Untold eons ago, my people fought against the races of man. Although we sought only to maintain balance, they mistakenly viewed our attempts to restrict certain actions as tyranny. At first, it couldn’t even be called a war. Any time one of us fell, we simply returned to the Unseen Realm, and eventually we returned to the mortal realm just as powerful as when we left. Though they outnumbered us, we had an obvious advantage.
Unfortunately the races of man somehow discovered our weaknesses. The legendary metal mythrite was originally from the Unseen Realm. Weapons made from it could destroy not only our mortal bodies, but also our spiritual selves. Armed with these weapons, the races of man reversed our advantage, and hunted us to near extinction. Those who remained succumbed to the desire for more power and the thirst for revenge. Our bodies lost their pure and beautiful forms, and became savage. Sharp fangs, horns, claws, tough scales—our kind covered our bodies with all the greatest natural weapons we could think of.
When the Arbiter fell after our transformation, none who remained were qualified to succeed them. With our bodies and minds tainted by hatred, our fates were sealed. One after another, my fellows marched to the slaughter, until only I remained. My body was in a deplorable state, and I saw no point in continuing to struggle alone, so I remained hidden in the Unseen Realm. Over time, the anger faded away, and all that was left was pure grief. I mourned my fallen fellows, and lamented my own cowardice. Every time I thought I should return to the mortal realm and throw my life away, I convinced myself to continue on as the last of my kind: the one to pass on the memories of those who died.
For eons, I sat here and did absolutely nothing. Every day was the same as the last. I had no way of knowing what became of the mortal realm. Without an Arbiter, there was no way to receive any news besides going there myself. I believed I would spend the rest of eternity here, forever unchanged... But one day, a new Arbiter of Balance suddenly appeared.
I didn’t know what to make of the strange little thing at first. She was less than half my size, but she was full of life and cheer. Was the mortal realm at peace, then? Curiosity got the better of me, and I followed her. She didn’t seem to notice me, but then, I was hardly worth any notice in the first place. From the shadows, I watched the strange little woman with brown skin and pale purple hair enter the old castle. I followed her the entire time, hidden by the darkness, but she didn’t notice me. Silently, I witnessed as she accepted the crown and became the new Arbiter. My emotions overwhelmed me.
Hope, grief, trepidation, excitement, pride, sadness, joy; they all intermingled at once in my heart. Before she accepted her role as the new Arbiter, she had a conversation with a projection. I assumed that this projection belonged to the Arbiter of another world. It seemed that our new Arbiter had been sent from another world as well. Did that mean the state of the mortal realm had deteriorated so far that the universe saw fit to move space and time to bring an Arbiter here from another world? There were so many questions. I wanted to speak with the new Arbiter, but my cowardice rooted me to the spot. How would this new Arbiter judge me for my crimes? I dared not approach for fear of how she might react.
Then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the new Arbiter was gone. Returned to the mortal realm, no doubt. Was the situation really so dire that she couldn’t first deal with the lingering clouds of hatred and regret that shrouded the Unseen Realm?
Ah, but it wasn’t my place to question the Arbiter. My role should have been to serve her, in any capacity I could. In service, I might find atonement. Absolution for my cowardly reluctance. I resolved to pledge myself to her when next she appeared... But my cowardice got in the way once again.
She returned far sooner than I anticipated, and I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t have enough time to work up the courage to approach her. This time she seemed content to experiment with her powers, using them to mend the blighted landscape. More than mend—she set about improving it. She filled the unseen realm with colorful plants, and transformed the cursed castle into a thing of beauty. She seemed to have her own ideas about how to make the place as charming as possible. It made me wonder who she was renovating it all for. Did she perhaps intend to bring servants with her? If she already had a retinue, then surely she would have little use for my help. I admonished myself for creating more excuses, and pledged to steel my resolve and present myself to her. Even if she decided to eliminate me as a remnant of the tainted old guard, I had a duty to her. To ensure the future of the unseen realm, I had to speak with her.
Suddenly, storm clouds appeared overhead. Were her emotions in turmoil? I crept as close as I could without being noticed. It seemed she was longing for her old home, or perhaps for the people she’d left behind there. Perhaps the ones she longed for were lost the same way my old comrades were. I felt a kinship with her, but I remained unable to approach.
Curse my cowardly ways. If only I’d been slain in battle, and someone more useful had been left alive instead. As I continued to watch, and she gained control of her own tumultuous emotions, I lamented my inability to overcome my own fears.
The realm was peaceful once again, and she made the sky even more splendid. She prepared a strange plant that produced flat, rectangular fruits. I watched her eat several of them; they seemed to comfort her. It seemed that these fruits stirred some memories within her that inspired painful longing, but she controlled her emotions this time. The realm remained beautiful. That level of control was inspiring; she was certainly more skilled than I. It was obvious why she had been chosen as the next Arbiter.
When she departed the Unseen Realm again, I resolved to speak with her the next time she appeared. No more excuses.
I’ll swear my eternal loyalty to her, and let the rest happen as it is meant to. I refuse to allow this fear to control me any longer. The next time we meet will decide everything.