The dreamlike dawn was not a sunrise of sunlight, but a slow fading of the darkness of the Deep Foundations, replaced by a soft glow coming from the gems set into the cave ceiling.
Kael rose from his bed, feeling the weight of the decision he had made the night before. The connection with the symbol was still vivid, like a constant warmth in his chest.
"I need to stretch, I feel a bit stiff."
He moved through the cell, stretching his muscles, feeling every fiber of his body respond with a new awareness. He could sense a subtle, invisible boundary between the reality of waking and the realm of dreams.
He reached Anya and Lyra in the Hall of the Dream Heart. Master Elian was already there, standing in front of the black crystal, his eyes fixed on the pulsating surface. The air was thick with energy, its vibration palpable, a mix of anticipation and grave determination.
"Are you ready, Kael?" Anya asked, her voice calm as she approached him. Her eyes, usually guarded, now held a light of encouragement.
Kael nodded, clenching his jaw. "As ready as I can be."
Lyra leapt, her excitement almost making her vibrate. "This is exciting! No one has crossed the First Veil in decades. This is a historic day for the Academy!" Her silver eyes sparkled as she looked at Kael, her enthusiasm contagious.
Elian turned from the crystal, his eyes slightly narrowed, staring at Kael with seriousness.
"Remember everything we have taught you, Kael. Your Dormant Fire is your guide: your will, your strength. Do not give in to illusions. Seek the truth beneath the surface. And above all," he added, his voice lowering to a grave whisper, "the Ash feeds on despair. Do not feed it."
Kael took a deep breath, feeling his heartbeat thump in his ears. "I will do my best."
Elian nodded, then moved toward one of the cave walls, a spot that seemed ordinary. He placed his hand on the rock. The smooth surface rippled, and Kael felt the air vibrate. Slowly, the rock withdrew, not opening a passage like a door, but revealing a vortex of mist in shades of blue and gray.
A cold so intense emanated from it that Kael shivered. It was not a physical cold, but a chill that seemed to sink directly into his mind, touching the most painful memories.
"This," said Elian, his voice a deep summons, "is the entrance to the first of the Eight Veils of the Soul. It is the Veil of Loss."
Kael looked into the vortex. He felt the almost irresistible pull of the mist. Every fiber of his being told him to resist, not to enter that cold abyss of pain. But he thought of Elara, the image of her laughter that still eluded him. If he wanted to bring her back, he would have to face every loss.
Anya approached, placing a hand on Kael's shoulder. "We are with you," she said, her voice calm. "We will feel connected. And if insurmountable danger comes, we will pull you out. But you must do your part. You must fight."
Lyra encouraged him with a smile: "It's just the first one, Kael. You can do this!"
Kael stepped forward and approached the vortex. The scent of ancient pain, regret, and vanished things filled his nostrils. It was a pungent, bitter odor that tightened his stomach. He closed his eyes for a moment, calling upon his inner flame. He opened his eyes. His Dormant Fire pulsed with a constant, unyielding warmth in his chest.
He was ready.
He stepped into the vortex. The air enveloped him with an almost physical intensity, as if he had plunged into an icy river. He felt his real body remain behind, anchored in the Deep Foundation, while his consciousness, his dream essence, was drawn into the Veil.
The sensation of falling was dizzying, but not uncontrollable. The Deep Lucidity Extract he had taken before departing allowed him to maintain a thread of consciousness, not to be completely lost in the vortex.
Then, the feeling of falling vanished.
Kael found himself standing on a solid surface, but neither stone nor earth. It was like a vast, endless floor of dark, polished glass, reflecting a starless sky, only a gray, monotone light that seemed to come from every direction and from none.
There were no horizons, only the infinite expanse of that glass.
The silence was absolute, a lack of sound so complete that Kael could hear his ears ringing.
He looked around, his eyes searching for reference points.
"There's nothing. Only emptiness. No entrance and no exit!"
His hands instinctively moved to touch the "floor," feeling the cold and incredibly smooth, almost oily surface. The golden flame in his palm flickered weakly, the only source of warmth in that desolate place.
Then, he saw them. From the surface of the dark glass, transparent figures began to emerge. They had no defined human shapes but were like projections of liquid light, dancing slowly and aimlessly.
Kael felt their essence: they were lost dreams, hopes never realized, vanished memories of countless people. Each figure radiated a subtle, heart-wrenching sadness, a silent lament for what no longer was.
As Kael walked, the figures drew closer, surrounding him. They were not aggressive, but their despair was contagious. His breath grew shallow, and his lower lip began to tremble.
And then he began sobbing.
Kael felt a wave of sorrow crash through his soul, an echo of losses that weren't even his but accumulated around him. His Dormant Fire in his chest struggled to remain bright under that emotional pressure.
"So this is how it feels in the Veil of Loss… trying to crush me with the weight of regret and absence."
Then, one of the figures, the largest of all, approached him. It was an undefined form of flickering light, but Kael felt its voice, not with his ears but directly in his mind, a voice made of a thousand sighs and laments.
Do you remember the weight of loss, Keeper? The void it leaves? There's nothing to do. Nothing to save. Everything will vanish.
Kael felt his breath shorten. He recognized that feeling. It was the same apathy he had felt after Elara's illness, the same despair that had consumed him. It was the Ash's most insidious trap: making you believe there is no hope, that everything is lost. He looked at one of the closest figures, and for a moment, the iridescent light took the shape of Elara's face, a transparent face, smiling at him with infinite sadness.
Then it vanished into nothing, as if it had never existed.
A sharp pain, more acute than anything he had ever felt, pierced his chest. His Dormant Fire flickered, almost extinguishing. This was their final trial.
But the words of Anya and Elian echoed in his mind: "Do not succumb to illusions. Seek the truth beneath the surface. Do not feed your despair to the Ash."
But also the words of Solara, her voice in the globe: "Hope… is poison. It only brings pain. Oblivion, forgetting… is the only true peace."
Kael focused. This was not real. It was a projection. The real Elara did not want him to give up. His Dormant Fire began to pulse stronger, not to attack, but to resist. The pain was there, but Kael would not let it consume him. He acknowledged it, accepted it.
"You will not crush me," he said to the transparent figures.
He raised his hands, his Dormant Fire burning like a small sun. He did not project a spark. Instead, he did something different, something he had thought of during Finn's exercises to protect his core.
I must expand my Dormant Fire inward. I must create a barrier of golden light around me, not to repel the figures, but to protect my emotional integrity, he thought.
The iridescent figures came closer, their silent laments intensifying. Elara's face reappeared and vanished, and Kael felt tears burn his eyes. But he did not cry. He knew this was what the Ash wanted.
"I will not surrender!" he shouted.
Let go, Keeper, the chorus-like voice whispered. Let your heart wither. It is the gentlest end.
"No!" Kael yelled, his voice loud and clear in the oppressive silence of the Veil. "There is no peace in oblivion! There is only emptiness! And I will not give you my despair!"
As he spoke, his Dormant Fire intensified. The golden barrier around him not only protected him but began to emit a subtle, almost imperceptible wave of warmth. It was not destructive heat, but comforting warmth, an echo of hope.
The iridescent figures hesitated. Their forms flickered. Some of them, those whose sadness Kael felt most deeply, began to fade, not drained, but dissolved by that warmth. They were not destroyed, but their essence, their sadness, had been acknowledged and, for a moment, eased.
Kael felt a new sensation. It was neither joy nor euphoria. It was deep compassion, an understanding of the losses these figures represented. And also a sense of responsibility for their memory.
"You are… dangerous," hissed the voice of the Veil, now tinged with annoyance and surprise. You cannot ignore the void.
"I do not ignore it!" Kael replied, his voice full of newfound strength. He moved forward, advancing among the figures, his golden barrier pulsing. "I accept it! But I will not let it consume me! And I will not let you consume others!"
As Kael continued forward, the figures around him began to disappear. They were no longer obstacles. They were just mist, an echo. The dark glass floor beneath his feet began to ripple.
Then, before him, the glass veil opened. Not a door, but a single luminous crack stretching up and down, like a golden scar on that desolate landscape. From that crack, Kael sensed a breeze, a light breath that smelled of a sweet, unmistakable scent: damp earth and flower buds.
It was the way out. The Veil of Loss had been overcome.
Kael stepped toward the crack, drawn by the scent. His Dormant Fire pulsed with new strength, steadier, more aware. He looked back for a moment. The iridescent figures had almost all vanished, absorbed not into the Ash but into the warmth of his Dormant Fire. The glass floor was still there, but seemed less oppressive, less absolute.
He took another step into the luminous crack, feeling his body drawn forward. This time, the vortex was different. No longer icy, but warm, enveloping, almost like a hug.
"Kael… Kael…"
He heard the voices of Anya and Lyra, distorted but clear, calling him.
He found himself again in the Deep Foundation, collapsing to his knees before the Portal. Anya was there, Lyra beside her, their faces full of relief and admiration.
"Kael!" Lyra exclaimed, running to help him. "You did it! You crossed the Veil of Loss!"
Kael lifted his head. He felt light-headed, but his Dormant Fire burned brighter than ever. He also felt a difference within himself. The wound of loss, the scar of Elara, had not vanished. It was still there, but now seemed wrapped in golden light.
It no longer consumed him. It was part of him, a source of strength, not weakness.
"I… I felt the scents," Kael said, his gaze resting on his hand. The flame on his palm was larger, more stable. "And I understood. It's not about forgetting the pain. It's about not letting it define you."
Master Elian approached, a proud smile wrinkling his lips. "Very well, Kael. You have shown true understanding of the Dormant Fire. You have turned your greatest weakness into your greatest strength. The Veil of Loss is overcome."
"Master," Kael asked, standing tall, his voice firm and full of new determination. "What is the next Veil?"
Elian looked at him, his aged eyes shining. "The next one," he replied, pointing to the mist vortex that still pulsed faintly, now with a brighter, more orange hue, "is the Veil of Denial. There, Kael, you will face the truths you have refused to accept. The illusions you have built to protect yourself from pain. And Solara will be waiting."
Kael felt a chill, but also an even stronger determination. There was no more fear of loss. There was only the will to face the truth.
"Solara? Now?" Kael said incredulously…
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