The Citadel was not just a safe place — it was a school for those who could see what ordinary people could not. Kael led Liora through twisting corridors lined with floating candles that burned cold and shadows that whispered secrets of the past.
"Your Sight is rare," he explained. "Few can wake it twice in a lifetime. And fewer survive it. You'll need training, control, and courage."
Liora tried to steady her breath. "Control? I can't even control the whisper in my head, let alone… whatever that shadow was."
Kael's fractured-star eyes softened. "Control isn't about stopping the voice. It's about listening to it without letting it break you. Let me show you."
He extended his hand. A small shadow rose from the floor, coiling like smoke. "This is a Glassling — a minor Glassless. It reacts to fear and hesitation. Touch it."
Liora hesitated, then reached out. The creature's form shimmered under her fingertips. It didn't attack. It quivered.
"Good," Kael said. "Most fail at the first touch. Your Sight responds to empathy as much as perception. That will be your strength."
The whisper in her mind sighed. Yes… you feel them… you will see…
Hours passed as Liora practiced — touching, seeing, understanding. By the time she fell into the crystal bed for rest, her mind was buzzing with fragments of knowledge she couldn't yet name.