LONG AGO, THERE WAS A WOMAN, BORN OF MAN. SHE WAS CALLED EZRA.

AMONGST HER PEOPLE EZRA WAS A GAURDIAN OF CHILDREN AND A PROTECTOR OF THE WEAK. AS WAS HER MOTHER AND HER MOTHER BEFORE HER. SUCH WAS HER LOT IN LIFE. SUCH WAS HER ROLE IN THE GRAND SCHEME.

EZRA TOOK PRIDE IN THE ROLE FATE HAD GIVEN HER. HER DUTY WAS HER JOY.

FOR MANY YEARS EZRA HEALED THE LAME AND WATCHED OVER THE CHILDREN OF HER PEOPLE.

ONE DAY EZRA LEARNED OF THE HOLLOW. SHE LEARNED OF THE MISTS OF DEATH AND THE HORRORS OF THE NIGHT. THEY WERE THE DRINKER OF BLOOD, AND THE STEALER OF BREATH, AND THE BEAST THAT RENDS.

EZRA KNEW THAT THOUGH HER PEOPLE SUFFERED THOSE IN THE HOLLOW SUFFERED MUCH MORE. THUS SHE SET FORTH TO RELEASE THEM FROM THE MISTS OF DEATH.

EZRA KNEW THAT DEATH WOULD COME FOR HER, AS IT COMES TO ALL IN TIME. SHE WAS CERTAIN THAT THE MISTS OF DEATH WOULD DESTROY HER YET SHE WENT WILLINGLY TO THE END OF ALL THINGS.

EZRA DID CALL OUT TO THE MISTS OF DEATH. "ALL THINGS HAVE THEIR ROLE IN THE GRAND SCHEME. THE LEGIONS OF THE NIGHT HAVE THEIR PLACE. BUT GUARDIANS AND GUIDES HAVE THEIR ROLES IN TURN."

FROM THE MISTS CAME A VOICE, AND THE VOICE SPOKE, SAYING, "TURN BACK, MORTAL. YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE GRAND SCHEME. YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE MISTS. YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF YOUR WORLD. CONTINUE AND YOU SHALL FIND ONLY YOUR DESTRUCTION, NOTHING MORE."

YET EZRA HELD FAST AGAINST THE MISTS, SAYING, "YOU CANNOT BID ME ENTER, YET I CANNOT TURN AWAY. I OFFER MYSELF TO YOU SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE SUFFERING OF MY PEOPLE. IF I MUST BE DESTROYED FOR THEM, THEN THAT IS WHAT MUST BE."

THE MISTS OF DEATH FELL SILENT. THEN THE VOICE SPOKE, ONCE MORE. "ENTER THE MISTS IF YOU MUST, BUT NOT AS YOU ARE. YOUR KIND HAS NO PLACE HERE. TO ENTER THE MISTS, YOU MUST BECOME AS ONE WITH THE MISTS. NEVER AGAIN SHALL YOU LEAVE THEM. WILL YOU FOREVER SACRIFICE YOURSELF TO WATCH OVER THESE FEW MORTALS?"

SPOKE EZRA, "SUCH IS MY ROLE IN THE GRAND SCHEME. SO MUST IT BE."