"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."
***
The Grand Cathedral of Awakening looked like it was trying too hard.
Twin spires clawed at the morning sky like they were personally offended by heaven's existence. Stained glass windows the size of manor walls threw rainbows across the approach. Every panel showed some legendary moment. The First Awakening. The Sundering. The Binding of the Elemental Lords. All the greatest hits.
The air itself felt heavy. Centuries of accumulated mana pressed against my senses and made my teeth ache. The fresh scar on my chest pulsed in response, still tender beneath my doublet.
The stage is set. The audience is gathering. And here I am, walking into the lion's den dressed as the world's most pathetic sheep.
At least this sheep has hidden claws.
