The Beginning

The five followed after the man as he stumbled down the stairs, not exactly sure where he was going or why. Despite the calming magic they had cast on him, it was evident that he was still not quite right in the head, and that they were going to have to keep an eye on him if they wanted to have any chance of fixing him, they were going to have to follow along for a little bit.

"It's very important," he said, his voice bouncing up and down with a wild fervor at every syllable, "that you see the Beginning. The End as well, but the Beginning above all else. The Beginning is where it begins. And so we must begin at the Beginning."

"What are you talking about?" Dei asked, but the man did not seem to hear her. Instead, he placed his hand upon the stone which they had passed earlier, and the faint buzzing that had illuminated the tower grew louder. Energy seemed to drip upwards into the sky from the stone, covering the man's hand, then trailing up and along his body. Then, with a blinding flash of light, the energy became an arc of lightning that jumped from him to each of the five surrounding him.

They could see him standing in the same room they were in now, much calmer, staring up as a rift split the very air, showing them a world they had never seen before. The man was confused, clearly not expecting this, and wind began to blow violently about him, tearing the book in his hands away from him, and its pages spiraling around the room - only one he managed to clutch tightly in his hand before falling to his knees, screaming and covering his ears.

A flash of light, and they saw a bear making its way through a forest.

Another flash, and a monk leaving his monastery.

Flash. A woman laying on the floor, covered in blood, a figure standing over her.

Flash. A young girl standing on the threshold between the planes as she stared up at her god.

Flash. A man, clutching an obsidian necklace in his hand, traveling onwards.

And then they were back in the room. The man had collapsed to the floor and lost consciousness, but the five seemed to be alright. They looked at each other, able to recognize some of the figures from the visions among them, and beginning to piece together what they had just witnessed.

"Well," Dei said aloud. "I suppose it's a good thing we all came out this way."