.jpg)
The air became thinner with each step of the laborious ascent. I continued despite the rocks collapsing beneath me, which could have sent me sliding back down. It was only a few more painful feet to the ridge. My lungs screamed and my legs burned, yet I was propelled forward by something deeper.
Then, I was there. Over the ridge, the world extended before me, vast and boundless, with rivers cutting silver veins through the land, rolling hills dipping into shadowy valleys, and the sky—oh, the sky—an endless ocean of gold and fire. The sun hung low, illuminating everything with a light that made even the broken appear beautiful.
The climb, the struggle, the doubts—they were all irrelevant because, over the ridge, there was only possibility, nothing but the next step, the next adventure, and the next unknown waiting to be conquered.