As unnatural lightning crackled in the sky over the Shastaan coast, the
whereabouts of Dawn and Gladius were finally revealed. Upon a lonely
promontory of rock, the refugees from Belladona's Keep were glimpsed
preparing a great ring of stone, the legendary artifact, the Eye of
Proteus.

Dawn cried her thanks to the benevolent Divine who guided her to the
hidden Eye to the confusion of the Gods present. Despite warnings that
the Eye would be destroyed and their lives would be in danger if mortals
were to use it, the two concentrated the strength of their faith upon
the artifact once used to meld Divine Realms into energies of great
influence. At first the power of the Eye under Dawn and Gladius's
control appeared to be working. Light flowed across the lands, lifting
the presence of the harmful Chaos Taint that had plagued it.

But before the Taint could be banished fully, the Eye did indeed falter,
and tumbled, inert, into the crashing waves. Dawn and Gladius were
nowhere to be seen.

The Taint coalesced into a diseased cloud that filled the sky over
Sapience, and lashed out at each city in turn. But as each city was
threatened, the city's well, created by Valnurana and the city's Patrons
flared to life and gave forth a powerful Guardian capable of driving
back the Taint. Most surprising of these was Cyrene's, for a geyser
erupted from the city's Icerune Crater and seemed to give a call of
beckoning, answered by none other than Blu, the city's lost dragon, now
fully grown and capable of meeting the Taint in battle. It is as yet
unsure where Blu has been, or what happened to him, but the geyser
formed a momentary portal that allowed the brave dragon to return to his
home.

Thwarted by every city, the Taint retreated to the heart of the
continent, but the tide seemed to be turning in its favor as it evolved
to counter each Guardian, when suddenly something stirred back on the
forlorn Shastaan promontory. Dawn, broken and drained by the Eye yet
managed with the last of her strength to call the legendary Phoenix and
bond with its spirit.

The Phoenix that was Dawn chased the Taint deep underground, cleansing
the realm of mortals, before turning to the silent statue of Eris. In
the flames of purity, Eris as the Keeper of the realm of Chaos was
restored, and with this final act, the Phoenix began to diminish, Dawn's
life and strength spent.

But Sarapis would not have this. He emerged from the Garden and in
thundering tones praised Dawn for the extraordinary devotion, faith, and
selfless courage shown in her efforts to release the realm from the
Taint's ravages. He granted her the gift of immortality for her great
sacrifices, and as a new day broke on the horizon she became Mithraea,
Goddess of the Sun.

Across the realm, rejoicing was heard for the new Goddess, the return of
Eris and of valiant Blu, and the emergence of all city Guardians,
forevermore to stand as fierce protectors of their homes. Also, there
was relief, for the realm had been much strained by the sinister
workings of the Taint. All things living and inanimate that the Taint
had warped gradually returned to normal, and the vicious globes that had
claimed many a mortal life in their mischief were gone.

A few questions still remain. Why did Twilight apparently give Gladius
the freedom to help Dawn, and what will become of the restored knight?
Where, indeed, is Twilight now, for He did not return when the Taint was
driven away, and rumors circulate that His part in this was almost
certainly more than is apparent. How has Eris's imprisonment and the
cleansing of Chaos Taint from the lands affected the Goddess of Chaos,
who now behaves more strangely than ever, and complaints of something
that seems to be "missing" from Her mind.

As the realm now basks in a tentative calm, the possibilities of these
happenings' future consequences remain a weight on the minds of many.

Penned by my hand on the 7th of Chronos, in the year 331 AF.