Sebastian

The Eater of the World has been sealed away and can no longer touch anything in Ephemera except the landscapes It shaped. And they, too, have been taken out of the world. But the Dark Guides, who brought the Eater into being, who rejoiced in Its destruction of the world, are still out there in the landscapes. Somewhere.

They are clever. And they are cruel.

They nurture the dark desires of the heart. It is said they can slip into a mind to whisper things that can turn a heart away from the Light.

Yes, they’ll tell someone, it isn’t fair that you are poor and can’t afford that pretty trinket. You deserve to have the pretty trinket. If you take it…The merchant is wealthy. What’s the loss of a few coins?

Yes, they’ll whisper, you’re right to be angry. She was cruel to break your heart. She deserves to feel your fist…that knife…that ax.

They nurture the dark feelings in the heart and help them grow.

But the worst thing they can do is use truth to destroy something good, to use truth as a lie in order to dim the Light inside someone—or even within a landscape.

No one is immune to the Dark Guides. Not even Landscapers. So beware. If someone tries to persuade you to turn away from something you know is right in order to do a greater good…sometimes it really will be the truth and is the right thing to do.

And sometimes it will be a lie.

—The First Teachings