As Zar approaches the Sea of Sunyata, he notices a hermit meditating under an old fig tree. Zar looks out onto the water’s expanse and the deep mist hiding its secrets. He walks up to the hermit and says: 

i’m ready to announce god’s death

and accept my prophetic fate

but there is one test left

before i become great

i am told the dragon

here he does live

which i will slay

with only my mind to give

i must discover the truth

of what replaces god

from where do morals arise

if not feared and awed

where does the sea lead

swirling into the abyss

where does the light go

when swallowed by darkness

The Hermit responds by asking:

before you slay the beast

ask who stands apart

if a dragon guards the heavens

who then guards your heart

The Hermit returns to his meditative state while Zar walks to the water and gazes onto the Sea’s vast horizon, where a dragon with golden scales suddenly appears, soaring through the mist toward him. Zar takes a deep breath and exalts: 

i hereby declare god dead

freeing morality’s chains

the ridge’s imposed order

drained from mortal veins 

the sea reflects no other

no shadow left to see

the slayer of the dragon

stands where god would be

For a moment, even the horizon disappears as the dragon vanishes like a thought withdrawn. Zar pauses, expecting resistance – a clash of will and fire. But the waters remain still. Only silence and his reflection, unbroken. No truth breaks the surface. 

Zar smiles at the apparent ease of his victory and declares to the Sea:

your image in the sky

vast wings above the sea

gold scales flashed once

then vanished instantly  

we no longer need to fear

a life without god’s meaning

the darkness of non-existence

nor time forever reigning 

the ridge’s control must end

the absolute must yield 

first reasoned by the greeks

now claimed as power to wield

from my cave i will create

new morals and values to guide

i shall offer my prophetic voice

to turn our history’s tide

He takes the Academy Director’s invitation from his pocket and throws it into the water, saying dismissively:

the ridge will not shape

the path i now claim

 i shall walk alone

beyond its name

zar laughs

he sings

he dances

he awakens

he goes mad