Introduction: Deep in the mountain lakes  of the Yukaan Empire, Tomas ij鈥橪u鈥檏an, a haunted ex-soldier and recovered addict returns to a hunting hide he visited with his father as a child to scatter his ashes.Someone is waiting for him in the darkness of the hide, someone from his past, left long behind. In remembrance of the man that was his father, he and the other are forced to confront the transgressions they have made and the secrets they have kept from one another.Author's note: This short story is a prequel to my forthcoming novel, Singularity. For updates and my other writing, please check out my Patreon, my Instagram, Substack, Mastodon or Beehaw accounts....