Azaellrog refuses to believe the reports, though he fears in his heart they are true. His scouts say that the Dragon Lords of the west, absent from Mennara for centuries, have been seen in the southern mountains, and may be aligning themselves with that traitor to Dragonkin, Ceryx Jade. If this is true, then the prophecy is all but fulfilled. The Shadow Serpent has awakened, and now is the time of X'ru.

But this is no time for superstition. This is the time of victory. Azaellrog has shattered his alliance with Llovar, freeing the Dragonkin to destroy that fool's armies as well as those of the other lesser races. Already Azaellrog's forces have all but wiped out the Undead, and the others are soon to follow. No one can stop them now: not Ceryx, not the Dragon Lords, not even the Shadow Serpent itself.