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When we cross to the next world, I find e, circular, lass roof There are banks of sophisticated-looking co the sides

"Not so sophisticated really," Razstation by one of the lesser species We could have arranged a s thee, not sure what to expect As I approach, panels of glass slide back and a telescope revolves into place before me

A world like Earth lies a few s, wide roads, parks, and ponds Solass roofs or are open-topped I can see all sorts of creaturesvariety of ani description

"It looks like a zoo," I remark

"It is," Raz says "But all of them have souls and are here of their own choice They know of the Deed theic As I cast aze around, I spot lodestones dotted everywhere, of all shapes and sizes

"It&039;s an ark," Raz says "You know the biblical story of the ark, how Noah took in a pair of every species and spared them from the flood"

"Was that real?" I ask

"It doesn&039;t matter," he waves the question away "Our ark is real, and we have to deal with far worse than a flood This is why you&039;re here, e&039;ve shown you all that you&039;ve seen and revealed so et it You want ht you here directly if that was the case, telling you only as much as you needed to know, as we did with the others There are already hu the ht some here anyway, for you"

"I&039;m still lost," I mutter

"We want you to be the new Noah," Raz says "We want you to protect these creatures and guide the one step ahead of those ould destroy them We want you to save the universe"

It sounds ridiculous I&039;

"How?" I whisper

"We&039;ve planted scores of lodestones across this planet," Raz says "Enough to last an eternity This is a world of never-ending ned it to be a haven, a warship, a nursery Food will always be abundant Species will never struggle with infertility Magicians will be born to every generation"

"You&039;re going to make a last stand here?" I frown "This is a fortress?"

"No fortress could stand against our enemies," Raz says "If this world was a thousand ti against a mass demon attack The Demonata don&039;t know about the ark yet, but they&039;ll discover it eventually and coape