[Jani] The Traveler

It was a wait destined to be long, yet one he was willing to bear as a blessing. In the wind and snow, that lonely, wavering soul watched again and again for the travelers' return, just like the frail young man he had been hundreds of years ago, full of hope as he waited beside the ice cave for him to come home. The sun rose slowly, its light illuminating the frozen earth. Tony bent down and gently tucked a lock of the dead man's hair behind his ear. Then he looked up at the rising sun, his expression grief-stricken. The world no longer needed him. His mission was over. New heroes would take his place and complete the journey left unfinished, bringing a new civilization to the entire continent. But none of that mattered to him anymore. The person behind him was the only one he would ever possess, in this life and every life to come. He raised his face toward the slanted sky. The sunlight blazed, and a dazzling sheen of tears gradually filled his eyes.