It was a dark night. The deafening silence was occasionally broken by the sounds of waking owls and wolves stalking. The moon cast a pale light on a small hill, in the center of which stood a dingy inn. It was the last place to find shelter; beyond stretched savage plains and hills, beyond which lay a similarly vast land ravaged by fire and lava. Its sole inhabitant had once been Aunglamir, a powerful black magician with the power of murder. Two years ago, however, Aunglamir had been defeated by a chosen one—Varrus—who later earned the epithet "the righteous one." However, this story does not concern those distant times, so let's return to the present, that is, to 514.
The inn built on the hill stood almost empty that evening. Only on the second floor of a small building on the western side, a faint light smoldered, almost invisible behind mud-smeared windows. In a small room stood a tall man. He had raven-black hair, brown eyes, and a face covered with numerous scars. This man was a traveler, the only one so intimately familiar with wild lands. Rumors even circulated that he had been to Aunglamir's land, though he himself would not confirm this. However, whenever mention was made of that distant and dangerous place, his face was crisscrossed with rippling strands of skin, as if recalling the horrors he might have experienced there. In any case, the man now stood by the window, staring into the darkness that shrouded the entire area. He was waiting for something, or someone. Finally, he arrived. A presence was evident in the room, though no one but the traveler himself was visible. Suddenly, the traveler spoke:
"Hello, Vivien, why are you sneaking up on me as if you were going to kill me? Can't you show yourself?"
"Of course not," replied a soft voice, a woman's voice. "Don't you remember that I look terrible after the fight with Vonnis? You can't see me like this.
" "Your choice! But remember, you're not my ordinary friend, and I'd like you to die before the end of all that exists.
" "You'll surely see me again, but what end are you talking about?
" "Don't you know? 'At the end of good, the heir of Aunglamir will be born from under the mountain, he will bring us ruin!'" Those are the words of the prophecy. The end of good, the last home where you will find refuge, is here; the heir will be born tonight, from under the mountain nearby."
The traveler had barely finished his sentence when a terrible roar rent the air, the sound like a thousand collapsing houses. The traveler's heart leaped. Suddenly, he felt a familiar touch; it was the invisible Vivien embracing him, while a stream of lava rose into the air, a thousand meters high. Vivien began to whisper,
"You were right, Valurus, you were right! The heir is being born. We must act quickly, the prophecy must come true!"
"What do you mean, what do you have in mind?
" "If you're quoting, then I can too. 'When the heir is born, there's only one way to defeat him. Find the sword of the lost soldier, chosen one, and unite it with the light on the altar of ghosts. Thus you will bring peace to your land and reign therein'!" Have you forgotten?
"I'll never do that; we'll all die for nothing, do you understand? My father died because he fulfilled the prophecy, and my grandfather too. Do you want me to share their fate?
" "Your grandfather died because he raised his hand against someone he shouldn't have raised it against, and my father died because he strayed from the path. Valarus, there's still hope. You can't deprive us of it, I won't let you die, remember that. And when it's all over, you'll see me physically, as I am.
" "If you want it so badly, I'll do it, for the sake of my feelings and the fact that I'll die anyway, so I prefer to act. But where to begin?"
- Find your father's sword in the cemetery at Aunglamir's place, then report it here. We'll deal with it from there.
End of prologue
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