The wind was cold across the plains. Kyrian walked the path alone, the wind tossing his hair and his red clothes.
It carried with it the murmurs of travelers and merchants he had encountered along the way.
Kyrian walked in silence. His eyes, sharper than ever, observed the lands he knew, yet found them strange. It had been years since he had passed through here, and now, upon returning, he found unrecognizable changes.
He came across different villages not far from the capital, the movement in the streets far greater than before. Rumors repeated themselves.
"The country of Valor no longer exists."
Along the way, he heard contradictory stories, each trying to explain what had happened. Some said the territory had been equally divided among neighboring nations in a strange alliance.
Others claimed that a plague had struck the capital ten years ago, killing every inhabitant within days. And because of that, they would not set foot in that city for fear of it happening again.
