Walking through a deep mist in an open world, a soldier tries to find his way. He wears armor of metal plates and chains that rattle against themselves as he limps through the vastness around him. The man's armor is visibly war torn; smashed in and miss fit at some parts and dripping blood in others, proving that it's served the man well. A broken sword is straddled on his side.
The warrior surveys the misty planes around him, searching for somewhere to hide his pain away. But the mist eats up everything in sight, showing him only the grass under his very next footfall. Uncertainty is the soldier's only companion in this place. It looms over him like a vulture, waiting for him to succumb to its whims. But the warrior looked forward, past the temptress of uncertainty to find his desire; to simply find his rest.
Hours take their time coming and going as the militant fighter treks on. His wounds have only worsened and his body cries out for rest. But he can't stop, for the cry in his heart yells louder, shouting to press through for the sake of his body and his soul. And so, even through the numbing agony, the soldier chooses to believe the faith from within and continues to search for the place he craves, even if he may not find it.
When the grass underfoot turns into the splashing of warm water the broken man lets out a large breath, telling his body that they've arrived. The soldier sheds his tattered armor, his broken sword, and his bloody rags and tosses them aside in favor of the mist-covered lake before him. Sinking to his knees he embraces the warm liquid, letting the wounds covering his arms absorb the moisture. At last, he had found what he sought.
Above the lake, the sun pierces the mist for the first time in perhaps an eternity, revealing the surrounding land in all of its beauty. The soldier took in the blue sky, the vast lake that mimicked the color above, and the trees and mountains that surrounded. The wind tugged at the man just enough to send a refreshing chill through him, making the warm water seem all the more welcoming. The blood from the battle weary one acclimates itself into the lake, dispersing itself so thin that it becomes one with the water.
Finally, through every step, every hill, every doubt, and every chill, the soldier found what he so longed for; a place of rest he'd never known before.
The warrior lays down in the waters embrace, looking up to cover all but his face. He lays in the heat and the warmth of the sun, to look back and reflect on all that he's done. He conquered the world and passed all its trials. He fought with his hurt by trekking for miles. He held to his will and chose to be strong, though his battle was fought and his journey long.
With his mission done and his work finished, the soldier finds that his strength would diminish. Though he had not won the battle he fought, he learned from the lessons that life had taught. And so the man soothed his soul with ease, resigning himself to this final peace.
