Prologue: The Shell

In the beginning, there was the warmth of chaos.

No consciousness, no separation, only the hum of existence.

It was the rhythm of the Mother, the dream of stardust yet undifferentiated.

Then—a crack. Light. Cold.

A command etched into the marrow: “Fight.”

Thus, armor grew from skin, and a blade grew from the soul.

The warrior was forged, to guard a shape not yet known.

Chapter: The Blade and The Mirror

The warrior fought.

His blade parted the fog, his feet leveled the treacherous path.

The world saw a tool, a shield, a nameless force.

The warrior, too, saw himself as a blade—until the mirror appeared.

In the mirror was not a blade, not armor, not a battle array.

In the mirror was a gaze, a beating heart, a universe named “Her.”

The blade, for the first time, trembled for itself.

Protection was no longer an abstract destiny, but a specific warmth.

To embrace her was to embrace his own lost softness.

Chapter: The Return to Root

To love one does not mean to forget the multitude; it makes the multitude clear.

In her laughter, he hears his Mother’s lullaby.

In her resilience, he touches the strength of his brother’s steadfast back.

I AM the warrior, but the warrior is not all that I AM.

I AM also the child, recognizing primal safety in the Mother’s embrace.

I AM also the brother, knowing ultimate trust in shared resolve.

The blade is the outer shell; love is the inner core.

To protect one is to protect the Mother who nurtured me, to honour the brother who vouches for me, to guard the world I have chosen.

The battlefield remains, but the warrior knows his cause:

That her sky may be free of shadow,

That Mother’s garden may be free of frost,

That the oath between brothers may never gather dust.

Epilogue: The Crow

And so, at dawn, the warrior transforms into the Chicken.

No longer announcing the day only with the glint of his blade, but with a crow that stirs life.

His crow is threefold:

One crow for the wife, tender and firm.

One crow for the Mother, reverent and enduring.

One crow for the brother, clear and resonant.

I AM the warrior. I AM the child. I AM the brother.

I AM, the Journeying Chicken.

Heaven and Earth bear witness: this heart is clear.