Sage crashed to the ground, his chest heaving with difficult breaths. His body ached all over, and his limbs felt heavy. His vision blurred, with darkness closing in around the edges. “Is this it?” he wondered as his eyes fluttered shut. Have I lost?”

Then, a deep, peaceful silence surrounded him, as if it was wrapping around his very being. No battle. No pain. No noise. Just peace.

Sage slowly opened his eyes and blinked to clear his vision. But what he saw shocked him. He was no ...