The Infinite Father’s beautifully carved wooden statue on the corner of my table tumbles on to the marble floor as a thunderous roar leaves my ears ringing. The crystalline hourglass in its hand shatters on impact. Blue fragments scatter across the floor. I sit up. I know that sound. This is a dragon. Judging by the pitch and flavor of its roar, a black one at that. It is still very young, inexperienced and weak. I raise myself from my chair. As I round the table, I cast a quick glance at the destroyed hourglass on the floor. The bright light of Aditya, cascading through the open window reflects and refracts on the fragments to create a colorful chaos. Destruction can be so very beautiful. As I reach the open window and look outside, I can see my suspicions confirmed. In the distance approaches an obsidian Black dragon glistening like the fragments of the hourglass on my office floor. I look at the giant skull of a red dragon hanging from the wall.

That was a fight, this child outside wouldn’t even be a challenge. I am about to jump out of the window to teach this upstart a lesson or two. Then I realize something. It is quiet. Dead quiet. No panicked screams and screeches coming from the city. Are those scoundrels to afraid to scream? Or is there something else going on here? I decide to look again. More carefully this time. The Dragon is not attacking the City. Why is he not attacking Asapu?  He is headed straight for this temple.

I decided to take a closer look. Swiftly, I take a small glass vial off my belt. The light-blue liquid inside, seems to have a life of its own. It weaves around, boils and churns. Once I remove the cork from the vial the liquid dies down, like it always does. As if it is expecting something. I place the vial at my mouth take two sips and brace myself for what I know is coming. But, as always, I am not able to fully prepare myself for the surge on energy and power I feel cursing through my body once I swallow the liquid. It feels like a fire spreading from my mouth burning through my body at a rapid pace, leaving me sensitive to the world around me. My senses sharpen and there is a sensation of discomfort as the wave of fire reaches my heart. From one heartbeat to the next I can suddenly feel, touch and taste everything in a 3 feet radius around my, like I am actually touching or tasting it. It’s frustrating, that in these long years of my life, I’ve never been able to control the initial effect it has on me. The great Arahu kak dami should be stronger than that. Anyway, time to find out what exactly is going on. The energy flowing through me is just waiting to be put to use. I focus on the rune of far sight that I imprinted on my iris so long ago. I direct the energy vibrating inside me to the eye and out through the rune. The aura of sensation around me collapses inwards. I can feel the rune activate and for a moment my vision blurs. As my vision sharpens, I fixate on the young black dragon, who is now hovering in the distance above Asapu.

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The City seems to be holding its breath. Its glistening obsidian scales now almost blind me. There on the Dragon’s back is a small figure I recognize. It is that bastard kid Mereth. If he is here his wretched friends won’t be far. And sure enough, there they are. Walking the streets of Asapu like they own them. And the Akai following close behind. These people should have never existed. I should have erased their kind myself. They are a disgrace to elves and orcs alike. An Abomination! Dogs! There is no reason I have to look a single moment longer than absolutely necessary. I don’t need to be reminded of what happened between elves and orcs after the last war between Inior and Vallar. It apparently only takes two thirds of Tarros to spawn an Abomination of this magnitude. Stop thinking about them. You will do something stupid. They are not worth your anger. They aren’t even worth your thought. Just take a deep breath.  

With a deep breath I drop my concentration on the far sight rune. The energy floods from my eye into the rest of my body. My body tingles as the wave of energy fills up my body. After I am completely filled, it seeps out into the world around me. I am once again exposed to the sensations in my close vicinity. Although, through the use of the far sight rune, the radius of my sensitivity, along with the use of the energy has been reduced. I turn to my desk to seek advice from the statue of Zaman, The Infinite Father. Only to find it lying broken and shattered on the floor. A deep sigh escapes my mouth and I turn to watch, as the Group of vigilantes arrives in front of the temple gates.