Prologue: Bird of Stone
An elderly man walked down the ancient hall of one of the oldest temples in the modern kingdom. Cobwebs covered the marble pillars and the old draperies were filled with moth eaten holes. The man himself wore long, bright red robes with gold symbols etched in the sides. To his right was a century old statue of a bird. The eyes were closed and the feathers were like the tops of an ever-burning fire. The man approached it. He sat down cross-legged in front of it, as if he were waiting for something to happen. He wasn't disappointed.
A moment later a soft red glow surrounded the statue. Its eyes flickered open, revealing flaming red eyes and pupils that emitted rhythmic bursts of fire. Then the fire spread, rippling throughout its entire body.
A thin smile spread across the old man's lips. He had been expecting something to happen for some time, thirty years to be exact. While he had never disrupted the hall in any way. He knew that there was a certain unique quality about it.
The bird's feathers turned red and then became a mass of flame within a matter of seconds. The bird cocked its head as if to ask, "Who are you?" Then, as if by some magic the bird possessed, the mad heard a voice in his head.
'Old monk, why have you come here?' the voice asked. It had a shrill tone, but was oddly soothing to the startled monk.
"I don't know," He replied aloud. Now the bird paced the few steps between the man and itself until they were nearly close enough to touch. It sniffed the air, as though it could find something out that it didn't already know.
'You are a good man. Go now and be at peace here, for I am the only mystery to have ever dwelt here. Go and be blessed.' It finished, pumping its wings and flying noiselessly around the hall. Satisfied, the old monk stood and left the hall, feeling a great rest from the endless mental annoyance that the temple had caused him.
Now that the bird was alone, it wandered outside. It was midsummer and the sun was relentless with its many hindering rays. Heat. It was the one thing that strengthened the bird. It took flight into the bright sky, blending in with practiced precision, searching for its master.