Prologue
The source filled him. Threatened to over take him. So warm, so sweet, so dangerous. He felt alive, more alive than anytime he had touched the source before. One hundred and thirteen men linked. He knew what they were there to do. He knew he was a part of something great. Lews Therin Telamon stood across the pit from him, eyes closed. The man would save them all. The power flooded him unlike it ever had before and he let more of it in. And more. They needed it. Lews Therin needed it. Then as if the entire world was lost to him, he lost the Source. He was severed.
He did not even know that the source was there. Hands sweating in the hands of the men on either side of him what could he do? Others had their eyes open. Fear plain on their faces. It was known that this was a possibility. The forsaken were down there. What if it was them? He was not this careless. And he certainly knew that Paran Domar was the most careful man he had ever met and if he is standing over there looking like he had lost the love of his life, then that must mean that he was severed too and not through his own carelessness.
He did not expect some big uproar when the deed was finished but he did not expect what he had seen. Half of the men there fell dead where the rest began attacking eachother. Lightning fell from the sky. The earth erupted. Fire seared the air in front of him. It was as if the Dark One possessed the men. He had no idea just how lucky he was to be severed. If it was the Forsaken they did him a favor.
He ran. Not just him but to his right he saw the other men who were severed and on his left was Lews Therin. All running as if from the Dark One himself. Lews Therin made a gateway and in it flowed fourteen men, including himself and Lews Therin.
"What in the light happened back there?" Paran roared.
"The Dark One had one last parting gift." Startled looks spread across the faces of every man there as Lews Therin spoke. "He left a piece of himself in saidin. He tainted it." His face grew into a twisted smile. "You are the lucky few." The lucky few. The words echoed. He turned to him now and smiled. "Ah, Artain Velelle, it is sad to see a man as powerful as you end up like this." His smile grew warm now. "Nearly as powerful as me or Ishmael. At least you will not go mad. I can already feel it taking me." He turned to the rest of them. "You cannot take the easy way out. I want oaths that you will not foolishly kill yourselves or get yourselves killed."
"You cannot be serious Lews. I cannot live like this." Til Bachlin exclaimed, fear sparkling in his eyes. Lews Therin gestured with his hand and lightning struck the man dead where he stood.
"What did you do?" Paran ran and knealt over the man's body. Others joined him or stood over them. Artain stayed where he was and stared at Lews Therin.
"Oaths, now! He wanted to die anyways. Give your oaths or I will help you myself." Help them. That is what he called it and it was true. He could not go on. Not when he is severed. He would take Telamon's help instead.
As he began to speak the words he expected to say did not come out, instead he said, "By the light and my hope of salvation I swear not to kill myself or let myself die on purpose or may the Creator's face turn from me forever and darkness consume my soul." Anger raged in him. What under the light possessed him to say those words? Lews Therin. Ta'veren. Before he realized what he was doing he was on his knees crying, wailing. Cursing the light. The pattern. The Creator. Lews Therin. By the time Lews Therin left, he was rocking back and forth, arms wrapped around his knees, sitting. Only six of the men were still alive. The lucky few.
The walk back to any form of civilization was tedious. Months passed and only two remained. The rest decided it was best to break their oaths to the Dragon. What the Dragon didn't know wouldn't hurt him and by their logic he would be long dead before he knew what really happened to them. Only he and Paran Domar remained.
"Do you have a plan for when we reach civilization, Artain?" Paran asked. Concern in his eyes like a father to his son.
"If Lews Therin was right and saidin is tainted there won't be much of a civilization left." Artain had lost all emotion days earlier. Without saidin, he was nothing. Felt nothing. Cared about nothing.
"I plan to figure out a way to cleanse it. Remove the darkness. It will take someone who cannot channel but once did or the Dragon himself to cleanse it. No woman could." He emphasized "woman" with much distaste. "You must find something to do or you will lose yourself in uselessness. Nothingness." The last word was an afterthough, as if hoping the feeling would go away in himself.
"I hope to die by some rogue male Aes Sedai. That is what I'll live for." Artain said in near disgust at this man's hope.
"You swore an oath!" Paran's face grew sad and angry. "To the Dragon!"
"And I shall keep it. I will not kill myself on purpose, but hoping to die is something else entirely." Artain's words felt like someone else's. Like he was not moving his mouth himself but he was only a puppet at a children's show.
"Join me. I'm sure together we can think of something." Paran put an arm over Artain's shoulder. His hope was disturbing.
It only took two years for the men to discover the Choedan Kal, which are still in Emar Dal, now held by the shadow. When they arrive they see that it is no longer held by the shadow but in ruins. The men who can channel, the mad men, they did this. Artain knew. He would still give anything to be able to touch the source again.
By this time rumours were going around that Lews Therin killed his entire family and many of his friends. Rumours that the Aes Sedai were broken and Paaran Disen was destroyed as well. This is when Artain and Paran noticed water rushing toward them. At tall wall of water. Enough to fill an ocean. The Breaking of the World had begun.
