Prologue - Premonition
"The crimson sky patterned with the various birds of prey, foreboding as it seemed, was undeniably an image of blood and arms. In the distance, two great armies clashed in what seemed a battlefield barren of all life-perfect for the situation that he found himself in. For in this land there was no creature or plants save for the birds circling the soldiers for the plethora of dead bodies that would follow. The land was empty for great miles in all directions with the colossal looking Spine and the Isentar Lake seen toward the east"
"The soldiers adorned in red tunics were grim faced and bloodied as they battled to keep the force of the Varden at bay. A contingent of soldiers towards the left flanks of the Empire raged through a large Surdan cavalry slewing and mercilessly beheading their opponents. A large number of arrows followed, whistling in the air like a snake about to strike at its prey, among these soldiers to protect the cavalry. But the soldiers continued on with great drunken laughter as though they felt nothing albeit with arrows protruding along the lengths of their bodies..."
"Distracted, he finally turned his head toward a loud roar in the horizon and readied himself to fight upon his dragon. But like an itch he could not reach, the feeling of finality weighed upon him that he could not shake…."
"Nooooo…" barked the Dark King as he woke with a thundering exclamation from the dream he had. Clenching his fists, he sensed the numerous consciousnesses that emanated from the enslaved eldunarya. Shielding his mind from an imminent attack from a few number of the dragon essences that could sense a weakness in his defenses, he instantly uttered a line of potent dark magic that he learnt during his exile and shackled the broken minds of the dragons.
Legends of dreams that foretold the future by the riders were known to many and most had appeared true. The dragons in the aftermath of the Du Fyrn Skulblaka – the Dragon War, had influenced the elves and eventually the humans with their magic. With their nature to change the course of nature and the present with an unpredictable whim of fate and immense amounts of magic, this ability was transmitted to their riders in the form of these dreams. It was armed with this knowledge that the King rightly felt that his future, although not cast in stone, appeared to head in a precarious direction.
Alighting from his king sized bed; he walked the length of his private chambers in silence, contemplating his ever disturbing dreams. Aye, this was not the first instance that this vision appeared to him. It had been haunting him for four nights; each dream revealing a little more than its predecessor. Galbatorix understood that this involved Eragon, the rebel dragon rider and the Varden, together the beacon of hope for the resistance against his rule. His chambers was large enough to fit two dragons of Thorn's stature and suitably allowed Shruikan to enter and leave without difficulty through a large opening of several hundred feet on the east wall. The bed was located far opposite this entrance along with furniture capable of seating a council of average number.
Currently Galbatorix was residing in the castle of his former trusted servant-Morzan, away from the constant throngs and bustle of the commoners in Uru'baen. He needed time on his own to research his current experiment, one whose fruits would end this war forever and enable his ascendancy to the status of the Gods. Aye, he would be considered a god by all races in certainty and would be immortal till the end of time. Calling out to his dragon, he prepared to travel back to his citadel in the capitol and receive Murtagh and Thorn who would be arriving from the battle above Gilead.