What do you see when you close your eyes? For the past few months, whenever I close my eyes, I see home. I see myself lying on a meadow beside a huge river, the water gently babbling over the rocks, a cricket singing its summer song in the grass, and the scent of freshly cut grass caressing my nostrils. I lie there with my eyes closed, feeling the warm sun on my skin, which warms me without burning. I open my eyes and see clouds that look like cotton candy, leisurely floating across such a deep and familiar sky. I pluck a blade of grass and chew it; the pleasant fresh taste dances on the tip of my tongue, and I smile. In the distance, I hear a voice calling me, but I have no desire to get up; I have no need to rush anywhere. I feel calm and serene, so I close my eyes again, turning my eyelids to the sun and waiting. Someone’s shadow falls on my face; it can only be her. I hear her breath, and I long to see her face again, but when I open my eyes, the sun blinds me, and instead of a face, I see such a familiar and dear contour. Mother… I will soon be home.

So, it’s no surprise that I was literally obsessed with the idea of finding the key to the hieroglyphs, but not a single book on the vast shelves of the Borderland provided an answer. I became fanatically determined to find anything that would give me a hint on how to decipher this mystery. As soon as I closed my eyes, even for a moment, the five arches with all their hieroglyphs appeared in my mind. I had spent so much time in front of them that I could easily visualize each symbol, each curve of the language unknown to me.

After searching everything within my reach, I realized I couldn’t find anything. Even the most ancient records couldn’t provide the information I needed. Most likely, these arches were as ancient as all the worlds. Only one being could know what I so desperately sought. Only she, born at the moment the first living creature came into existence, could know this language. It had been a long time since I last saw her… well, I suppose the time has come. I knew the way well, as I had visited here often before. I could even say that, for a while, her home became my home.

I entered the vast hall where we used to receive guests; my footsteps echoed in the emptiness. Before me sat a beautiful young woman in black, intricately embroidered with silver. The patterns on her dress were so elegant and exquisite that any fashionista would envy them as if real stars and pearls from the deepest ocean depths adorned the bodice. Her black hair, as dark as a raven's wing, fell in resilient curls down to her elbows. On her head rested a wreath of scarlet roses arranged on thorny branches, the tips of which were sharper than the keenest blade. This lady sat on her throne like a true queen; one glance at her was enough to make anyone fall to their knees before her.

I approached the throne, knelt down, kissed the porcelain hand she extended to me, and then the same white and beautiful knee.

"My Lady," I quietly spoke, bowing my head.

"How formal; you used to call me something else. But never mind, let’s skip that moment. It’s been a long time since you’ve been in these parts, Keeper. What has brought you to me again? Have you missed me?"

"You are always on my mind; you know this well. But today I came for another reason. I need to ask you a question."

The Lady sighed heavily and twisted her crimson lips into a displeased grimace.

"What do you want to ask?"

“I would like you to help me read some writings. They are very ancient, and I can’t find any records of this language anywhere. From what I can gather, it may be one of the earliest languages.”

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“Well, I don’t know… What will I get in return for helping you? I’m not in the mood to grant favors for free today.”

“Whatever you wish, my Lady. This knowledge is very important to me.”

“And why is that?”

“Perhaps it will help me find my way home.”

"Alright, I'll be generous this time, in memory of the past. Dance with me. Just one dance. It’s not much to ask, is it, Keeper?"

“Yes, my Lady. You are very gracious,” I replied, still bowing my head.

From somewhere above, the sounds of music began to fill the air, first faintly and then more clearly. Soon, the notes of a waltz filled the vast hall.

I gently took my companion by the waist. The delicate scent of roses enveloped me. Our steps were as light and quick as if we had been dancing together for a lifetime. And indeed, we had; our lives together were much longer than those of other beings, and spending thirty years on a dance seemed like a mere trifle.

After a while, four mirrors appeared on the walls, and I involuntarily began to look into them.

The first mirror hung near the throne. Our reflection was beautiful. I saw myself as a young man with short dark hair and a sturdy build, dressed in simple traveler’s clothes. The girl beside me was more beautiful than both sunrise and sunset. Her hair flowed like silk, and her lips, red as poppies, bloomed on her porcelain-white skin. Long lashes as black as night framed eyes as blue as sapphires. The mirror also reflected the hall, glowing with many candles, and the floor was polished so that we could see our reflection.

Behind this mirror hung another, older one, its gilding slightly tarnished. As I approached it, the scent of ripe sweet apricots enveloped me. The couple in this mirror was different. The woman appeared to be around fifty years old, her magnificent dress covered by a similarly beautiful hooded cloak, thick gray locks peeking out from beneath it. In her, one could still see the young girl. She still had those same boundless blue eyes. The man beside her was silver-haired, tall, and stately. His eyes were like molten gold, with pupils resembling those of a serpent, framed by perfectly white, long lashes. The room still sparkled with candles, but there was a certain haze of time in the air, with specks of dust twinkling like stars.

As I approached the third mirror, a sharp smell of decaying grass hit my nose, and a nearly hairless lady looked at me from it; here and there, tangled clumps of unkempt hair were visible on her skull. In my right hand lay the gnarled, scabbed, and age-spotted hand of my companion. Once blue, her eyes had become completely white—blind. Her nose had caved in. As I made another turn, I noticed that the left cheek of the lady had nearly rotted away, revealing the bones of her jaw and white teeth. On her left hand, only bones remained from her ring finger. My own hair had turned completely white and reached down to my shoulders; I was taller than my lady by more than a head, and she appeared like a fragile rag doll in my enormous claw-like hands. The once beautiful hall was in decay; the plaster had crumbled in places, the paint had peeled and hung in shreds, and the parquet floor had sunken in many areas, revealing stone slabs beneath.

The last mirror was truly ancient; its frame was wooden, and the silver on it had spots. Yet, I clearly saw in it a man as huge as a bear, with skin as white as paper. His hands resembled the claws of a bird, with the same enormous black talons, but the skin, from his long fingers to his elbows, seemed to be covered in white scales with a blue sheen. On his pale face, the softly pink lips appeared unnatural. On the man's arm lay a formless skeletal hand; instead of a luxurious garment, the skeleton wore a simple cloak with a hood, lined in red, with the head hidden beneath the hood. Surrounding the pair lay ruins, in which it was impossible to recognize the once-grand hall. Scattered around the perimeter were a few half-destroyed columns, all overgrown with ivy. Instead of a rotting parquet floor, there were stone slabs etched with runes. Outside, it was deep autumn; crows perched on the gnarled branches of trees, watching the dance that still continued with their bead-like eyes. The cold scent of damp earth seeps right to the bone.

“Look, my Keeper, but not in the mirror, rather at the floor. Look closely; there you will find your answer.”

The music ceased, the mirrors dissolved into the walls, and our dance came to an end. Before me once again stood a beautiful young woman—my Lady, the one who emerged with the first living being and who will embrace that same life in the very end.