The wrinkles of time, the love of mankind , and its downfall .

It has been quite some time since we last saw the Wanderer on the start of his journey, some time which he could not count anymore. The first few hundred nights of purposeful sleep was accompanied by the warmth of his flame, the next few hundred, accompanied by the thoughts of emptiness occupying the vast land of sand. Begrudgingly venturing along a path with no end or start, he continued onwards. He could sense the warmth of his soul akin to the flame in his hands slowly growing brighter, determined to see where it would lead him. The Wanderer then approached a huge dune of sand, where each step felt as though he sank further into the world he has been birthed in. As he experiences a moment of relief by reaching the peak, the weak sand below his feet collapses causing him to lose his footing and fall down the other side of the dune. His hands clutched tightly onto his possession, as he once again rose from the ground. Momentarily after shaking off his tumble, he notices a robed being sitting solemnly on a solidified mound of sand, unperturbed by the winds of grain. His garments, softly flowing in the air, was tattered and torn just like the Wanderers’. The Wanderer approached the being carefully using the cube as a means to get a clearer look. As he approached, the cube begins to glow, its light attracted to this being. He then felt the heat emanate no longer indiscriminately around itself but now towards the being. Curiosity drew him closer, and once within a breaths distance of the being a face appeared, a face with sunken eyes, pale lips, enveloped by the strands of wisdom reminiscent of the color of grey smoke. Now lit by the flame within the Wanderer’s hand, the being’s face absorbed the warmth like a dry sponge that has been plunged in the most purest ravine. The stillness that once imprisoned this being slowly begins to fade away and melt into the distant abyss. The eyes of the being opened suddenly, shocking the Wanderer into falling back and dropping his cube. Both their eyes widened, one in shock, and one in relief to be awoken. The being stood up, stretching their limbs as though they haven’t been stretched for an eternity. The Wanderer asked, “What are you?”. The being stared back, slowly breaking the dry cracks of his lips, and taking a moment for a deep breath. The being spoke in a slow, gentle bellowing voice, “Eros is what I am called, for as to what I am, I am like you, just a bit more weathered”. Eros stared back expecting the exchange to end with the Wanderer sharing his name, but all there was was silence. “You do not know your name…”, Eros said with confidence and pity. The Wanderer nodded. Eros then shifted his eyes towards the cube of flame, “What….is…that?”. The Wanderer scrambled to regain his control over the cube to attempt and protect his only companion so far on his journey. Eros relaxed his posture, “You need not be afraid of me, for I am no threat to you.”. The Wanderer still untrusting, stayed tense on the ground, “Where am I? What is this? What are you and what is happening!”, he said in a voice of panic. “Unfortunately, I cannot answer that.”, Eros responded with kindred confusion. Eros reached out his hand, an extension of his trust to help the Wanderer up. The Wanderer after a slight hesitation, reached out slowly to accept his hand. He stood up, brushed off the sand off his clothes and voiced, “I’ve known only my wake to this world…. hundreds and hundreds of rests ago”, slowly reveals the cube and says, “..this was all that I can find amongst all the sand”. “Sand?”, Eros responded, “This is not sand that surrounds us.”. The Wanderer looks bewildered as the memories of sand from some familiar past of his comes to be, the feeling of grit between his fingers, the color of beige and tan. He looks down to his feet to notice the blackness and weakness of this substance, weakness to where the slightest brush of wind can carry it into the dark sky. “This is but ash and soot, fellow traveler.”, the Sage spoke to the Wanderer as he stood there contemplating his misconception.