Kael opened his eyes.
There was no sky. No ground. Just an endless expanse of darkness—silent, weightless, unreal.
And before him, resting upright in the void... a gilded torch.
Gold choked with soot, its surface etched with forgotten runes.
At its center, a flickering azure flame—small, but alive.
Drawn to it instinctively, Kael gently reached out.
The moment his fingers touched the metal...
The flame surged—
and the darkness shattered.
In its place:
Crumbling columns with firelight dancing across fractured stone.
Sacred flames flickering against the wind and shadow.
Ash drifting down like snow beneath a vast, open sky.
The sky itself: twilight black, with stars bleeding into ash clouds.
A regal door, bloodstained and sealed, loomed ahead.
Behind it—muffled chaos. Clashing steel. Shouts. Drums. Screams.
And before the door—
The back of a lonely, unyielding figure.
His armor cracked, blood flowed from stab wounds.
In his left hand—the torch Kael had just touched
In his right—a broken ceremonial sword.
The sound beyond the doors intensified, growing clearer.
The man shifted slightly, steadying his stance.
Poised himself for what he knew was coming.
Kael hovered above the scene—untethered, unseen.
And as he looked upon the lone figure...
A wave of mourning rose within him.
Ancient. Crippling. Wordless.
It hollowed him.
Kael's expression darkened.
His eyes began to grey.
His presence shrank.
His soul flickered—dim, collapsing.
But just before it went out...
It flared.
Something refused to die.
At that moment, Kael's eyes gained a sliver of clarity—though he remained frozen.
Then, like the ring of a divine bell, the man spoke.
"I am Elijah, the Oathbound."
Kael knew he wasn't speaking to him.
He was speaking to the world.
To himself.
"I will never forget. Not in life and not in death."
"Grief... after all, is love persevering."
Elijah turned slightly.
His face was twisted by sorrow—yet dry of tears.
Familiar. Painfully so.
Kael needed to understand. Needed more.
I have to know who that is!
He willed his body to move—but it would not listen.
I need to know who that is!
His thoughts thundered, every fiber of his being echoing the need.
Kael focused on the man's face, burning every detail into memory.
Elijah's lips moved—silent. But Kael felt it was a name.
Then, this time, he heard:
"I failed. But maybe next time… he'll choose differently."
Elijah looked directly at him.
Across time. Across space.
Kael froze.
In that gaze, he saw kindness. Warmth.
And behind it… grief.
Elijah spoke one final time:
"You must remember."
Then he turned and walked toward the doors.
With each step, his form shimmered. Faded.
Dissolving into embers.
As he reached the door—
He vanished.
All that remained were smoldering ashes.
Kael screamed.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Tears streamed down his face.
Unrelenting.
He gasped.
The bitter taste of ash and regret clung to his lips.
Sweat poured down his spine.
Tears still fell.
His breathing turned ragged.
His entire body shook.
He screamed into the grey skies—
with not a soul to hear.
Then, on his hands and knees, he pounded the stone beneath him.
Between sobs, all he could say was—
"No, no, no, no, no..."
The torch was gone—
But its weight still burned in his chest.
And the name.
Elijah.
It echoed like a truth just out of reach.
The tears slowed.
The shaking stopped.
His breath steadied.
Then, with swollen eyes and trembling lips, he whispered—
"I promise you… I will remember one day."
The weight inside him didn't vanish.
It settled.
Instead of leaving…
It integrated.
And the flame within him burned just a little brighter.