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\fs24\lang1033\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp1033\langfenp1033 {\insrsid16397898 \tab Slee}{\insrsid11601274 p co}{\insrsid870908 me}{\insrsid11601274 s}{\insrsid7498165  easily }{\insrsid16397898 for V}{\insrsid11601274 \rquote Neef Guissan, yet this sleep i}{
\insrsid16397898 s not restful.  }{\insrsid11601274 Odd images play}{\insrsid13709596  about his head}{\insrsid11601274 , and his tormented mind can}{\insrsid16397898  not bear to}{\insrsid11601274  look away.  Images of war, plag}{\insrsid16397898 ue, s}
{\insrsid11601274 uffering, and destruction dance}{\insrsid16397898  in his mind\rquote }{\insrsid9246485 s eye.  The youngest Exalt of House V\rquote Neef has}{\insrsid16397898  seen }{\insrsid9246485 none of this in his fourteen years in Creation
, but the images come as though}{\insrsid11601274  familiar}{\insrsid9246485  memories}{\insrsid16397898 .  Had this been a normal nightmare, Guissan w}{\insrsid11601274 ould have awakened.  But this i}{\insrsid16397898 s no mere dream.}{\insrsid2819649 

\par }{\insrsid16397898 \tab Sud}{\insrsid2375785 denly in the dream Guissan finds}{\insrsid16397898  himself sta}{\insrsid2375785 nding alone in a room.  He can}{\insrsid16397898  not focus on the details of his s}{\insrsid2375785 
urroundings.  Each time he tries}{\insrsid16397898  to pick out the obje}{\insrsid2375785 cts in the room his eyes blur and he looks away in pain.  As tears well}{\insrsid16397898  in his burni}{\insrsid2375785 ng eyes, he becomes aware of a presence }{
\insrsid16397898 behind}{\insrsid2375785  him.  Hazarding a glance he sees}{\insrsid9587166  a simple looking girl}{\insrsid2375785 .  Like the room, Guissan can}{\insrsid16397898  no}{\insrsid9246485 t look long at the young woman}{\insrsid2375785 
 and can}{\insrsid16397898  on}{\insrsid9246485 ly form vague impressions of her}{\insrsid16397898  features and clothing.  An ov}{\insrsid2375785 erwhelming sense of dread fills the Terrestrial and it is all he can}{\insrsid16397898 
 do not to whimper in fear.
\par }{\insrsid9246485 \tab \'93There you are child}{\insrsid9587166 .  There is the boy that I}{\insrsid9246485 \rquote ve been waiting for all these years.}{\insrsid2375785 \'94 The voice is}{\insrsid16397898  slow,}{\insrsid9246485 
 deliberate, and honey-sweet}{\insrsid16397898 . }{\insrsid2375785  But behind the simple words is a tone that bores}{\insrsid16397898  }{\insrsid15097803 in}{\insrsid16397898 to Guissan\rquote s v}{\insrsid9587166 
ery essence.  Something about the girl is wrong.  It is as if she does not belong to the world.  Guissan would run if he could, but finds himself transfixed by her stare.  The girl}{\insrsid2375785  walks with an odd }{\insrsid9246485 gait}{
\insrsid2375785  and}{\insrsid9246485  almost skips about the room.  She couldn\rquote t be more than }{\insrsid11601274 his age, and yet her eyes seem}{\insrsid9246485  timeless.  She}{\insrsid2375785  look}{\insrsid9246485 s
 over Guissan as though the she }{\insrsid9587166 is}{\insrsid11618354  picking out a piece of meat at the market.  The }{\insrsid9246485 girl}{\insrsid15097803 \rquote s }{\insrsid2375785 callous, indifferent look has }{\insrsid11618354 an odd inte}{
\insrsid2375785 nsity.  V\rquote Neef Guissan sputters}{\insrsid11618354  and }{\insrsid2375785 chokes}{\insrsid11827332  as}{\insrsid2375785  bile ri}{\insrsid11618354 se}{\insrsid2375785 s}{\insrsid11618354  into his throat.}{\insrsid9246485 
  Despite her common looks, there is something terribly chilling about the girl\rquote s presence.}{\insrsid11601274   It terrifies Guissan}{\insrsid2900610  in a way no words can describe.}{\insrsid16397898 
\par }{\insrsid9246485 \tab \'93Now then, calm down child\'94 She }{\insrsid2375785 says}{\insrsid9246485  after seeing his reaction.  \'93We\rquote ve met before, l}{\insrsid11618354 ong ago. You don\rquote t remember of course, no one does.}{
\insrsid15097803   Not even the damnable Sun remembers you.  }{\insrsid9246485 Let me introduce myself.  I am Kimberry.\'94 By now the pale young woman}{\insrsid15097803  walk}{\insrsid1123040 s}{\insrsid2375785  }{\insrsid9246485 
in front of Guissan and wags her}{\insrsid2375785  finger as }{\insrsid9246485 s}{\insrsid2375785 he talks}{\insrsid15097803 .  }{\insrsid2375785 \'93}{\insrsid9246485 Don\rquote t let the face fool you, I\rquote 
m much older than I look.  You are too, in a way.\'94 Sh}{\insrsid2375785 e pauses}{\insrsid15097803  in distant thought before continuing.  \'93}{\insrsid1123040 You deserve an explanation; a reason why I\rquote 
ve been coming to your dreams every night for this past year.}{\insrsid15097803 \'94}{\insrsid11618354 
\par }{\insrsid1123040 \tab The girl turns her}{\insrsid2375785  back on Guissan and begi}{\insrsid15097803 n}{\insrsid2375785 s}{\insrsid15097803  to am}{\insrsid2375785 ble around the room as }{\insrsid1123040 she chats}{\insrsid15097803 .  \'93We }{
\insrsid6046638 called you the Mirror Abyss}{\insrsid1123040 , the other Primordials and I}{\insrsid15097803 .  When this world was nothin}{\insrsid1123040 g more than swirls of desire and}{\insrsid15097803  essence}{\insrsid9111245  we created you}{
\insrsid15097803 .  We thought we could protect ourselves shou}{\insrsid1123040 ld the worst happen.  If this little experiment called Creation should turn ou}{\insrsid9587166 t }{\insrsid1123040 less than perfect we would s}{\insrsid6046638 
imply destroy it.  The key was in}{\insrsid1123040  the Abyss.  If it came in contact with the right energies, it would instantly expand and devour Creation.  Those energies were placed in a soul which continued reincarnating throughout the millennia.
  Only once every ten thousand years do the energies stabilize enough to activate the Abyss.\'94 She smiles }{\insrsid9587166 sweetly}{\insrsid1123040  and brushes Guissan\rquote s cheek.  \'93This is one of those years.\'94
\par \tab Kimberry looks deeply into the young Terrestrial\rquote s eyes and continues, \'93The only proble}{\insrsid2900610 m is the current state of the Yozis and Malfeans is }{\insrsid1123040 much too a}{\insrsid6046638 ttached to this world, and will}{
\insrsid1123040  }{\insrsid2900610 dissolve}{\insrsid1123040  wi}{\insrsid2900610 th it.  The only exception will}{\insrsid1123040  be the soul, the Mirror Abyss.  Soon I will come to you Guissan and I will make you an offer you will not refuse.  }{
\insrsid4158394 You will j}{\insrsid1123040 oin me as an Infernal so I may claim your body in the second before you leap into the Abyss.\'94 She giggles, \'93And I\rquote ll be the last thing in existence.\'94 She spins on her heels and stretches, \'93
Free at last.\'94
\par }{\insrsid6046638 \tab \'93Needless to say, you\rquote re quite a prize among Yozis.  That dimwit Ebon Dragon thinks he\rquote }{\insrsid9587166 s found the Mirror Abyss in that Scarlet haired Terrestrial}{\insrsid6046638 .\'94 Kimberry snorts.  \'93}{
\insrsid7950396 Let the other Yozis}{\insrsid6046638  fight over her.  It gives me all the time I need to see this through.\'94}{\insrsid10107318 
\par }{\insrsid8858413 \tab Kimberry leans towards Guissan and kisses him lightly on the lower lip.  The Dragon-Blood\rquote s}{\insrsid2375785  mind has}{\insrsid13386509  }{\insrsid8858413 fades}{\insrsid10107318  away}{\insrsid8858413  and}{\insrsid2375785 
 he feels}{\insrsid13386509  the first trickle of consciousness return.  The dream ab}{\insrsid2375785 ruptly ends and V\rquote Neef Guissan si}{\insrsid13386509 t}{\insrsid2375785 s}{\insrsid13386509  bolt upright in his bed, cold swe}{\insrsid2375785 
at covering his brow.  He buries}{\insrsid13386509  }{\insrsid2375785 his face in his hands and sobs}{\insrsid13386509  silent}{\insrsid8858413 ly.  The disturbing presence of the vision rapidly drains}{\insrsid13386509  from his mind}{\insrsid8858413 .
  A}{\insrsid13386509 fter a second or }{\insrsid2375785 two he can}{\insrsid13386509  no longer reme}{\insrsid2375785 mber why he was upset.  He stands}{\insrsid13386509  in confusion to get a glass of water.}{\insrsid10107318 
\par }{\insrsid8858413 \tab Standing at the dark doorway, a figure }{\insrsid2375785 looks}{\insrsid8858413  }{\insrsid13386509 at Guissan with concer}{\insrsid2375785 n.  The green eyed woman frowns}{\insrsid13386509  slightly}{\insrsid2375785  and speaks}{
\insrsid13386509  in a soothing voice.  \'93That dream again?\'94
\par }{\insrsid2375785 \tab Guissan swallows}{\insrsid13386509  his }{\insrsid2375785 drink and si}{\insrsid13386509 t}{\insrsid2375785 s}{\insrsid13386509  back down on the bed.  \'93Again? I can\rquote 
t even remember what the dream was about.  I wish I could just get some sleep.\'94
\par }{\insrsid2375785 \tab The woman adjusts Guissan\rquote s pillow and helps him lay back down.  She rubs}{\insrsid13386509  h}{\insrsid2375785 is shoulder gently and whispers}{\insrsid7811218  into his ear. \'93}{\insrsid7873290 Get some r}{
\insrsid8858413 est; we all}{\insrsid7873290  have a big day tomorrow.  The Fae will not give up the Eventide Document lightly}{\insrsid8858413  and your father will be leading the negotiations}{\insrsid7873290 .}{\insrsid13386509 \'94
\par }{\insrsid2375785 \tab As she watches}{\insrsid13386509  the Terrestrial drift back into s}{\insrsid2375785 leep the green eyed woman frowns}{\insrsid13386509  again.  For }{\insrsid8858413 a year she watched over this boy in the guise of his step-mother
.  The }{\insrsid13386509 things he said in his sleep }{\insrsid8858413 since his Exaltation }{\insrsid13386509 were most tro}{\insrsid2375785 ubling.  Wh}{\insrsid13658 at i}{\insrsid2375785 s more disturbing}{\insrsid13658  i}{\insrsid13386509 
s the fact that V\rquote Neef G}{\insrsid5249722 uissan, unlike all other }{\insrsid13386509 things}{\insrsid16018168 , does}{\insrsid5070958  not have a place in }{\insrsid13386509 the loom of Fate.  }{\insrsid8278865 By all logic, he shouldn\rquote t
 exist.  }{\insrsid13386509 The gre}{\insrsid16018168 en eyed Sidereal i}{\insrsid8278865 s determined to find out what is going on.}{\insrsid13386509 
\par }}