For every threat you spy in the shadows, there are two others you don't.

"They said I needed my head examined, but I'd rather just take yours." - Klopek the Cannibal

The hermit's only friend is the greenery he can find.

They fought the storm together as one,

Until the longest of days was done.

Their love grew stronger

with every breath,

Until it was broken apart in death.

A month's work, a year's wages, a foolish shortcut through a Rhoa's nest, and a grieving bride-to-be, who never received her betrothed's great gift.

"No man can best me, no demon can fell me. For I vanquish all with my axe!"

The thumb turns down

and the crowd roars,

they want death

and the blood is yours.

It is with the smallest of words that we find the largest of truths.

"When Voll spared Malachai, accepting his aid in pursuit of Purity, the strongest faith was infected by Corruption and made brittle as glass."

- Victario, the People's Poet

God had forsaken the land

And Victario wept.

Corruption consumed the land

And Victario's tears turned to blood.

From death, life.

From life, death.

The wheel turns,

and the corbies wheel overhead.

The others succumbed to madness and depravity, but Lori fought on. Alone in the darkness, she could still see the dull light of hope's distant dawn.

Your era is now,

your power unwavered,

soon we will see

who the gods truly favoured.

You can change your name, but you cannot change your history.

To own a piece of the Nightmare, you must first belong to the Nightmare.

The mighty warriors traded in blows, the nimble archers in arrows, yet it was the brazen thaumaturgists who would bring catastrophe to all.

"How many lives have you consumed?"

"How many times have you blinked?"

"More! I want more!" - Faendris, the Insatiable

The finer the brew, the harder it is to remember drinking it.

Each night, the light dies, and each morning she is born anew, embracing the land in her golden wings.

Brutus' first innovation as Lord Incarcerator was a weighted chain around every neck so that his prisoners would forever bow to him.

The earth offers nourishment, growth and healing. Unless, of course, the sky has other plans.

With staff in hand

and wrath in heart,

your soul and corpse

shall surely part.

In the hands of a master craftsman, a worthless pebble can adorn the crown of a king.

"I don't believe in karma. If it were real, I would never win."

"I wanted to give you three things. I've given you my eternal love. I've sung to you my most beautiful song. I'd have given you the moon last, but it couldn't be found. I hope you'll accept this instead."

Life isn't what you make of it, it's already been made for you.

A beacon on the horizon; a guiding light, a call for help, or a warning to turn back.

Justice comes swift

Equal to the crime

Revenge is a gift

Life for a life

Eye for an eye

The house always wins.

Time cannot wash away that which cannot be forgotten.

Luck is a fool's game, and I know plenty of rich fools.

Shame what happened to my husband. He had such good taste.

Fire filled the sky that night

Chaos reigned

Where the shards fell

All was destroyed

-Jozen Kasigi, retelling an urban legend of the Cataclysm

Strange eyes on top of spines

Gaze beyond the veil of time

Deep down below the mines

A dream of crimson and of grime

When there is no other choice, even the meekest whisper can bring about the greatest storm.

A taste of power brings a hunger for more.

500 times Kaom's axe fell, 500 times Kaom's Heart splintered. Finally, all that remained was a terrible, heartless Fury.

When the world burned, the greedy burned with it, while the clever left as paupers.

Weaving through the cracks, searching for weaknesses, silent, indiscriminate, leaving sorrow in its wake.

"On this day I mark the first of many agreements that I will have with this land and its people."

"I swore to use my position to help the people. What good is power when it just accumulates on the already-powerful?" - Erasmus, Imperial Gemcutter

Wrapped in the glory of the heavens, she comes to mete out justice for the fallen.

Scarier than any criminal is an innocent man in chains, for when he breaks free, his revenge will be justified.

"Paint, metal, flesh... A true artist does not limit himself." - Malachai the Soulless

Jump right in,

But beware

Of things broken

Or beyond compare.

Become the leader you were born to be.

Turn the crank,

close your eyes,

and pray to the gods

for a pleasant surprise.

On the 21st of Eterni,

two become one,

their light outshines

the setting sun.

The power of the world,

lies upon your hands.

A map is only useful if you know where you stand.

A boy who grows up with everything learns to appreciate nothing.

It's sad times we live in when a friendship has a price people are willing to pay.

Sturdy and strong,

grown from the stream.

The Flora that live here,

A combatant's dream.

At the beck and call

of The Siren's hand,

winter ravages

the trembling land,

and the weight of ice that binds

will break the strongest of minds.

Embrace death to honour the lost,

no fear in life no matter the cost.

With one of all we are,

and all of one we trust,

throughout past, present and future... be just.

The strongest emerge from suffering. The toughest bear the most scars. The sole survivor claims the greatest of rewards.

"Hold your tongue before I claim it." - Doedre Darktongue

No matter where your dreams take you, Nightmare follows close behind.

"Daughter of catastrophe, mother of pain. Amongst the filth of Wraeclast, she wanders, and her wrath follows." - Quintoon the Returned

"To know for what you fight. To get up again when you've been struck down. To outmanoeuvre someone faster, trick someone smarter, crush someone stronger. That's what it takes to claim the crown."

- Daresso, the King of Swords

You cannot journey to new lands until you have the courage to leave the safety of home.

"Axes and mauls are so uncivilised. A good clean cut to the neck with a sharp blade, that's the Sarn way!"

What do you see in the mirror?

The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth or power he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to positively affect those around him.

Simple actions can lead the world to an early grave.

Can you hear the siren's calls,

Just beyond the sea?

A voice which hearts

of men enthralls,

I too am hooked to thee.

Our Lady Dialla,

as a symbol of our progress,

shines greater than all the gems.

They say when a dragon dies, the flesh smoulders and burns until all that remains is the still, white-hot, heart.

"Masters of wit, strength and cunning. To survive the harsh winters, you must be like the fox."

- Ezomyte Proverb

Upon seeing her face, I am terrified—the moon shows me my own form!

A lucky number

For us all

To help us through

The perils told.

The end of the old,

the beginning of the new.

A unique opportunity for transformation,

for those with the power

to grasp it.

The dead tell me great insights. They've had nothing but time to sit and think.

Summoned for the King's desire,

soon applause came from the court.

However insanity was his only sire,

so the King's reign was cut short.

Loyalty can be bought. Just make sure you know who the buyer is.

Chaos spread, wreaking havoc and death. They said none would be spared, and yet here I stand.

Bound by fate,

inseparable by choice.

As Kaom slew the last of his kin,

something deep inside him broke.

And through the cracks, corruption,

pure and black, spread forth.

A jolt, and it moves. Or smolders.

A current, and it lives. Or dies.

A surge, and it transcends.

Or... not.

Only one way to find out.

By the time their eyes meet,

the dark deal has long since been made,

and his fate long since sealed.

Primed, curved and sleek.

Decisive and final.

For malice and righteousness.

There's but one solution.

I've never come upon a ship I could not command. I have however met sailors that were not willing to be led.

The path to godhood is guided by the hand of sacrifice.

A tower built of the strongest stone is not eternal; a towering intellect is not enlightened.

Two sides of a coin;

Heads for a friend,

tails a foe;

Gemini toss up

Born of relentless fury and abhorrence, warped by turmoil and anguish, tainted through desire and carnality, I thirst for bloodshed once more.

When the dead raise and master their own, the land is truly lost.

"Mastery of thaumaturgy is like any other pursuit; it requires dedication and sacrifice. Sometimes several sacrifices."

- Shavronne of Umbra

"Some see our mortal flesh as a limitation. I see it as an opportunity for vast, miraculous improvements."

- Shavronne of Umbra

Weaving the six,

a serpent stands tall.

Wearing a crown,

the thousand petals call.

To tame a beast, you first must subdue its heart.

Let these fine arrows pack a punch.

Exploring lands made of flesh and sorrow, we'll reap and plunder like there's no tomorrow.

If this is my dream, I don't wish to wake.

"He might be lacking in vision, but his virtuosity is undeniable."

- Malachai, on Maligaro

Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.

As their civilisation crumbled, the Vaal looked to their queen. In her, they saw a way out. In them, she saw a burden she was happy to free herself from.

"This one? It is NOT for sale. You would sooner pry it from my lifeless hand."

- Jonfé Darontos, Ringmaker

"It's risky not knowing where your wares come from. That's why I source my own."

- Klayver, the Antiquarian

"Through thick and thin,

blood and bone,

a peaceful life

is one I can't condone."

- Tukohama, Father Of War

To cure the Goddess,

and break the chains of corruption,

you must shatter the world.

Wherever she went, death was sure to follow.

Sometimes an apprentice becomes a master through countless hours of hard work and practice.

Sometimes it happens by force.

Eternal beauty has a cost, one which Shavronne was happy to pay with the lives of others.

"There are worlds that lie beyond the edge of my page, the edge of my understanding. Worlds of wonder. Worlds of terror."

Aramil - Cartographer to Emperor Chitus

Thy knee shall bend

in shifting dark,

thy blade shall serve his vigil.

Thy oath shall bind thee

to his mark,

thy flesh shall bear his sigil.

Nature was her domain,

Love was her song,

Family was her devotion,

Knowledge was her gift.

They say it is the head that leads, but all must flow through the body at some point.

"Only after one forsakes rage, can true power be found."

- Sekhema Asenath

When you dwell in total darkness, even the faintest light may guide you out.

"Long ago, people looked to the stars, believing they influenced us. Soon, it will be us who influence the stars."

- Doryani, Queen's Thaumaturge

Accumulating wealth has its own costs.

Three men travel

through the gate;

they carry a protective ward.

A faction conspires

against their fate,

but magic unravels the sword.

"Many believe murder is a grisly, grim, and grotesque crime. Then there are those who simply make art of it."

"Experiment 22A: Rhoas, when deprived of water, secrete a most delightfully potent toxin."

- Maligaro

"Most people only have one. I'm a bit of a hoarder."

The Eternals lauded his valour. The Karui relished his defeat. Yet the final thoughts of Marceus Lioneye were naught but lament for his pride.

Scaly beast of the skies,

watching with his golden eyes.

Shadow that blocks out the sun,

it's too late for you to run.

Whoever said 'more is always better' has obviously never met a rat.

"There is no right or wrong choice, no best or worst. There are only choices and their consequences."

Beware the sudden calm, for it is a sure sign of a storm on the horizon.

To her beauty you submit,

lest your neck the great Queen slit.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

- Toggo's Last Words

Taste and grow strong. Drink too much and be buried.

"If I fall, we will fall together with my fangs in your throat."

The fight is the easy part. It's the years of training that'll kill you.

If the path to divinity were simple, we'd all be gods.

Lioneye looked to the heights of glorious victory. And thus he missed the defeat right under his nose.

Many that have wielded the power of lightning have said that death by electrocution looks like the victim is more alive than ever before.

Moribund, he gazed upon the journey taken as blood trickled down his chin. His eye closed on the city ahead that he would never call home.

"Greetings! Just because you think I'm greedy doesn't mean I'm not willing to share. You'll just have to kill me first."

-Grandmaster Dy'Ness

Boundless is the distance between where we start and where we start again.

A king's movement is unwavering.

"Let us not forget the most important lesson the Vaal taught us:

Nothing is eternal."

- Siosa Foaga, Imperial Scholar

Their whims left unknown,

Their life left for others.

Black and White, Silver and Gold

Let us see the world Unfold

Red and Blue, Yellow and Green

Let us remake it in colours Unseen

Be like water, friend.

Reach into the Void and claim your prize.

"Fear controls the masses."

- Laszlo, the Scourge

A weapon, a shelter, a prison.

The web's purpose changes

with the spider's needs.

A lesson we should

take to heart.

Taste not of their

forbidden fruit.

Theirs is a harvest of

the darkest kind,

twisted, rotten and

damned for eternity.

Embrace the Light,

Await the Morrow,

No more Spite,

And no more Sorrow.

True to his title,

Voll, newly crowned,

had many of the

Eternal Empire's signature

extravagances destroyed.

The First Ones

may be blasphemy,

but they are

powerful blasphemy.

If you beckon the

Lord of Lightning,

do not be surprised

when you are struck.

So many memories,

so much pain in

such a small token.

Drown it in blood

so you can forget.

A map is similar

to a pair of eyes,

without one you stumble

around, unable to find your way.

When the outcome is the same, does it matter if it is fortune or trickery?

Time and change

shall naught avail,

To dim the Light

of Truth's fair grail.

Crimson rubies, drops of vigour,

flowing through my veins,

flesh like coal, try to crush me,

diamond is what remains.

First, I gave my wealth, and we went hungry. Next, I gave my land, and we were homeless. Then, I gave my family, and I was alone. Last, I gave my eyes, and all I could dream was mine.

The largest beasts cannot be overpowered. The Greatwolf teaches us to use guile, not strength, to probe for the soft flesh and strike deep.

A symbol of beauty and innocence

The gems corrupted her mind

Malachai corrupted her gems

All but a glimmer of

greatness lost in madness

Blood flows not just through veins, but through worlds.

The villain strikes,

the world is torn.

A war begins, a hero is born,

The nemesis sets the sky alight.

A hero's sacrifice

sets everything right.

- Drake's Epitaph

Formless might,

Wild beauty tamed,

The brine of gods,

The seas restrained.

An oath once made is an oath never broken. Do not delay in keeping it, for I take no pleasure in fools.

Take small pieces of things and then assemble them together

Rigwald believed he'd seized great power, but it was the great power that had seized Rigwald

The first quill separates the quick learners from the dead.

No man may hope to turn back the storm. You can only hope you do not attract its ire.

Genius knows no limits.

Claw them from the bottom, you'll be glad that you have got 'em, claw them from the top, you'll never want to stop.

Those whose hands are their livelihood know the importance of keeping them safe and warm.

Necromancers, believe me, are more terrifying than their thralls.

A wolf does not bite his mate as he does his prey, yet both begin with bared teeth. Know who you are, and you will know the meaning of the bite.

Sometimes your greatest enemy is the only one keeping you breathing.

You gave us life and love, more than you could spare. Now you're gone, and we are stranded, alone, cold and without purpose.

Maligaro may have valued function over form, but that did not mute his flair for the dramatic.

Never dying, yet not living,

Endlessly they wander

beneath the harvest moon.

When sky meets ground the flames can be found, but who has the will to tame them.

Publicly, he lived a pious and chaste life of poverty. Privately, tithes and tributes made him and his lascivious company very comfortable indeed.

The Ezomyte, desperate for aid, cried out to the gods.

The mind had much to endure before the advent of thaumaturgy.

Wealth can, in fact, buy happiness.

'Lightning never strikes the same place twice'

is really just wishful thinking.

In the prison of all sins, will you grasp godhood or sorrow? Only hope lies under the shadows.

In combat, a warrior must first be resourceful,

and second, decisive.

There is no mistake so great that it cannot be undone.

If you wish to rush into strange places, be prepared to face strange things.

Some powers are far too great even for the

gods of old.

Lethal, untouchable, keen, aflame. Just what I was looking for.

Many strive for greatness,

but it is challenge, unforeseen,

that forges heroes.

He shattered Her smile

Scattered the fragments like ash

All she did was laugh

A lust for souls. The urge to kill just to satisfy its thirst. An unbearable burden that would make even the purest heart blacken over time.

Fourfold the refrain, fortissimo cheer.

One hundred rent twain, naught left for a bier.

The song rattles on, though hollow a bit.

See the hope is gone, no prize shall ye get.

Some things should not be used. Some power is too great a risk.

Ever get the feeling you're being watched...?

A dark note drips

from the dreamer's lips,

A honeyed melody.

We stand, we fall

on his beck and call,

for in his dream we're free.

Its body knows no limits. Its appetite knows no bounds.

Beware the combatant who shows no confidence, yet still enters the ring, for they are surely hiding something.

A wanderer in the wild strives

Against countless foes he survives

A fool pursues a quest contrived

By the gift of the witch, alive.

The threads of fate are the strongest ties.

The jeweller's true talent is the capacity to see a jewel's beauty before they draw it out.

A dream from which you cannot awake is nothing other than a nightmare.

Fall into endless night; a voyage into an ocean of oblivion.

"Fate was always my nemesis...

But it didn't stop me then, and it won't stop me now."

- Kjetilbrann, The Undaunted

Lucian lost himself in ancient scrolls and found in those scrolls a love whose power bridged a millennium.

Many were slain by the sword king

Their blood decorating his ring

Those who retreated were slaughtered

Those who fought bravely were honoured

I gave my mind without a fight,

The twelfth hour I lost control.

The day is gone but there is light,

eyes that glow like red-hot coal.

Stare into its depths too long, and you may lose yourself entirely.

There are countless worlds, but only those with limitless potential will be able to achieve perfection.

All dreams vanish when the dreamers wake.

Shrieking souls locked away

Hate splits frozen cells asunder

The knot of corruption

undone at last

At night, when the seas are calm, and the skies dark, he can see it. The formless fiend that took his eye, and fractured his mind.

Though the years weakened his mind, his body remained deadly as ever.

A ruler is only as powerful as he is wealthy.

Control the coin, control the empire.

To create something truly spectacular, you must risk total failure.

A mind as quick as lightning,

fists as hard as stone,

a heart that burns with fury,

and eyes that chill to the bone.

The village elders had a curious rule: If you hear three voices scream for aid, flee as fast as you can.

The academic route to knowledge is wide and well-trodden; but it is the untaught one who scales the mountain.

To know the monster, you must become the monster.

His brother would not atone, so he took his brother's life, and with it, his sins.

Though the path to divinity is fraught with peril, hope may bloom from within.

Gaze towards the stars, but beware what gazes back.

Her beauty did not fade

her humanity did not survive.

To protect her mansion, she would cut a deal with anyone. Anything.

Something answered.

Wreathed in the skin and bones

of the beasts she slew,

her gift came from what she lost:

her humanity.

The day is dying, the night is born, the air grows cool, the sky is torn.

Nothing can be heard above the din or seen amongst the turmoil. The senses are shattered. All is left to fate.

For some, the price of power is never too great.

The Poet's blood is the Empire's ink.

We tried to tell him to get his head checked.

Perfection is the standard, excellence will be handled on a case by case basis.

"The process of eternal youth is a give and take. You give them death and take their youth."

- Zerphi of the Vaal

All that is flawed is worthless. The slightest error, and this might as well be trash.

Fear the man who lusts for power, for he will do anything to get it.

Some gifts are obligations while others are simply opportunities.

Oh the places you will go, the sights you will see, the things you will meet.

Discovery can lead to beauty, or it can lead to ruin.

Charmed by beautiful stones

Consumed with the

pursuit of perfection

Ever deeper into the waiting dark

If enough people believe something to be true, whether or not it is becomes irrelevant.

Before gemlings, before thaumaturgy, a simple court magician could enthrall the masses.

"You cannot portray the world using just one colour. Together, you and I, we will paint our world into perfection."

- Kyra, renegade thaumaturgist

"Only a fool looks to the occult for power and expects to be spared from its wrath."

- Voll, Emperor of Purity

"Sometimes, the most beautiful treasures...are the ones you cannot have."

- Beryl, Survivor from the Azurite Mines

He dispels dark realms

until mortal sufferings

yield to hopeful light.

Though they were a pack of elite combatants, the Emperor's royal guards were not ready to face one of his notorious parties.

A life lost, A legacy born.

There's a place where up is down,

where right is wrong,

where pleasure is agony,

and where the living wish only for death.

We play at God with our necromancy,

but forces far more potent

sleep within these stones.

"I gave up my body for you. I gave up my name for you. And one day I shall give up my life for you."

A ravenous mind can readily take in ideas from any source.

Fortunately for the scholars, he has already learned about sustainability.

A treasure worth killing for

is a treasure worth dying for.

Even the most learned man is a fool to his own fate.

Upon silent paws and masked by the reeds,

Farrul's hunt begins as the light recedes.

"The Seas Call, the Mad Answer"

"When grasped in his hand, even an ordinary piece of wood can make the heavens tremble with fear."

No one ever truly understood what she meant when she said she wanted to raise a family.

You can't seek riches without getting your hands dirty.

Sometimes you need to make your own luck.

Hear me, fish! I love and respect you, but before this day ends I will kill you dead.

Every skull was once a person.

Though 'Who?' is rarely asked.

Friends, who wear

the crown of Nook,

Never need to ask.

They remember.

You'll never know the things you miss if you keep your eyes closed

"Forge me a carapace from their skin, imbued with their soul. Then feed their flesh to the hounds."

Try a thousand times, and eventually you'll have to give up.

"For all your struggles, all your achievements, even for the greatest of us, a story is all that remains. Write it well."

-Julius Perandus, Father of Chitus

Greed is a hunger that only grows as you feed it

Dread and danger

makes the air feel thin.

Above, power slumbers, tempting fate.

Greed and ambition

draws countless in,

For those who seek power

can never wait.

Method transcends shape and size. Do something in parallel long enough, and you will always find

another way.

They stand among us, and within us.

The Lord of Chaos dreams as his Eye gazes, unblinking, at his prize. And soon, all shall tremble before his waking form.

A man who hears voices may not necessarily be crazy.

The hatungo know many answers to the same question,

for time itself is a tangled web.

Souls along a conduit of blood,

from one vessel to the next.

Though the forces of nature are mighty and intimidating, it is their absence which should be feared.

In the pursuit of wealth, as in that of power, anything goes.

The howls and cackling could not mask the sadness.

The line between having not enough to do and too much to do is unusually fine.

Blessed is the blood of the beholden disciple. The earth is anointed by his step. The damnable are sanctified by his strike.

"In the forest again... But at least I have these."

In fleeing reality, you step into the realm of madness.

"The Karui was correct; there is virtue in honouring my ancestors."

They whose lives were given to clothe the Dark Dreamer... They were the lucky ones.

"There are two ways to pay, Gold and Blood. I'll take my share in both."

-Cameria the Coldblooded

Many sought the Goddess' blessing. Few survived the Labyrinth to receive it.

However vicious Rhoas might be, a dedicated angler may in time tame them.

The flesh is a prison, and we are finally free.

"Set your life on fire.

Seek those who

fan your flames"

-Rumi of the Vaal

What was once a passing thought tickling the back of the mind is now a desperate, driving desire.

When you strive to write your name on the dense pages of History, someone else, inevitably, must be crossed out.

"Our rulers are being ridiculous, and we are suffering."

Know thine enemy better than you know thyself.

Trying to bring your vision to life is enough to drive you mad.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon."

- Blonca's last words

Born beneath silver light, bearing Lunaris' mark.

Conjuring all his might, the Prodigy turned light to dark.

Time dismantles all things eventually, but some wish to accelerate the process.

A King Loved By All,

A Shadow Awaiting Nightfall,

A Speaker Howling Away,

A Hunter Seeking Prey

Love is the only redemption after succumbing to the grasps of the Wasteland.

Within years of knowledge, distilled by careful craftsmanship, lies great power.

The Golden Sekhema's words could solve many a feud. Just what form that solution took was another matter.

The artist is long dead,

the lyrics are long forgotten,

yet the Song of War longs to be sung again

Chasing purity in the rising light means facing the darkening edges of the spirit.

Where Decay festers, I shall expunge it, and leave in its place a shining monument.

It is a mortal man's folly to seek power beyond his comprehension.

Savour these moments, for they may never return.

Some seek to change the world. Others change the world as a consequence of what they seek.

The mighty huntress always called for her share,

But what we shared was a lifelong bond.

"This was the proudest moment of my life."

"... so far"

I thought love stronger than all,

but time and isolation broke

that which madness could not.

The pain you feel is of no consequence, it is evolution, to be made whole within something greater.

The Mists of Madness prey on those who harbour the deepest of fears.

The pale flame of his heart disappeared in his azure reflection.

The work of a life.

Ambitious, and unfinished.

Vintage or crafted, Glittering and shiny

Dusty or glittering, huge or tiny

Secured within a chest

or unearthed from your mining

Find jewellery everywhere,

no need for divining!

So why is it so hard

to figure out which one to wear?

This one makes me stronger,

but does it match my hair?

"Such dedication for so many years,

all for a couple extra letters at the front of your name..."

Awoken virtuous slivers of the void,

defiled by the avaricious,

seized by the tyrannical.

Even though he found the stash just in time,

He would trade it all away and then some to have him back.

Mold the world with your bare hands. Be careful, for what is your doing might become your undoing.

They came from far and wide under a common banner.

They sought companionship and competition,

but found a treasure none had foreseen.

If you look hard enough for hidden meaning, you will find it.

A good spy doesn't forget she's gone undercover.

In the dead of night you may elude your shadows,

but they will always find you by dawn.

The world is ever-changing.

Once-lush woods now lost beneath shifting sands,

Great cities now drown beneath turbulent waters.

Adapt or perish.

They thought winter had come early,

that snow blanketed the land,

but in truth, all their chickens

had come home to roost.

We live to dream of worlds we aren't in,

a false narrative that we use to fill our souls

with doubt;

The world is already beautiful,

there's no need to dream.

Even the brightest eventually fade to darkness.

Some people act as beacons, illuminating the path for others. I was lucky to meet one such person.

- Anton to Zhenya

They would say that he was a dangerous man,

unbound by the sense of morality,

but what does this matter,

when his love for humanity is undeniable

and completion of his work would benefit everyone?

With great power comes...

...Even greater power.

Why settle when more is never enough.

"I know one lady for whose sake I will rip out my heart"

- Derrok, the Dreamer

The suit I wear,

Is heavy and bare.

A canvas, it seems, breathing life into dreams.