A MAN STOOD at the edge of the cliff, looking out unto the world beneath him. His eyes coasted the scenery with lackluster determination. They were the amber eyes of a man fighting a never-ending war, yet they were the mahogany eyes of a man who had grown tired of these years of persistence. As he closed out the world from these eyes, the man took it in. The Air rippled slightly, throwing his tattered robe into a gust, sending it to float down into the open air. Air curled up against his body, caressing him like a long lost friend. The wind whistled sweetly into his ear the stories of its travels. If anyone had been watching him, the wind would have seemed to be flowing in a light gust around him, taking a translucent visibility. However as the man released his store, the Air no longer caressed him and continued its travels down the cliff to the rest of the world. A smile began to curve its way onto the man’s stoic face. It had been a long time since the Air greeted him as a friend.
As his attention turned to the world beneath, the warrior began to ponder on the future of his world. At least the future he had planned. Unfortunately Slyvandra was more focused in the past. Through the ages, the world had rebuilt itself from The Collapse, an event that destroyed the Old World. Religion dictated that it was Slyvin, The Bringer of Light, that stopped The Collapse, giving mankind the Age of Rebirth. The man held a grim smile as this mythology ran through his head, yet that was a matter for another time. As of now his mind was set on a course to revive everything they had lost. Everything he had lost.
“Master Janus.” A voice rang out to the man from behind him. As he turned to greet the newcomer, Janus opened his amber eyes once again. His smile soon disappeared at the sight of the land behind him. Too most it appeared barren and dead: the trees a black brown, grasping at the air with leafless branches. However, these cold trees contained a gem of hope and beauty to Janus. It was the land he was trying to protect from those who would destroy it. The landscape reminded him that loss.
“Master Janus,” the voice rang from behind one of the trees. A young girl in a dress the color of a dried leaf ran out from behind the tree.
“Yes, Ava.” Janus voice called out in a sweet tenor, contrasting with his rough features. His skin was pale, yet littered with dark scars on his exposed torso. Ava was the complete opposite. Her skin was the color of dark mahogany, with the tender smoothness only youth brought.
“The Council needs you,” Ava replied with a playful bow. Her voice carried an air of maturity that no young child of ten should have. “So they sent me to fetch you. I knew you’d be up here.”
“I apologize for keeping them waiting.” Janus sighed. Things were becoming desperate. “If you don’t mind, tell them I’ll be with them in just a minute. There is something I must do first.”
“Fine,” Ava laughed. “It’s not like they could start without you anyway. Just hurry down when you’re ready.” Ava skipped towards the edge of the cliff where Janus stood as she spoke. Her bare feet graced the ground like notes being played for a ballad. Once she was at the farthest edge, Ava smirked. “I’m going to take the shortcut.”
Janus let himself smile as he patted the child’s head before she stepped off the edge of the cliff, into the Air. Into the arms of their friend.
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