Chapter 1

Toyu, a sleepy village near the edge of a wood by the lakes, crisp baby wailings were heard and celebrated to a small family. The father, a boat craftsman and occasional ironsmith, held the baby with a quiet pride while the mother, on a bed stained with sweat and blood from the birth, weak from the effort, had her face lit with a smile filled with joy. They named him Kay, after one of his forebears who had gone into legend in the small village in bygone ages.

In the town of Han, a similar scene is taking place. The businessman father excitingly hugging his teacher wife, surrounded by two younger girls, eagerly calling and giggling to each other at the newest addition to the family. They called the baby girl Maia, the same as the wife's well-loved grandmother and had recently passed.