Gandalf's hand froze where it was tugging at his beard. He had no idea what was going on in Mordor. He had been muddleheadedly sent down by the higher-ups without being told what his actual mission was.
Before, he had a script and only needed to follow it.
This time was different. The higher-ups had hemmed and hawed, without even a prophecy for him to reference.
Facing all those hopeful gazes, Gandalf gave a light cough. As a mature Maiar, this little situation could not possibly stump him.
"I am absolutely certain that Mordor's strange changes have nothing to do with Sauron."
Gandalf wore the wise smile of an old grandfather and slapped the crystal ball, making it display a close-up of Mount Doom. Pointing at the demon face twisted in a sinister grin, he said, "Sauron's era is over. A new darkness has drawn back the curtain. This is yet another trial for mankind and Middle-earth... blah blah blah... as long as we stand united... yabber yabber... evil shall ultimately vanish like smoke... yada yada..."
Other than that opening mention of "Sauron," he spouted a huge pile of long-winded nonsense, perfectly embodying the essence of the word "meeting."
But nonsense was nonsense, and Gandalf had a glib tongue. His mobilization work was exceptionally effective. After his... embellishment, everyone in the council hall was fired up, slapping tables and pounding chairs as they demanded a showdown with Mordor.
"You've been spouting crap for ages without saying a single thing that matters. Since you're so knowledgeable, why don't you tell us who the enemy is!"
Amid the fervent cries, a sarcastic remark was poured over them like a basin of cold water. Everyone turned angrily toward it, only to freeze in stunned silence.
At some point, a figure entirely shrouded in