Prologue
A man beyond the timely borders of mortality kneels on the lines of the earth, his knees on either vein of flowing vitality to a vibrant tree tall and broad-statured. Yet even as he beholds the beautiful scenery, his face is downcast and solemn.
Then, a voice comes from around him, direct and steady as her shapeless presence surrounds him, and she speaks clearly: “What trivial concerns lock your heart in such disorder?”
The man relays his woes, uttering solemnly, “I have taken heart and favor in a mortal, of whom bears many weights so easily quelled by a word I do not speak.”
“And why not utter your word of resolution to this mortal’s troubles?” presses the shapeless being.
His answer comes so quiet as to be nearly inaudible, “I fear stealing fond dreams.”
“Take heart,” assures the woman, “for this tool which I divinely bestow unto you shall send away present shadows.” And before the man, a lantern forms from the dust of the earth. “Use it, and quell all fears and troubles, and retain and create those fond dreams.”
The man does not reach forth to claim the lantern for his use. He sighs softly to himself, forlorn still. “I am afraid the tool of which you present may only perish shadows untouched but still perceived. But this mortal within my favor wrestles with matters of the mind and heart.”
“Alas, take heart,” she again declares, “for I have in my possession a sacred craft of certainty which shall answer the quarry of one’s belonging when used upon oneself by another.” And from the dust of the air forms a long and curved shaft with one end wrapped in a bundle of fabric, and on each of the rods is tied a black tassel, and an outstretched hand presents this tool to the man. “Take this, for from it your favored mortal shall know their roots and continue forth with newfound vigor and bravery to uncover each branch and leaf in learning contentment of their place in the stars’ plan. And with this tool, I shall bestow unto you both it and the knowledge of its nature.”
With this tool, the man was enlightened of its nature, indeed, and set forth toward the lands of his favored mortal, where he used it swiftly with pure intent.
In the aftermath of his doing, he does not return to either lands, spending his days in his lonesome eternity nowhere to be found, burying the tools which he entrusted to help, returning them to the dust from which they were made, short on dissolving them into such.
