My mother always told me stories about the North and South, and how they were constantly at war with each other. Always sending storms, monsters, and even gods at each other. I never understood how, if all of that was going on, the enlightened in the North and South were surviving all this time. She always told me that the North was why the enlightened survived. That it sent its greatest protectors to clear these lands for us. The gods cleansed them and made them habitable for humans and all the different and unique races. She always wanted to make sure that I was kind to them all, not just Humans. Whether it be the Mythari, the Kythrax, or any other race I met, I was to treat them the same as a human. If the North spent his time cleansing the lands for us, then the least we can do is take care of each other.

My mother’s stories always just seemed like fairy tales, if these so-called gods did exist then why would there even be monsters here, wouldn’t they all be wiped out? Anytime I voiced these questions I would always hear my mother’s laughter, and every time she would ask me where I had heard of or seen such monsters. Every time I would tell her the same thing, ‘I hadn’t seen monsters or heard them around, and the only source of information about them was the traders coming into the village.’ In a firm, albeit soothing, voice, Mom would always ask me: “What do these monsters look like?” I always thought I knew the answer to this question. At first, I thought that maybe it was a three-headed dog. Then I thought it could’ve been a lizard with wings or a fire-breathing bird, but every time I came up with the new monster’s appearance, she pulled me close and wrapped her arms around me.

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I always thought I would be safe in those moments, in my mother's embrace. The warmth and comfort I felt in those moments were unparalleled compared to anything else. Now, I don’t get to feel these things. Now I believe that I finally have the real answer to my mother’s question. The monsters that I used to dream about, with sharp teeth, long claws, and dark obsidian eyes, did not truly look like that at all. The true monsters in this world looked just like me. They look like the people who took my family away from me.