inateKingDimitri!Oncefreed,Cyclopswouldbeaformidablefoe,especiallywhenheisequippedwiththemagicsword．Luckily,westillhavethebowandarrow,otherwisehewouldbeuable．Thenitwouldreallybeacatastrophe!"

    "Whydidn’tyouactsoonerifyoualreadyhadyoursuspis?"

    "Iwaoroundupherentireringades．Ithinkitwouldbeagoodideaifyoudonotshowyourselfpublidkeepbehindtheses.”

    "Yes,Ithinksotoo．ThiswayIwouldbetheelementofsurpriseifnoonesuspectedmypreseheimportantthingnowistokeepthebowandarrowinasafepce.”

    "Ofcourse．Ohesetraitorshavebeewith,youandImustdoourbesttoprotectthekingdomofKingDimitri.”

    "AmanaskindandgenerousasKingDimitriishardtofind．Onlyonesuchashe,isworthyofourundyingloyalty.”HandinhandMedusaandWhiteFairysteppedintothedepthofthedensefog，headsbenttogetherferringonwhatshouldbedoheindistinctoutliheirbeautifulgoddess-likefigureslookedlikemarblestatues,exceptthattheirnguidgesturesandmovementsshowedthatthesestatueshadbodytemperature；theywerewarm,aliveandmoving．Undercoverofthethickfog,bothsidesweregatheringtheirforces．Theshadowytreesandloomingfiguresgatheredhereandthereheraldedthatthesecretwrestlehadbegun．

    Thecrystalclearskieswereblueasusuandtherefleofthedazzlingbrilliahesunshimmeredandglitteredonthergegsswindowsoftheluxuriousandcolossalbuildings．Carsonthegroundspedbysoundlessly,theirexhaustpipesspreadingintothechillyairtheunburnedfuelwhichseemedtranodernurbancities．Theserunningmaeshadsteellivesmadebyman,andlikethenaturalcyansociety，manynewmaeswereborneveryyearandmanyoldonesdiscarded．Thepnofthecity,aofthestreetswerealldesignedforthosewithopticalfuns．Tobemoreprecise,humancivilizationwasbuiltontheindispensableyofthepowerofvision．AsDimitriwalkedsedatelyo，widestreets，strandsofmournfultunesfromtheviolinofablindmusiingfromtheviityoftheBARTstationreachedhisears，makinghimfeeldejected．

    10

    "IfIlosemysight,”hethought"butstillhavetoliveiy,whereeverythingreliesonvision，itwouldindeedbeapainfulexperieIbeoveranxiousaboutwhatistohappeniure．AtleastIalwaysretreattomyKingdomofDreams.”

    Betweentwobuildings,ashafthtgoldensunlightstruckargeshopwindowwhosebrilliant，multi-coloredreflesattractedDimitri’sattention．Hewalkedcloserandsawitsellinggssware．Theintricateexhibitionsprisedoffruitbowls，winegsses，ptesandfigurinesofallshapesandsizes，everyohemgeousandexquisite．Dimitristoodtheretransfixed，enjoyiwork，marvelingathowthehumanracerevolved，stepbystep，fromtheStohebronzeAge，theIroillnowtheywereabletomakesuchdelicatecutgss．Itwasreallyalongevolution．Sowashumancivilization,ithadealongwaytoo．Amassofmixed,indistinguishablefusiongraduallycrifiedanddevelopedtillitformedceptsclearastransparentgss．Butthoughgssisfuallyhard,itactuallywasbrittleandeasilybroken.Soisthehumanspiritfragileandeasilyspliments,likethestointoapoolofcalmwater,breakinganddisturbingitspolished,mirrorlikesurface,shatteringtheimage．

    Justthen,thedooroftheshopopenedandoutsteppedacharmingblonddycarryingsomeparcelsshehadbought．Herappearancemagicallybrighteheatmosphereliketherisingsunintheearlym．SeeingDimitr

inateKingDimitri!Oncefreed,Cyclopswouldbeaformidablefoe,especiallywhenheisequippedwiththemagicsword．Luckily,westillhavethebowandarrow,otherwisehewouldbeuable．Thenitwouldreallybeacatastrophe!"

    "Whydidn’tyouactsoonerifyoualreadyhadyoursuspis?"

    "Iwaoroundupherentireringades．Ithinkitwouldbeagoodideaifyoudonotshowyourselfpublidkeepbehindtheses.”

    "Yes,Ithinksotoo．ThiswayIwouldbetheelementofsurpriseifnoonesuspectedmypreseheimportantthingnowistokeepthebowandarrowinasafepce.”

    "Ofcourse．Ohesetraitorshavebeewith,youandImustdoourbesttoprotectthekingdomofKingDimitri.”

    "AmanaskindandgenerousasKingDimitriishardtofind．Onlyonesuchashe,isworthyofourundyingloyalty.”HandinhandMedusaandWhiteFairysteppedintothedepthofthedensefog，headsbenttogetherferringonwhatshouldbedoheindistinctoutliheirbeautifulgoddess-likefigureslookedlikemarblestatues,exceptthattheirnguidgesturesandmovementsshowedthatthesestatueshadbodytemperature；theywerewarm,aliveandmoving．Undercoverofthethickfog,bothsidesweregatheringtheirforces．Theshadowytreesandloomingfiguresgatheredhereandthereheraldedthatthesecretwrestlehadbegun．

    Thecrystalclearskieswereblueasusuandtherefleofthedazzlingbrilliahesunshimmeredandglitteredonthergegsswindowsoftheluxuriousandcolossalbuildings．Carsonthegroundspedbysoundlessly,theirexhaustpipesspreadingintothechillyairtheunburnedfuelwhichseemedtranodernurbancities．Theserunningmaeshadsteellivesmadebyman,andlikethenaturalcyansociety，manynewmaeswereborneveryyearandmanyoldonesdiscarded．Thepnofthecity,aofthestreetswerealldesignedforthosewithopticalfuns．Tobemoreprecise,humancivilizationwasbuiltontheindispensableyofthepowerofvision．AsDimitriwalkedsedatelyo，widestreets，strandsofmournfultunesfromtheviolinofablindmusiingfromtheviityoftheBARTstationreachedhisears，makinghimfeeldejected．

    10

    "IfIlosemysight,”hethought"butstillhavetoliveiy,whereeverythingreliesonvision，itwouldindeedbeapainfulexperieIbeoveranxiousaboutwhatistohappeniure．AtleastIalwaysretreattomyKingdomofDreams.”

    Betweentwobuildings,ashafthtgoldensunlightstruckargeshopwindowwhosebrilliant，multi-coloredreflesattractedDimitri’sattention．Hewalkedcloserandsawitsellinggssware．Theintricateexhibitionsprisedoffruitbowls，winegsses，ptesandfigurinesofallshapesandsizes，everyohemgeousandexquisite．Dimitristoodtheretransfixed，enjoyiwork，marvelingathowthehumanracerevolved，stepbystep，fromtheStohebronzeAge，theIroillnowtheywereabletomakesuchdelicatecutgss．Itwasreallyalongevolution．Sowashumancivilization,ithadealongwaytoo．Amassofmixed,indistinguishablefusiongraduallycrifiedanddevelopedtillitformedceptsclearastransparentgss．Butthoughgssisfuallyhard,itactuallywasbrittleandeasilybroken.Soisthehumanspiritfragileandeasilyspliments,likethestointoapoolofcalmwater,breakinganddisturbingitspolished,mirrorlikesurface,shatteringtheimage．

    Justthen,thedooroftheshopopenedandoutsteppedacharmingblonddycarryingsomeparcelsshehadbought．Herappearancemagicallybrighteheatmosphereliketherisingsunintheearlym．SeeingDimitr