Foreword
The device on the table looked for all the world like a soothsayer’s crystal ball. The cloaked old man with flowing white hair and matching beard would have looked like everyone’s favourite soothsayer were it not for his eyes. Coal black pupils floated in a sea of blood. They were locked in an unblinking stare into the heart of the ball. His hands were fixed on either side of the object, as if they were glued there. The veins in his neck pulsed in purple profusion and his brow was creased in fierce concentration.
Whether he heard the communication via his ears or whether it was spoken directly into his mind, he didn’t know. The voice boomed and resonated in his skull. It was deep and old and seemed to carry an authority and purpose that sapped his will to gainsay it.
“Somewhere in the multiverse, a child has been born. I can feel him everywhere, but I cannot locate him. He has been born in many dimensions but only one of him will rise to challenge me. He will appear to be weak but he will be able to wield the Sword. He is Gilgamesh reborn.” It sounded like he spat at the name of the ancient Hero. “Like the one who came before, he cannot destroy me but the Sword can inflict terrible wounds. I would not like to feel it again.”
The listener felt incredible pain as if his head were going to explode. He would have removed his hands from the ball, but he had no will of his own left.
“You must find him and destroy him. Our enemies will seek him too. They would have him become their Hero. The Sword has been lost for many ages. Seek it out and you will be handsomely rewarded. Fail me and I will destroy you.”
The old man was flung backwards from the ball, blue flashes of electricity jolting from his hands to the crystal. He finished up in a crumpled heap on the floor. He took his time to stand and brush himself down. He covered the strange device with a black cloth and let out a deep breath.
“I will serve you as long as it suits my plans. Elannort though, will be all mine.” He let out a low growl, which sounded more like a dog than a man.