POV Dawkin:

Uhg, I groan. My back isn’t as strong as it once was. Just standing up from my old throne requires effort. Oh, how I miss my younger days. I was so full of energy back then, ready to challenge the world. Nothing could stop me. With slightly unstable steps, I slowly make my way towards the throne-room balcony.

“Dear, you should be resting.” I hear my lovely wife’s old voice reproach me. “I just want to take another look. It never fails to bring peace to my tired eyes” I chide back in a calm voice. “It was today, seventy years ago, when I brought you all here.” I continue, my wife following steadily behind me.

“That was long ago. We aren’t the same young people we once were. Safety, security and happiness, those were distant thoughts that we once believed were unattainable. Now, we’ve made it a reality. Why do you still seem so worried?” My wife’s voice drifts behind me as I reach the balcony overlooking our city.

I gently grasp the balcony’s railing, my eyes drift through the hundreds of buildings lining the streets. A gorgeous city resting peacefully in the shadow of a lonely mountain. This city was built with the blood, sweat and tears of my people. It’s our bastion and I’m willing to defend it to my last breath. My body may be old and weak, but my determination and desire to protect my people burn brighter than ever. My old determination festers in my heart.

“We are old people of a past time. It’s about time for the next generation to take power in our stead. You are already ninety-one. Don’t you think it’s about time we abdicate the throne and take our well-deserved rest?” My wife’s warm voice rests in my ear as she gently places her hand on my shoulder. She only cares about my wellbeing and, the impact that the strain of leadership has on my health worries her.

“Maybe you are right.” I agree in a tired voice. “The problem is, I just can’t rest my heart. I feel unsettling unease in the air. I can’t be sure, I’m just speculating. The strange power that we wield; the power that I taught our people to wield. The power that allowed us to reign unopposed.” I say to my wife, trying to find some comfort to my worries.

“This strength, it goes against the Gods themselves. I hope it’s just some old age paranoia talking here, but until I find an answer I can’t rest my heart.” I say as I look up at the sky, the sunlight gently caressing my old wrinkled face. The feeling of unrest still won’t go away. Even with the inhuman strength that I’ve accumulated through the years, I still feel helpless.

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If my suspicions are correct, and every fibre of my being hopes they aren’t, then I don’t believe that even Zohn, with all his might, will be able to save us. “Come, dear, you need to rest. Even if the Gods are against us, I still believe you’ll find a way and if you don’t, then we’ll face them together.” My wife comforts me, as a small smile surfaces on my tired face.

She never fails to make me smile. I turn around and face her. A warm smile is ever-present on her beautiful face. Not even old age can suppress her kind beauty. “You’re right, maybe it’s really time we take our well-deserved rest,” I say in a calm voice, as I take my wife’s soft hand and guide her back towards the throne room.

POV Zohn:

Wild excitement is present in my eyes. I can feel it. This past year, the power that Col radiates, has reached an unprecedented height. I’ve waited a thousand years for what’s about to come; I feel as jittery as a small child. Col can wake up at any moment.

I’ve prepared every day for Col’s eventual awakening. I’ve grown stronger these past thousand years. Stronger to the point that I don’t have anything to compare myself with, Col excluded. I just hope that it’s enough. Maybe, I’m still too weak to help Col in his journey? Maybe, this was all just a fool’s errand?

I should really stop doubting myself. I’m already over a thousand years old, I should act my age. Still, my insecurity won’t go away just like that. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my mind. Doubting myself now is pointless, only time will tell if my efforts were in vain. The only thing that I can do right now is to wait.

Still, I feel restless. It feels like I can’t wait anymore for Col to wake up. I should just distract myself until he wakes up. It can’t be long anymore, I can feel it.

I look over at the city next to the mountain. Those people have come a long way. It feels like just yesterday that they ran towards this mountain, a group of people lost and without hope. I just blink my eyes and they’ve already come such a long way. Seventy years is a short amount of time. My eyes focus on the palace in the centre of the city.

I spot Dawkin walking into the throne room from the balcony. I feel like my eyesight is too strong sometimes. It always saddens my mood when I look at Dawkin. The wrinkles on his face, the tell-tale signs of the ravages of time. I’ve become too disconnected from the world around me.

As I look over at the city, the smile fades from my face. I feel something in the air, something powerful… too powerful. My body is locked in place, a feeling of dread washes over me. I slowly tilt my head up to the sky and my eyes widen in shock.