There, inside a massive crystal prism of magic, was the creature who had plunged all of creation into war. The hope of revenge grew sweet in Lord Grekh’s mind. As he approached the immense prison, though Tiamat could not move, he thought he detected in her eye a faint glint of evil delight. Wasting no more time, Lord Grekh withdrew the Dagger of Kolnai’i, which seemed to emanate power, and stabbed the blade into the prison. For a moment, the blade simply stayed there, wedged into the crystal, and then it crumbled into ashes that fell to the earth and scattered. Where it had penetrated the prison, the crystal quickly sealed over, except that now there was a small black speck within the thick wall of the prison. Slowly at first, and almost imperceptibly, the speck began to grow. Within several minutes, it had spread, as if it were black ink polluting the clear water around it. The finger-like tentacles of black magic began to work their way all throughout

the prison, eventually covering the whole surface. The once translucent crystal was now completely black, and Tiamat could no longer be seen.

Lord Grekh stepped up to the prison to place his hand on it, and as he did the prison began to shake violently. A cry came from within that seemed to have the sound of both a horrible shriek and a painful roar. The sound seemed to grow, almost as if there were more than one voice making the awful cacophony. The noise continued in a terrible crescendo, building in volume and ferocity, until for a brief second the crystal stood calm again and there was silence. All at once the prison shattered, and the great dragon that had been within spread her wings in flight for the first time in centuries. Tiamat was free. Not only free, but transformed.

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