The road was gray. It was a long, straight ribbon of mud and stone that cut through the mist. I walked. My boots were heavy. They were filled with the cold. I did not look down. I looked ahead. There was nothing ahead but the wall.

The wall was high. It was made of black stone. It rose into the sky. It had no top. It was the edge of the world. I was a man of the Guard. I wore the red tunic. It was old. It was thin. I could feel the wind through it. I was the last man. Or so I believed. I was the first man. Or so I felt. I did not know which was true. I only knew the weight.

The weight was in my hand. It was a sword. It was short. It was dull. I had carried it for thirty years. I had not used it. I had not needed to. The wall did not need a sword. The wall did not need anything. It was the law. It was the end. I was part of the law. I was part of the end. I was the boundary. I was the line. I was the place where the self stopped and the nothing began.

I walked. The mist was thick. It tasted of iron. It tasted of old blood. I breathed it in. It filled my lungs. It made me slow. It made me quiet. I was quiet. I had always been quiet. I did not speak. I did not shout. I did not laugh. I had forgotten how. I had forgotten the sound of my own voice. It was a dry sound. It was a broken sound. I did not need it. The wall needed silence. The wall needed order. The wall needed me.

I reached the gate. It was small. It was a hole in the stone. It was a mouth. It was a throat. I stepped through. The air changed. It was warmer. It was sweeter. It smelled of bread. It smelled of rosemary. It smelled of life. I frowned. I did not like it. It was a lie. It was a trick. The life was a cage. The freedom was a chain. I turned back. I faced the mist. I faced the gray. I faced the truth.

A man came. He came from the dark. He was tall. He was thin. He wore gray. He wore the clothes of the dead. He was old. His hair was white. His eyes were black. He looked at me. He did not smile. He did not frown. He looked at me with a sadness that was deep. It was a sadness that had no bottom. It was a sadness that had no end.

"Thomas," he said.

His voice was soft. It was like the wind. It was like the leaves. It was like the dust. I did not know his name. I knew his face. I had seen him in the dream. I had seen him in the memory. I had seen him in the blood. He was the traitor. He was the one who left. He was the one who broke the line. He was the one who chose the light.

"You are here," he said.

"I am here," I said.

My voice was rough. It was like gravel. It was like stone. I was surprised by it. I had forgotten I had a voice. I had forgotten I had a self. I was only the wall. I was only the guard. I was only the duty.

"Come with me," he said.

"No," I said.

He stepped closer. He looked at me. He looked into my eyes. He saw the pain. He saw the fear. He saw the love. He saw the hate. He saw all of it. He did not judge me. He did not condemn me. He only saw me.

"I loved her," he said.

I knew who he meant. I knew the woman. She was the Queen. She was the Mother. She was the Soul. She was the Light. She was the Fire. She was the Life. I had served her. I had protected her. I had killed for her. I had bled for her. I had died for her. Or I had tried to. I had given my years. I had given my youth. I had given my hope. I had given my heart. I had given everything.

"She is gone," I said.

"She is here," he said.

He pointed. He pointed at the wall. He pointed at the stone. He pointed at the gray. He pointed at me.

"She is in the stone," he said. "She is in the gray. She is in you."

I felt a shock. It was like a bolt. It was like a blow. It was like a death. I fell to my knees. I gasped. I choked. I could not breathe. The air was thick. The air was heavy. The air was solid. I could not move. I could not think. I could not feel.

He put his hand on my shoulder. His hand was warm. It was soft. It was gentle. It was a touch that I had not felt in a long time. It was a touch that I had not felt in my life. It was a touch that was real. It was a touch that was true. It was a touch that was love.

"Get up," he said.

I got up. My legs were weak. My arms were shaky. My head was spinning. I was dizzy. I was sick. I was afraid. I was angry. I was sad. I was happy. I was everything. I was nothing. I was the wall. I was the guard. I was the man.

"I cannot leave," I said.

"You must," he said.

"Why?" I said.

"Because you are alive," he said.

I looked at him. I looked at the wall. I looked at the gate. I looked at the road. I looked at the mist. I looked at the sky. I saw the stars. I saw the moon. I saw the sun. I saw the light. I saw the dark. I saw the truth.

The truth was simple. The truth was clear. The truth was hard. The truth was painful. The truth was beautiful. The truth was me.

I had been the wall. I had been the boundary. I had been the limit. I had been the end. I had been the death. I had been the silence. I had been the gray. I had been the nothing.

But I was also the man. I was also the heart. I was also the blood. I was also the breath. I was also the fire. I was also the light. I was also the life.

I looked at the sword in my hand. It was dull. It was old. It was heavy. I had carried it for thirty years. I had carried it for a lifetime. I had carried it for an eternity. I had carried it for a dream. I had carried it for a memory. I had carried it for a love. I had carried it for a duty.

I let it go.

It fell. It hit the stone. It made a sound. It was a small sound. It was a quiet sound. It was a final sound. It was the sound of the end. It was the sound of the beginning. It was the sound of the choice. It was the sound of the self.

I watched it land. It lay there. It was still. It was silent. It was dead. I felt a pull. I felt a tug. I felt a weight. I felt a loss. I felt a gain. I felt a freedom. I felt a fear. I felt a peace. I felt a joy.

I turned to the man. He was gone. He had vanished. He had disappeared. He had faded. He had become the mist. He had become the air. He had become the light. He had become the dark. He had become the truth.

I was alone. I was truly alone. I was completely alone. I was entirely alone. I was only me. I was only my self. I was only my heart. I was only my breath. I was only my life.

I stood. I was tall. I was strong. I was free. I was alive. I was real. I was true. I was here.

I looked at the gate. I looked at the wall. I looked at the road. I looked at the mist. I looked at the sky. I saw the stars. I saw the moon. I saw the sun. I saw the light. I saw the dark. I saw the truth.

The truth was simple. The truth was clear. The truth was hard. The truth was painful. The truth was beautiful. The truth was me.

I stepped forward. I stepped out of the gate. I stepped into the mist. I stepped into the gray. I stepped into the dark. I stepped into the light. I stepped into the life. I stepped into the love. I stepped into the self.

I walked. My boots were light. They were empty. They were free. I did not look down. I looked ahead. There was something ahead. It was not a wall. It was not a gate. It was not a limit. It was not an end. It was a beginning. It was a choice. It was a self. It was a life. It was a love. It was a truth. It was a light. It was a hope. It was a dream. It was a memory. It was a future. It was a past. It was a present. It was a now. It was a here. It was a there. It was a where. It was a when. It was a who. It was a what. It was a why. It was a how. It was a yes. It was a no. It was a maybe. It was a forever. It was a never. It was an always. It was a once. It was a many. It was a one. It was a all. It was a none. It was a something. It was a nothing. It was a everything. It was a anything. It was a itself. It was a self. It was a me. It was a you. It was a we. It was a they. It was a us. It was a them. It was a him. It was a her. It was a it. It was a them. It was a us. It was a me. It was a you. It was a we. It was a they. It was a us. It was a them. It was a him. It was a her. It was a it. It was a them. It was a us. It was a me. It was a you. It was a we. It was a they. It was a us. It was a them. It was a him. It was a her. It was a it. It was a them. It was a us. It was a me.

I stopped. I breathed. I inhaled. I exhaled. I felt the air. I felt the wind. I felt the cold. I felt the warm. I felt the wet. I felt the dry. I felt the hard. I felt the soft. I felt the rough. I felt the smooth. I felt the sharp. I felt the dull. I felt the bright. I felt the dark. I felt the loud. I felt the quiet. I felt the fast. I felt the slow. I felt the heavy. I felt the light. I felt the real. I felt the true. I felt the live. I felt the dead. I felt the love. I felt the hate. I felt the joy. I felt the pain. I felt the hope. I felt the fear. I felt the peace. I felt the war. I felt the calm. I felt the storm. I felt the still. I felt the move. I felt the stop. I felt the go. I felt the stay. I felt the leave. I felt the come. I felt the here. I felt the there. I felt the now. I felt the then. I felt the when. I felt the where. I felt the who. I felt the what. I felt the why. I felt the how. I felt the yes. I felt the no. I felt the maybe. I felt the forever. I felt the never. I felt the always. I felt the once. I felt the many. I felt the one. I felt the all. I felt the none. I felt the something. I felt the nothing. I felt the everything. I felt the anything. I felt the itself. I felt the self. I felt the me. I felt the you. I felt the we. I felt the they. I felt the us. I felt the them. I felt the him. I felt the her. I felt the it. I felt the them. I felt the us. I felt the me. I felt the you. I felt the we. I felt the they. I felt the us. I felt the them. I felt the him. I felt the her. I felt the it. I felt the them. I felt the us. I felt the me.