Through treacherous mountainous paths covered in glistening white snow, a black-clad figure trudged
steadily on. Pillars of smoke rose from a distant village,
but the figure in black moved farther away, for what he
sought lay elsewhere.
Pulling his shroud tighter across his body, Daemyn
struggled to shield himself from the blistering cold.
Twenty wretched days had passed, and he still had not
found Sima, the sorceress with his mother's cure. He
had begun to wonder if his sister was right.
"She has not been seen in 50 years!" his sister had
cried, upon hearing about his leaving. "How will you
ever find her?"
"Do you not know the legend?" Daemyn recited for
her the mantra ingrained into his soul
When those of pure and simple heart
Present to her a selfless plea,
A black stone wall will break apart
Revealing great Sima to thee!"
"They call it a legend for a reason, Daemyn. How
can you even think about leaving at a time like this?"
"I am determined to find her Paulina. Without
Sima's cure, mother will not live! I refuse to just sit
around and watch her die.
Daemyn's brief stay in the town of Kimba, however,
had renewed his hopes. The villagers had told him of a
mysterious black wall roughly five miles northeast. After
fruitless conversations with countless strangers,
Daemyn had finally found direction.
The wall should be just beyond this next cliff.
Racked with anticipation, Daemyn quickened his pace.
His legs burned from the steep climb.
As if the gods were testing him, the heavy overcast
sky suddenly let loose a blizzard, but Daemyn refused
to let the blinding snow hinder him. He used each
passing rock to guide his movements and continued to
hike upward. At last, he reached the blessed cliff, and
through the curtain of snow Daemyn made out a
glorious black stone wall stretching across the expanse
of the mountainside.

Which sentence best represents a theme of the passage?
A. Journeys should be enjoyed with friends
B. It is important to stand firm in your beliefs
C. Hiking is a dangerous hobby to undertake
D. Real happiness is not found in possessions