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*A worn parchment is pinned to the Chronicles. The handwriting is sharp and confident.* When I was young, I knew the wilderness better than I knew my own father. I knew how to read tracks before I could read books. I knew where deer bedded during the winter and where rabbits hid when storms rolled across the mountains. I knew which streams carried fish and which valleys carried danger. The forests were my home, my teacher, and my proving ground. My father was a Ranger. Like many Rangers, he belonged more to the wilderness than to any city. I learned much from the life he chose, though often not from his presence. The wild places raised me as much as any man ever could. The wilderness is honest. It does not care who your family is. It does not care what titles you possess. It rewards preparation and punishes foolishness. Every meal must be earned. Every mistake has consequences. Every season demands something different from those who wish to survive it. I learned quickly that survival belongs to those willing to adapt. As I grew older, I found that surviving was no longer enough. I wanted more than hidden trails and distant forests. I wanted to carve my own path through the kingdoms. So I left the wilderness behind and stepped into a world of merchants, soldiers, nobles, thieves, and opportunity. There I discovered something important. The cities are not so different from the forests. Both are full of predators. Both reward those who observe more than they speak. Both belong to those willing to work harder than the people around them. I chose the path of the Rogue because it suited the lessons I had already learned. Patience. Observation. Precision. A hunter does not charge blindly through the woods. A hunter waits. Watches. Learns. Then acts when the moment is right. Everything I have earned has come through effort. Nothing was handed to me. Every hunt. Every challenge. Every lesson. Every scar. Over time I became Baekho and found myself walking beneath the symbol of the White Tiger. The more I reflected upon my life, the more fitting that seemed. The tiger is not a creature that survives through luck. It survives because it is capable, determined, and willing to act when the opportunity presents itself. As I studied the Zodiac, I found myself drawn toward both the Tiger and Wood. The Tiger because I understand the life of a hunter. Wood because it is strong yet flexible. It grows with patience, digs its roots deep, and continues pushing forward even when the world presses against it. That is the life I have known. The wilderness taught me to bend when needed, endure when tested, and keep reaching toward something greater. Wood is generous and tied to growth, but it can also be intrusive and aggressive. I recognize both sides in myself. I can be patient. I can adapt. But when I choose a path, I pursue it with force. I did not return to the cities to drift quietly through life. I came to build something of my own. I do not know whether the stars will ultimately reveal this to be my true Zodiac. What I do know is this: I was raised by the wilderness. I made my living as a hunter. I built my future through hard work. And whatever path lies ahead, I intend to meet it the same way I always have. With patience, ambition, and roots strong enough to weather the storm. ? Vaer Deluge | |