Chapter 1 PROLOGUE

As Muresh slowly regained consciousness, he heard a voice calling out to him, urging him to come back. Although he wasn't able to hear the voice with his physical ears, he felt a sense of calm and warmth that it brought along with it. Despite being aware of the voice and the emotions that came with it, he couldn't fully comprehend them as they weren't his own. For a brief moment, he felt a connection with someone or something that felt familiar to him, but it vanished just as quickly.

Despite this, he didn't feel any urgency to return to his physical body, so he ignored the voice calling out to him. However, the voice became more persistent, speaking of loneliness and reminding him that his body was waiting for him. In response to the voice's urgency, Muresh suddenly crashed back into his body, feeling disoriented and confused. As he opened his eyes, everything around him seemed strange and foreign. He struggled to make sense of his hazy and disjointed memories, but all he knew was that he had left his body and was now back. Looking up, he saw an oval shape with wrinkles and heard a voice calling out his name. The shape opened and closed to reveal a hole, and he felt someone holding him up. The voice thanked him for coming back and instructed him to walk around to re-familiarize himself with his body. It was his grandmother's face that he saw, and she reminded him that his birthday was the next day. As they walked into a bright courtyard, Muresh was amazed at the sight of the desert stretching out in front of him. He ran to the railing and leaned out to take in the breathtaking view of the palace and the cliff of rocks below. He reveled in the warmth of the sun and marveled at the beauty around him. However, he was unaware of the shadows that still clung to him.