in the chest. He flew backwards his body continued burning until there was nothing left but a pile of ash and a large white cloak.
The dwarves were cheering. The oldest one came up to us. "Now we know who our rightful rulers are. Please accept our humble apology. We have been waiting for two to come. We have something for you." The dwarves started chanting in their language. Soon, two dwarves appeared carrying something that looked like clothes.
"These two suits of chain mail were made by our ancestors in anticipation of the two mentioned in the prophecy. It appears we have found them, and they are you." Anrin and me were speechless. We took the suits and we changed into them. I had a little trouble because of my foot, but Anrin helped me out. Anrin's was blue and black, while mine was red and orange. Along with the armor, there was a sword and a bow along with a quiver full of arrows.
We came back out, and all the dwarves bowed down. Anrin walked over the the leader and put his hand on his shoulder. "My friend,", he said, "you don't have to do this." He cleared his throat. "From now on, as the rulers of the dwarves, me and my friend release you from being under our power. You are now a free nation. Choose your leaders and live in peace. Thank you for all the things that you do."
The dwarves stood up and began cheering. The leader had tears in his eyes. "Thank you. This is the best thing that has ever happened to us. I will always remember. You will always be welcome in the dwarf nation. I will help you to use the cloak in return for what you have done for us.", he said. Anrin looked like he was about to cry, and tears were forming in my eyes to. "Your welcome, friend." Anrin said, "But we need to go now." The dwarf leader led us over to the white cloak that was still lying on the ground.
"To use this cloak,", he said, "you need to both get underneath it and say the word 'Teltra', and then the location of where you want to go to. It should work, as I've seen the magician use it many times, coming and going. Good luck and may there be safe travels for both of you." He backed off and went back to his people. A young dwarf come over. "I want to go with you.", he said. "Well,", I said, "I guess that you can come, it might be dangerous, though." The dwarf shrugged. "I don't mind. Oh, my name is Norrik." We got underneath the cloak and Anrin said "Teltra Aerio!" The ground seemed to drop from beneath us, and we blacked out for a couple minutes.
* * * * * * * * * * *
When I came to, I found myself on a forest, near some abandoned ruins. Oh no!, I thought. This is just that one part of my dream all over again. I looked around for Anrin, but he was gone. I again felt the gaze of a hostile creature. I sat up and turned around to try and find it, when A large blue and black dragon dropped out of the sky, and the hostile creature was gone. The dragon came and landed right in front of me, and a dwarf was on his back. <Hello Taemar.>. I jerked back on shock, the dragon was speaking to me through my mind. The dragon must have sensed my distress because it felt a calm reassurance enter into my mind.
<Don't worry Taemar. It's just me, Anrin, and Norrik. Being a dragon is so cool. I can really fly. It's a good thing that I'm not afraid of heights.> I shuddered. <It's a good thing that I'm not flying or I would crash by now.> I thought back. Anrin thought laughed. <Hop on.> he said, < We need to go and find a land that'a full of light.> I climbed on his back and we flew off into the rising sun.
We flew for a couple hours. We were flying low over a desert, when I fell off of Anrin's back. I had my eyes closed the whole time we were flying because I was afraid of heights. Norrik was also afraid of heights. He had his eyes closed too. Soon, I thought Anrin was going into a dive. I screamed and hit... sand? I opened my eyes and looked up. Anrin was flying off, and I was stuck in a desert. Great. I thought. Now it's the other part of my crazy dream.
I started crawling, and along the way there was nothing to drink. I was crawling because of the injury to my foot. I hiked until midday had come and past. I finally stopped near a small bush-like tree. I sat down under it, almost delirious from lack of water. I thought that I saw a man approaching me. I tried to say something, but my throat was too dry. I felt him lift me up, and then I slipped into unconsciousness.
* * * * * * * * * * *
When I came to, I found myself lying in a tent of animal skins. It took some effort to move my head, but I did and saw the man who had saved me sitting next to the cot that I was lying on. "Do you want some water to drink?", he asked, with concern in his voice. I tried to say yes, but my throat was so dry that I could only nod my head. He reached over and filled a mug with water. I accepted it gratefully. The cool water felt so good as it flowed down my parched throat. When I was able to speak, I sat up. "Do you know where my dragon friend is, and my dwarf friend?", I asked, "The dragon's name is Anrin, and the dwarf's name is Norrik." The man looked at me thoughtfully. "I think that they are over with the elves. Let's go and see." We stepped outside and into the darkness.
We went and headed into a forest that was by the edge of the desert. The forest seemed to glow with light. Suddenly, it clicked. "I found the land of light!" I whispered to myself. We headed deeper into the forest. Soon we could hear shouting. The man smiled. "They are expecting us.", he said. "They have found your friends."
We came to a large clearing. There, in the middle of the clearing, were Anrin and Norrik. They were surrounded by giggling girl elves who were talking to him. Nearby there were tables out full of food. Anrin saw me and his face lit up. "Taemar!", he called. I went over to him and was able to separate him and Norrik from their gaggle of girls. I drew them aside.
"What happened to you?", Anrin asked. "I fell off.", I replied, "But I landed safely and was able to find you again. We found the other part of the Prophecy! This is the land of light!" Before Anrin could reply, a beautiful elf walked over to us. "Eat.", she said, "You need to regain your strength." She turned to me and pointed. "You, especially. You will need to be prepared for what is to come." Then she walked off. She looked like she was gliding. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
Norrik slapped me on the back. "Come now!", he said. "Stop staring after her and come eat. You heard what she said." I turned and walked over to the tables. It was a simple meal of native fruits, vegetables, and bread, but it was nice. When I was finished, I looked up to see the girl elf looking at me. She blushed and looked away. I felt my cheeks start to redden as well.
The leader of the elves stood on top of a wooden platform and held up his hands to quiet the feast. "Welcome friends. I am sorry to interrupt your feasting, but it is time. We must now proceed to the altar on Manyandu to commence the arrival of the new phoenix." The elves made a long line that stretched pretty far back. Me, Anrin, Norrik, the leader, and the man who saved me, were all in front.
The hike lasted for more than a day. By the time we finally got to the altar, it was pitch black outside, with a new moon. The man who saved me stepped up onto the altar. He said, in a loud, clear voice, "May life be sweet, and may peace reign forever." As soon as he said these words, he caught fire. Soon there was nothing left but a pile of ashes.
The elf leader then made me stand on the altar, and he told me what to say. I spoke out with the loudest voice I could muster. "I vow to keep the peace in the world and fight for the right. To keep the young and the old safe and free, even if by death." With these words, I lit myself on fire. The fire didn't burn me. I felt it start in my heart and slowly spread through my whole body. When my whole body was full of fire, it stopped. I was left standing on the altar, feeling renewed.
The elves were cheering. Anrin and Norrik looked like they were about to faint. I got down from the altar and went over to the leader of the elves. "I'm sorry for the short notice,", I said, "but it is time for us to go now. Our duty calls, and we are done here." The elf leader looked knowingly at me. "Go, then. But take with you our finest warrior." He stepped aside, and the girl from earlier stepped forward. She smiled. "This is Ashya." The leader said, "She is the finest warrior of all the elves. Take her with you. She knows many things, and she has been to many places."
Ashya walked over to us. "If we're going to go, then let's get going!" All four of us crowded beneath the white cloak. "Teltra Volcatru!", I shouted, throwing caution to the wind.
* * * * * * * * * * *
When we all regained consciousness, a little while later, we were just outside of a giant fortress that was a dark as the night around us. Ashya picked up her pack and began climbing up to the fortress, as it stood on a hillside. "Let's get going!", she shouted over her shoulder. "If we're going to do this, we should get it done as soon as possible." We scrambled up after her. "What exactly are we going to do?", Norrik asked.
Ashya shrugged. "We'll find that out when we need to. Right now, we need to find a way into that place.", Ashya said, pointing to the fortress. We walked around to the front of the fortress. The drawbridge was down. We walked through, albeit a little warily. There was an eerie feeling around the whole place. Anrin took a sniff and almost retched.
"This place stinks like dark magic.", he said. "It would be best to act with caution. Something is watching us. It smells like dark magic as well, and I know it's not friendly." Ashya turned to him and smiled. "All the better to get done faster. Let's act like we're not afraid. Then perhaps it might not be so bold." We walked deep into the fortress, carefully watching the shadows.
Every once and a while, I thought I saw something move in the shadows. Something with wings and clawed feet. It seemed to be following us. We went into the main building. I lit all the torches on the walls. Now a shadow was clearly visible against the dark wall. I turned around as a big griffin smashed through the ceiling and pounced at us. Norrik screamed. Ashya charged the beast. Me and Anrin lent fire and lightning to her sword that was humming through the air as she swung it.
Ashya jumped on the beast and tried to hack at its neck. I began firing arrows that were tipped with fire. Norrik was cowering behind some wooden crates, as this was the first battle he'd ever been in. Anrin was hitting the griffin relentlessly with lightning from his hands. The beast bucked up and down as it tried to get Ashya off of its back. Ashya flew off the beast and landed in the crates where Norrik was hiding.
Meanwhile, Anrin and I had finally slain the beast by shooting it through its neck at the some time. We hurried over to where we saw Ashya land, but all that was there was a big hole in the floor. I turned to Anrin. "Let's go find them!", I said, and we jumped into the hole. I hit a smooth metal surface and began sliding down a spiral passageway. I could hear sounds coming from the end of the tunnel. It sounded like Ashya.
I jumped out of the tunnel and lit the walls on fire. What I saw astonished me. Ashya stand Norrik were surrounded by a pack of wolves. The wolves, though, had glowing green eyes and silver-white fur. I decided to test my new ability as a phoenix, and took flight. Fiery arrows shot out from my feet as I attacked the wolves. I could hear Anrin in my head. <I'm coming!>
Anrin burst through the tunnel and turned into a dragon. It was a hard battle. A pack of wolves against a dragon, a phoenix, a dwarf, and an elf. Anrin was fighting on ground level instead of flying like me. Ashya was holding her fire and lightning sword, trying to keep the wolves at bay while at the same time comforting Norrik. I couldn't tell what she was doing, but it was working. Norrik was falling asleep.
Anrin had slew a number of them, but they just kept coming. I tried to find where they were coming from. I saw a spot, blacker than black against the stone wall. I saw shadows coming in from there. I filled the hole with fire, and no more wolves came through. Anrin took care of the rest of them that were in the room. The light from the walls illuminated most of the room. There was nothing else in there.
I landed and turned back into human form. I walked over to the hole, which was still full of fire. "We need to go in here!" I said. "It's the only way." Everyone looked at each other. There was a moment of uneasy silence. "I'll go first", I said, "because I can light myself on fire without hurting myself." Without any further comment, I strode into the tunnel, making a wall of fire in front of me constantly.
Soon, the tunnel opened and I found myself in a large room. In the center was a swirling pool of black substance. A faint black mist was rising out from it. I heard a sound behind me. I turned around and saw the glowing eyes of a wolf. Everywhich way I looked, there were wolves. Griffins were winging in the air above, waiting. I called in my mind to Anrin.<Anrin! We need to combine strengths like the prophecy said. Please lend me your lightning for a minute.>
Anrin complied and I felt his strength and energy enter into my body. I moved farther into the large room. I pushed the fire in me out and into a swirling vortex. I streamlined it with lightning, and it arced from the floor to the ceiling. It soon exhausted all my strength. I had to stop, and sit down. When I did, the wolves bowed down and the griffen came and bowed their heads in front of me.
I called back to the others. "It's okay, you can come now, I think that I've tamed the wolves and griffins." The others came walking out of the tunnel a few minutes later. The wolves and griffins stood aside to let us pass. We all walked over to the swirling pit. I looked at the walls, and saw silver writing glowing on the wall.
I walked over to it. As I walked towards it, the runes shifted around and became words that I knew. I read it aloud to the rest of the group.
"'Ho there, weary traveler.
Beware the creatures here.
They are tainted with
The mist and fear.
The only way to repel the darkness,
Is with something full of light.
Some pure and clean,
Not tainted with night.
Make your choice and be wise.
One choice leads to darkness,
The other one to light.
Beware the choice is yours.
Are you brave enough?
Are you willing to sacrifice for the better of man?'"
I walked back to the others. "What are we going to to do? The script says that the only way to repel the taint is with something of light." Everyone looked at each other. Anrin stepped forward. "Well,", he said, "A dragon is a creature of purity and light. I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to jump into the swirling pool." I grabbed his arm as he began to walk over to the pool. "Wait." I said. "I'm going too."
Ashya and Norrik stepped forward. "If you go,", Ashya said, "then we go too. If we have all of us together, then it will surely repel the taint." We all solemnly walked to the edge of the pool. We held hands, and I counted down. "Five!" I wonder if Ashya likes me? "Four!" The decision was made. "Three!" There's no going back now. "Two!" Getting ready. "One!" Almost there! "Now!" We jumped into the pit, and darkness engulfed us all, after a flash of light. Then... nothing.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Kentrin
4th day of the 7th month in the year 12 after the destruction of the taint
My parents say that it is about time that I started keeping a journal. I live in the village of Semryst. It has been twelve years since I last saw my brother, Taemar. He set off with his best friend, Anrin. He was always with Anrin. I wish he would have spent more time with me. I wish that he took me. All I know is that he is gone. I feel it in my soul. We were twins. I could sense when he was angry or distract or injured. Twelve years ago, I felt a great pain seize my body.
I was lying in bed for several days, or so they told me. It felt like it was only a few minutes. In my fever, I saw my brother in a large dark cavern. He was with Anrin. There were two others beside him that I perceived were an elf and a dwarf. They were surrounded by large wolves and griffins. In the middle of the room, there was a pool of swirling black goo-like stuff. There was a faint mist emitting from the center of it.
I heard my brother count down. He shouted "Now!", and all four of them jumped into the black whirlpool. When they hit, there was a startling bright light that filled the room. I could no longer sense my brother. When I could finally see again, the black goo had turned into a crystal clear pool.
The scene changed, and I was outside of a large black fortress. The grass started to grow back, and the trees grew leaves. The wolves and griffins were back to being peaceable creatures. The scene changed again, and I found myself looking over the whole world, I could see the blackness receding from off of all the continents. I saw it vanish, and it was replaced by a green carpet that visibly spread from Volcantru, onto the other continents.
When I saw it reach Semryst, I willed myself to wake up. I did, and I saw that the once sparse plain that we had lived on for so long was green. There were no more droughts, no more sparse food, and there was a beautiful river gushing through the middle of our village.
That was twelve years ago. Since then, I have seen other things. Mostly they are about when someone is in trouble. I have to rush to go save them, and I usually arrive in the nick of time. I just had a vision recently. I saw a dragon, a phoenix, a dwarf, and an elf. They were in a place that I had never seen before. I felt that they were in trouble. The question is, how can I get to them.
Oh well, that is something for another day.
Kentrin put down the book. He staggered as another vision unfolded before him. His eyes flashed silver, and he saw the crystal pool again. He perceived that it was a portal, and that was how he would find the people he would need to save. He began packing for the journey. He took his bag and started off towards the ocean. He was Kentrin the seer. He would not forget someone in need. He walked off into the rising sun, and thus began the most strenuous journey of his life.