Light.
It stretched endlessly in every direction.
Kael slowly opened his eyes.
The mountains...
The Guardian...
His companions...
They were gone.
He stood alone in a world of white.
"Where am I?"
His voice echoed into the endless space.
No answer came.
Not even Aetherion responded.
"Aetherion?"
Silence.
A cold feeling settled in his chest.
For the first time since their journey began...
He was completely alone.
Then—
A single footstep echoed behind him.
Kael spun around.
A young boy stood several meters away.
He looked no older than ten.
Dirty clothes.
Bare feet.
Frightened eyes.
Kael's breath caught.
"...Me?"
The boy looked exactly like Kael had as a child.
"You remember me?" the child asked softly.
Kael couldn't answer.
The memory hurt too much.
The boy smiled sadly.
"I remember you."
The white world rippled.
The light faded.
Suddenly, Kael was standing in the small house where he had grown up.
The old wooden table.
The cracked windows.
The silence.
Then—
Voices.
Angry voices.
His younger self flinched.
A door slammed.
The memory played out exactly as it had years ago.
Kael clenched his fists.
"No..."
He knew this day.
He had spent years trying to forget it.
The child looked at him.
"You ran."
Kael lowered his head.
"I had to."
"Did you?"
The question struck harder than any blade.
The room dissolved.
Another memory appeared.
The man whose life Kael had accidentally drained.
His terrified eyes.
His trembling hands.
"I didn't mean to..." Kael whispered.
The memory didn't respond.
It only stared at him.
Then another face appeared.
And another.
Every person Kael had failed.
Every mistake.
Every regret.
They surrounded him.
Silent.
Watching.
Judging.
He dropped to one knee.
"Stop..."
The voices finally spoke.
"What if you fail again?"
"What if everyone dies because of you?"
"What if Veyrath was right?"
The words echoed from every direction.
Kael covered his ears.
But he couldn't shut them out.
They weren't lies.
They were his own fears.
His own doubts.
Then—
A warm voice cut through the darkness.
"Look at me."
Kael slowly raised his head.
The child stood in front of him once more.
No longer afraid.
No longer crying.
"You keep carrying these memories."
The boy smiled gently.
"But they don't define you."
Kael's eyes widened.
The child took a step closer.
"They're why you keep moving forward."
The white world began to glow again.
The memories faded.
One by one.
Kael took a deep breath.
For the first time in a long while...
He forgave himself.
The moment that thought crossed his mind—
A brilliant light erupted around him.
The endless white world shattered like glass.
A deep, ancient voice echoed through the silence.
"The first trial is complete."
"You have accepted your past."
"You may now shape your future."
Kael opened his eyes.
He was back in the valley.
Orion rushed forward.
"You made it!"
The Guardian lowered its massive head.
Golden eyes filled with approval.
"You carry many scars."
Its deep voice echoed across the mountains.
"But you do not let them control you."
The great gate behind it slowly began to open.
Beyond it...
A forgotten kingdom waited.