Contrary to expected belief, the beginning did not commence with a furious roar nor with a feeble whimper.
It began with silence.
Silence permeated Citlai in all directions and a heavy stillness beset the people who lived in it. A shroud of gloom covered the sky and dyed it the color of bittersweet melancholy. It was as if the world itself had taken a momentary pause in abject fear.
What could have elicited such a dramatic response? To have drawn the fright of an entire world? And for what reason?
The world would never be permitted to know the answer but for a select few, the truth would become known to them on this fateful day.