This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

The morning mist clung to the ancient stones of Delphi like the breath of forgotten gods, swirling around the marble columns that had stood sentinel for countless centuries. High Priestess Lysandra emerged from the sacred chamber, her emerald robes trailing behind her as she made her way through the temple's hallowed halls. The weight of the prophecy she had just received pressed upon her shoulders like a mountain, and her usually steady hands trembled as she clutched the sacred scroll.

In the easternmost tower of the temple complex, young Alexios practiced his swordwork in the pre-dawn light. At nineteen, he possessed the lean build of a warrior in training, his dark hair catching the first rays of sunlight as he moved through the ancient forms his master had taught him. The bronze blade sang through the air with each precise movement, a melody of metal and wind that had become as natural to him as breathing.

"Alexios," called a voice from the tower's entrance. He turned to see Brother Marcus, one of the temple's scholarly monks, approaching with an expression of unusual urgency. "The High Priestess requests your immediate presence in the Chamber of Visions."

Setting aside his practice sword, Alexios followed the monk through the winding corridors of the temple. The walls were adorned with ancient frescoes depicting the great heroes of old – Perseus slaying Medusa, Theseus in the labyrinth, and Heracles completing his twelve labors. These images had inspired Alexios since childhood, filling his dreams with visions of adventure and heroism that seemed far removed from his life as a temple guardian.

The Chamber of Visions lay at the heart of the temple complex, a circular room where the sacred vapors rose from deep fissures in the earth. As Alexios entered, he found Lysandra standing before the great bronze brazier, her face pale and drawn. In her hands, she held an ancient scroll that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly light.