The limitlessness of space held mystery and wonder. The tiny pin-pricks of light that flickered were no nearer to him as he soared into the darkness. As the fires of Thal’Pyrae faded into nothingness behind him, Asrin was left alone with his thoughts.
Why can he not see it? Why can he not understand? He has been too long-lived to grasp the insanity that lies in his path.
These thoughts continued through his mind as he flew. He knew not how far he had gone nor how long he had flown. In space, there is no sunrise to signal the dawn of a new day. There is no moonrise to trigger the dawn of a new night. It is simply night.
These thoughts all came to a crashing halt as Asrin himself crashed into something hard. Solid. He felt his bones bend under the sudden and harsh stop, and tasted blood. As he slowly opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by…dirt. He had been paying attention. He had seen nothing in his way. Where did this come from? He pushed himself to his feet and looked around. He had left a remarkably large crater in this place. Climbing out, he dusted himself off. One of his wings was severely damaged. He looked about for someone—anyone—who could assist.
There was no one.
Still dazed and somewhat confused by the place, he called out. “Hello?”
Silence reverberated back.
“Hello?” he called again.
Still, silence.
“Where am I?” he wondered aloud. No answers came to his mind or ears. He peered back over the edge of the crater. Darkness peered back.
Then, a spark.
A tiny ember of flame danced among the debris at the bottom of the crater. It began to grow, and soon, an inferno blazed before him. Now this was interesting! He watched for a little longer. From the center of the inferno, a shadow began to form. He watched with rapt attention and interest. The shadow began to take shape, developing arms, legs, and unclawed feet and hands. The head was the last to form. Asrin thought this creature looked vaguely like the creatures called humans that he had heard fanciful stories about in his youth. The creature let out a low, moaning cry and stepped from the fire and ashes. It looked around at the devastation of the land, then up to the skies.
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