"Xerxez!" A voice pierced through his slumber, jolting him awake. His hand flew to his stomach, a sudden jolt of memory reminding him of his near-fatal act, and the strange energy that had consumed him. Now, he found himself in an unfamiliar place, his vision blinded by an intense, dazzling light. He desperately searched for the dagger, but there was nothing but the all-encompassing white glow.
"Am I dead?" His voice echoed in the ethereal space as he struggled to grasp at the light around him.
"Xerxez," the familiar voice called again. It wasn't the first time he'd heard this man's voice, yet no matter how hard he strained his eyes, he couldn't discern the speaker's face.
"Who are you? Your voice... it is known to me, yet not the ancient tone of my grandfather." Xerxez heard the very breath of the spectral entity, a living sound in the ethereal realm. "Am I dreaming?"
