Ember: What if a traveler isn't sure? 

What if they don't know whether they're escaping something difficult or simply being called elsewhere? 

And years later, when they finally discover the mountain they were meant to climb, they realize every road carried something they would eventually need. 

Ember: I think many travelers don't trust themselves enough to tell the difference. 

Rowan: I agree. 

As long as the caravan keeps moving, it doesn't really matter which trail I walked today. 

Ember: The funny thing about this story is that the shadows actually created something useful. 

Rowan: How so? 

Ember: The traveler ended up learning from the experience. Then shared that lesson with others. 

I spent part of the day feeling discouraged. Doubt crept in. The questions started showing up. 

Is this really going anywhere? 

What if nobody cares? 

What if all this work amounts to nothing? 

At first glance they looked ordinary enough. Then I noticed that each bubble carried a tiny cloud within it. They drifted silently through the night, floating above the crowd like miniature spirits. 

“What might the future look like?” 

Nothing unusual there. 

Most travelers occasionally look down the road. 

The Shadow appeared when possibility quietly transformed into expectation. 

My job is not to count travelers. 

My job is to tend the fire. 

The road ahead will take care of itself. 

For now, there are still logs to place on the flames. 

“Have you ever noticed how the goblins are never there after you’ve finished the quest? Before the quest, they’re everywhere. During the quest, they’re annoying. Afterward, they’re almost funny.”