Oh Mighty Darktooth, sing to this young kin, how many clans of Draak-kin once existed, and what did happen to the Crystal Kin?
THE REIGN OF THE GREAT EMPRESS CONTAINED MANY AGES, AND THE CHILDREN OF HER HEART WERE MANY. SO GREAT WAS HER POWER THAT EVEN HER DREAMS SOMETIMES TOOK PHYSICAL FORM, AND MANY WERE THE CLANS WHICH WERE CREATED AND DESTROYED IN THAT TIMELESS AGE FROM HER DANCES BOTH SLEEPING AND WAKING.
AT THE TIME OF THE GREAT WAR, ONLY THE SAPPHIRE, EMERALD, AND RUBY CLANS EXISTED. THE CRYSTAL AND ONYX CLANS WERE CREATED TO BRING VICTORY, CREATIONS OF GREAT POWER AND GENIUS BUT HASTILY MADE.
WHILE THE ONYX CLAN WAS MADE TO SERVE AS THE FANGS OF THE RESISTANCE AGAINST THE OTHERS, THE CRYSTAL CLAN WAS CREATED TO BE ITS NERVES. THEIR ABILITIES TO SING TO DISTANT MINDS, AND TO MANY AT ONCE, MADE THEM CRUCIAL IN THE ATTEMPT TO PRESERVE OUR WORLD.
IT WAS THIS ABILITY WHICH THOUSANDS OF TURNINGS LATER LED TO THE FALL OF THE CRYSTAL CLAN. IT IS REFERRED TO AS THE SECOND TRAGEDY, AND MANY WISE KIN CONSIDER IT TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN OUR HISTORY BETWEEN THE GREAT WAR AND THE PRESENT.
THE SONG OF THE SECOND TRAGEDY IS EPIC INDEED, AND WOULD REQUIRE FAR MORE TIME TO EXPRESS THAN I AM WILLING TO GIVE. NEVER BEFORE OR SINCE HAVE THE KIN BANDED TOGETHER TO COMPLETELY PURGE AN ENTIRE CLAN FROM EXISTENCE. THERE WAS, HOWEVER, NO CHOICE; HAD THE GREAT LEADER OF THE CRYSTAL CLAN SUCCEEDED IN ITS AMBITION, OUR REALITY WOULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED IN A MANNER TOO BEAUTIFUL AND HORRIFIC TO CONTEMPLATE.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CRYSTAL CLAN WAS FAR FROM A COLD-BLOODED SLAUGHTER. IT WAS THE MOST HARD-FOUGHT OF VICTORIES, SEALED WITH AN EPIC SACRIFICE. THOSE WHO STILL KNOW THE CORE TRUTH OF THE EVENT DO NOT REGARD THE CRYSTAL CLAN OR ITS LEADER, WHO MAY HAVE BEEN THE MOST POWERFUL AND COMPASSIONATE KIN OF ITS MILLENNIUM, WITH ANY ILL WILL, BUT ALSO DO NOT REGRET DESTROYING THEM, AND THE KIN WHO BROUGHT US VICTORY AND SAVED US ALL WAS THE BRAVEST AND MOST HEROIC BEING I HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN ALL MY WANDERINGS THROUGH THE MISTS OF TIME.
I WILL SING ONLY THIS OF THE GREAT TRUTH WHICH WE LEARNED FROM THE SECOND TRAGEDY: NEVER SEEK TO CHANGE THE NATURE OF ANOTHER BEING, NOT EVEN TO THE GOOD.
ALL BEINGS ARE ONE, AND THIS TRUTH IS SACRED.
BUT ALL BEINGS ARE ALSO SEPARATE AND INDIVIDUAL, AND THIS IS ALSO SACRED.
LET NONE ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THIS PARADOX EVER AGAIN.