No one had dared to approach the head of the valley recently, for terrifying thunderbolts had been raging above it. The thunder had gone on for so long that it even alarmed the minotaur tribe residing within the fog deep inside the valley. Cleric Schaltar asserted that this was because the clans' forbidden research had incurred the wrath of the God of Thunder, while other minotaurs believed that this was merely a one-off manifestation of the valley's treacherous and unpredictable weather. But it was too weird to label such weather as "natural", too — the thundering had already gone on for well over ten days, yet not a drop of rain could be seen. Zethos the guard, who had claimed to be patrolling atop the valley when the thunder began, was extremely excited, eagerly sharing his eyewitness account each time he bumped into someone, as if he was the central figure behind the phenomenon that was causing a stir throughout the entire valley.

"That day, I happened to accept a patrol mission. Mind you, this was my first time leaving the gate in three years! You can't imagine how tedious it is to stand guard there every day..." "I was cautiously climbing the treacherous cliffs — yes, the ones near Riscernos's boundary, the place where scepter-wielding phantoms appear — when suddenly, the entire mountain shook. A minotaur's bellow rang out from above!" "You heard that right, a minotaur's bellow it was! I dashed all the way to the mountaintop, and guess what I saw!" "It was a mass of lightning as tall as a human! It was hovering in mid-air, its edges shifting constantly, just like... an accelerated version of scudding clouds! Within that mass, there was an unmoving silhouette — the profile of a minotaur! Though it had only one hoof, it was standing upright!" "This must be a divine manifestation!"

It was clear that Zethos the minotaur had left soon after, or he would not have claimed the figure as his deity. ... The creature behind the silhouette of the single-hoofed minotaur did not maintain it for long, and disappeared at the next lightning strike from the skies. Amidst the dust, a white figure hung diagonally across a straight pole, positioned atop the peak of the mountain at an angle incomprehensible to ordinary folks. The flashing lightning illuminated the figure within, revealing a mane of white hair flowing in the air. Its slightly crooked back was covered in white fur, with the arm gripping the pole spanning half its body — the creature was a white ape! He gazed motionlessly at the distant clouds. After a long pause, he let out a soft sigh. "It's time to go, Kui."