Space- cold, lifeless and unforgiving, yet also powerful, awe-inspiring and all-encompassing. This was where Zadok is at his prime, able to draw on the cosmic energy unfiltered by the atmosphere and channel it to perform mighty spells, both of restoration and destruction. The vacuum, the radiation and the extreme temperatures did not harm Zadok as he flew towards this world's sun. The Ripper had flashed off at what could possibly have been the speed of light, or at least a large fraction of it, as soon as Elysium's atmosphere had been left behind, so Zadok knew he had no chance of beating him there. What he might be able to do is interrupt whatever scheme the Ripper was doing, but first he would have to cross the vast distance at a somewhat more modest speed. In that time, he was able to think.

First, he took in the views. Looking back he saw the world of Elysium stretch out beneath him. The great continent, of various shades of green, yellow and white, dominated the globe amidst a sea of deep blue dotted with tiny islands and archipelagos. On the continent he could make out several cities, with their dark dense point of houses with farmlands radiating out from them for a great distance. Then he looked to the stars. The stars painted a beautiful tapestry across the sky, like a work of art by a master painter. However, Zadok sensed that these stars were little more than a cosmic tapestry. They lacked the seemingly infinite depth of the stars in Outremar's skies, of the sense of a whole universe out there, with these stars being just ornaments for the centrepiece of this universe. Finally, he turned the the sun he was approaching. Its glow was radiant, and he could feel the magic laced among its rays. He looked closer, and saw something odd. He hadn't seen it before, as the light made it difficult to tell, but he saw it now. This sun was not a star- it was a gas giant, or perhaps a brown dwarf. It should not produce light, yet it did. This sun is clearly a very magical object, and quite a novelty to Zadok.

So this was the universe Sophist had created. He sighed remorsefully at the memory of his old friend. On Outremar, between the ages of Keepers, Sophist would often leave to his own private world which seemed to be his pride and joy. And now he saw it- a world which had been brilliantly crafted and well designed. But now Sophist was gone, and his world was under threat. It struck Zadok that this time he stood alone against the emerging evil. Before There had always been the other Anti-Keepers, but they had all been killed in the battle of the Apocalypse. Sophist was defeated when fighting against the Horseman War, the Weaver was destroyed by the very threads of the universe he was supposed to protect, and the rest were variously slain in the fighting against the Keepers aligned with the Horsemen. While Zadok had always been prone to working alone, the idea that he would have to fight back this entire threat by himself was daunting. However, he was still determined to protect this world, to honour Sophist and to make up for where he had failed in Outremar.

Eventually he reached the Source. Up close he could easily see the billowing clouds of blue and green gases which formed this sun, with intense light and magic shining through the clouds in rays. From up close the magic saturated Zadok's body, giving him extra strength and vigour. What he would need if he were to have any chance of defending this world was strength, and as there was no sign of the Ripper yet Zadok approached the gasses which covered the Source, hoping to dive in and absorb some of its power. However, he was just about to reach the surface when he sensed a disturbance so he hesitated. The Source began to pulse and heave violently, so Zadok flew back with a high-speed dash. The Source still close enough to fill Zadok's field of view, the light began to change from its pure white to red. Suddenly, the majestic blues and greens of the Source gave way to a sinister crimson red, and the light changed likewise. The once-peaceful clouds now thrashed about chaotically, and the pattern of emerging rays became erratic. The Horsemen of the Apocalypse and even the mighty Corumag himself, the father of all Keepers, had not instilled any fear into Zadok, but now he was terrified for the Ripper had taken control of an [i]entire sun[/i].

Even to those on Elysium below, who knew nothing about the Ripper and the power he now held, their very sun turning red, tinting the sky with its crimson light, would surely be a sign that doom was approaching.