Arya's footsteps echoed softly through the vast wooden hall, illuminated by the pale blue glow of suspended crystal orbs. The air inside was thick, charged with an invisible presence that made every breath feel heavier.
Ahead of him, Lira walked in silence, her expression as cold as ever. Arya was still struggling to process everything. Just hours ago, he had been nothing more than a university student working at a bookstore, drowning in the pressures of life. Now, he was in an entirely different world, surrounded by beings that should only exist in stories.
And now, they were bringing him to a place called the Chamber of Light.
"What is this place, exactly?" Arya finally asked.
Lira didn't answer right away. She stopped in front of an arched doorway, woven seamlessly from the roots of an enormous tree. Faint light pulsed through the intricate carvings on its surface, as if the doorway itself was alive.
"This is a sacred place," Lira finally said. "Only those who bear the mark of fate may enter."
Arya frowned. "The mark of fate?"
Lira met his gaze, then, without further explanation, pressed her fingertips against the door.
At once, the roots began to shift, curling aside like living tendrils to reveal the path beyond.
A rush of cold air greeted them as the entrance fully opened.
Arya stepped in hesitantly, his eyes widening as he took in the sight before him.
The Chamber of Light was unlike anything he had ever seen.
Its walls weren't made of wood or stone but of shimmering, translucent energy, rippling like liquid glass. Thousands of glowing symbols floated in the air, drifting lazily like luminous dust caught in an unseen current. At the center of the chamber lay a vast circular engraving on the floor, its intricate patterns pulsing with golden light.
Above it, a crystal orb hovered, radiating a soft, otherworldly glow.
"What is this…?" Arya whispered, his voice barely audible against the vast silence.
"A place where truth is revealed," a voice answered from behind them.
Arya turned to see Elder Eltheris entering the chamber, his robes glinting under the crystal's glow.
"Before we proceed," the elder continued, "I must ask you, young one—are you prepared for answers? Even if they change everything you thought you knew about yourself?"
Arya felt his throat tighten.
He didn't know what awaited him.
But for the first time in his life, he wanted to know.
He nodded. "Yes."
The elder's lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "Then step into the circle."
Arya swallowed hard, then moved forward, stepping onto the glowing patterns etched into the floor. The moment his foot touched the center, the air around him shifted.
A force—intangible yet undeniable—wrapped around him like a cocoon.
The crystal above him pulsed brighter.
Then, whispers filled the chamber.
Not just one voice—hundreds, thousands—speaking in a language he couldn't comprehend yet somehow understood. The words surrounded him, seeping into his mind, pressing against his consciousness.
Arya shut his eyes, but the voices only grew louder.
And suddenly—
He saw.
Not the chamber, not the Silverlight Forest, but something far beyond.
A vast sea of stars, swirling in cosmic patterns, forming symbols identical to those beneath his feet.
A shadowed figure stood between two worlds—one foot in a land he recognized, the other in a place unknown.
He saw himself.
And then, the voices merged into a single phrase, clear and unmistakable:
"You are the Reader of Fate."
Light erupted, engulfing Arya in a brilliance so intense that his body felt weightless, as if dissolving into the energy itself.
And then—
It all poured into him.
The knowledge. The understanding.
His power wasn't mere magic.
He didn't just read—he saw possibilities, unraveling paths, glimpsing the weave of events before they unfolded.
He could see this world in a way no one else could.
The crystal above him shattered into pure light—then reformed, smaller now, drifting gently down to his open palm.
Arya stared at the glowing fragment resting in his hand, its warmth thrumming against his skin.
Lira watched him, her expression unreadable.
Elder Eltheris smiled, a glint of recognition in his wise eyes. "Now, you know who you are."
Arya's breath came in shallow bursts, his entire body trembling from the revelation.
He didn't know if this was a gift or a curse.
But one thing was certain—his fate in this world had only just begun.