The Hannaria Series Book 2-Legacy (Coming November 2009)

Introduction by Jernard

"Do you know the difference between a hero and a villain, Jernard?" he asked as he took his boot and made a line in the wet sand in front of us.

Everything seemed real as I glanced around-the scent of saltwater, the waves breaking on the shore just before ebbing near my left foot-I even felt the sand squish between my toes as I took a step toward the line Paronis had made. Looking down, I realized I was barefoot-and that my feet were those of a child.

I knew that I was dreaming. Paronis had never known me by the name I now use-he had died over a thousand years before Rhaynan and I went to Earth. Yet here I was looking up at him in his black Hannarian guard uniform, and my mind refused to allow me to wake up. Having no other choice, I decided to play things out.

"A hero has a solid moral line that guides him," I replied, hesitating for a moment because my voice sounded childlike as well. "He can push himself to that line-get right to the edge of it-but if he crosses it, it will wreck the very core of his identity."

"You've been listening for once," Paronis laughed as he then took the flat part of his boot and smoothed the line in with the rest of the sand. "A villain however doesn't need to worry about crossing a line he doesn't have-unless he creates one by choice."

He took several steps closer to the ocean and made another line in the sand. The waves overtook it within seconds, and he made another line. After he did this several times, I sighed and walked up to him.

"So what happened to you?" I asked, a feeling of anguish making me forget none of this was even real. "Was the wave that hit you too big, or did you just get tired of drawing that line over and over again?"

"It was both," he replied as his eyebrows rose, and he turned his head away from me and looked out at the horizon. "I took for granted that because I was doing a lot of good that I didn't have to maintain that line anymore. If the earthquake hadn't happened, I might have found my way back-it was bad timing, but my choices were still-"

At that moment, Paronis groaned in pain and grabbed his chest, collapsing face-first into the ocean. I rushed over to help him out of the water but stepped back as his body started to convulse and mutate.

"This isn't real," I said to myself, but my defense system wasn't convinced as I felt a surge of energy hit my body. "Paronis is dead, and I'm on Earth. I have to wake up."

"You stopped

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