In the newborn silence of an early dawn, in the innocence of my arrested childhood, I beheld a sight of such artistry, such intensity, such absolute magnificence; even these words do no justice to it. Tears came to my eyes and my heart was near to bursting as I sank to my knees in veneration.
             A pool - a simple, crystal, forest pool - circled around with lush, green, growing things, lined with sand so purely white it might be mistaken for snow. Trees, majestic, towering trees, bending closer to gaze at their reflection in the surface of the water... and him; a perfect vision from some distant, unknown dream, too painfully beautiful to be real, and yet, so evident, he could be nothing else. All of this I beheld in a heartbeat. He stood, in perfect stillness, ebony against the milky-white of the sands, like the night sky unmarred by stars. His horn; so faultless, as though it had been crafted by the silversmith of the gods, gleaming, shimmering, rising from the head so delicate and fine. Two eyes echoing the color of ice as they turned my way, regarding within me the child my grown body disguised, that part of me damaged in "the accident", the cause of my flight from the world I once knew as home.
             I scarce dared to breath, holding myself in awe and stillness, gazing into a world beyond belief, and yet so true that it beckoned me with an almost audible voice, compelling me to enter. His eyes met mine and though no words or movements past between us, he spoke my name, and tugged gently at my heart, drawing me closer. I stepped from the dense brush, leaving behind my precious pack, and all those things I had thought I couldn't let go of, as he stepped closer to the pool, lowering that glistening horn ever so slowly into the water, spreading ripples of silvery magic across its surface. I knew without words that the magic was for me, and hesitate not once did I, even to remove my clothes.
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