Grandfather's Promise, Migrating Population

Night lay deep outside the hall, while candlelight shone within. The pale-yellow candles burned slowly, giving off a warm golden glow. The yellow light fell softly, casting two human shadows across the bluestone floor. The shadows sat facing one another, silent for the moment.

High Priest Xutl slowly rose. He walked toward a corner of the side hall and, by the bright candlelight, calmly searched through a pile of picture boards and booklets. Xolotl wanted to help, but his grandfather waved a hand.

"My child, think it over carefully again. What else do you need?"

Hearing this, Xolotl stood where he was and tilted his head slightly. He looked at the candles flickering on the wall, his thoughts rising and falling like the flames.

These were palm-wax candles unique to tropical America, carefully made by craftsmen after collecting palm wax from the leaves of certain palm trees. They were extremely expensive and rare. When palm-wax candles burned, their flames were bright and gave off no thick smoke, and they carried a fragrance like Divine Smoke, much like the spermaceti used in the Everlasting Lamps of the Celestial Empire.

Xolotl stayed silent, watching the flames of the candles on the wall, then looking at his grandfather's completely white hair. In his eyes, grief slowly surfaced.

Though the candle before him was bright, it had already burned down to the end. Only its last lingering flame remained, swaying gently in the evening wind. Who knew when it would go out, turning into a wisp of blue smoke, scattering into the vast night sky, never to be seen again.

"Mm, the candle is about to go out."

High Priest Xutl carried several rolls of picture books and slowly returned from the corner. He calmly took out a new candle, lit it with his