A terrible beast (in most tales this is a dragon) ravished the land, wrecking havoc on the inhabitants of the earth. None could stop it from its path of destruction. Till finally one day, a young man by the name of Michael vowed that he would put a stop to this Great Beast. He would go to hunt and slay this dreaded beast.

Michael mounted his horse and road off in search of the lair of the Beast. The Beast, it was said, lived in the Western lands beyond the great mist where no mortal ever dared to venture. Still, brave in heart and spirit, Michael road on..... sure of his destiny.

As he approached the dark forest that lay on the outskirts of the land, the thick gray mists began to obscure his vision. Slowly, he urged his horse forward into the trees, and into the unknown. Voices, echoing, haunted his thoughts. This was a place of the damned, and surely no place for the living..... but still he pushed forward...

After three days journey into this accursed land, he at last came upon the dark lair of the foul beast. He had hunted the beast by day and night, tracking its every move till he had found the place of its abode. But, time had no meaning here, for the centuries passed as minutes, and the world we know of did not exist here. Sword in hand, Michael prepared himself for the forthcoming battle.

He tethered his horse to a tree that stood close, and began to walk those fateful steps that brought him into the dark pit in the side of the mountain. He was enveloped by the velvety folds of the darkness, and could feel only the warmth of his own heartbeat racing in excitement....

As he walked deeper, he finally came upon the Beast. It was a splendid creature, long, and sleek.... glorious in appearance. Michael could only stand there in awe.. but he knew what he had to do. Face to face with the Beast, they engaged in fierce combat.

On and on they fought, becoming more exhausted as they progressed. For seven days and seven nights they fought on. Then, both totally exhausted from the labor of battle they came at an impasse, realizing that one could never truly defeat the other. Tired, both Michael and the Great Beast resign from the fire of the battle which had engulfed them. They were an equal match. And so, Michael departs, having neither won or lost. But, as he returned from the land beyond the mists, he brought with him the touch of the beast. But, just as Michael had been touched by the beast, so also had the beast been touched by Michael. Each bore the mark of the other, which was the mark of that battle. As Michael returned homeward, he thus carried with him a part of this other strange world..... A part of things wondrous, strange, and terrible, and by this action magic was brought into the world of Man.