PROLOGUE
Treeis stood in the darkness. Behind him was his home—a warm, safe place full of memories and dreams. Here in the cold, was a windy place of lessons and prophecies.
Only fifty-five years of age, he had grayed early. A crown of long grayish hair surrounded his bald head and made him look much older than he actually was.
Treeis rubbed his arms, remembering the nights when his father had stood beside him. He had been a small child when his father had first shown him the King’s constellation, shining brightly in the northern part of the sky. The outline of stars formed a large compressed oval. A splattering of stars perched above the oval made the points of a crown. Below the oval, a trained eye could make out an abstract image that could be interpreted as the head of a king. An image you probably wouldn’t notice unless it was pointed out to you. This was usually the way of important things. They remained hidden unless sought after or explained. Ever since he first laid eyes on it, Treeis felt as if the star-lit face was watching him in particular, as if it expected great things of him. Treeis only hoped that he could live up to the constellation’s expectations.
Now that he was an old man, Treeis was well acquainted with the face that had watched him ever since childhood. The memories of his father warmed him, even as the loneliness of this place saddened him. As he returned his gaze to the heavens, he mentally connected each star in the King’s constellation until the image became whole in his mind. The image was missing one thing however. There was no star to symbolize the king’s right eye.
There had been many nights when Treeis’s father had gone out to search for the second eye. After his father had passed on to the next realm, Treeis continued to search for the second eye on his own. He had intended to pass this responsibility on to his children—as his family had done for generations. The event that his family so vigilantly sought would mark the beginning of a prophecy that could potentially end all life in this realm. When Treeis realized he was a seer, and began having visions of things to come, he knew this terrible prophecy would be his burden to bare, and not the burden of his future kin.
After learning this, the only thing that had comforted him was the concept of time. He had plenty of time to think, plan, and prepare. As he grew older however, he realized that this was the thinking of a young man. A man who believed that he would stay young forever. Looking back now, the long years of his life suddenly didn’t seem so long. Decades quickly turned into years, years into months, and months into weeks. Tonight, an overwhelming urge had pushed him from the warmth of his home and into the howling winds of this hillside. A deep stirring from within signified that the event was close at hand. The concept of time, which had comforted him for so long, suddenly turned against him.
A strong gust of wind roared across the barren hillside, making him shiver. His stomach turned in knots. Despite his incredible abilities, and all the good that resulted from his use of them, he would gladly abdicate his power if it meant not having to bare the responsibilities that were coming his way. This wasn’t possible though. This was the call of his ancestry. The ones who came before him were only there to wait, watch, and teach—but Treeis would ultimately guide the prophecy to its fulfillment.
Treeis stared unblinking at the night sky. Then, just as he had envisioned, the celestial event occurred. The light of a new star suddenly became the right eye in the King’s constellation.
“It’s beginning.” he whispered heavily to himself.
Treeis had hoped that his prophetic ability had somehow failed him. Despite being a seer, many things still remained hidden from his sight. He did not know whether or not the catastrophic event that threatened this realm could be avoided. All he knew was that he had hoped to be wrong about the moment of its arrival. Of course, if he had suspected for an instant that he was wrong, he would never have done such terrible things in preparation for this event. He knew his actions had been necessary, but this excuse could not lift the heaviness that had been crushing his soul for over a decade.
