The sky above the city of Frel had changed. Black clouds rolled like waves hiding something. Lightning didn't strike downward, but spiraled—searching for an unseen gap.
Beneath it, Kael walked alone.
He still felt the vibration from the Stairway. But it wasn't physical. It was... a vibration of awareness. The world seemed slightly distorted, and Kael could now see things others could not.
The people on the streets looked normal. But some of them... had shadows that didn't match.
An old man—his shadow faced the wrong direction.
A young woman—no shadow at all.
A child—his shadow lagged behind.
And when Kael tried to meet their eyes, they all looked away.
"I've touched something. But I don't know... what I've touched."
He decided to return to the old church. But when he arrived...
The building looked the same. But the atmosphere was different.
The prayer hall felt emptier than usual. The cross on the wall looked dimmer, and the statue of the saint—once comforting—now felt accusatory.
From behind the altar curtain, a voice called out.
"Kael."
Kael turned. It wasn't the voice of the old Guardian Father. It was a woman's voice. Calm, but echoing like something from the past.
Then she appeared. A young woman in a grey-white robe, her face veiled with a fabric thin as air.
Her feet didn't touch the ground.
"Who are you?" Kael asked.
"I am the keeper of the stair before the Stair. You've stepped on the first rung. That means you are about to see... the Light."
Kael stared at her. "What do you mean by Light?"
"Everyone fears darkness. But only a few… can fear the Light."
Suddenly the room collapsed. But Kael remained standing. The floor shattered, the walls melted, and the world peeled away.
Kael was still in the same place—but not the same.
He looked around. This world… was behind the world.
And from above, a single beam of light appeared. Not a bright light—but a light that made his eyes water.
A light filled with sorrow.
Kael fell to his knees. He couldn't bear to look.
But the light... slowly entered him.
And he heard the voice again.
"Ascend... or Shatter."
Kael lost consciousness.