He looked up to the sky, cold, lifeless, as everything around him. Nor the wind, nor snow, nor rain felt from it. The silhouettes of the mountains were striving to reach with their heavy, cloudy peaks the ancient lover who had once wrapped its arms around them. Back when the Great Powers still ruled the world. But that had been a long time ago; so long that possibly no creature over the earth could remember. And yet, I remember, he thought with his eye lost in the endlessness, eagerly searching, hoping, without any illusion, that just for once, just a moment —as short as a sigh—, his mother would open her white eyes. So much time had passed in that inexorable darkness, though no one could say exactly how many.

Little by little, without wanting it, he lowered his gaze till he saw to his left the white plain that stretched to the far mountains and the quiet lake, the current of whice had not flowed in a long time; and to his right, the immense forest, which seemed to encompass the rest of the world. 

Hesitant, his steps took him to unmade the path of his father, hoping he would finally come back home. His bare feet hurt with the frostiness of the soil, and with the weariness of having walk since the last lights disappeared from the sky. He felt as if he had walked for days, months, or maybe years; but not even the second quarter of the night had passed. He would walk till sunrise to see if by chance his mother would remember her lost son. At least the sky sleeps, he thought as consolation. Of course, it have slept since the King was King.

He remembered war. A war that could have been prevented. However, no one had wanted to. His brothers had readied their weapons before the declaration, and his sisters —having burned the sacrifices and peace offers, without even stopping to think about the mortals who would see their faith betrayed— they had formed ranks. And he hadn't stopped them. Why should I had stopped them? I longed for war as much as Radelaan or Suravien. But I had known what would happened. Oh, he had known too well what would be unleashed with this war! Even the treason! But he had chosen to escort the King to battle and to his impending defeat; and he had allowed the treason of Diuren Garan.

He noticed then the tears that slid down his cheeks and froze even before touching ground. Why do you cry? He asked himself. Do you cry for yourself? So pathetic! He deserved the exile and everything that would come to him on earth, for he had allowed everything to happened. So he would journey to the ends of the world looking for forgiveness that, no matter what he did, would never come. 

The Exiled One went into the forest and its shadows swallowed him.