The Grandmaster gave Astraia a sad smile as she called him a stubborn fool. The many memories they shared, both happy and sometimes violent, were some of the best Vulcan could recall. As his apprentice, Astraia had always been one to question him on every subject he'd taught her. And while it mainly irritated him due to the constant and seemingly endless stream of questions, it had also proven to help him look at ideas with a new perspective. Vulcan grimaced as he realized he should've listened to his former apprentice's advice. With that said, he looked her in the eyes and whispered, "<span style="color: #0080FF">Go forth, Daughter of Heavenly Water. Rebuild us.</span>"<br/><br/>As Astraia stepped through, Wren was the next to follow. As she bowed before him, the Grandmaster gave a soft laugh. The same person who had been known to create the most elaborate tricks and pranks in the Phoenix Guard was now bowing, showing a deep amount of respect for Vulcan. However reckless she could be, Wren was certainly a critical member of the Rangers. Risking her life in order to inflict massive amounts of damage, she had definitely earned the respect of the Grandmaster, as well as his anger on several occasions. As was the case with Astraia, the Grandmaster looked Wren in the eyes and whispered, "<span style="color: #BF0040">Go forth, Daughter of Twilight Fire. Avenge us.</span>"<br/><br/>After Wren's departure, Yue appeared before Vulcan. The woman had experienced some difficulties in the beginning due to her weak affinity to the element of water, as well as coming from the nation of Riveria. But both those problems were eventually solved: one with the encounter of aether and the other with time well spent among the other Guards. Yue was truly a strong and powerful individual that would help to ensure that the Rangers survived, especially with that perfectionist mentality of hers. Although she could work on her gullibility, but the Grandmaster was sure that Yue's allies would assist with that. Nonetheless, Vulcan wiped the tears on Yue's cheeks and looked her in the eyes as well, whispering, "<span style="color: #80FFFF">Go forth, Daughter of Shielding Ice. Defend us.</span>"<br/><br/>Shortly after Yue, Ithilnaur, or Ithy as the Grandmaster liked to jokingly call him, came into sight. The young man had been in odd and unusual addition to the Rangers. He'd been rescued from the agents of the Dark Ones and gifted powers through Sapphira, Goddess of the Elves. He was always known to favor the elves, but that did not create a problem for the Rangers, for there were some Rangers who were formally elves before transitioning. Vulcan had to admit, Ithy was an extremely skilled fighter that could possibly grow to be on par with some of the ancient elites of the Phoenix Guard. Vulcan then also realized that Ithilnaur had advised him as well and yet, he had done nothing but kept Ithilnaur away from the battle. Although the Grandmaster was filled with shame for not keeping an open ear towards all his members, he look Ithilnaur in the eyes and whispered, "<span style="color: #FFFF00">Go forth, Son of Celestial Fire. Requite us.</span>"<br/><br/>Just as Ithilnaur entered the portal, Authryn appeared. With hair the color of a brilliant white, the young man had cut down quite a few demons with right hand, while he unleashed bursts of lightning with his left. When Authryn halted in front of the Grandmaster, he grimaced as his hair reverted to its normal black. "Is this really it, old man?" He asked.<br/><br/>"Afraid so, Authryn."<br/><br/>Authryn softly laughed. "You haven't called me by my full name since the day I gained these powers."<br/><br/>The Grandmaster raised his eyebrow. "Great power does often demand great respect, does it not?"<br/><br/>"Suppose so."<br/><br/>Little did anyone know though, those two ending phrases would shape the world in a way unimaginable.<br/><br/>Just as Authryn was about to step through the portal, the Grandmaster quickly pulled his arm back. "Before you go, I need to grant you a...blessing if you will say. To help guide you on the road to come. You may not need it, but I have already granted it to those that came through before you. There are also two more that have gone through, but I was not able to stop them quickly enough to grant them the blessing, so in my absence, I will have you grant the blessing to them." With that said, Vulcan whispered into Authryn's ear the blessings that he would have to grant onto the missing two. "Now, as for you Authryn..." The Grandmaster looked Authryn in the eyes and shook his hand. "<span style="color: #8000FF">Go forth, Son of Lightning. Unite us.</span>" Nodding his head, Authryn stepped through the portal and into his new life.<br/><br/>The portal closed and with it, the Grandmaster made his last stand.  Though he fought valiantly, Vulcan was overpowered and killed with a sword through the heart by the hand of a Dark One. With the Grandmaster feeling his life force slip away, the Dark One wickedly grinned and whispered, "We will find those who have escaped. You will all be slaughtered."<br/><br/>...<br/><br/>Authryn landed on his stomach. Turned out that the portal seemed to have a pushing eject effect when entering it. He stood up and dusted himself off, taking in his new environment. The white cliff coastline gave away the destination at which they'd arrived: Henglewend.<br/><br/>The young half-elf turned around as he confronted the group that had come prior to him. "I don't know about you guys, but I sure am hungry. Maybe we should find a tavern to eat at?" The Ranger said, seeming oblivious to the disaster that they had managed to barely survive.