Fog clung to the mountain cliffs like a living thing as Kaito and Riven approached the Tower of Mourning. The sky above was gray and veined with crimson cracks—a scar left by the Veil Wars. The tower itself rose high and jagged, its obsidian stones humming with old magic.
"It's sealed," Riven said, stepping toward the base. "This place was built to contain memories... and grief."
Kaito touched the blackened stone. "And the second Blade Crystal is in there?"
Riven nodded. "But not unguarded. The Mourning Tower forces you to confront your deepest loss."
The doors opened without a sound.
Inside, cold silence swallowed them.
The first room was vast and circular. Floating flames lit murals of war, betrayal, and sacrifice. Kaito stepped forward—and the world shifted.
Suddenly, he was alone.
The chamber changed. He stood in the middle of a battlefield under a bloodred sky. Broken banners flapped in the wind. Bodies of his soldiers lay across the field—eyes wide, unmoving.
"Kael... why?" came a voice.
He turned.
A woman in silver armor approached, her hair white as snow, her blade crimson with dried blood.
"Liora," he whispered.
Her eyes brimmed with sorrow. "You promised we'd fight together... but you left me to die."
The illusion wrapped around him like chains. Guilt, raw and ancient, crashed into his chest. He remembered it now—he'd sent her ahead during the Siege of Cindervale to stall the enemy while he tried to cut through the flank.
She never returned.
"I thought you'd survive," he murmured. "You always did."
She raised her sword. "Then fight me. Or stay haunted forever."
Kaito drew Nightcleaver. "Forgive me."
They clashed—blade against blade, grief against guilt.
The fight was fast and brutal. Liora moved like fire—fluid and fierce. But Kaito's strength had grown. Memories sharpened his reflexes. Each strike rang with emotion.
In the final moment, he disarmed her—not by strength, but by kneeling.
"I failed you," he said. "And I've carried it long enough."
Her illusion wavered. She reached out, touched his cheek—then faded into light.
The room reformed. At its center floated a glowing blue crystal.
Riven stepped out from the shadows. "You passed."
Kaito reached out. The second Blade Crystal pulsed in his hand and merged into his chest.
Another wave of power surged through him. This time, he didn't gasp—he embraced it.
"I remember her now," he said. "And I'll honor her."
They exited the tower.
Far above, lightning split the sky.
Riven looked up. "Three more crystals to go. But the Veil Lords know you're back now."
Kaito stared toward the north. Toward the rising shadows.
"Good," he said. "Let them come."