The sullen light of dusk pushed through the wood, fading and ribboning into what would soon become darkness. It was days like these that reminded me of my fondness for Helovia and of the first time I’d set eyes upon her undeniable splendor. Somewhere in between my arrival and my present adventures, I’d lost something… I wouldn’t call it a loss of vigor, but more so my incessant need to roam. I had settled in the Thistle Meadow for a time, but it was lonely… it was not what I’d pictured for myself.

After living out my days in isolation I’d come to a brash decision that I would seek out somewhere to belong. However, the idea of committing myself to any one thing seemed daunting and I’d yet to act upon the notion… It was time though; I kept telling myself that it was time to move on and settle, but it still came at a price. I feared what would become of my desires and my dreams should I finally break my own bad habits.

Perhaps that was why I again found myself searching the Threshold for another purpose, one less demanding than confronting my own reality.

With the sun dancing across the stars across my skin, I swayed easily between the dense wood, inhaling the sweet scent of Fall. I was calm and level-headed which was more than I could say of my demeanor as of late… Maybe I was simply plagued with incessant thought and deliberation. Where would I go? Who would accept me, as I was? What if they turned me away? What if I had already made a name for myself? Although I honestly couldn’t imagine Amaris or Resplendence thinking that highly of me…

As I wandered, pressing myself for answers that I could not give, I paused at the slightest drift of conversation. It was clearly an intermingling of voices and pitches, but I prayed that they would distract me from my inner struggles… However, maybe one of them would allow me some valuable insight. I’d been thinking far too much and I’d been far too lonely for far too long… I needed a gentle push, or swift kick, to get me moving.

I just needed someone to tell me what was right. I was abandoning my only way of life after all…

However, when I had come close enough to discover that my company was a pair of ladies… I couldn’t help but smile deviously to myself. Helovia surely hadn’t disappointed me as a man by any means. She housed too many beautiful trinkets for a collector such as myself to ignore. I’d been lucky enough to miss their introductory discussion, but I almost wished I hadn’t… Surely one of them knew a little more about this place than I.


“Well hello ladies. I don’t suppose you’d mind if I joined you?” I questioned with a particularly innocent smile. “I’m Atlas.”