“It was late in the day and the sun was just setting behind the trees of the forest. The bright colors of the sunset were streaming across the evening sky. She sits on the ledge of her bedroom widow and glances out to the sun set. She sits there a moment watching before she turns back to her canvas and continues her painting. The painting slowly begins to come to life as the colors of the setting sun are added to the canvas. She paints quietly listening to the sounds of the bird as they settle down for the night. She again turns to glance at the sunset and back to the canvas. After what seems like a lifetime the painting is finished. She begins to clean up her stuff and prepares for bed. She picks up the painting and heads down the stairs to show her mom. She walks over to where he mom is sitting by the fire and shows her that painting. Her mom looks up from the dress that she is making as her daughter walks down the stairs, she smiles at her and lays the dress to the side so that she can see what her daughter has painted. As she stands there showing off the picture to her mom she smiles slightly, her one violet eye glinting from the firelight. Her mother smiles brightly at the sight of the painting and motions to the pile of stuff that is sitting near the door. She glances to the pile and frowns, a look of pleading on her face. Her mother slowly shakes her head and again motions to the pile. She sighs heavily as she walks over and places the painting with the rest of the stuff. Tomorrow was market day and her family was poor. They took everything they could find, make, or trade with them to the market every other week. The money that they got from selling what they took was used to buy food. She smiles to her mom as she heads back up stairs. This would be the last week her paintings would go to the market to be sold for little to no money. As she got back to her room she pulled her backpack out of the closet and packed her things. She loved her family with all her heart but she would not go on like this forever. She vowed to her self that one way or another that she would find away to raise money for her mother so that she would not have to work as hard any more. She looked around her room one more time before climbing down the rope that was tied on the outside of her window. She looked around the clearing and takes off into the forest. She had heard of many different ways to make money in Stonegate and she hoped that she would be able to earn a living on her own.”

“This is how it all began for Achlight,” the old man finished as he picked up his mug to rinse his mouth.

“That is it? It is all that easy?” A young boy asks.

“Did he say it was easy?” Comes a voice from the shadows.

The boy turns to look for the speaker but finds nothing.