There were only flames.
As far as the eye could see, Beinost was aflame. Each beautiful stone structure crackled with a hellish energy as some mad perversion of magic tore everything asunder. Screams echoed throughout the town, a hellish cacophony filling the air. Vincent Cain stood in the town’s plaza, his face stained with blood, watching his life’s work burn to cinders. The flames danced in the reflection of his sapphire eyes as he watched the flames consume the workers he’d lured there under false pretenses of hope. Massive machines engineered to cure the Raiaeran plague fell to the flame, disintegrating to ashes. He watched the future of Raiaera fade to nothing. The scholar wanted to scream, but his lips were sealed shut, he could only stand in silent horror, glued to the spot as the world was consumed in the conflagration.
Then all was black.
When his vision returned, he was no longer in Beinost, but Ettermire. Once again he stood in silent horror as fireballs rained from the heavens upon the town. Each impact shook the ground violently, kicking up ash and dust in great clouds. Atop the buildings, elves in purple cloaks shot down at their exiled brethren indiscriminately. As the smoke and dust filled the air, they almost seemed to float about like wraiths, cackling with each spell slung. The slaughter persisted as menacing laughing filled the air. The crimson sky cracked open, and an inky darkness began to spill from the heavens. Torrential rivers of black goop began to spew down onto the ground below, covering almost everything. A monstrous claw breached the void, the same inky blackness flowing around it like oil, and began to descend upon the world, talons outstretched as if it was ready to tear into the city. In its open palm, a massive amber eye glared menacingly down upon the world, twitching about as if it was looking for something. Finally its massive iris set its sights upon Vincent, it calmed and widened as it homed in on the Scholar. As it approached the laughing grew louder, and louder, until its jet black fingers dug into the earth. From the monstrosity’s eye several massive sets of crooked, yellow teeth erupted from the amber cornea and began to close around the scholar.
All faded to black one more, yet this time the scholar remained.
Floating in a void of nothingness, a chill ran down Vince’s spine. Voices filled his mind, softly at first, but growing louder with each moment. At first they were indescribable, a rush of incoherent gibberish, but as time went on the babbling became more and more coherent.
“Why didn’t you save us? Why didn’t you listen? WHY DIDN’T YOU SAVE US, WHY DIDN’T YOU LISTEN? WHYDIDNTYOUSAVEUSWHYDIDNTYOULISTEN”
Each repetition grew louder, and angrier as the invisible mob gained momentum. Louder and louder, faster and faster, their words kept coming and coming. Suddenly, just when it seemed like the words couldn’t grow any louder, there was silence.
“You failed us, Emperor.”
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