"They believe they possess me. They think the hand that grips my hilt is the one that decides the course of death. How ignorant the mortals are!I am not mere cold iron, nor a glittering ornament on the waists of kings. I am the 'Witness,' forged in the hell of consciousness and charged within the brilliance of rubies. I have seen thrones built of paper and kingdoms demolished in the blink of an eye. I have tasted blood flavored with betrayal, and others with a provoking purity....