Feizhi wandered through a foggy grassland. She had no recollection of this place. The smell of the air, the feel of the grass, the sound of the birds, all were foreign to her. She realized that she had no idea how she got there. As her mind started to clear it was pierced by sudden cry of anguish almost animal like in its intensity.
Someone was in pain. Horrible pain. She ran towards the sound of the cry. Her feet were barely moving. The cry sounded again, startling her so much that she fell face first into the soft grass. Frustrated she got up again. This time her feet were moving even slower.
What is happening? Why can't I run? Where in Weyard am I? she panicked. Her heart started to run faster and faster even as her feet ran slower and slower. Finally she saw something through the fog.
A beast. It was a beast who had cried. But this was no ordinary beast. Could it be one of the rumoured beastmen from Kolima? Was it possible?
As more of the fog cleared she saw that the beast was chained. And behind it was an East Anagran man cracking a whip against the mangled back of the beast. The man looked like he could have come from the same town as Feizhi. And suddenly there were more. Dozens of beastmen all chained. And dozens of their captors. She ran towards the first captor, the one with the whip. He was bald with a grizzly black beard and a torn trench coat. A large scar extended from his chin to his right temple.
"What are you doing?! What have they done to deserve this?" somehow Feizhi knew that the beastmen were innocent.
"These are swine. Good for nothing but work." spat the slave driver.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Feizhi asked terrified.
The man laughed horrifically "Welcome to the Sanan Empire!"
Feizhi sat up straight in her bed. It was a dream. Slowly her head cleared. It was a vision. Her first since before the Golden Sun rose one year ago. But she was absolutely sure it was a vision. The beastmen from Kolima are real. But why were they being held captive by her kinsmen? And where was she in her vision? What was the Sanan Empire?
She arose out of her bed and washed her face in the bowl that sat next to her bed. She knew she had to share her vision. She would not be able to sleep until she did, and besides, what if she forgot? This was her first vision in over a year. It had to be important.
Feizhi quickly scurried out of her room and down the hall towards her father's chambers. She didn't understand. Why now? She had been training her psynergy since before alchemy was released. And since it was released she had gotten much stronger much faster. But the visions never came back. No matter how hard she tried. Why now and why like this? Why when she wasn't even trying?
She rapped hard on her father's door and entered before waiting for a reply.
"Father, wake up." she nudged him.
"What is it my dear?" Feh said half asleep.
"I've had another vision."
Feh's eyes darted open. He sat up and lit the bedside candle. "Tell me what you saw."
Feizhi recounted her vision to him as accurately as she possibly could. She would not lose any of the information she learned in her dream to miscommunication or forgetfulness. Her father listened without interruption. He had always been the patient one of the two.
Feh looked thoughtful for a moment. "The Golden Sun event increased the fertility of the land. Cities can spend more gold on militaries and thus empires are possible. They have been arising all over Weyard. Iodem has named himself Emperor of the Tolbi Empire that encompasses north Gondowan. Even now a man named Ko is calling for the people of East Anagra to join together into a nation. Some of our own people, the people of Xian, are rallying to his flag. Perhaps this is the beginnings of the Sanan Empire that you saw in your vision."
Feizhi was shocked she had not made the connection already. She paused for a minute. "Father, I don't believe that my vision represented a small group. It represented the entire beastmen race… being enslaved by some empire gone horribly wrong."
"I agree Feizhi. You have grown wise."
"We cannot let this happen. It must be stopped."
"Can it be? Has a vision of yours been stopped before?"
"I saw Hsu die in the rock slide. Before Isaac and his friends saved him."
"The Warriors of Vale have powerful destinies. Perhaps your powers of prophecy don't extend to those whose fates are tied to the fate of the world."
"It doesn't matter. We still have to try."
"Indeed. We should meet with Ko and his nationalists as soon as possible."
Feizhi was woken up early the next morning by the sound of shouting. She bolted up out of bed without stopping to change out of her night dress. The shouting was coming from Xian's entrance near the cherry garden. From what she could hear it sounded as though no one was in danger. It was some sort of rally. Feizhi ran down the hallway of her father's Martial Arts school, where both of them lived.
Her father and several others seemed to be discussing something in the dojo's main training room. What are they deliberating about? Probably whatever is going on outside thought Feizhi.
"Feizhi! Wait!" Feh shouted as he saw his daughter running.
She ignored him and ran out the door of the dojo and down the steps to Xian's main road. Then she saw them. There was at least one hundred men. Most if not all of them looked like them came from East Anagra. Probably from the nearby farms and villages. Nine tenths of them were armed. Feizhi had never seen such a gathering in Xian before or anywhere for that matter. The Xian villagers were also gathered.
One man stood on a small mound at the side of the road. The rest looked at him as he spoke. He was at least forty years old but he had the eyes of a young man. Feizhi could see a fire in his heart. He wore a regal coat and at his waist was a bejeweled sword. This must be one of the fishermen from Tonfon. No one else from East Anagra could afford a sword and coat like that. Father said that they have grown filthy rich off the bounties of the Golden Sun event. Tonfon used to be a humble fisherman`s village. Now it's the richest city this side of the Goma mountains.
"Men and women of Xian. For too long have the people of East Anagra been isolated from each other. In the days of our ancient ancestors we were united under the single banner of one great Empire. And now the Golden Sun has returned. The time to rally together again is now!" He spoke with a low and commanding voice. Feizhi could see how this man came to be so revered. His statement was met with loud cheers from the armed men and more than a few of the Xian residents.
"The people of Tolbi have created an ever expanding empire that stretches from the West Sea to the East Sea. It's only a matter of time before Iodem's greedy eyes look to our great land. It is time to take what is ours before it is taken from us. You are witnessing the birth of a great empire. Welcome, people of Xian, to the Sanan dynasty!"
The people erupted into frantic cheers "All hail Emperor Ko!"
Feizhi's heart stopped Don't they understand what this means? We'll have to pay fealties to a regime ruled by a stranger… possibly a warlord. How can they support this? This can't be happening. It's too soon. Why have the gods cursed me with the power of prophecy and the inability to prevent the horrors of the future?