On the morning of the fourth day, everything changed.
Kael's vision returned.
But this time… it was different.
No longer fragmented.
No longer blurred or lost to the winds of dream.
For the first time, he saw everything clearly.
A jagged mountain range clawed at the sky.
The wind screamed between peaks like ancient voices echoing across centuries.
Half-buried beneath twisted roots and fallen trees, a massive stone gate stood untouched by time—
its surface cracked and weathered, yet pulsing with power.
At its heart was a glowing seal.
A perfect eclipse etched in burning gold and silver.
His sword was there.
Waiting.
Sealed far beyond the reach of any ordinary man.
Kael awoke without panic.
He sat in silence, the vision still playing behind his eyes like a memory too important to fade.
His right hand clenched slowly.
His eyes, bathed in soft light, glowed faintly beneath the early dawn.
He knew.
It was time.
He found Caziel first.
The older warrior was already awake, sharpening a blade beneath the rising sun.
"I'm leaving," Kael said without hesitation.
"I have to find it. The sword. I need to understand all of this."
Caziel opened his mouth to respond, but a familiar voice cut in before he could.
"Then I'm going with you."
Yuna stepped forward from behind the trees, arms crossed, eyes steady.
Kael blinked, caught off guard. "Yuna… It's going to be dangerous."
"I know," she replied, not flinching. "But you're not doing this alone.
I've seen what you carry. I know what it's doing to you.
And whether you like it or not… I'm not leaving your side."
For a moment, Kael said nothing.
Then a small grin pulled at the corner of his mouth.
She had changed.
No longer the silent fighter who once attacked him in fear and confusion.
Now she stood with him—
Unshaken. Loyal. Fierce.
Maybe it was trust.
Maybe it was something more.
But her presence felt like fire at his back—
Fierce… and warm.
Before making preparations, Kael approached Caziel once more.
"I want to thank you," he said quietly. "You gave me a place when I had nothing."
But Caziel just shook his head with a faint smile.
"No, kid. Thank you. You gave all of us a reason to keep fighting."
Kael nodded slowly, the weight of those words sinking in.
He told them he would leave in two days.
Time enough to gather supplies.
Sharpen his sword.
And train—
a little more with Yuna.
During those quiet days, Kael noticed things he hadn't before.
The way Yuna watched him when he was lost in thought.
The way she pushed him during sparring, never holding back.
The way she smiled...
when she thought no one saw.
Something was growing there.
Not just power.
Not just purpose.
Connection.
And once the sun rose again—
Their journey to the Eclipse Seal
would begin.