The chatter and murmur of dozens of voices filled the air, mingling with the sweet, warm aromas of the cooking food, and people selling their wares. Jordan sat atop a tree, enjoying the cool morning air. The feeling of rough oak on his back, the scent of bread and meats, the sounds of birds and voices, children laughing and playing, mixed with the cold, blue sky felt like heaven to Jordan. Everything seemed perfect, but the festivities of day-to-day life in the marketplace was dulled as people remembered the ones they would never see again, the ones who had died in the last fight, all of the guards who had so easily been slain. Jordan's memories led him to last night's dream, and of the Guardian. Who was that man? Why were these monsters appearing out of nowhere? He had to have answers. But... How? How would he obtain these answers? A cool breeze brought more of the scent of food and people, rustling the leaves and his hair as it passed by. The answer seemed so elusive, as though he knew it, was on the very edge of discovering it, but every time he went for it, it escaped him. The smell was incredible... His eyes slowly closed, and he slipped off into sleep...

*                                                                                                *                                                                             *

He awoke with a start, rolling to avoid an imaginary blade as he awoke, confused as he found himself airborne. He reached out, and grabbed a branch, holding on for life. The rough oak provided ample grip, and he slowly climbed down the tree. As he looked around him, he realized dusk was upon him. He'd slept through most of the day, and already stars were beginning to appear in the sky. He shook his head to clear his drowsiness. In the distance, the houses shimmered, almost as if it was hot, but the air was cool... He stepped toward it, confused, and a lancing pain shot through his body. He fell to the ground, holding his head in his hands, as the vision shot through his body...

He stood in a wasteland, flames rising from anything left standing. Structures were laid to ruin, destroyed and burning. Dark shapes moved in the distance, and a deep, rolling laughter echoed. Something landed behind him, and he heard the air move as the wings flapped. He slowly turned, reaching for his sword, but it wasn't there. The being that stood before him was a pathetic sight. Large, black wings extended from a decaying body. The face had no human features left, and the bones could be seen through the skin. Her teeth were sharp, made for tearing meat, and her mouth and wings were spotted with  blood from her last kill. She took off again, flying, and he saw more of them as they passed. A beast at least ten feet tall, with thick black fur and muscles that looked capable of ripping a large tree from the ground, roared, its wolfish eyes gleaming in the firelight all around them, its claws ripping through a felled tree. A ghostly woman with glowing green eyes drifted forth, a ghostly, tattered cloak around her. The horde rushed through, and he saw a few more indistinct figures as smoke filled the air.

He gasped as the pain vanished as quickly as it'd come, and the shimmering in the distance was gone. Above him stood the same man, the Guardian, from before, with a green cloak around him, a bow at his back and a sword at his waist. "Stand. You had the Vision?" He asked. Jordan could only nod mutely, taking a step back. "Relax. How many did you see?"

"I.. I couldn't tell. Hundreds... I couldn't make them all out." Jordan replied.

"All right." He said. "You have seen the vision. YOu have the potential, as I knew. You are the only way to end the Blight."