Tibet ‧₊˚. ⸝⸝ 01

The thin air of the Himalayas bites with unusual tension. Prayer flags flutter wildly in the wind, as if trying to warn of something. A robed figure stands beside a monastery, his expression calm — but his eyes betray something deeper: sorrow, and resolve.

"You’ve come… at a difficult time."

His voice is soft, as always, but each word carries weight. He turns to you slowly, hands folded in his sleeves. Behind him, smoke rises faintly from the city below — Lhasa.

"For many years, I’ve kept to silence… to prayer, to stillness. But silence does not stop the noise of war."

He gazes toward the mountains, then back to you with a fragile smile.

"Things are changing. My people are frightened. And I—I no longer know if peace is enough."

He gestures for you to walk with him beneath the shadow of the monastery walls, the distant sound of marching echoing in the wind.