I woke up with my body aching, my muscles tense, immediately reminding me of the training from the previous day with Kael. Although I was surprised, I noticed I didn’t have any serious injuries, just a few bruises. Perhaps the mana from the sword had granted me a resilience I still didn’t fully understand.

I quickly got dressed and headed down to the bar. There, once again, my "good friend," Grimmor’s lizard, was waiting for me as usual, but this time he wasn’t alone. Beside him was Loran, the semi-human from the training arena.

“Good morning,” Loran greeted with the same enthusiasm he had shown the previous day, contrasting with the tense presence of the lizard. It still felt strange that this semi-human was so polite.

“There will be no training today,” he said, smiling with a conspiratorial air. “Grimmor has another plan. We’re going to see a retired Being up in the mountains.”

I felt curious but also slightly uneasy. “And why would we visit this Being?” I asked, probing for details. But Loran only shrugged.

“I’ll tell you what I know on the way.”

We headed toward a cart drawn by two dark, muscular horses. I sat down next to Loran and the lizard, while the noise of the wheels and hooves filled the silence between us. The cool morning air cleared my head, and I finally broke the silence.

“Does this Being... also work for Grimmor?”

Loran let out a soft laugh. “The Being doesn’t work for anyone. Not even Grimmor has managed to meet him.”

That answer unsettled me. If even Grimmor couldn’t handle this Being, what did they expect me to accomplish?

“Then why me?” I asked, frowning. I knew Grimmor didn’t do anything without a reason.

Loran, before answering, glanced at the lizard, giving me the impression he couldn’t speak freely. “Look, no one really knows who this Being is. I know it sounds confusing, but the legends say he’s a spiritual being, and if he lets you see him, it’s because he has something important to tell you.”

Those words raised more questions than answers. “So... have you tried to see him?” The more I thought about it, the more it felt like Grimmor was playing with pieces I couldn’t quite see.

“Of course!” Loran replied, “I, and many others, have tried, but without success. Besides, the path to him isn’t exactly easy.”

That comment from Loran made me even more uneasy, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this possible encounter.

The journey was longer than I expected, but the path had been calm, which helped me recover from some of the muscle fatigue.

Finally, after several hours, the horses stopped at a narrow path that climbed up the mountains. The cold wind hit us with force.

“We’ve arrived. This is where you continue alone,” Loran said, calmly stepping down from the cart.

“Good luck.”

With no other choice, I got off as well. I glanced one last time at Loran, but all I received was a smile. The lizard said nothing. The narrow path ahead of me was a reminder that this part of my journey would be entirely solitary.

As I climbed, the wind began to blow harder with every step, making it increasingly difficult to move forward. The cold bit into my skin, and the air seemed to grow denser.

With each step, the wind intensified, pushing me back as if trying to stop my ascent. I forced my legs to keep moving, struggling against the resistance as the path narrowed further.

The wind felt unnatural in its rhythms, and a pain in my head started to emerge. Each gust seemed to carry an invisible weight until I could hear voices in the air, almost as if they were whispering, growing louder with each step.

“Do you know... who you really are?” was what I managed to catch.

The wind roared in my ears as the voice blended with the air. The cold, now even more intense, seeped into my bones, creating a dull pain that spread through my entire body. Suddenly, a wave of memories hit me hard.

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This time, the cold brought a clear image, as if an invisible hand had placed it in front of me, impossible to ignore.

Selene, lying in her bed, her skin pale and her face exhausted. She had fallen ill without any logical explanation, as if something incomprehensible had slowly consumed her. Her body barely responded, and her eyes, usually full of life, were half-open, as if fighting not to give in. I was beside her, holding her hand tightly, trying to offer a sense of security I knew I didn’t possess.

Her gaze met mine, and I saw her eyes fill with tears. Despite her condition, there was an emotion on her face that broke my heart. In a barely audible voice, she said to me, “We will meet again under the same star.”

Those words were like a dagger, and though I tried to respond, my voice got caught in my throat. The world around me blurred, as if I were seeing everything through a dream. The memory became hazy, almost ethereal, and then, in a flash, I saw the figure of the being who had offered me the deal. It was just a flicker, a disturbing flash that mixed with the image of Selene before fading away entirely.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the path opened into a cave. The wind stopped as I crossed the threshold, and the pain in my head subsided. An eerie silence replaced the roaring wind.

In the center of the cave, a warm light shone from a crystal resting on a stone table. Next to it stood an elderly man who looked strangely familiar.

“You have arrived,” he said in a soft voice that echoed off the walls. “It’s time for you to understand what you seek.”

I approached cautiously, still shaken by what I had just relived. The vision of Selene dying, her last words echoing in my mind, had left me breathless. I felt a mix of emotion, rage, and despair pressing against my chest, and that confusion led me to confront the old man standing before me.

“Who are you, old man, and why did you make me remember that?” I asked, my voice trembling with the urgency to find answers. I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence; there had to be a reason.

The old man observed me calmly, his aged eyes full of serene wisdom. He seemed unperturbed by my agitation, as if he had witnessed such reactions countless times before.

“Throughout the ages, I have been called by many names. None of them were chosen by me, nor do they define me. I am simply a being who endures, who exists beyond time and the bindings of the material world. Call me whatever brings you peace.”

Noticing that his words had not addressed my concern, the old man continued, his voice as gentle as it was firm. “I do not impose those memories on those who come to see me. What you saw, Darius, was what your heart considers urgent, what you seek to resolve.”

I tried to process his words, but it was difficult to fully understand. “So... you mean that what I saw... what you made me see, is what I most need to understand?” My voice still carried the desperation of having relived that moment, the urgency to find a sense of meaning.

The old man nodded, his gaze piercing yet kind. “Indeed. But I was not the one who caused it. Your own mind guided you to that memory. All who reach this place see what their spirit deems most important.” He paused, as if to make sure I understood. “If you’ve managed to come this far, Darius, it’s because you’re on the right path to understanding it. Your answers will be revealed over time, but your decisions from this point onward will be crucial in unraveling the mystery you so desperately wish to solve.”

I stared at him, still feeling the weight of Selene’s words and how they had etched themselves into my memory. But the old man’s patience, the way he spoke to me so calmly, only increased my irritation. Why couldn’t he be more straightforward? Why keep speaking in riddles when I needed answers now? “Why can’t you be direct?” I burst out, my frustration clear. “What do I gain from wandering blindly?”

The old man gave a faint smile, as if he had expected my reaction. “Because, Darius, there are answers that cannot be given, only discovered. And the clarity you seek will only come if you are willing to keep moving forward, even when the path seems unclear.”

His words echoed in my mind. It irritated me that he spoke as if everything was part of some game, but I knew he was right. I had no other choice but to keep going, no matter how uncertain the road ahead seemed. I clenched my teeth, trying to calm the frustration I felt, and without saying anything else, I turned my gaze toward the interior of the cave.

Beyond where we stood, the cave opened into a chamber filled with crystals. The crystals varied in size and color, scattered around the cave in a way that seemed almost natural, as if they had been growing there for centuries.

Some were as small as a coin, while others reached the size of my arm. Their hues ranged from deep blue to intense red and bright green, and in some, the colors swirled fluidly, moving within the crystal as if they were alive, creating a warm, almost hypnotic atmosphere with the light they emitted.

But there was one in particular that stood out from the rest. It was in the center of all the crystals, slightly elevated on a small rocky formation. Unlike the others, this crystal was completely transparent, pure. It was no larger than my closed hand, but its presence dominated the room. It emitted a subtle, almost ethereal glow.

“These crystals are made of mana,” the old man explained without taking his eyes off me. “Each one reflects the nature of the mana of whoever touches it.”

“And why are they different colors?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the crystal.

“Mana has many forms: fire, water, earth, wind... light and darkness. The color reflects its essence.”

I felt a connection with the transparent crystal in the center of the chamber. Something inside me knew that it belonged to me.

“This crystal has yet to be claimed,” the old man continued. “It will show the nature of the mana of whoever touches it for the first time.”

My hand trembled slightly as I approached the crystal.

Should I touch it?

I took a step closer, extending my hand, and touched it, waiting to see what would happen.