September 15, Year 1441
Somewhere within the Holy State of Solaris
Author POV
The sun was slowly sinking behind the distant mountain ridges, painting the sky in soft shades of crimson and amber, as if the heavens themselves were remembering something distant and warm. The subtle chill of early autumn drifted with every breeze, gently reminding all that the cold season was drawing near. Clouds drifted lazily across the sky, brushing the horizon. Their whiteness absorbed the orange hues of sunset, becoming translucent strokes of fire across the canvas of the heavens.
Below stretched an endless, mirror-like sea, its surface undisturbed — not a ripple, not a wave. Gulls circled above, gliding down to catch fleeting fish from the surface. In the distance, on a simple wooden platform that jutted into the water like a modest pier, sat an old man and a boy.
