I looked, and in front of me I saw a magnificent tree. The tree towered above
all other trees, and stretched even above the heights of the Stone in the East
and the Great Star of the West. To many creatures, its branches gave refuge.
Yet, though the tree was great and the roots deep, the land around it was not
drained, but seemed to flourish all the more in its presence.

Then, while my eyes were on the tree, I heard a rumbling to the East, which was
echoed by the spirits of the South. The sun began to set, and drew with it the
Great Star of the West. At the fall of the last light of the West, the
darkness around the Tree grew complete. Though great, even the Tree was
overcome by the gathering night. The branches began to wither and the
creatures to flea. Many voices raise in unison, crying "The Great Tree of the
North, from which many creatures received shelter, shall soon fall! What then
can be done?" A gust of wind from a mighty swing threw me to my back, and I
could only hear as the felling blow fell.

This was my dream.

I record this dream now, not for my own sake but for those who will come. I
have become convinced that I was granted a vision by the gods. I write this
not so these events can be stopped, since such thing is beyond the power of
mortal man, but so that none will lose hope. For even though the tree is cut
down, the roots are left. After these things come to pass, the cow that was
dry shall again give milk. This shall begin the second life.

In thi...

- The Torn Prophecy of Ilaif

* * * * *

Aleri stood motionless for a moment, scanning the village from his temporary
hideaway beneath the doorframe of a small hut. The blood-smeared, blackened
pathway that stretched in front of his post supported a bustling load including
every kind of person. The Dark Servants of Magnagora were out in great numbers,
followed by their abominable demons and wyrms. The perverted faeling of the
fallen Gloriana also vied for control of the village. To the west, Aleri could
see the glittering armor of the proud (if somewhat foolish) paladins who now
marched to join the fray. Sprinkled here and there among all of the people, he
saw the deep green robes and mails of his own allies.

Had he not himself been present for the discovery of this small hamlet, he
would hardly had believed that only a decade ago, this village had been nothing
but a peaceful elven forest community, set apart from the rest of the world and
protected by the great Ranzine Mountains, which formed the western border of
the Basin of Life. The ancestors of these brave humans had been some of the
first to cross those mountains, settling only a short distance outside the
basin. For some time, nobody else believed it possible to expand to the land
outside of the Basin. That had all changed only ten years ago, when Aleri's
own exploration and recovery party had ventured through the mountains to find a
plush forest on the other side.

He and his companions had spent some time with these people, learning of their
land and their forest. They learned of the long, tediuos process by which even
the desolate land outside of the Basin of Life could be revived. Then,
Magnagora had come.

The Engine of Transformation quickly oppressed the villagers, somehow
convincing them that the taint could do greater good for them than anyone else.
Aleri and his allies had been cast out, and promised a swift death should they
return.

So it had been for ten years, and so it remaind until, just hours ago, a great
shout had risen from Ertec (as the village had been named). The citizens had
broken free of the spell of the taint, and now declared themselves free.
Immediately, every organization in the realms gathered its forces and swarmed
this village, each for its own ends, save perhaps the Great Forest of the
North, from which Aleri had come. His own desire was only to help these
dejected elves regain their former glory and joy in the shades of the forest
they had cultivated, and to learn in greater detail their secrets.

Just as he was remembering these things, something caught Aleri's eye. While
most of the villagers he saw seemed deep in contemplation, he saw suddenly one
man who walked around as if he had no care in the world. With an air of
confidence, Aleri left his doorframe and strode toward the man, a lecture about
the evils of the other civilizations already prepared on his tongue.

The moments passed quickly. It seemed only a few second later when again, a
resounding yell rose from the villagers of Ertec, declaring that they had
agreed to work together with the mighty Serenwilde.

* * * * *

"It is done, my lord." The Ur'guard warrior known as Sanael did not even look
up as he spoke, knowing that such an action of insolence in the presence of
Emperor Akotha might lead to his death.

"They took the village then?"

"Yes, my lord." Any other answer would have placed Sanael in a very dangerous
position.

"And you put on a show of a great struggle, as I commanded?"

"Yes, my lord."

"You have done well, Sanael. You are dismissed, and granted one week to rest
with your family. After your week is over, return to me. I have another
mission for you."

* * * * *

Though he had not left the village now for over a month, Aleri felt as if he
stood now in a different world, far from the one that had invaded the area only
one month earlier. With the help of the citizens, the Druids of the Hartstone
had worked tirelessly to remove the taint, blood, and scum and return the
forests to their original condition. The blood-spattered nightmare had been
converted to a tree-lined paradise.

"Well, we've done it again!" the voice of Kenan, Aleri's long-time companion
interrupted his thoughts. "The Serenwilde can influence like nobody else! We
now control almost all of the villages in the basin, and the only village
outside!"

"It's not about that, Kenan," Aleri calmly reminded him. This conversation had
replayed itself several times throughout their friendship. "The Serenwilde
isn't an empire. The point is that now, we can learn how to revive the forests
outside of the basin. We don't want to dominate, only to liberate."

"Call it what you will, we've grown larger and more powerful than any other
city or commune has ever been. Of course, that won't last forever..."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Aleri rarely placed much stock in the
comments of his friend, but this was uncharacteristicly pessimistic.

"You know that none of Ilaif's prophecies have ever failed. Well, a few months
ago a new one was found, in New Celest of all places. They're calling it the
Torn Prophecy, because the bottom part of the page has been torn off. Scholars
are still working on the meaning of the rest of it, but the early reports are in
agreement. The prophecy predicts the fall of the Serenwilde."

"Where do you come up with this nonsense? Why would one of Ilaif's prophecies
be in New Celest? And even if it were, who can know what it means if part of
the page is torn off?" Even though he was still skeptical, Aleri was inwardly
troubled, if only slightly, by the mention of Ilaif's prophecy. Kenan was
right in that all of Ilaif's prophecies had come to fulfillment, even though
several seemed extremely unlikely. If this new prophecy truly came from Ilaif,
what would it mean for the future of the Serenwilde?

"Well, believe me or not, I suspect you'll hear for yourself soon enough. The
Regent has summoned you back for an urgent meeting of the Moonhart Circle. I'm
supposed to deliver this to you." As he spoke, Kenan reached into his robes for
the summons, which he handed Aleri. "Enjoy the meeting. I wouldn't want to be
there."

* * * * *

"Several of you know already why we are here," Aril, Regent of the Alliance of
the Serenwilde began. "Some of you, however, do not." Here Aril looked
directly at Aleri, making him feel as if he was the only one included in this
last statement. "In the interest of clarity, I will not even attempt to
explain the situation myself. Instead, Itulaniah shall be explaining
everything."

As the Regent took his seat and the commune's librarian and head scholar stood,
Aleri took a quick survey of the area around him. The council chambers could
hardly be considered a "room" in the typical sense. It was simply a collection
of several tight branches which allowed the council members to sit closely
together, and even a stubby branch at the front that was often used as a
lectern. During times when secrecy was needed, the chambers were secured by
enchantment, rather than locks and walls. The council itself had grown in
recent days to seven members, including two from each guild of the Wilde and
the Regent. Aleri, an expert at reading the emotions of others, could sense
only one thing from his colleagues. Fear.

"A few weeks ago," Itulianah began, drawing Aleri's attention back to the
front, "a strange peddler was seen in the city of New Celest. Some witnesses
claimed to have seen him there before, always selling dangerous or blasphemous
wares. This time, though, rather than hiding and selling his items in the
less-oft patrolled outer recesses of the town, he walked directly to the Pool
of Stars. Here he stood and declared that he had for sale only one item this
day, and he would give it for free to any leader of the city who asked." So
far, Aleri hadn't heard anything worthy of his attention as a Serenwilder, let
alone the attention of the entire council. "When a Duke of the Star Council
finally arrived, the merchant gave to him a small parchment, from which the
bottom had been torn." The muscles in Aleri's neck began to tense. "Rather
than attempt to cover the details with you, I created a few magical scrolls,
each of which contains the text of this torn page. You may read for
yourselves."

Unfurling the scroll that was handed to him, Aleri scanned the parchment.
Finally, after several minutes of silence, one of the council members spoke.
"Maybe it's a fake," she said, seemingly more out of hope than belief.

"No living person outside of this room has ever seen one of Ilaef's scrolls
with their own eyes, and his signature is a closely guarded secret. Who could
fake it?" At Aril's mention of the signature, Aleri looked back at his scroll
and saw it clearly. The Regent was right, nobody else would have known to fake
what he now saw in the first letters of the first five words. "I Looked And In
Front..."

"The question for us now," Aril continued, "is not over authenticity, but over
the meaning, and how we intend to prepare for it."

* * * * *

Much as he now tried, Sanael seemed unable to clear his mind. He had done his
duty for the Engine of Transformation. He had studied among the elves in Ertec
and brought back their secrets to his leaders. He had pretended to fight for
control of the village, while in reality working to ensure that the Serenwilde
gained control. He had carried out his orders flawlessly. Why, then, was he
now unable to rest?

"Something just feels wrong," he finally shared with his wife. "The prophecy
essentially ensures that we will be victorious. The Serenwilde will be cut
down, and we will rule the world. It sounds like everything will be perfect.
I can't help but wonder, though. What will truly happen to the basin if we
destroy the Serenwilde? What will come of us without the creatures and herbs
they protect?"

"Don't be so foolish," was her reply. "The Engine will only destroy those
things that stand in our way. Anything that can be converted for our use will
be."

"What of the land, though? If the Serenwilders can truly find a way to revive
the land outside the Basin of Life, would that not be a great thing?"

"Be careful how far you follow that," she spoke warily. "You're beginning to
sound like one of them."

"I'm simply thinking out loud," he replied. She was right, he decided. He was
even beginning to think like one of them.

* * * * *

The past week had been a blur for Sanael. He had, of course, appreciated his
time off to spend with his family, but he found rest to be an increasingly
difficult achievement. Then, only a few days before, he had been summoned
again before Emperor Akotha for his new assignment - to carry a message to the
Grand Duke of New Celest.

As he expected, he was not well received in New Celest. A comfortable
reception was not his aim though. He was determined to speak with the Grand
Duke, and after only a small amount of arguing he was admitted.

"I have a very simple message for you," Sanael had told him. "Soon, the
Serenwilde will approach you asking for help with a project of theirs. You
will agree to help them, but we will supply the man you send."

"Who are you to make such demands of me?" the Duke had responded. "New Celest
has not ever, and will not ever take such commands from tainted scum. You're
lucky you were allowed within our walls at all."

This was exactly the response Emperor Akotha was expecting. Even as continued
speaking, he felt deep in his gut the strange jerking sensation that told him
what would come next. "You don't seem to understand. This is not a request."

Moments later, the private room was filled with Emperor Akotha's personal
guard. Sanael had been dismissed and told that the members of the guard would
handle the situation. Knowing better than to ask questions, he had immediately
left.

As he now rode his warhorse back toward his home city, it was not difficult for
him to imagine what had taken place in that room after his departure. The
bloodshed would lead to more war, more killing, and more death. When would the
cycle end? If the Serenwilde and Celest both fell, then what? Would the wars
cease?

Questions like these had troubled Sanael's thoughts for too long. Answers
seemed as if they would never come. Finally, more to assuade his restless
spirit than by conscious contemplation, Sanael made a decision. Pulling on the
reigns of his horse, he left the road that led to his homeland, traveling
instead toward the north.

* * * * *

"The process itself is not inherently difficult," Drakima, leader of the
Ertecen elves, explained. "The difficult part is in the preparation."

"What is needed by way of preparation?" Aleri had heard many of the stories of
the Ertecen elves, but never had any been willing to speak with him about the
process for the rejuvenation of the land.

"The most difficult task by far is to select a Gathering. A Gathering is a
sort of coven, made up of four members - no more, no less. Unlike normal
covens, though, each member of a Gathering must concentrate on performing one
specific task. Each member must perform their job in order, then pass on their
power and control to the next member of the Gathering. Should any member fail
in their task, or prove unable to pass on control, the Gathering will not only
fail, but possibly backfire."

"What do you mean it could backfire?"

"I do not know," the old man sighed. "I've heard only that it was possible."

Aleri was not so easily dissuaded. "It does sound a bit difficult," he
admitted. "Have no fears, though. The members of the Serenwilde, including
myself, have performed hundreds of covens. We are an organized unit. We can
perform this gathering."

"Sadly, my friend, I'm afraid you cannot." The man's pessimism startled Aleri.
Before he could argue, though, Drakima continued. "You see, the Gathering
includes four stages, each of which requires a person with very specific gifts.
Your part is to create beautiful, powerful trees on the land. That is only the
last of the phases, however."

As he finally came to understand what Drakima was implying, Aleri felt as if
his stomach was beginning to tie itself in knots. "Tell me about the other
phases."

"Let's work backwards," Drakima suggested. "Before any trees you can create
can live, they must have a natural source of energy. Out here nutrients aren't
found in the dead land. The best source would be pure, clear water."

"Provided by an Aquamancer of New Celest." Aleri was catching on quickly.

"Even a pure flood won't last in this flat, desolate wasteland, though. Before
a flood can spread its nutrients into the ground, the earth must first be
cultured and aerated. This sort of treatment comes from the presence of trees
and other large plants."

"But as you already said, we could not grow trees until after the flood..."

"Ah, but you are not the only ones who can call forth trees, are you?"

Finally Aleri began to fully understand. "You refer to Wyrden trees then?
They might be able to live even before the flood."

"Even Wyrden trees require their own sort of nutrients. In the same way your
trees require the pure water, the wyrden trees require the poison of the taint
to subsist. This is the first phase - a mage of the eastern kingdom must draw
together the poisons deep in this soil, adding to it their own form of the
taint." Drakima stared intently at Aleri for a moment before finally driving
his point home. "The Gathering must include one to control the taint, one to
call forth the wyrden forest, and one to summon a flood and cleanse away the
poison. Only after these three are finished can one bless the land with the
gift of pure life."

* * * * *

At the Regent's orders, Aleri quickly sent messengers to Magnagora, New Celest,
and Glomdoring, explaining the requirements and situation. While he considered
it an exercise in futility, Aril believed that even those who were tainted or
wyrden would be forced to admit the mutual benefits of reviving the land
outside of the Basin of Life. To Aleri's great surprise, the responses
received only a few days later proved Aril correct. Mages from each
organization agreed to meet, and the ceremony was arranged.

The day of the Gathering came quickly. The entire ruling council of the
Serenwilde was present. Emperor Akotha himself had volunteered to act on
behalf of Magnagora, and Laric, master of the Blacktalon, for the Glomdoring
forest. A quiet aquamancer in blue robes appeared to represent New Celest -
leave it to them to prove their piety by sending a lowly, unknown guild member,
Aleri thought. Aleri himself was to work on behalf of the Serenwilde.

Greetings and smalltalk were quickly passed over. No part of this cooperation
would be confused as a pretense of friendship. They had a job to do, and
nothing else. After only a few moments, Drakima, who agreed to oversee and
coach them, arrived. "Procrastination will serve us no purpose here. Let us
begin."

At Drakima's direction, the four of them gathered in a circle around a small
stone altar which had been built for the occasion. They gathered in a circle
in order of the phases. When they were told to grasp hands, Aleri nearly
considered aborting the process simply to avoid having to feel the corpse-like
fingers of the Dark Emperor. As it was, he was forced to exercise every ounce
of his discipline to avoid recoiling at the cold touch. "I must not think
about such things," he told himself repeatedly. "I must concentrate."

The ritual begain with the four of them raising their hands high over their
heads and repeating a long incantation. The stone altar began to eminate a
faint red glow - the sign, Drakima told them, that it was time for the first
phase to begin.

Akotha began to speak in a dark language foreign to Aleri, causing his skin to
crawl as if in an attempt to escape the sound. The ground beneath him began to
rumble, and Aleri's knees nearly gave way as the poison in the ground made its
way up to the surface. With the completion of the first phase, Aleri was
overcome with such weakness that he nearly collapsed. Before he had even
registered this thought, however, phase two had begun.

The voice of Laric, while far from beautiful, seemed so after the rasping of
Akotha. The sickness in Aleri's stomach subsided a bit as gnarly, twisted
trees began to sprout from the ground. Almost immediately, however, he wished
it back. Even weakness and illness was preferable to the perversion of nature
he now witnessed surrounding him. Again, just before his repulsion overwhelmed
him completely, Laric had finished and phase three began.

'Finally,' Aleri thought, 'this poison will be cleared. The difficult part is
nearly over!' Aleri could already feel his mind beginning to clear, as he
listened to the strange, wheezy voice of the aquamancer as phase three
commenced. 'Odd that the higher-ranked aquamancers would not wish to be
present for something such as this,' he thought. It seemed to him even
stranger still that such a raspy-voiced aquamancer would be chosen. His voice
sounded almost like those from the East who have spent their life in the
poisonous fumes...

Aleri's legs began to tremble as they grew suddenly feeble. Suddenly, Aleri
became aware of just how intensely hungry he was. Hearing the voice stop,
Aleri finally opened his eyes, preparing to begin the last phase. The words
which had already formed in his mind never escaped his lips.

Aleri could not mask the horror that coursed through him as he searched
frantically for his Regent, hoping for a new order. Rather than the pure pool
he expected to see around him, Aleri stood nearly ankle-deep in taint. Unlike
before, this taint was not confined to the circle of the Gathering - it
stretched for miles in every direction. What's more, it seemed to be
spreading. As his legs buckled, unable to support the weight of his body any
longer, Aleri finally caught a glimpse of Aril. The Regent of the Wilde, along
with his entire council, lay sprawled helplessly on the ground, towered over by
the grotesque form of Emperor Akotha. Akotha hefted his staff and pointed it
directly at Regent Aril, and spoke a word of magic.

Nearly paralysed outwardly by the taint, and inwardly by the atrocity he was
forced to witness, Aleri finally gave himself up to the darkness. His last
vision was of a huge man in black armour on a galloping steed, then all was
black.

* * * * *

The taint was everywhere. Nowhere to run! A scream of rage and horror ripped
through Aleri, erupting from his lips before he could stop it.

"Feel better?" The voice was strange to Aleri. It carried the raspy quality
of the tainted, but it spoke with a kindness and concern foreign to them. When
Aleri's eyes opened, all was still blury. After a few moments of strain, he was
able to locate the source of the voice - a beast of a man, clad in armour the
color of jet, and without adornment.

"What concern is that of yours?" The man had sounded kind, but Aleri knew
better. Ur'guards, as he had judged this man to be, had no concept of
kindness. Aleri could only do his best to remain alive, and gather all of the
information he could from the beast.

"I understand your anger, but there's no need for it here. My name is Sanael,
and I can help you." When Aleri said nothing, Sanael continued. "You've
judged correctly. I'm an Ur'guard of Magnagora. I was personally involved in
the organization of what happened to you. I am sorry for that, but
unfortunately there's no way for me to take it back. There might be a way for
us to combat it, though, but you'll have to trust me."

"Back up a step," Aleri half-yelled, annoyed at the man's gentleness. He would
be much easier to hate if he would only be more harsh and cruel! "Start at the
beginning. What is it that happened just now?"

"Well," Sanael began with a sigh, "first of all, it was not just now. It's
been nearly a week since the events you speak of. As for what happened, it was
the fulfillment of a plan that has been in the works for quite some time."
After a brief pause to gather his thoughts, Sanael explained about his studies
with the people of Ertec. "While I was there, they explained a little bit of
the process of the Gathering to me. I brought the information back to Emperor
Akotha, who set his scholars to work on it. From the information we gathered
and their own studies, the scholars proposed a different process. Instead of
an aquamancer, if a geomancer were to stand in after the earth was aerated, he
might be able to draw up unthinkable levels of poison, and mix with it the
great taint. The taint could be spread to cover much of the world, including
most of the Basin of Life."

"Why all the deception? Why didn't you just go out and do it on your own?"

"That was where things became difficult. You see, this ritual, like the
Gathering, requires an introductory phase before it can be performed. The
powers of the taint, wyrd, water, and nature must be stored in the altar before
the actual phases can begin. It was easy enough for us to trick Celest into
storing their powers in the altar before the date of the actual ritual, but we
knew you would prove more difficult. So, we had to keep up the guise of the
Gathering to keep you involved."

"So then you simply substituted one of your own men for the aquamancer...but
how did you manage to keep Celest out of it?"

"The ruling council of New Celest, along with every aquamancer, is being held
under guard within their own city. The citizens suspect nothing. Which is
where we come in..." Finally, Sanael could get to his point.

"We? You, an Ur'guard of Magnagora, and I, a great Druid of the Serenwilde,
are now a 'we'?"

"I doubt I'll be considered an Ur'guard for much longer. By taking you, I've
violated the direct orders of Emperor Akotha. While he was...dealing...with
some of your colleagues, I grabbed you and escaped. I was hoping you'd be
willing to help me in return."

Aleri had all but forgotten about the gruesome scene of Akotha slaughtering his
friends, as they lay helpless. "How many are dead?"

Though he did not want to cause his new companion extra pain, Sanael believed
honesty to be his best approach. "Everyone who was present, other than you,
has been slain. What's more, the taint that was unleashed there has spread
quickly. It has recently broken the borders of the Serenwilde, where many more
will die soon if we're not quick."

Any option was better than allowin the precious Serenwilde and her inhabitants
to die. "Tell me what you want."

* * * * *

Sanael proved correct, the citizens of Celest did not seem to suspect that
anything was happening. There were no guards posted at the gate, and no more
around the city than normal. None of his prepared lies seemed necessary. Not
a single guard or citizen even seemed to think anything out of the ordinary,
and so he approached the palace unhindered. Behind the palace, Aleri found the
small ally that Sanael had mentioned. Carefully remaining out of sight, Aleri
walked to the end of the alley and waited.

He did not have to wait long. Within moments, he jerked slightly and felt a
strange pulling deep in his stomach. Seconds later, Sanael was standing in
front of him. Stern-faced and cold, Sanael grabbed Aleri's wrists and tied
them tightly together. "We begin now," he said shortly.

The two made their way back to the entrance of the palace, Sanael jerking
Aleri's rope and shouting insults at him periodically. At the sight of a new
prisoner, the guards stationed in the palace quickly opened the doors. After a
short exchange with the guards, Sanael left them behind. He half led, half
dragged Aleri deep into the palace, to a musky back room. Barking at the
guards and shoving aside the doors, he threw Aleri forcefully to the ground,
turned on his heel, and stalked out.

After the guards had again closed the doors, Aleri paused to take in his
surroundings. The room was much bigger than it appeared from outside, and much
less inviting. The walls and floor were cold and bare. The room held no beds
or other items of comfort. In fact, Aleri assumed the room must have been
emtpy for quite some time. Now, though, the room held several occupants, all
of whom now gathered around Aleri.

"Where are you from?"

"What are they going to do to us?"

After a few moments of fending off senseless questions, Aleri finally calmed
them enough to explain his purpose, and that of Sanael. The Grand Duke,
however, having met Sanael before, was not so trusting.

"What reason do we have to trust him? He's the one who began all of this."

Fortunately, that very question was one that Aleri himself had been pondering
for awhile. "You're familiar with the Torn Prophecy, are you not? Much of it
is clear enough - the growth of Magnagora, the weaking of Celest and the fall
of the Serenwilde. What, though, do you make of the cow who gives milk?"

The Grand Duke thought for a second before answering. "Our scholars studied
the prophecy for some time before we turned it over. None could even guess as
to the meaning."

"Allow me then, to propose this," Aleri went on, slightly anxious to share his
conclusions. "The cow that was dry represents something that has not
contributed to the good of mankind for some time. Now, however, something pure
and nourishing comes forth from it, something that will save mankind." Aleri
paused for a moment for effect. "Our savior, in orther words, will come from
Magnagora."

Unable to come up with an answer, the Grand Duke fell silent. "My instructions
are simple," Aleri went on. "Sanael will come in, and choose us one by one for
execution. When you're chosen, go with him and do as he asks you to do."

* * * * *

After only a few days time, all of the aquamancers and Aleri had been taken for
execution. The leaders, however, were left in the room at the insistence of the
guards that Akotha wanted them for himself.

After Sanael shared all he knew with the mages, they separated and began to
talk among themselves about what could be done. Eventually, they had returned
with a basic solution - in order to reverse the ritual, they needed only
perform the opposite.

Thus the group now stood, gathered in a circle, around a pile of stones. No
time was taken for conversation or debate, each individual knowing that each
second the taint grew stronger. As they prepared to begin, Aleri was struck by
a thought. "If the first ritual required the power of an Aquamancer and a
Druid, won't ours also require the power of a Geomancer and a Wyrden Druid?"
Wordlessly, Sanael had pulled two stones from his saddlebag and placed them on
the pile in the center of the circle - stones which Aleri immediately
recognized from the first altar. Sanael had truly thought of everything.

Half of the aquamancers joined all in unison for the first phase. Even as they
spoke, Aleri felt a resurgence of strength. As the time approached for Aleri to
begin his phase, tears welled up in his eyes. Many had bled and died over the
past weeks. The taint had spread at an unbelievable rate, slaughtering plants
and nature as its armies slaughtered people. All of this could be ended in a
few moments, as the same process which brought this death into being would
remove it. As the tear slowly traversed its way down Aleri's face, he began
the words which he had been waiting for weeks to say.

The others made their own contributions after Aleri had finished, but none so
passionately. As the ritual neared its end, Aleri dared to open his eyes yet
again. His heart, which had for so long seemed a leaden weight, began to soar
as he saw the taint around him begin to recede. The land it left behind was
not the plush forest of Ertec, but neither was it the taint. It had returned
to its previous state of dead, lost land.

At the conclusion of the ritual, the group stood silently for a few moments.
The silence was shattered as Sanael drew a huge hammer from his horse.
Bringing it down with a powerful swing, he crushed the altar in a single blow.
"Though you've accomplished a lot today, it's not over yet," he advised. "The
leaders of New Celest are still held under guard." At this, several
aquamancers nodded, looking determined. "Most of the leadership of the
Serenwilde has been killed. The creatures and members of that forest need
someone to guide them in rebuilding."

Aleri was quiet for a moment. "I cannot lead the Wilde alone," he said at
last. "You must lend us also your strength and wisdom. My first act as a
leader of the Wilde will be to enlist you as a citizen, a soldier, and an
advisor."

* * * * *

In the pathways of the now dark, deserted village of Ertec, a lone figure
strode confidently toward a tree trunk. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small
piece of parchment. Pulling another parchment from deep inside his garments, he
held the two up to the light together and read.

In this, do not place great hope; this joyous time is not the end. For the
miracle is a twofold trade - just as the dry cow shall give milk, so shall the
chicken lay an egg of poison.

Placing both pieces of parchment back inside his garments, the figure turned
and disappeared into the shadows.