Elder Race

The effort of discovering his new orders placed him under constant strain. At first he was relieved to find he would not work as a guard, but after some time he almost wished for such orders: they would have been clear, at least, and he might have gone back to the Hold, and perhaps eased somebody’s burden. Instead he went to the Doctors in the room

“I’m tired,” Dex said softly. “My work doesn’t satisfy me like it used to, and I don’t know why. I was so sick of it that I did a stupid, dangerous thing, and now that I’ve done it, I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know what I thought I’d find out here, because I don’t know what I’m looking for. I can’t stay here, but I’m scared about going ba

“That’s what happens when you’ve had great success in life—when you’ve achieved the one goal you always desired. You lose a sense of purpose. Your smallest anxieties fester and magnify. Your fears turn inward, and attach themselves to irrational concerns.”