[Book 2] Chapter 0

  Prologue — Campfire at the Wayside

  Seven pack beasts, the Elba, had laid down their burdens and formed the outermost circle, shielding Fael’s company—seated around the campfire within—from the desert night wind.

  Serio leaned against one of the Elba, his cloak drawn over his head, already asleep, with only Loro’s tail peeking out from beneath the cloak’s hem.

  Baleon lay stretched out on a mat, with only the campfire’s light to write by—keeping, as always, a record of their journey.

  Their leader, Fael, had gone out to patrol the perimeter of the camp before taking his rest.

  Maya could not sleep.

  The royal capital was only a few days away.

  It was his first journey beyond the mountain village where he had been born.

  The unfamiliar land, the climate, the air—everything was unlike the life he had always known.

  The road had been harsher than he had imagined, yet his curiosity outweighed the hardship.

  For him, the path so far had brought more joy than fatigue.

  It had been a month since they had left the mountain village.

  They had crossed many lands and met many people.

  Staring into the wavering flame, Maya recalled each memory, one by one.

  Then Fael appeared, returning from his patrol.

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  “Maya, still awake?” His voice was calm and steady as always.

  “Yeah… knowing the capital is so close, I just can’t sleep.”

  Fael smiled gently at the boy gazing into the fire.

  “Then, instead of a lullaby, let me tell you a story.”

  Maya’s heart leapt with joy.

  Those words reminded him of Amna’s bedtime tales in the mountain village.

  Fael sat down by the fire, holding his chilled hands out to the flame as he began to speak.

  “Paths have existed long before people made them.

  The wind bent the grass, beasts trod the same track, and eventually someone placed a stone.

  That is why what a traveler must first learn is not how to walk, but how to read.”

  Maya had always loved the way Amna told stories.

  But Fael’s voice carried a different kind of mystery—one he also loved.

  Fael went on.

  “When you journey across this land, you must never forget three signs: stone, light, and song.

  Stone holds the past—like mile markers or carved monuments.

  Light shines upon the present—the lamps of inns, the bowls of oil at ferry crossings, the torches of the night watch.

  And song carries us toward tomorrow—its melody changes with each land, but its rhythm always remains.”

  He picked up a pebble from the ground, weighing it in his fingers before setting it down, one after another, at even intervals.

  “The closer you draw to the capital, the more lights you will see.

  Yet words grow fewer—cut down, pared away, and refined.

  Such stripped words may serve you well on some nights.

  But in their shadows, many voices are lost.

  That is why you must gather them with your own eyes and ears.

  Feel them with your nose and mouth. Read them with your skin.

  And someday, speak them in your own words.”

  At times Maya found Fael’s words difficult, yet he repeated them in his mind again and again, engraving them into his heart.

  He felt certain the day would come when he would understand.

  That was how it had always been with Amna.

  No matter how many times he failed, she would teach him again.

  No matter how small the lesson, she would repeat it over and over.

  Since his earliest days, that repetition had never changed.

  And so Maya knew: even if he could not grasp it now, one day it would become his strength.

  “Maya. Were you just thinking about Amna?”

  Fael’s question startled him.

  “Heh… yeah. I was remembering.”

  Fael nodded softly.

  “I understand. But now, get some rest. The journey continues.

  Tomorrow, we depart before sunrise. Sleep as much as you can.”

  Maya smiled, pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders, and closed his eyes.

  《Baleon’s Log》

  Campfire at the Wayside — A few days from the Capital.

  We depart before sunrise tomorrow.

  [Fael] Out on patrol for safety. Returned without incident.

  [Serio] Already asleep, preparing for tomorrow.

  [Maya] Could not sleep, lost in thought. → Listened to Fael’s story, then drifted off.

  The night sky is clear.

  The stars shine, ever watching over our journey.

  From the next chapter, this 《Baleon’s Log》 will take us back several weeks, retracing the path of their travels.

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  Note: English is not my first language; light AI editing assistance was used (no AI-generated prose).