« It was the early morning after the storm when he saw her sitting in the snow, staring out into the distance, far beyond the frozen hills. It was as if she was waiting for someone, now and then running her shimmering eyes over the vastness of the winter landscape going into the endless distance in every imaginable direction.

One of the things that caught his eye to such an unusual picture was the sword, which the girl eagerly embraced with her whole body, as if hoping that its dense and cracked blade might warm her.

The sword. So familiar, conjuring up thoughts of something ancient and powerful. But as soon as he thought about it for a second, his thoughts rushed away like a melting mountain stream.

He was seized by a strange fascination, something between awe and desire, and he could have stood there all day watching her. But he could also see that she was aware of his presence.

"You're a long way from home." she says without turning around. He didn't know whether it was a statement or a question. He wasn't even certain which language she was speaking.

"I've traveled all around the world in my time." he replies.

"All Around the World..." she repeated.

The girl turned to her mysterious companion in the sudden silence of the winter morning. Her hair, like a ribbon of pale gold in the winter light, is the color of the sky before a storm, fell softly down her shoulders, the snow glinting in the early morning sun behind her head. »