Floating in the Ethereal void, viewing the stars from the sky's perspective. The Avatar stared at the two serpents of Order and Chaos. Waving across the void unable to control themselves. The third serpent arrived, the Great Earth Serpent, the serpent of Balance. The serpents united as Order and Chaos wrapped around Balance and became steady once more.
            "There we are done..." said the Great Earth Serpent. "Balance is restored. Britannia, Serpent Isle, your Earth, all are saved. Good bye Avatar..."
            Glowing within the void the serpents almost seemed to smile. But a dark and evil voice spoke across the void interupting the Avatar's serenity.
            "Well well well." it said. "You have managed to thwart me once again, Avatar. But here you are laying on the edge of eternity. Where will you go? Back to Britannia? TO EARTH!?" A large red hand appeared from behind the Avatar grabbing him and retracting him into the beyond.
            "Perhaps you will join me in another world all together. We do have a score to settle..."
            Before the Avatar was pulled away he noticed something strange. The serpents glow faded to a point where they could barely be seen. As if their power were drained. As the hand pulled back, the Avatar's vision died and he blacked out...
 
 

            "Avatar? Art thou alright?" asked Sentri.
            The Avatar opened his eyes to find Sentri standing over him, surrounded by Rudyom, De Maria, Abraham, and Nastassia.
            "What happened? Where..." the Avatar groaned suddenly recalling the Blackrock prism in a massive wave.
            "Avatar, thou didst faint from the overwhelming knowledge the prism granted thee. Thou hast been out for a few moments." said Rudyom.
            "Damn, it feels like I was hit by a horde of Trolls square into my head..."
            "What didst thou discover?" asked Abraham. "Is it more than what we know already?"
            "Yes... A lot more... I remember seeing something like a Wisp. But.. It... I don't think it was a Wisp. It was a glimmer similar to one, but it wasn't. If it 'twere, I'd say it was a very strange Wisp indeed..."
            "What did it say?" asked Rudyom.
            "It told me... A riddle... And spoke of the son of Mondain and Minax..."
            "Yes, Exodus..." said Sentri. "But we did banish the Dark Core not long ago. 'Twould be difficult for the Psyche to return this time."
            "No... It told me Exodus was not their son."
            "Erm, surely thou didst know that was a metaphor..." said Abraham.
            "A meta-whats?" said Sentri, obviously confused.
            "No, it said something much more important. There does exist Mondain's son. But the... Prism... Would not tell me. In fact, I could have sworn it was laughing at me..." The Avatar grabbed Sentri's hand and pulled himself up.
            "Then surely it was not a wisp." said De Maria.
            "It also told me this strange prophetic riddle with no ending..."
            The Avatar retold the riddle the best he could remember. It made as much sense to the others as it did him.
            "Sounds like we've got another Abraham and Elizabeth search on our hands." said Sentri. Abraham scowled a moment realizing the joke was on him.
            For the first time the Avatar realized that Nastassia was in the room behind the rest. She stared at him blankly, hating and loving him at the same time. When she noticed the Avatar looking at her she left the house avoiding him entirely.
            "Wait!" he shouted. "Nastassia! Stop!"
            He ran out after her pushing De Maria aside trying not to knock him over. As he reached the threshold he barely managed to catch a glimpse of Nastassia running into a small hut. The Avatar would not lose her now. He walked up to the hut and looked through some shudders.
            "Nastassia... I know thou art in there..."
            "DAMN THEE!!! I HATE THEE AVATAR!!" Nastassia screamed and began to sob.
            "Nastassia, listen to me. I may have made the mistake of deceiving the people, but it was completely necessary!"
            Nastassia seemed to calm down.
            "I know Avatar. But thou shouldst have known... Everybody... Even me... Have become... Restless."
            "Restless!?"
            "Yes..." Nastassia sobbed for a few moments before continuing. "Promises left unkept, debts left unpaid... People in general became unvirtuous. Those who were unhappy became outraged that they were left out of thy big 'SECRET' about the Guardian. A town crier even convinced people that thou wert in league with an evil. But I disbelieved it all. When the killing came... It came hard..." Nastassia began to sob even more.
            "Nastassia. I cannot bring those who are dead back again. Nor can I fix the deeds done in the riots. But hear me. What I did was intended for the good of the people. Dost thou not think that if I announced the whole fiasco about the Guardian to Britannia that the whole world might have been a riot in fear?"
            "There is a difference Avatar... The difference between fear and hate. There would have been no killing in a riot of fear."
            "Damnit! There is no difference! If everbody went nuts out of fear we'd ALL be dead!!! YOU! ME! LORD BRITISH! ALL OF BRITANIA WOULD BE A SMOLDERING RUIN! BELIEVE ME! I'VE SEEN WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DO NOT WORSHIP THE GUARDIAN AFTER BEING CONQUERED... I know what happens..."
            The hut was silent. The Avatar continued.
            "In a world called Pagan... The Guardian conquered the entire planet and reduced it to a small island. Robbed of it's very sun, ruled by the cruelest of tyrants... And the people followed the Guardian like a savior. He stayed as their savior due to a single tale of the Guardian saving the world from a destroyer. Those who did not follow were called Zealans, they were hunted down and killed. Those who did not die were mutilated and tortured before death. Is that what thou didst want to happen to Britannia? IS IT!?"
            The door opened... Nastassia stepped out. She stared in the Avatar's eyes long and hard. Finally she leaped over and embraced him for what seemed like several minutes...
 
 

            Watching the Avatar's every move, the Guardian sat in his massive throne with his eyes shut... Waiting for him to make a mistake.
            "Milord?" asked Forskis. "To wonder, what happened on Terfin as punishment?"
            The Guardian opened his eyes with an annoyed look. "Forskis... You interupt my watching of the Avatar merely to question what I did to your race?"
            "No, to hope you did not kill to many. To not want any more unnecessary deaths..."
            "Forskis, I can raise any of your brethren from death as easily as I did to you."
            Forskis' eyes widened.
            "To have killed... that many?"
            The Guardian seemed to smile at Forskis' personal pain.
            "Now leave me Forskis. The Avatar may be below me. But I cannot strike him now. Or ever, if my plans do not go to work. I need you to take a skiff to the Skara Brae island. Somebody there will expect you. And, whether he knows it or not, he has helped me in the taking of Britannia."
            "To obey."
            Forskis turned around to leave. He did not hide his pain well, for he could hear the Guardian chuckling in amusement. As he left the throne room, he pulled out a small symbol of the Fellowship. It was small enough to fit his palm, like the Fellowship medallions it was an upside down triangle with a design within, similar to the ankh but the loop was morphed into four triangles with two apendages portruding from the top. And the arms swayed upward. Forskis clenched the symbal in his fist for several moments until he opened it to find the shattered pieces in his palm covered with Gargoyle blood.
            "To damn... my views..." he muttered to himself.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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