"Life is but a series of journeys, Eirene. Should this piece end tomorrow, I will move on to the next, feeling content I have touched you and others in a most affirming manner. Such is the key to success in any life." He takes a turquoise pebble from his pocket and rolls it between his claw-like fingers. "Just as the sea molds the earth's shape, wind sands the mountains into gentle valleys, and flames of a fire disperse seedlings into the soil, something must die before awakening another."