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The Traveler floated upon a sea of illusions, stretching as far as he could see. The mists of uncertainty clouded his perceptions, making the distant shores invisible to his vision. The lone traveler floated upon a simple raft composed of insights and dreams.
He felt drawn towards an unseen destination and willed himself to drift in that direction. The mists gave way to his passage and closed silently behind him. He could hear subtle noises somewhere in the mist, most likely his indecisions trying to distract him from the calling. He tried to ignore them and concentrated on pushing forward. The raft faltered slightly and then continued.
The mists began to take shape. He could see a vision within their vaporous arms. The image showed a lonely old man being turned upon by his friends. The treachery was so blatant the traveler could feel the emotions. The three men wearing masks and a fourth, only a skeleton tried to attack the elderly gentleman. The scene faded away as the old man was trying to fight off his assassins.
The traveler floated onward for what seemed an eternity before another vision faded into view. This time there was a great space battle. Aboard the gigantic flagship of the enemy there say four thrones. The three masked men occupied three of the seats while the fourth only held a skeleton, its dried withered skull staring blankly at the images upon the display screen. The fleet was closing in upon several worlds of the lonely old man. The fires of revenge burned within the eye holes of the masks, its green flames making eerie shadows dance across the bridge.
The traveler continued his journey through the mists as the vision faded. He felt troubled by what he was seeing. Treachery. Vengeance. Hatred. Death. These were traits used to describe enemies, not friends. Yet, the vision clearly shown they were friends of the lonely old man. With friends like these…
The mists opened up their arms for a third time and showed their secrets. A peaceful planet floated in the darkness illuminated by its star, glittering like a living jewel. Suddenly there was an unearthly light. It began to surround the planet, its moons, and even the star. Off in the distance there were other points of light that signified the planet’s siblings. The light continued to grow; fully encasing the planet and spreading out to connect each other faster than the eye could follow. Everything was bathed in the strange light. The planets and sun began to fade away into non-existence. Finally as the last wisps of light faded away there was nothing left but empty space. The mists flooded back into view.
The traveler was confused by the last vision. He was wondering what it meant when he felt the raft bump against something. He looked through the obscuring vapor and he could perceive the shore. He carefully stepped from his raft and the mists swept away, showing him a ghastly scene. Bodies lay everywhere.
He wandered through this grim scene looking for any survivors. It looked as if everyone simply dropped where they were moments before. There was people in the streets, fallen while walking across the roads. There were motor vehicles still running where they coasted to a stop. He suddenly felt himself move at a great speed and found a palace before him. The guards were lying silently by the gates staring up at the sky with empty eyes. He crossed over them and entered the building. Within he found a kitchen, the water pots still waiting to come to a boil. The cook and her staff lay about the floor. A timer dinged, waiting for someone to tend to the contents of the oven. He suddenly felt himself whisked upwards through the ceiling. He focused his eyes and he could see a room with a large table. Around the table were the slumped bodies of richly dressed people. He approached the table and began to feel they were familiar but could not remember why. He felt the familiar tug as he was pulled through a wall into a quiet room. It was lit by candles and a lone individual sat in the center of the room. He approached the figure and could see the back of a richly decorated white robe. He walked around the figure. The pillows propped the body up so it remained sitting instead of slumping to the ground. The white hair covered the face but the traveler recognized it without a doubt. Suddenly the mists rushed back and the traveler found himself on his raft again.
The traveler had seen what he came here to see. He willed himself back to consciousness. He stood up, stretching his aching limbs. He stumbled over to the nearby washbasin and dipped the waiting cloth. He wiped the sweat off his brow and looked into the mirror. He pulled his white hair out of his face and took a drink of cool wine.
He called an emergency meeting of his advisors. He had some things to do…