Garinor picked himself up off the ground and decided he wanted to know his whole story. He had seen the visions of the past and present. He wanted to know about the stories that were still to come. He believed the Elder Dorin had given him his blessing to view all three time frames, so, with conviction in his heart, he reached for the door on the right side.
A brilliant white light blinded him as he touched the door latch. His soul exploded into a million pieces, scattering in all directions. The pain was incredible, and he strained to remember who he was and why he was here. He needed to know what was to come. He needed answers for his own existence. Visions flooded his mind in intense flashes. It was impossible to link the images into any semblance of a pattern, but he clung onto each one as if his life depended on it.
Before him stood a tall, thin man, well-accustomed to athletic pursuits. He possessed a conceited aura and it dampened his otherwise decent looks. Cold eyes stared down and a snarl curled his lip. He was displeased and angry and he wanted the death of the one kneeling before him.
Garinor’s mother sat in her garden, tears streaming silently from her eyes. She clutched her arms about her as she wept, peering up at the sky overhead.
A marble-coated room appeared, centered by two red and purple thrones, both of which were empty.
Tomli lay on a rocky dirt road. His handsome face was creased in pain. Blood trickled from a head wound and his eyes were closed. His body was curled into a tight ball as if he had tried hiding himself before a lethal attack. A sword lay nearby and it looked as if Tomli had dropped it as he had fallen.
An iron scepter sat on the ground at the back of a cave. The rubies, emeralds, and sapphires that had been set into it were covered in rock and dust, but begged to be brought into the light. Fine carvings were drawn along the surface of the scepter, making it seem enticing to touch. It looked priceless, but it also looked cursed. Not far from the scepter lay several skeletal hands of apparent thieves who had met their ends trying to claim the scepter.
As swiftly as they had burst apart, the fragments of Garinor’s soul snapped together again. He was blasted back from the doorway and he crashed to the ground in a heap.
Exhausted from all the visions he had now seen, Garinor pulled himself up and dragged himself toward Elder Dorin’s hut to recuperate.