Koborai, this person, this faint feeling in the back of his mind was he dead? The snow fell faster now as if nature itself sought to throw a sense of urgency into the boy’s heart. Yet still he did not move still nothing found its way inside the boys mind for no true feeling could pierce the deep cloud of pain that seemed to have entangled itself with his soul, like so many creeper vines strangling the life and will away from him.  There was truly nothing for him as if his slate had been wiped clean, his only emotion pain his only driving force utter sorrow so deep and seated that it was held in his every breath his every thought.<br/><br/>The sorrow took over and he let his head drop so many faces cascading like an unending barrage across his mind that to his young impressionable mind it seemed as if they danced amongst the snowflakes amidst rainbow colored lights, or was this some vision the light had changed to a bright white now as his father’s face floated upward and was no more.  The tears came now as they had before falling slowly to freeze upon the old bridge leaving their mark as if they had fallen upon some dusty old table, the warmth digging into the snow a small bit before the faint sheen restored itself once again and in this moment, this moment of utter and supreme despair the body seemed to lose his grip on reality and he was gone.<br/>His mind found itself a float in an endless sea of possibility of darkness and of light, of sin and salvation. He let his small thoughts float amongst the heavens as a bird dances amongst the clouds and in his delirium for the briefest of moments he found peace.  The world seemed to break apart and there was warmth on his shoulders.<br/><br/>The smell of fresh cedar on a fire permeated his nose bringing his eyes open.  His face exploded in the brightest of smiles. He was in his mother’s lap in a chair in front of the large hearth in his home; she was rocking him back and forth humming. The old nurse made was in the kitchen cutting away at tonight’s dinner while his father diligently went over the family’s finances. His smile faded from view though as his mother slowly began to shake him “Wake up Koborai wake up my son you know not what you do wake up! “ There was desperation in her voice that tore at him. A sense  of true urgency tore at his heart now something was wrong “ But I am up okaasan I am awake I’m “   he paused as his father sat up ruffling his hair as his mother smiled a gesture that had always made him feel safe and loved. “ Koborai you lazy boy wake up now”<br/><br/>He was just about to protest when an image of the purest horror flooded his dream. His father’s face had changed as he looked up it was now as he saw him last gaunt and black with the plague eyes so shallow they could see nothing “ wake up Koborai before it’s too late.<br/>The boy’s eyes shot open and he fell to his side coughing, what sorcery was this, was he really a demon? Why had he not died in that sweet dream, why had it turned so terrible? His body shook terribly now he tried to move actually crawled before falling on his face the world spinning in a great cloud of vertigo he felt so sleepy. Someone was coming he heard the faint footsteps his ear inadvertently pressed to the planks of the bridge perhaps the priests or the slavers had caught up with him.. Good mayhaps they would bring an end to the abomination he had become.<br/>