Facing the Flames

Some time later, you realize you're not dead after all. At least you think you're not, because you're still thinking. This could be the afterlife, of course, or could it?

You open your eyes and realize that you are still in the same place you were before, a tunnel just off the dais above the pit. Now, however, it seems that the Gorbal is gone. Or rather, its flame is no longer concentrated in its form but rather spread everywhere. In the pit below you can dimly see a horde of soldiers marching along the floor like black ants. Nearer to you, you can see dark, twisted winged things wheeling through the air. You must have been out for a very long time, then. These creatures could not be minions of the Dragon, because they had not been here earlier. They frighten you far more than the Orcs did. You pray to your guardian spirit, but there is no answer. You turn around to run, and it is at that moment that you realize that you are not breathing.

As you realize this, you see a flying creature swoop in toward you. Although it is very far away, you can tell it is looking you in the eyes. You want to run away but can't. You start to wonder why you would want to. You wait as the creature moves in toward you. No, you think, this isn't right. You find that thinking is very hard now. You look down at yourself and see that you are burning, but you don't feel the pain. The flames grow stronger and brighter around you, burning with exhilerating power. You feel strongly pulled to walk toward the thing, which moves closer to you every strangely slow moment, even though there is no ground below you. No! you think. I am... I am... You cannot remember your name. You are not sure you want to have that name again. After all, when that was you, you failed at everything. The flames seem to promise strength, something that you lacked.

No! Your soul cries out in prayer again. I am... I am... I am Johnathan de Marat, son of the Duke of Collins! As you realize who you are, you realize that you are not meant for the flames and do not belong in them. They will only destroy you. You turn around and run, and find that you have to breathe in. You drink in the air with intensity as you flee the flames.

1. The Seeker

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