Zora slowly walked into a dark room laced with gold and red trim. Decorative Chinese paintings danced on the walls as if whispering stories to those who will listen.
In the middle of the room stood a wooden bed, holding his dying Grandfather. As old as the Chinese legends themselves he held many Chinese secrets which he would soon take to his grave. He was the only one left of Zora's family and the only one in his life who cared about him.
"Zora... come here."With a smile the old kalon reached out and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Don't cry my child."Pulling out an old book from under his pillow he carefully placed it in his paws.
"Zora, You have been a son to me. I only hope that I somehow could repay you for the peace you've brought to my life. Here, This is a very special book."Zora stared into the intricate detailing. This was the same book that Zora had seen his Grandfather reading in his chair every morning.
"Promise me Zora that you will keep this safe just like I have and my father before that. This is your history, protect it with your life."Just as Zora nodded and dawn shown through the darkened windows his Grandfather faded away.
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The crisp morning air breathed life into the pond as the first light of dawn glistened on the calm waters. Zora took a deep breath, staring at his Grandfather's book. For nearly a week he had brought it along on his dawn routine watching the sunrise over the pond but he never opened it. Knowing his Grandfather he was afraid of what it held inside.
Finally today was the day. Unlatching the clip from the books cover he opened it to the first page which read:
"In possession of the great hero's of our time."Zora smiled as he read his Grandfathers name along with centuries of names from his forefathers. Grabbing a pen he scribbled his name into the list where his father's name would've been. It was his now so why not?
Flipping the tattered page he was shocked, the pages where empty. Page after page the entire book was empty.
"What kind of a stupid joke is this?!? I should have known...."Suddenly the book cover started glowing and everything around him faded from the pond to a lush jungle. Jumping to his feet he dropped the book and upon impact it also morphed into the landscape. The pond had become a foreign world filled with fearful cries and smoke.
Spinning around, he heard a voice behind him and a woman dressed in armor appeared from the brush.
"Zora Tong? Don't be alarmed. Your Grandfather said you'd be coming. Welcome to The Crack of Dawn."Reaching out the stranger grasped his paw.
"Come with me. Our world needs your help in order to survive. It's a long story, but if our world dies both our worlds will cease to exist."
...
