Chapter 1: Meeting with a Dragon

Five thousand and some years later…

His footsteps echoed through the grand hall. The building's size was not a matter of vanity or display of wealth, but of pure practical use. As he approached the massive doors, a scribe seated next to them gestured the man to proceed. A section sized like a regular door opened, allowing the visitor to pass. The man looked up to the figure in the center of the room. Though it was silent and had its eyes closed, it was using powerful magic. Even when the visitor cleared his throat, it did not look up.

"Guildmaster." The man acknowledged.

"Ah yes, Tordixiz. Welcome." Niv-Mizzet spoke without breaking his concentration. "It is most fortunate that you are here on Ravnica today."

"You seem awfully excited today. Most unlike you." the Planeswalker spoke.

"That is because today, I'm going to discover the secret to extraplanar travel." the dragon mused, still casting his spell.

"Oh? How did you manage that?" Tordoc asked surprised. Planeswalking from Ravnica was a difficult feat due to a fold in the AEther and nearly inescapable for all those born on the Plane. Only the godlike Planeswalkers and maybe beings powerful enough like the Firemind could achieve it.

"Here on Ravnica, we have the legend of the Voyager Staves. There are a number of them hidden around the world, each with the ability to teleport its wielder to another worlds. For a long time I believed these to be either myths or all destroyed, until recently." the dragon paused. "A month ago, during a Wojek raid they encountered a magical staff of quite some power. Neither their own nor the Azorius could determine the origin or purpose of the object. They contacted my Guild to recruit the help of one of my artificers to study it, so I send one touched by the Firemind so I could look as well. And what I saw… that staff was touched by the AEther. I knew I had to study it in person, so I pulled some strings so I can study it in person. With the knowledge I'll get from studying it, I will be able to create an exact replica, and travel the Multiverse."

Tordoc thought for a moment. "I've seen a number of, and own a few, items that allow their owner to traverse the Blind Eternities. Though I am curious after this staff's abilities. Could I study it as well?"

"Of course, Tordixiz. It's currently being delivered by one of my own mages, the same one I send to study the staff initially. I'm currently monitoring him through the Firemind, you can join in if you-" Niv-Mizzet cut off his sentence, and frowned.

"Guildmaster?" the Planeswalker asked.

"This is not good. Navirix just dropped out of the Firemind." he opened his eyes, unsettled. "He's dead. A shame, he was sharp for a goblin."

"How? An accident? Did someone kill him?"

"I think he was killed. Please, Tordixiz, you need to find the Voyager Staff. It is too valuable and too dangerous to fall into the hands of the Dimir, Gruul or whatever faction is behind this."

"Faction? How do you know it was a group?" the Elementalist asked.

"Think. This was done in top secret, and without having a good network of agents, nobody could have known we were doing this. And I will be the first to Planeswalk from Ravnica!" he bellowed.

"Keep your scales on, dragon. I'm going already." the Planeswalker smirked and turned around.

"Thank you, I'll be watching through the Firemind." the dragon nodded.

"Here it is."

Tordoc landed on the ground, and studied the area. It was a walkway, high up from the ground level. A goblin dressed in an expensive robe laid face down, a bad smell coming from its body, but not in the regular, unwashed savage way that goblins normally come in.

"Burned, but not scorched. This was not done with fire magic, but with light."

Looking around, he saw no signs of struggling or attacks that the goblin might have made. There was no trace of a staff of any kind. Closing his eyes, the Planeswalker looked for a different trace: that of AEther. He almost immediately saw one, a line leading away from Ravnica.

"Guildmaster, I see a trail leading away from Ravnica. Someone has used the staff."

The dragon cursed. "Can you follow it?"

"I think I can, I'll go follow it now and return with the staff."

A shiver went down Tordoc's spine as he looked for an entrance into the Blind Eternities. When he found one, he stepped into it, and left Ravnica. Tracing the fading trail from the staff, the Planeswalker navigated through the AEther, until the trail ended on a new world. Disoriented, he blinked with his eyes while shouting and the clattering of metal surrounded him. When Tordoc regained his senses, he was surrounded by a dozen soldiers, all with spears aimed at him. He started to ready a fireball, when a voice called out.

"Stand down! This man means no harm." the soldiers rested their weapons, and moved aside. A slim, tanned man dressed in a pure white robe stepped forward and spread his arms. "Welcome, brother."

Tordoc had no idea where he was or who the man called him brother was, but he knew one thing for sure. The Spark was visible in him. He was a Planeswalker.