Once before he had felt it; a deep, irresistible tug that was not so much a physical attraction as it was an obliteration of his own free will. He had had no choice in the matter, only to move forward and accept a destiny that would destroy his people.

Now he felt it again, and just as before, he felt nothing but the urge to comply. It took only a fraction of a second for this to happen, for his body to transition from the nonexistence it resided in when not in use to his destination, simple and quiet as a gentle wind. He immediately registered a change. The place did not feel wrong, but nor did it feel like any place he had been before. The only input he received from any sense was the feeling of his clothing resting on his skin. No reality to touch, no subtle scents, no moving air, no ambient noise, no... life. And yet, this place felt right.

All of this registered in the space of a second, at which point he decided it would be all right to look. More than all right, he must look. Such a peculiar place could not be left unexplored.

Infinity. That was the only word he could think of to describe it, and that was saying something; a lifespan exceeding seventeen millennia expanded one's vocabulary considerably. A great white expanse spread around him in every direction with no discernible beginning or end. Were he a weaker man, he might well have succumbed to some sort of vertigo-induced insanity.

And then the world shifted just slightly. The space before him seemed almost to condense, to darken to just the lightest shade of off-white, and yet it stood out like a sore thumb amidst an otherwise immaculate background. It was a humanoid shape, just shorter than himself, though that was all he could make of it.

"Artanis Rain, Guardian of Water." The voice was distinctly feminine and vaguely familiar, yet carried no indication of whether the voice was friendly or hostile.

"Yes?" He responded tentatively, his voice a shade more clipped than he had intended. Curious though this state of existence was, he did not like to be caught so very off-guard.

"Your contract is over. What you do from this point is entirely your choice." A touch of warmth had entered the voice now, though Rain could not distinguish whether it was genuine or deceptive. It was something of a frustration, having no visual or audio cues as to whether or not this being was benign, but his curiosity overrode it.

"I wasn't aware I was under any contract," he responded coolly, his voice now claiming the level tone he had originally been trying for.

"You entered into a contract some seventeen thousand years ago, did you not? To watch over the waters of the land until the last breath leaves your body?"

"Ah. That." He took a moment to ponder what else to say; there we few who knew that his post was not optional in the least, and even fewer that had any idea that he no longer desired his post. However, this encounter had been nothing if not disconcerting, and he decided it was best not to bullshit his way out of it. "Yes, I am. But you're mistaken, there is no buy-out for this. I'm in it until, as you put it, the last breath leaves my body."

"We transcend the laws of Nature. If you so wish, we can put an end to your suffering." Rain made to speak, to ask how this being thought it could know his disposition on being a Guardian, but it pressed on undaunted. "Forgive me, but you are no longer necessary here. That is to say, you are replaceable as a Guardian. However, your usefulness elsewhere, as an exceptionally experienced Etherian, is very evident to us." A slight ripple seemed to pass through the space they occupied, even causing a visual distortion in what Rain could only assume to be the being's avatar, as it pressed on, "Your intended successor, the soldier Darkfall, has already been spoken to. Should you take this opportunity, he will be joining you."

As though on cue, the white emptiness to Rain's left coalesced into the forum of a man, tall by human standards, covered in a mane of jet-black hair and surrounded by a cloud of cigarette smoke. A slight smirk touched Rain's lips, but all he could manage to choke out was a brief "Why?"

"Because you two are capable of accomplishing a great deal together, but this has been hindered by your own vow to remain a neutral party. What you lose in raw strength you will regain tenfold in your, as your kind deem it, spirit. No longer will you have to remain cold and idle while you wish to help, to save, as per the curse every Guardian carries."

The being, for the first time that Rain was aware of, moved, a distinct side-stepping motion and a lift of its hand in a very clear "you first" expression. the instant it did this, the ripple seemed to pass through the area one last time before falling in on itself just beyond the being's hand, causing what neither man could describe as anything more accurate than "a rip."

"What is it?" The question was out of Rain's mouth before he could stop it, and a half-glance at his companion told him Zhelir was wondering the same.

"The way to elysium."

And that was the last of either man's memories of the multiverse they once called home.