The air was thick, a tapestry of incense woven with whispered legends,
binding history to the flesh of the present. Flames danced, shadows
elongating like ancient tongues licking the night crisp with omens.
Participants, robed in twilight hues, formed an unbroken chain — a river
of silhouettes flowing towards a destination nameless and known
only to the heart's echo. One by one, they stepped forward, surrendering
tokes of their former selves to the cascading fire.
"Passage through the dim-lit gate, the burnt offering to self, awaken
the dormant flame within you," intoned the keeper of the rites. Her voice
a melody steeped in twilight, harmonizing with the crackling cinders.