Merlian watched in horror as her best friend decided to turn the whole world against him. Including her. Without the need for another word, the man had pulled the hourglass from his bag and inverted it, the artifact unleashing a light that blinded everyone on the spot. When she could see again, she found herself in a desert whose sand belonged to her, but had not obeyed her. She found this disgraceful, for she was the Empress of the Sand, and her will over it was law.
A few seconds passed in which she could barely process what had happened. In that brief moment, she tried to make sense of it all, searching for the countless reasons that would lead Setracsed to want to end everything. Unable to find an answer, she searched for him with her gaze, quite a difficult task on that starless night. She could barely see her surroundings; most of those present were still processing the situation. Not unlike her, they had just been betrayed by a friend, a comrade, a leader. Before trying to encourage them, she focused entirely on finding him.
Then, a canoe rose into the sky. Standing upon it, a man wearing a plague doctor mask held an hourglass. He looked at the group gathered there, and without sparing them another word, looked away toward the hourglass, whose dim light was growing stronger and stronger. Seeing his indifference, Merlian let out a whisper.
"Prepare yourselves..." Realizing she sounded weak, she repeated it forcefully. "Prepare yourselves and stop daydreaming! Essau is now an enemy, we will have to use force to stop him!"
The hourglass shone like a beacon. Knowing that this would be the beginning of something greater, Merlian did not look away from Setracsed, who was barely visible within the light. She felt he was looking right at her. She bolstered her resolve; she was going to thwart the traitor's plans and save humanity. The man, for his part, lost himself in the glow that illuminated the night, knowing that everything was following its course, and that no amount of resolve could stop him and destiny.