Peace, with eyes as clear as the blue sky, soars above the heavens, carrying storms and sheltering her young within her powerful talons. A glow in her gaze, born of drinking from the river of life, lights the paths she treads in the dark. Even when the world is shrouded in shadow, her steadfast eyes guide her way.
Born of the creatures of the world, among the terrifying creatures of the night and the creatures of the day, peace is an incomparable creature of knowledge, she scours the world and knows all that live in it. Her beauty reflects her purpose—to protect and nurture.
The lower valley filled with horror and endless chaos, where the creatures of the night hunt and devour the creatures of the day in their sleep, restlessness had become a dreadful burden in the lower valley, so she fled to the solitude of the upper valley, seeking silence, and there, in the wild woods, she found strength,
Her sharp beak slices through the thick grass, her claws pull at stubborn roots, and with branches torn from the tallest trees, she builds her nest low among the strongholds of the forest. Fearlessly, she flies into the unknown, her wide wings cutting barriers asunder, trees parting in submission to her power.
Under her expansive wings, her young are shielded from cold rains. When she descends, the earth trembles—the sand and grass bowing in reverence. Her feathers, as pure as untouched snow, shine like a beacon, leading her brood back to safety.
This creature, this embodiment of peace, reigns over the skies of the woods. Yet, even here, she shares the valley with a predator: a white wolf, solitary and fierce, born of loss and hardened by survival. The wolf, like her, knows the wilderness intimately. And when the valley whispered the presence of a wanderer—a broken man lost in the shadows of an unfamiliar world—it was the wolf who summoned peace, calling her by name to guide the stranger.
A Wanderer's Descent
Once, the man had known a life of comfort. At night, he lay in warmth, serenaded by the rain's rhythm. The years were filled with splendour, his desires met, his dreams undisturbed—until fate turned, leaving him adrift. His life, once steady as a pillar of stone, began to fracture. To survive, he learned to ally with his troubles, forging strength from adversity.
When sorrow overwhelmed him, he sought refuge in isolation, retreating from the light of his once-familiar world into the uncharted wilderness of the lower valley. In his exile, he honoured the strangeness of the woods with humility, and the valley rewarded him when he needed it most.
The Depths of Despair
The valley was relentless, a crucible of trials. By day, the man scavenged for roots and water, his body weakened by hunger and his mind haunted by the weight of solitude. Nights brought storms that chilled him to the bone. Between jagged rocks, he huddled for warmth, his torn clothes offering little protection.
The valley's darkness seemed endless, its skies stubbornly withholding light. The storms would abate only to make way for denser fog, and the wanderer's sense of direction dissolved into confusion. Yet, even in his suffering, the valley denied him the release of death.
In his despair, he became one with the wilderness. The endless sound of water cascading from the upper valley and leaves dying as they fell to the ground echoed his inner turmoil. He pressed on, wounded and weary, his spirit battered but unbroken.
A Reluctant Survivor
The wanderer's body bore the scars of his journey: bruises from falls, cuts from the valley's sharp edges, and feet hardened from miles of relentless walking. Each misstep and injury taught him something new. Even when his bones broke, he found ways to heal, tearing strips from his tattered clothes to bind his wounds. He cried bitterly but never truly gave up.
When storms ravaged the valley, and cold rains soaked the earth, he fought to build fires with smooth stones. The flames flickered briefly before the wind extinguished them, leaving him in darkness once more. Yet, despite every failure, he tried again.
A Glimpse of Hope
One night, as he lay among the rocks, his mind filled with exhaustion and grief, he dreamed of light piercing the storm. Warmth brushed against his skin, and for a fleeting moment, peace settled over him. But when he awoke, reality returned, and the darkness reclaimed the sky.
Still, something within him had shifted. Strength surged in his limbs, and for the first time, he rose with renewed determination. The rains washed away his doubts, and the clouds above began to clear. As he stood at the edge of the upper valley, looking down into the fog below, he contemplated the unknown.
Tears fell freely as memories of pain resurfaced, yet those same tears reminded him of his resilience. Turning away from the edge, he summoned all his strength and resolved to find the city between the mountains—the one safe place he had left to hope for.
There was a time when the wanderer had just descended through the skies into the upper valley and his people had started preparing for settlement, before a dome was formed to protect the city from the wilderness, the wilderness engulfed the city and devoured the first descendants of his people while he fled towards the lower valley. It is the creatures of the night that brought and end to the first descendants.
Toward Redemption
The wanderer's path remained fraught with uncertainty, but he moved forward, each step a testament to his will to survive. The valley, once an insurmountable foe, now seemed to recognize his resolve. The light he longed for still lay beyond reach, but the journey toward it had begun.
In the face of darkness, he carried his burdens and scars as symbols of his endurance. Through the wilderness, he walked—broken, battered, yet unyielding—toward a future where peace might finally embrace him.