The next morning…
"Look!" a little boy shouted, pointing as Kael stumbled into Ashreach. He was barely holding himself upright, weighed down by guilt. Villagers rushed to guide him inside, urging him to sit, to rest, to breathe.
"Where's Bram?" Bram's mother asked, her voice trembling. Kael couldn't meet her eyes. The tears came again, hot and unstoppable.
"No! Don't tell me…" she whispered, her voice breaking.
Kael finally spoke, choking out the words. "I—I'm so sorry." She said nothing, stepping outside and leaving him alone.
In that silence, the guilt that had gnawed at him all night only grew heavier. It pressed on his chest, forcing him to run—run without knowing where, run without stopping.
---
Meanwhile, far from Ashreach, in Solflare's city hall…
"Sir! The soldiers are ready to march on Ashreach," a knight reported.
"We are not going. We already caught the culprit and eliminated it. Aetherveil is safe," Alfred Blackthorn said, dismissive, his tone almost amused. "…and I don't want to set foot in that filthy place. Every time I hear Coalmarsh or Ashreach, I feel as if I'll catch a fever." He laughed softly.
"What are you laughing at, Alfred Blackthorn?" a strong, commanding voice cut through the room. "…It seems you are enjoying yourself. Care to explain?" The gaze met Alfred's eyes directly.
"It is none of your business, Raizen Duskfell," Alfred replied, voice cool. The soldiers in the room tensed instantly.
Raizen's presence filled the hall with an unspoken authority. Every head turned, every breath seemed to pause.
"That's enough!" the mayor interjected as he entered. "I heard what you did, Alfred. Please follow me to my office."
Alfred obeyed, and Raizen trailed behind. At the door, he stopped. "I'm afraid it's only Alfred I need right now. You may leave."
He did not protest, returning to his own office.
Inside, the mayor waited. "What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing. It's under control. I handled it personally. I saw how he fell," Alfred replied, confidence clear in his tone.
"I told you to hold your horses! I do not want news like this again. To prevent a repeat, we need to—"
---
Elsewhere, a door opened before Raizen could even reach it.
"Why are you here?" he asked, sensing the person inside before speaking.
"Nothing! Just bored," came the playful answer. "Ever since I became a high-ranking Arcanist Knight, I haven't faced a real fight."
"Aren't you supposed to be happy peace holds?" Raizen asked.
"I am! But it's boring," the figure replied, pressing a sweaty forehead against Raizen's desk.
"Get off my table," he said calmly. "I don't want my desk marked by your forehead."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
They both turned. "Come in," Raizen said.
A soldier stepped inside. "Sir!" He froze at the sight of the other high-ranking knight. "Ma'am!"
"Go on," Raizen commanded.
"Sir, we found a body—an Ashborn—at the bay. No signs of life," the soldier reported.
"Could this be a sign of war?" she asked, excitement in her voice.
"Be careful what you wish for, Selena Nightwind," Raizen warned. "Lead us there."
At the bay, the body remained exactly where they had found it.
"An Ashborn…" Raizen whispered.
"Yes. Is that a problem?" Selena asked.
"I think I know who did this," he said quietly.
"What!? How do you know?" she asked.
Raizen said nothing, walking straight to city hall. When he reached Alfred's office, he opened the door without knocking.
"Why?" was all he said.
Alfred recoiled. "W-why what? Don't do that! You almost—"
"I will act when I have proof you killed that boy," Raizen said, calm but undeniably angry.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Alfred insisted. "Please leave. You are disturbing my peaceful morning."
They exited.
"Do you really think he did it?" Selena asked, curiosity sharp.
"I don't know why," Raizen said, assured. "But I know he did."
---
Back in Ashreach…
Kael ran until his heart threatened to burst from his chest. His knees buckled, but even when he fell, he crawled. He didn't know where he was going—only that he had to keep moving.
He shouted. He cried. He blamed himself. He wanted to die.
He arrived at the shattered tower, ruins from a long-forgotten event: the First Veil.
It had been a cataclysmic disaster, caused by a faction of scholars, mages, and warriors called the Aetherion. They had sought to control the untamed Aether as one single force—like trying to tame a raging river. They failed. Countless lives were lost, kingdoms destroyed, and survivors scattered into hiding.
Some realized Aether could never be controlled by humans alone. To prevent further catastrophe, the remaining power split into three channels: Rune Pulse, Primal Spirit, and Elemental Seals.
Kael didn't know the full story. All he understood was that sparks like his were dangerous.
Inside the tower, his veins glowed bright orange. Coal dust swirled as if alive, responding to the spark. His eyes turned green—the first time this had happened. The spark manifested fully, lighting him from within. The tower shivered, ash spiraled, even the stones seemed to react.
The spark that all of Aetherveil feared blazed brilliantly.
After a minute, the effort overcame him. Kael collapsed, unconscious, onto the dust-covered floor.
Far beyond Ashreach, every survivor of the First Veil felt it.
The awakening had begun.