The next morning the first golden rays of the sun reflected on the frost making them shine brightly. The snow had started melting making narrow streams of water here and there. New green buds were trying to appear on the twigs through the thin frost. Birds were chirping on branches as if they were supporting the trees to get back to life sooner. Still, the cold wind blew above the forest shaking the leafless twigs but making the howling less scary and giving hope for the rustle of green leaves very soon. All the Purus who were tired from the previous night were deep in sleep at their homes while just one of them woke up after very little sleep.
All of them preferred nighttime over daytime and came out at night. Any of them could not be seen in the daylight unless in a special situation. They used the daytime to rest or stay inside their homes; they rarely came out during the daytime. But there was one exception, who preferred to go out in daylight. Unlike the others, he woke up every morning and came out to see the beauty outside. He was no one other than the prince, the son of the king. Nobody called him 'the prince', but just by his name, Aeon. He sacrificed many hours of his sleep to see the beauty and wander in the forest during the daytime.
There was a prophecy coming from generations ago, that an old fortune teller had once said that there would be a king among the Purus named Herus and his son would restore the balance between the good and the evil on earth. This was almost forgotten until the day before the present king was born, many years ago. When his mother was sleeping, an angel came into her dreams and asked to name the baby 'Herus'. The next day the baby was born and he was named 'Herus' as the angel asked. The elders in the royal family protected him with care and he grew up to become wise and farsighted. Eventually, he became the king after his father. Later, he had a son and the elders who believed the prophecy suggested naming the prince 'Aeon', the one who will restore and maintain the balance between the good and the evil on earth.
He was born on a beautiful night in summer. It was midnight and some wonders happened at the moment he was born. As it was said earlier, it was midnight but suddenly the sunlight appeared brightly in the eastern sky. Still, the night remained in the western sky with thousands of stars and the full moon shining with silvery light. The birds started chirping seeing the sunlight in the eastern sky and thousands of flowers bloomed at that very moment.
The Holy crystal which was placed in the chamber separated for spring began to shine and emit a silvery light that spread throughout all the chambers. The doors of the four chambers which were sealed were suddenly opened and the vibes of all four seasons began to spread everywhere. The Purus who were on the ground floor of the huge tree saw the light spreading from the Holy Crystal and were mesmerized and wondered by this surreal happening. All the creatures in the forest came out to witness this glorious moment and saw that it was both day and night at the same moment and the sacred tree was shining with the silvery light that came from the Holy Crystal.
These wonders remained for a few seconds at the same moment the baby was born. There was no doubt that he was the master of the day and night as well as all four seasons. That was why the elders named him Aeon. Since he was young, he seemed a little different from other children of the same age. He seemed to like exploring and searching for reasons and solutions for everything that he was curious about. He also spent many hours alone trying to figure out answers to many questions he had inside his mind. He was always seen busy with something and barely had time to play like other children. Although he preferred being alone, that did not mean that he was not enjoying the company of others or he was shy. When he was with others, he blended well with them and especially he was popular among others for his quick wits and the ability to attract others easily with his charms.
Since childhood, he used to wake up in the morning while the others were sleeping. He loved the daylight and the freshness it brought inside the forest. He loved following butterflies between flowers and watching golden fish dancing in the silvery stream. Knowing that he was different from others and used to wander in the forest, his father, king Herus had appointed guards to follow him secretly. They were told not to bother him but protect him from any danger. As he grew up, the king did not have anyone following him and Aeon went everywhere alone. Anyone including the king did not bother him regarding his unusual unique behavior and gave him the freedom to live as he wished. They were not afraid to allow him to continue his habits as they knew well that Aeon had a good understanding of responsibility and could choose the best for him.
When talking about his powers, Aeon could control almost every aspect of nature. He was blessed with the power of both day and night and was gifted with the spirit of all the elements air, water, fire and earth. He also had power over all four seasons. Concisely, he was the most powerful not only among the Purus but also among humans that existed on earth during that time. Having all the powers, he only lived humbly as any other ordinary Purus. Although the others knew that he was someone who was great but treated him the same as an ordinary Purus according to their tradition.
Aeon woke up that morning about an hour later than his usual time. It was nearly ten O'clock according to the clocks in the villages far away. He dressed up and took his usual breakfast, Curly Dock biscuits with honey and a glass of milk. Then he took his black hat which completed his whole black outfit with a long thick coat made of bear fur and went out without having a specific aim.
His pitch-black outfit contrasted with the shining white background outside. His black outfit along with his thick black hair highlighted his fair skin. He was always seen in black unless in a wedding ceremony as there was a tradition among them not to wear black at weddings. He was seen dashing in a dark blue suit that blended well with his shining blue eyes. He had black hair and blue eyes which was a rare combination among the Purus and was considered a gifted trait. They believed that this trait was a sign given to the chosen ones from heaven.
He walked along the footpath towards the East until he passed their village and entered the area where the forest became less dense. Beyond this area, there was a river, and a meadow after crossing the river. That day he thought to see the river which he could not go to for some time.
Something special about the Purus was their ability to walk very fast. This was due to their fine and light bodies and active strong limbs. They could move very fast and it was roughly four times faster than the pace of a human. They did not get tired easily and could walk long distances.
The dense area of the forest where they lived was still slightly dark. The sunrays reflected on the frost on the branches and shone in silver. There was nothing much to see around as it was still white with snow. The animals were wandering here and there and birds were chirping and busy preparing for the spring. Small green buds were trying to emerge through thin layers of frost everywhere. The ground was a bit slippery and small steams were made of melting snow here and there. The sunrays reached the bottom of the forest in thin golden beams filtering through the canopy.
He walked past the dense area and entered the open area with fewer trees. This area was brighter as there were fewer branches to block the sun rays reaching the ground. There he met many animals. Unlike humans, the Purus were not afraid of wild animals and they were friendly with all the creatures in the forest. In return, any of the wild animals did not attack or harm the Purus and treated them as one of their kind.
He walked past the open area and reached the narrow river. Although they called it the Nyon river, it was a stream that was not broad enough to call a river. He was mesmerized by the view of the river in the white background. He could hear the murmuring sound of the flowing water between the rocks from a distance. He just stood where he was and enjoyed the beauty and the calmness of the scenery. For the majority, this scenery would have given them a feeling of loneliness and gloom but for him, this gave a feeling of freedom and relief.
He walked slowly towards the river, still bewitched by all the senses the moment gave; the beauty of the scenery, the sound of flowing water, the cold wind that blew and the smell of the frozen wilderness made him lost in his thoughts. He sat on one of the rocks and looked at the flowing water. His eyes were fixed on the ripples and waves that were created when the water fell from rocks. Thousands of bubbles were created and popped making the water shine in silver. He stretched his hand and touched the ice-cold water with his fingers. Although the coldness gave him chills, he continued to keep his hand in the water as he liked the freezing touch.
If he was a human, he would not be able to keep his hand in the freezing water as we humans cannot tolerate the coldness for a long time and the fingers would become numb and hurt. It was a special quality of the Purus that they were able to adapt their bodies to the changes in the environment to a greater extent than humans. This ability helped them to survive in the deep forests through rough conditions.
He sat for a long time looking at the water allowing his thoughts to overflowing his mind as they wished. The fish seemed not to consider him as a stranger and continued their ordinary behavior swimming here and there showing their colorful fins. Finally, he shook his head to scatter his thoughts and stood up with a sigh to turn back after the sun started its journey to the western sky.