{ "Mountains teach that not everything in life is easy. The steepest paths lead to the most breathtaking views."}
The climb was not just steep; it was sacred. By the time we reached the high ledge, the sun had dipped low behind the peaks. Fog pooled in the valleys below, thick as breath from a beast's lungs. I could feel the mountain's pulse in my bones, the land remembering me, whispering its judgment even before the Elders spoke. Elle stood beside me, calm and unwavering. She had not flinched once during the climb. Her boots had moved over the crumbling stone like they belonged here.
The high ring carved into stone before written history waited at the peak's edge. A flat, circular platform etched with ancestral markings, flanked by five standing stones, each carved with the marks of a bloodline that had once answered to me.
