The Witness
Avey Latesh stood on a hill breathing in slowly. The climb had been steep, but the view was worth it. To the west rose the Aerie Mountains, enormous jagged peaks stretching into the clouds above. To the east, a seemingly endless expanse of flat plains that stretched to the Fargleam Ocean. To the north she could still make out the distant spires of rock that marked the location of Westmarch, the largest city of the new world. To the south, nestled among a sea of golden waves of grass was her home, Korun. The former city was full of libraries and bustled with production and trade, where people went to fill their minds and their purses. The latter was a center for art and music, where people went to feed their souls.
She had been away for months, pouring through tomes and conversing with scholars who were cataloging the discoveries of the new world. It had been a little over a century since the first settlers arrived on the continent of Beltiar, with its strange new wonders like the cat-people of the plains; the dangerous giants to the south; and the huge scaly creatures of the swamps north of Westmarch. She was looking forward to sharing the things that she had learned with her colleagues. Her enchanted satchel contained hundreds of volumes that she had borrowed, traded, and purchased.
As she prepared to travel down the hill, something gave her pause. There was a warping in the air, a shimmer like heat from a stone in the sun. As she peered around there was a low rumble. She had experienced earthquakes before but this was different. The sound was coming from everywhere. The was a sudden flash of light from the south and a wave of heat rushed toward her. She turned away from the light and gasped at what she saw to the north. A huge cloud of dust and smoke filled the sky. The spires of rock which surrounded the city were… growing, jutting outward at all angles. The ground heaved and flowed like the tide and even from this distance she could see the huge buildings, those marvels of construction were falling.
She looked back to the south and choked at the sight in the distance. A wave of flame was sweeping outward from the city of Korun itself. It moved too fast to be a natural blaze and from this angle, she could see it formed an ever-expanding ring. The fertile grasslands were incinerated in moments. The city was left standing but she could see the stone buildings were all coated in black ash. In only a matter of minutes, every living thing in Korun was dead and gone.
Avey collapsed to the ground and did the only thing she could to prevent herself from going completely insane. She took out her journal and wrote:
“My name is Avey Latesh, scholar of the grand city of Korun. I have just witnessed the end of the world. I can only pray that someone else is still alive to someday read my words.”
She had been away for months, pouring through tomes and conversing with scholars who were cataloging the discoveries of the new world. It had been a little over a century since the first settlers arrived on the continent of Beltiar, with its strange new wonders like the cat-people of the plains; the dangerous giants to the south; and the huge scaly creatures of the swamps north of Westmarch. She was looking forward to sharing the things that she had learned with her colleagues. Her enchanted satchel contained hundreds of volumes that she had borrowed, traded, and purchased.
As she prepared to travel down the hill, something gave her pause. There was a warping in the air, a shimmer like heat from a stone in the sun. As she peered around there was a low rumble. She had experienced earthquakes before but this was different. The sound was coming from everywhere. The was a sudden flash of light from the south and a wave of heat rushed toward her. She turned away from the light and gasped at what she saw to the north. A huge cloud of dust and smoke filled the sky. The spires of rock which surrounded the city were… growing, jutting outward at all angles. The ground heaved and flowed like the tide and even from this distance she could see the huge buildings, those marvels of construction were falling.
She looked back to the south and choked at the sight in the distance. A wave of flame was sweeping outward from the city of Korun itself. It moved too fast to be a natural blaze and from this angle, she could see it formed an ever-expanding ring. The fertile grasslands were incinerated in moments. The city was left standing but she could see the stone buildings were all coated in black ash. In only a matter of minutes, every living thing in Korun was dead and gone.
Avey collapsed to the ground and did the only thing she could to prevent herself from going completely insane. She took out her journal and wrote:
“My name is Avey Latesh, scholar of the grand city of Korun. I have just witnessed the end of the world. I can only pray that someone else is still alive to someday read my words.”
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