The wind off the lake smelled of copper and salt.
Kael stood at the water's edge, the mouth of Cerulean Cave behind him, his boots sunk slightly in the cold mud. The pendant from the cave survivor weighed heavy in his pocket, but it wasn't what held his thoughts.
It was the sealed envelope Echo had found.
Folded beneath a ledge in the chamber — untouched, undisturbed — wrapped in waxed cloth and hidden behind an array of glyphs.
His name was on the front.
Handwritten.
To Kael. If you ever make it this far.
His fingers trembled as he opened it.
The letter was written in uneven lines, the ink stained in places, but it was unmistakably Galen's hand.
"Kael —"
"I don't know what version of me you'll remember. The one who left too often? The one who tried too hard to explain what couldn't be explained? Or maybe just the one who vanished."
He read the words slowly. Carefully. Like they might disappear.
"There are things I've seen that I can't describe. Things I've felt that aren't mine. Echoes that walk like people. Shadows that speak in my voice. But I've held onto one truth, even as I started forgetting my own name—"
"You. Are. Real."
He paused.
Echo watched him, eyes soft.
"If you're reading this, you've walked too far. Maybe you're still whole. Maybe not. But if you still know who you are — if you still have a name — then you can come back."
"Not to me. To yourself."
Kael closed his eyes.
"Echo is more than she seems. I think… she's what memory becomes when it refuses to be forgotten. She's the dream of something older than language. Protect her. Or maybe, let her protect you."
"If you keep going, there's a place beyond the map. Where the world thins out. They called it the Veilpoint. And it's waiting."
"But only go if you're ready to lose who you were."
"I'm proud of you. Whether you ever forgive me or not."
"Love —"
"Dad."
He folded the letter slowly and tucked it back into its cloth wrapping.
He didn't speak for a long time.
Echo sat beside him, close but not touching.
"You okay?" she finally asked.
He shook his head. "Not really."
Then smiled, barely.
"But I think that's alright."
They traveled in silence for the next few days, following the route south along the river. The skies turned warmer, the trees grew denser, and the cities buzzed in the distance like places from another world.
He didn't stop to battle.
Didn't check his map.
He just kept walking.
Not away from something.
But toward the next step.
In Vermilion City, he bought a new notebook.
Not to replace Galen's.
But to start his own.
The first thing he wrote was simple:
Veilpoint.
What lies beyond memory?
That night, he sat by the water with Echo curled beside him, her breathing calm, her glow faint but steady.
He stared at the stars.
"Do you think he was afraid?" he asked.
"Yes," Echo said. "But he went anyway."
Kael nodded.
"I think I'm afraid too."
Echo leaned against him gently. "Then you're ready."