Silence reigned after the light that had enveloped Eirik faded. The air felt heavier, denser, as if the entire world was suspended, waiting for a major event. His eyes had closed for a moment, not out of weakness, but necessity.
The light, the truth, still embraced him, and he needed time for his soul to rebuild. He had not merely survived the trial of the flame; he had changed. When he opened his eyes again, they reflected a depth he had never known.
Before him, the valley stretched, as vast and untamed as before, but now in a different way. The sky seemed to have taken on a paler, more silvery hue, as if a new reality had superimposed itself upon the old one.
It was no longer a world of simple elements, of living beings and death. That world, he had just brushed against and understood that it was only a part of something far greater, far more complex.
Eirik stood up, his body still heavy with fatigue, but his steps sure. The sacred flame, now within him, had transformed him. He knew that he was no longer the same man he had been before crossing that trial.
His gaze turned toward the summit of the mountain far off in the distance, where he felt the answer to his quest awaited him. He had seen the truth, but truth was never a simple concept. It was fluid, shifting, elusive. And now, he had to grasp it once and for all.
He set foot on the path that wound through the valley, leaving behind the vision of the sacred flame. He knew that this was not the end of his journey, but a starting point.
The truth he had discovered within himself was still unclear, and it would take time to fully understand it. The quest for the flame had been only the first step, a door leading to the understanding of his own role, the place he occupied in a world of which he still knew only a tiny fragment.
Hours passed as he climbed the steep path, but with every step, the mountain seemed to draw closer to him, like a sleeping titan watching him in silence. With every summit, he saw a little more of the panorama around him, each valley and crest more impressive than the last. The wind blew fiercely, sweeping away thoughts and doubts like dead leaves in a storm.
In the distance, a silhouette emerged from the mist. A human figure, or at least it appeared to be one at first glance. But as Eirik approached, he sensed a strange distortion in the air around this figure.
Something inside him screamed that he was not merely facing a man. No, this being carried an ancient energy, an aura reminiscent of the old gods he had glimpsed in his dreams. The strange figure fixed its piercing blue eyes on him, glowing with a supernatural light.
The figure slowly turned, bowing in a fluid movement, but one imbued with a strange nobility. It raised a gloved hand, inviting him to come closer. Eirik, initially hesitant, felt a call deep within his gut, a call he could not ignore. So, he moved forward cautiously.
The stranger remained silent for a long while, but the tension between them was palpable, almost as if it were a taut string ready to snap. The wind blew fiercely, swirling dust and leaves around them.
"You have passed through the flame, Eirik. You now carry the weight of the truth within you."
The stranger's voice was low, but each syllable carried an undeniable authority. His words struck Eirik squarely. The truth? He knew the flame had only been a step. But he had not fully understood what that entailed. A heavy realization was slowly dawning in his mind.
"Who are you?" Eirik asked, his voice breaking under the strange gravity of the encounter.
"I am a messenger, a witness of ancient times, one of the last children of the light."
The stranger turned slightly, his gaze now lost in the horizon, where the mountains seemed to merge with the vastness.
He emanated an aura of ancient wisdom, as though he had observed the history of this world and all who had crossed through it. Eirik felt the weight of his gaze become more intense.
"This world is sick, Eirik. The balance of forces is broken. The flame that you carry within you is the only thing that can restore that balance. But for that, you must face the Three Truths."
The words resonated in the air, filling Eirik with a cold certainty. The Three Truths. He had heard legends about them, tales of ancient entities, trials that were not just physical but metaphysical, meant to break the mind and soul of mortals.
These Truths were not meant to be understood, but to be lived, absorbed deep within one's being. And their quest was not without danger.
"The Three Truths?" Eirik repeated, his voice echoing in confusion.
The stranger nodded slowly, his eyes closing for a moment, as if recalling things long past. "The first Truth is that of the soul. You will have to face both your light and your darkness, and accept what you are, with all your flaws."
The words resonated in Eirik's mind. He had already endured so many trials, so many battles, but this first Truth struck him more than any of the others.
Understanding his own heart, accepting his darker side, his regrets and guilt. How could he accept what he had been before—the man who had killed, betrayed, and abandoned those he had loved?
"The second Truth is that of the world. You will need to understand the invisible threads that bind all things and accept that everything you see, everything you touch, is but a fragment of a greater whole."
This Truth, even more vast, seemed to be a mountain he would have to climb with his bare hands. The world he knew was a lie, an illusion shared by all.
It was not just a war between peoples and divine creatures, but a cosmic game of balances that he had never imagined. Everything he had seen until now was just a facet of an infinite reality.
"And the third Truth?" Eirik asked, a silent question in his eyes.
The stranger smiled, a melancholic smile, before answering in a grave voice.
"The third Truth is that of the infinite. It will lead you to understand the embrace of life and death. You must understand that one cannot exist without the other, and to accept one is to accept the other."
Silence fell as Eirik meditated on these words. He now had a direction. He was no longer just a warrior in search of power or vengeance. He was a man chosen, but also a man condemned to understand the incomprehensible.
His steps, his choices, would lead him through trials far more terrifying than anything he had faced. And beyond the mountains and the skies, he would perhaps discover the ultimate truth.
The stars seemed to dim in the darkness as Eirik, suddenly, felt a change in the air, a heaviness, as though something monumental was preparing to unfold. A cold breath swept through the valley.
The ascent to infinity had begun.