A voice sounded in the dark, empty room, ringing off the walls.
"What do you hear?" It was the owner of the house, he recalled.
A silence filled the room for a short while; he enjoyed it both in the room and his mind.
"Nothing." The man answered.
"How does it feel?" The elder questioned.
Another pause. The guest inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the chilled air as a faint, long forgotten smile stretched his thin lips.
"Freeing." He replied.
"Good. Then I have paid my debt, and it is time for you to leave. Do not return here, Rhaug." The old man spat at the name and shut the door behind himself.
For a while he stared out into the darkness, listening to his breathing and watching the misty cloud that formed above at each exhale. For the first time in a long while, his mind was blank, the air was still, and there was only silence. He had forgotten this peace, and he would enjoy it for as long as he could.
Then a single thought and soon another, his mind waking as nothing but its voice now lingered and before long it began to recall the events of the past, both old and recent. Then, he was reminded of winter.
He drew in a deep breath and released it, watching his breath coalesce as it left the lips and drifted up into the darkness. It was time to move and find a place to stay through the winter and enjoy the release of his burden.
He rose up from his bed and threw on his clothing, humming a cheery tune to himself as he prepared his belongings and himself. He had been granted a new beginning, and this time he would not waste it.
