The days passed steadily. With Elder prioritizing the search for those who could comprehend the Doctrine of Will, the use of the eleven Central Cores was delayed. Hunting outings had been paused entirely—two full teams had been wiped out during the Grand Hunt. Thankfully, food remained abundant, and the villagers clung to that small mercy in the wake of their grief.
The only news Grey had about the Doctrine came from Tear. She had seen the visions too—the same infinite expanse, the golden threads, and the celestial forces dancing beyond comprehension. Grey had since entered his mental space several times, hoping for clarity, but nothing had changed. The golden pool within him sat still and quiet, waiting. Waiting to be absorbed. Waiting to be used to increase talent.
Yet Grey felt conflicted.
His own corporeal form in that space had become so solid red that it almost seemed to hold physical weight—a core of molten iron shaped like a man, glowing faintly with crimson light. Around him, the golden pool shimmered patiently, reflecting threads of possibility.
He knew what would happen if he absorbed it all. The trial would begin. His trial.
But there was a cost—a risk so steep it made his chest tighten just thinking about it. No one could help him through it. If he failed—if he died—he wouldn't just lose his life. He'd lose the chance to help all of them.
If he succeeded, though… if he survived whatever trial awaited him in that distant, internal world… he could wake them all from this curse.
But he couldn't afford to be reckless.
"You alright? You look like you're thinking hard about something," Serene's voice broke through his thoughts, soft but edged with quiet concern.
The two of them had ventured out together after Tear left for her training at the Smokehouse. There were no planned hunts, but Grey and Serene had taken it upon themselves to patrol the outskirts of the village, clearing away smaller threats—anything they could manage.
Grey shook his head slightly, trying to clear the fog of doubt from his mind. "I'm just wondering what's going to happen after Elder tests everyone." He glanced sideways at her. "You still haven't been called?"
Serene shook her head, a faint smile pulling at her lips. "No. Tomorrow, my family's turn comes together. But… I heard not even Keen gained anything from it." She hesitated, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him. "What about you? You never spoke about it. What did you see, Grey?"
Grey hesitated, his silver eyes flicking toward the distant treeline. "…I—Tear and I both saw something. But I don't think I can explain it. If you see it, you'll understand. It's just… too much. Too vast to put into words."
Serene's expression softened, and she reached out, lightly bumping his shoulder with her own. "Don't worry about it. And besides…" she tilted her head slightly, her warm gaze catching his, "…that doesn't really seem like what's on your mind, does it?"
Grey let out a slow breath, his chest easing slightly under the weight of her gentle prodding.
The wind whispered softly through the trees around them, carrying the faint scent of frost and pine. The sun hung low on the horizon, casting pale golden light over the quiet forest floor.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
But the silence wasn't empty—it was shared.
Grey sighed, his breath fogging slightly in the cold air, before he finally spoke. "I can increase Shot's potential enough for her to break through… to be like Keen and Brawl. But she'll still need more energy to finish the final step. As for you and Wild… it'll take more."
His sharp silver eyes caught a faint red trail of light drifting lazily in the air—a creature's aura. Something small and harmless. For once, it wasn't twisted or masked like the demons that lurked deeper in the forest, using their aura to lure prey or conceal themselves from predators. It was pure, honest, and simple.
"But it will happen, eventually," Grey continued, his voice steady with quiet determination. "You'll all get so much stronger." He turned to meet Serene's gaze, his silver eyes gleaming with an unyielding resolve. "I'll make sure of it. But Serene… I'll fall behind. Everyone will grow, everyone will protect each other, but if I don't break through myself…"
His words trailed off, hanging heavy in the crisp winter air.
They walked in silence, their boots crunching softly over the snow as they followed a thin set of tracks leading to a tree. Both of them crouched low, their breath steady and their movements controlled.
Serene nocked an arrow, the string of her primitive bow creaking faintly as she drew it back. "Do you see where it is?"
Grey squinted, following the faint red aura that glowed softly above them. He pointed upward. "There—it's up there."
The twang of the bowstring was sharp and quick, followed by a high-pitched squeak. A small creature, something like an oversized squirrel with faintly curved fangs, tumbled from the branches and landed limply in the snow.
Serene stepped forward, slinging the creature onto a small rope fitted with hooks on her back. Her voice was softer now, carrying the weight of her earlier hesitation. "Listen, Grey… You're the one protecting us. No one else—maybe no one anywhere—can do what you can."
She turned slightly, her eyes locking onto his silver ones, earnest and vulnerable. "You can help us become something so much more than we are. But it feels so dangerous… and if something happens to you…"
Her voice cracked, and she shook her head quickly as if to dispel the thought. "We need you. Please remember that. Tear needs you." She hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. "I need you."
For a moment, Grey said nothing. He simply looked at her, his eyes softening, and then he leaned over and gently bumped her shoulder with his own.
"I know you need me," he said with a lopsided grin, his voice light as a faint chuckle escaped him. "After all, how else would you catch anything without me?"
Serene froze for half a second, her face instantly flushing pink. "You—!"
Her embarrassment vanished in an instant, replaced by fiery indignation. She punched him lightly on the shoulder, her lips twitching upward despite herself. "I'm trying to be nice here, Grey!"
They both burst into laughter, the sound ringing out into the still winter air like a distant bell. It was warm, genuine—a fleeting but precious reprieve from the weight they carried.
The two of them hunted for a little while longer, tracking smaller creatures and exchanging playful banter. Grey found himself stealing glances at Serene whenever she smiled, taking comfort in the lightness she brought to the otherwise heavy fog of his thoughts.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, they began making their way back toward the village.
"Will Tear be back by now?" Serene asked, her voice soft with curiosity.
Grey glanced upward at the pale orange sun dipping toward the horizon. "Not yet. There's still a bit of daylight left. Could you pick her up from Keen's for me? She'll be happier seeing you anyway."
He chuckled lightly, though there was warmth in the sound.
Serene rolled her eyes but smiled as she nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I'll get her."
They paused for a moment at the fork in the trail, facing each other as the wind tugged lightly at their cloaks.
"See you soon," Serene said softly before turning and jogging down the path leading to Keen's quarters, her silhouette fading into the soft light of the setting sun.
Grey watched her go, the weight of their earlier conversation still lingering in his chest.
And with that, Grey turned and began his walk back to the village, the cold wind biting at his cheeks and the echo of Serene's voice lingering in his ears.
We need you.
Please remember that.
Serene's words had comforted Grey, but they had also convinced him. She was right—he was the only one who could help them. But if he was weaker than them, if his resolve wavered, how much further could he truly pull them forward? Even if he helped them break through now, how long could that advantage last?
Would a Heart of Radiance even be enough for the trials to come?
How many resources could he track down with his abilities? How many would they need to push their talents even further?
The real answer was unknown, but one truth stood out clearly in his mind: I have to act now.
Grey sprinted home, his feet pounding against the frost-covered earth, his breath clouding in the cold air. He slammed the wooden door behind him, the small, insulated home trembling from the force.
The fire in the pit still crackled softly, but Grey ignored it. He dropped to the floor, crossing his legs as he focused inward. His breath slowed, his heartbeat became steady.
When he opened his inner eye, he was there again—in the vast expanse of his mental space. The golden pool shimmered faintly beneath him, still and waiting.
Without hesitation, Grey stepped into the pool, feeling its warmth spread across his translucent, red-lit form. He began to absorb the energy—slowly at first, like a trickle of molten gold sinking into his chest. But soon, the flow became a torrent.
The golden elixir poured into him, coursing through every inch of his being, his corporeal form trembling with the sheer intensity of it. Violent sparks of orange began to erupt around him, jagged and chaotic, clawing at the edges of his form.
Half the energy he had drawn from the Heart of Radiance had been given to Brawl, but now—now—Grey pulled in everything that remained.
The golden pool drained faster and faster until there was nothing left.
And then it happened.
Cracks splintered across the fabric of his mental space, like glass shattering under unbearable weight. Light burst outward in jagged rays, and arcs of electricity lashed out, striking his body. Each strike caused the red shell of his corporeal form to peel away, sloughing off in molten shards.
The pain was blinding, raw, unreal.
But before Grey could process it, he felt something pulling him—no, ripping him—from his mental space.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer sitting in quiet stillness.
He was surrounded by a barrier—a cyclone of green energy, swirling and screaming like a storm caught within a glass sphere. The wind wasn't just air; it was will, he knew that now, after his visions, condensed into violent blades of pine-colored light. Every flicker of energy that touched his skin cracked and splintered it, small fractures of light spreading across his body.
His home—the wood, the pelts, the fragile warmth of the fire pit—was being shredded around him. Splinters of timber and torn leather were whipped into the air before being vaporized into nothing by the furious storm.
Grey staggered to his feet, trying to move, trying to break free. He slammed into the edge of the swirling barrier, only to be hurled back into the center by a force that shimmered a deep indigo color.
And then the winds changed—they condensed, the wild gusts pulling together into solid, razor-sharp blades of light, each glowing with a faint pine hue. They hovered around him, spinning in formation like predatory birds circling their prey.
Serene and Tear jogged along the outskirts of the village, their laughter carrying faintly in the cold air. The sky was painted in shades of twilight, the sun sinking low on the horizon.
But then they froze.
Serene's sharp eyes caught movement—a violent glow emanating from Grey's home. A cyclone of green energy twisted upward into the sky, splitting apart the faint clouds above. Fragments of wood and fabric were being hurled outward from the crumbling structure.
And at the center of it all… was Grey.
"Grey!" Serene screamed, her voice raw with panic as she broke into a sprint. She could see him—trapped inside the spiraling chaos, surrounded by floating blades of green light. "Grey, what are you doing?!"
Beside her, Tear clutched Serene's arm, her pine-green eyes wide with fear. "Serene… what's happening? What's happening to Grey?!"
Her voice was small, trembling. Tears pricked the edges of her eyes as she looked desperately up at Serene for answers. But Serene had none. She was frozen, her body rigid, her breaths coming in short gasps as raw panic clawed at her chest.
The storm intensified. The winds roared louder. The wooden structure gave one final groan before collapsing entirely, leaving only the stone foundation and Grey—standing at its center, his silver eyes glowing faintly against the chaotic emerald light.
The barrier repelled everything that approached, every stray shard of wood or debris disintegrating before it reached him.
Tear took a step forward, her voice breaking as she cried out. "Grey!"
But the storm drowned out her words, and the only sound that reached Grey's ears was the howl of the cyclone and the sharp whistle of the blades surrounding him.
He stood there, his body trembling, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His breath came in sharp gasps, and his silver eyes flickered with determination—even as blood seeped from tiny fractures spreading across his skin.
From the outside, Serene and Tear could only watch as the storm raged on.
And then, like a nightmare clawing its way out of the deepest abyss, a voice erupted from all directions—a sound that seemed to seep into every crack of the village, every shadow, every corner of the forest. It wasn't heard with ears alone; it pressed against the soul, sinking deep into the marrow of their bones.
It laughed—a hollow, mocking sound, sharp as shattered glass and colder than death itself.
"Hahaha!"
The sky trembled with the sound, as though reality itself flinched under the weight of the voice.
Brawl, standing at the village square, froze mid-step. His enormous shoulders shook—not with rage, but with fear. His mind was dragged back to that suffocating void, that nothingness where he had nearly been erased from existence.
The voice continued, dripping with cruel delight.
"All you had to do was wait… Let your pathetic race claw and scrape its way to some semblance of power. But no… you've dared to defy the order of things, foolish child. Now you've drawn the wrath of the heavens upon yourself. Do you think you can escape? Do you think you can climb to my world?"
The voice cracked like thunder, reverberating across the sky and making the earth tremble beneath their feet.
"I may not reach into your wretched prison directly… but I can stop you. I can break you. You will never leave the Lower World, worm!"
For a moment, it seemed as if the voice would continue its torrent of malice, but then the sky shuddered. A ripple spread outward across the heavens, and the words faltered, dissolving into faint echoes as if the world itself had rejected them.
But their presence remained—lingering like smoke after a wildfire, poisonous and heavy.
Grey's breath came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving as the barrier of purple-blue light pressed against him. His skin still cracked, fractures of faint light spreading across his form.
He had felt it—that voice. It was the same presence that had pulled him from his mental space, that had dragged him into nothingness.
Above, the swirling blades of light shimmered, suspended like stars caught mid-fall. But the sky above them was no longer still.
Dark clouds spiraled, condensing into a swirling vortex directly above Grey's shattered home. Bolts of orange lightning crackled within, jagged scars across a bruised sky. The energy was so dense, so heavy, that it manifested—raw, unfiltered power swirling in slow, ominous rotations.
The entire village could see it.
From the square, Elder stood frozen, his frail form trembling as he clutched his staff. Serene and Tear remained rooted on the outskirts, their wide eyes reflecting the chaotic storm. Brawl's massive hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white against his pale skin.
The air was suffocating. It felt final, like the world itself was holding its breath.
But Grey had had enough.
Enough of the weight. Enough of the fear. Enough of being hunted, pushed, and threatened by something so far above him it might as well have been a god.
A fire ignited deep within his chest—not born from rage, but from something colder, sharper. A resolve so clear it cut through the storm like steel through fog.
His silver eyes snapped open, glowing faintly in the emerald cyclone. His voice, hoarse but unyielding, tore through the chaos.
"I will not fall!"
The blades of pine-colored light pulsed, trembling in response to his words.
"I will find you!"
The swirling clouds above rumbled, distant thunder rolling across the heavens.