Small Step, Giant Leap

Senka wraps its night feathers around me, and we leap through the raging vortex. The fabric of space bends, and time stops mid-flight. I hurtle down for miles, vast panoramas stretching out as I pass. The world is a wave, a roll that spirals on forever. We ride it like a seething river. Forests, plains and massifs expand and contract in a frenzied dance. And as we emerge from the whirlwind, a thousand cable lengths from our starting point, all my Sigils pulse around me, creating a barrier that I hope is unbreachable. I rush forward, then perform a roll to get myself back on guard. Not to be outdone, my Chimaera spreads its wings to give me cover as I try to take stock of my new environment. It's an estuary, with water flowing into a bay at the mercy of the falling tide...

But no matter which way I turn, there's no sign of the Chrysanthemum Cloak Warlock. He seems to have vanished. So I take a few steps towards the lifeless body sprawled several feet away from me, walking carefully to avoid any traps. But nothing leaps out in my direction, and no sudden spikes appear at my feet. I kneel down next to Qaasin, placing a couple of fingers on his throat to check his pulse. I push back the tears. His skin is cold and pale. Turning away from the body of my mentor, I roar and release all the spells I've been keeping in reserve, blasting the land around me. I smash a stone mound and scorch the sand with fire until it turns into a frozen wave of glass. I scream out all my rage, my pain, my despair... He warned me. He told me that if I continued to hunt him, he would need to take measures...

Afanas

356 AC