An hour later, it began to get dark, and Rash suddenly felt the energy draining out of him. He collapsed onto the floor and vaguely saw something black catching him.

  The next thing he remembered was Kieren standing over him, covering him with a blanket and mumbling something—and then he fell asleep in the bed.

  Rash woke up in the morning just as Kieren entered, dirty and covered in what looked like a combination of mud and blood.

  "Good morning. I’ll get in the shower, and then we will continue from where we left off yesterday," he said, entering a small room in the cabin.

  A second later, Rash heard the sound of running water from there and saw steam coming out. After a few minutes, Kieren came out, dressed in clean clothes and drying his head.

  "How did you shower in there? Is there an entrance to the river?" Rash asked.

  Kieren froze in place and asked in a surprised tone: "You don't know what a shower is?"

  "I do know what a shower is," Rash answered defensively. "It's when you clean yourself in the river... or in a lake."

  "Wow... I knew they were withholding technology from you, but I didn't know to what extent," Kieren said. "Come with me."

  Rash stood up and went with Kieren to the room Kieren had just exited. He saw a pipe coming out of the wall, and beneath it, a handle. Underneath that, a sort of large tub with a hole in the middle was attached to the floor.

  "See, the water comes out from here," Kieren said, holding the pipe. "And you control it using the handle. When you pull—water comes out. When you push—it stops. If you turn it to the right—cold water comes out, and to the left—hot water. Move it from side to side until you find the temperature you like."

  Rash entered the room, took off his clothes, and pulled the handle. Suddenly, freezing water came out, and Rash jumped in shock. He turned it to the left—the water became too hot. Rash continued to play with the handle until he found the right temperature.

  A few minutes later, Rash stepped out of the shower. He found a set of clothes placed at the entrance, got dressed, and went out. Then he saw that Kieren had prepared breakfast for him. He sat down at the table and asked:

  "I’m sorry for asking, but... yesterday you almost killed me, and since then you’ve been nothing but nice to me. What happened?"

  Kieren looked at him searchingly and said: "Start eating, and I will complete the story from yesterday."

  Rash started to eat.

  "So, where were we? Right, Rashiel discovered the most important discovery of his life..."

  Suddenly, they were in the office. Rash saw Rashiel sitting and writing in a notebook.

  "Rashiel realized that his entire understanding of the Art of Silarin was wrong. Instead of humans changing the world—the world is always changing, using the mysterious energy he called 'Silarin'. Humans can only influence these changes, using the energy found in everything—from humans to the stones and the air that surrounds us."

  Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

  "Come in," Rashiel said.

  A man wearing a cloak entered the office.

  "While Rashiel was finishing his understanding of this important discovery, a very important visitor came to him. He was the King of a large and powerful country—named Voldrak. He came to demand that Rashiel return and help them with a certain project."

  The man entered, sat down across from Rashiel, and took off his cloak. Rash gasped sharply—the man had the head of a wolf.

  "Hello, Fenrakar. How can I help you?" Rashiel asked.

  "I really do not appreciate your lack of cooperation regarding our reinforcements," Fenrakar answered—half growling, half speaking.

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  "If that is all you came for, then you have wasted your time. I have already told you—I object to your experiments on humans. When you change a person permanently—you lose something central in that person," Rashiel answered.

  "It seems to me you have forgotten your place. I am not asking you—I am commanding you to return to our experiments!" Fenrakar roared.

  "I have already made it clear to you in the past—I am not your subject, and I never was. You do not have the right or the ability to command me. And if that is all you came to say—the door is there," Rashiel said, standing up and pointing to the door.

  "Last chance," Fenrakar growled.

  Rashiel continued to point at the door and said nothing. Fenrakar turned and left.

  After Fenrakar left, a young man entered whom Rash already recognized as Alastriel, and Rashiel said to him:

  "We don't have much time. If I am right—within a week Voldrak will attack. So I want you to take your wife and children tomorrow and go to the island where Grandfather was born. No one has found that island for a thousand years, except for our family. You will be safe there."

  "Father, I am not leaving you," Alastriel said.

  "I am not arguing. I need you to take them there and then return here alone. And after we lose this war—take what remains of humanity there, and surround everything with mountains that even a dragon could not fly over," Rashiel said.

  "A dragon? There’s no such thing," Alastriel said.

  "I want you to listen to me, and listen to me well. For the last ten years, Voldrak has been trying to create the ultimate race by combining man and beast—and they have created monsters from legends: werewolves, dragons, minotaurs, and more. The other nations were not blind to the process, so in response, they also tried to create new races. The problem is that when they created these races, they changed the people permanently—not temporarily. And as a result, they lost something essential: their humanity," Rashiel said.

  Alastriel was in shock.

  "In a week, a giant war is going to break out here between all the new races, and regular humans will be crushed under their feet. Our only chance to survive—is to create a sanctuary for humanity that none of the new races can reach. Do you understand?"

  Alastriel nodded.

  "When you return, I want to teach you the pure Art of Silarin—something only I know. And then you will begin to move humanity to that island."

  "What is the pure Art of Silarin?" Alastriel asked.

  In response, Rashiel raised both of his hands—and from one came an arm of light, and from the other, an arm of shadow.

  "No one but me can use this," Rashiel said.

  Alastriel was stunned, but he gave his father a hug and walked out the door.

  Alastriel indeed moved his family to the island and returned to his father. And a week later—Voldrak attacked, and the only ones left to defend humanity were Rashiel and Alastriel.

  The scenery changed, and Rash saw Rashiel standing surrounded by shadow and light, fighting alone against a field of werewolves riding on dragons. Among them—lion-men and minotaurs on foot, and bird-men flying above them.

  The scenery changed again, and Rash saw Alastriel at the front of a boat full of terrified people, anchoring at a shore full of trees and tents.

  The scenery changed again—to Rashiel, this time between elegant, tall people with pointed ears, and short people with beards.

  The scenery changed again—this time Rashiel and Alastriel look several decades older, standing next to each other on the seashore, looking at a giant field full of every possible race.

  "Father, this is it. Not one human remains outside the island except for the two of us and the boat crew. It is your turn now," Alastriel said.

  "Excellent. Return to the ship and separate me from the rest of the world with a ring of mountains. I will stay here and buy you time," Rashiel said.

  "Father, no! You have been fighting for forty years—you cannot continue! Come with me!" Alastriel pleaded.

  In response, Rashiel hugged his son tightly, then raised his hand—and an arm of light caught Alastriel and threw him to the ship.

  "Go, save humanity!" Rashiel shouted toward his son, then turned and walked slowly toward the field full of enemies, while light and shadow erupted from him and surrounded him.

  The ship's crew held the crying Alastriel and began to sail away from the shore.

  The scenery changed—to Alastriel standing on the ship, deep at sea, with the island visible in the background behind him. He said: "Goodbye, Father... I will make you proud."

  Then he raised his hands and concentrated—and the air around him began to sparkle with golden light. All the gold was sucked toward Alastriel, and then in a great explosion, it exited from him. For a moment it seemed like nothing happened—and then, one after another, mountains rose from the sea and began to create a circle around the island.

  Alastriel fell back onto the deck, unconscious. The ship's crew quickly came out from below deck and carried him to a bed.

  The scenery changed again—and Rash saw Rashiel on his knees in the middle of a battlefield. Standing before him was Fenrakar, in golden armor, this time without a cloak, proudly showing his fur-covered body which had already turned white. Fenrakar pressed a sword to Rashiel's chest and said:

  "This is it. It’s all over. You lost. Now tell me where your son and the rest of the people with him are. I need food for my warriors," Fenrakar growled—and then laughed.

  In response, Rashiel began to laugh: "Do you really think you have a chance? It took you forty-three years to defeat a lone old man—when for thirty years you have had the help of all the other nations. And you think you can defeat my family? Good luck to you. You will never understand what you lost in those changes."

  And with those words, Rashiel raised his hands—and he exploded in a blast of light and darkness that blinded even Rash.

  After Rash blinked and regained his sight—he saw that all that remained of Rashiel, and of everyone who had surrounded him—was a very familiar sword that began to glow... and then broke into thousands of pieces—and disappeared.