“I’m come here to mend the past and forge the future. My name is Geran, Crown Prince of Anthis.”

At the mention of his kingdom, the Guardian swelled to twice its previous size. The soft mist that flowed around the Guardian drifted over the ground and enveloped Geran like an umbilical cord. Suddenly, the mist burst into a heatless, blood-red flame and Geran’s entire body began to throb in time to a heartbeat not his own.

“Mend the past?!” the Guardian howled like a tornado. “It was the people of Anthis who betrayed me so many centuries ago. It was by order of the king that I be hunted like a dog, bound and tortured. It was the king, himself, who cursed me to guard this forest on his border.” The eyes of the Guardian narrowed to yellow slits. “And now the Crown Prince of Anthis comes before me claiming to be able to mend the past. Savor this breath, Geran, for it shall be your last.”

Geran held out a fist-sized sapphire of deep blue that gave off a faint glow. “In my hand is the soul of that very king.”