The glyph hadn't stopped burning.
Kaelen leaned over the stone balcony, his skin still glowing faintly beneath his sleeve. His heart beat like war drums in his chest, and every breath felt like it carried memory not his own.
The Tower remembers… through me.
That single truth clawed at his thoughts.
Behind him, the low hum of magic stirred. Seraphine's presence always felt like midnight thunder. Selene's, like lightning coiled in waiting.
Tonight, both were here.
And neither one was quiet.
Selene folded her arms. "So what is she to you now, Kaelen?"
Seraphine's lips twitched. "If you're jealous, just say it."
"Hard to be jealous of someone who fumbles every step of the plan."
"Says the girl who didn't even know the Sigil existed until Kaelen told her."
Kaelen turned, eyes flashing. "Stop."
They froze.
"I just—" He exhaled. "I just need a second. Everything feels…wrong."
Seraphine stepped closer, gaze softening. "The glyph imprinted. It's forcing you to relive memories that aren't yours. It'll pass. Just—stay grounded."
"Grounded?" Selene scoffed. "He just found out his soul might be engineered."
The word hit like a blow.
Kaelen didn't flinch.
"I'm not a weapon."
No one answered.
Then the glyph pulsed.
And Kaelen staggered.
His eyes glazed—silver fire flaring in his pupils.
Memory Access: Witness Tier 1Location: Tower Founding – Year Zero
Flashes of stone rising from the sea.Men and women chanting in a forgotten tongue.A central glyph—ancient, alive—searing into stone and soul alike.And one voice, echoing like thunder:
"We are not gods, only mirrors."
Kaelen collapsed to one knee.
Selene was at his side instantly. "Kaelen—hey, look at me."
But it was Seraphine who pressed her hand against his glyph, funneling calming essence through it.
"Breathe. Anchor. Focus on my voice."
Kaelen blinked.
And slowly—came back.
His hands shook.
"I saw the Tower… being born. I saw people. Not soldiers—builders."
"That's not possible," Selene muttered.
"Except it is," Seraphine said quietly. "He's unlocking a path no one's seen since the Age of Stars."
Kaelen didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Because the voice from the vision?
It had sounded like his.
Later that night, Kaelen sat at the edge of the Training Hall, hands curled around a mug of bitterroot tea.
Selene sat across from him, back to the wall, knees tucked up.
Seraphine was gone—for now.
"She thinks I'm soft," Selene said eventually.
"Seraphine?"
"Yeah. Thinks I'm just some angry girl with a blade."
Kaelen gave a faint smile. "You do have a habit of glaring first, talking later."
Selene snorted. Then looked away.
"I hate that she understands parts of you I don't."
Kaelen glanced at her. "You understand parts she doesn't."
"Do I?"
"Yes," he said softly. "You understand this. The fear. The weight. You don't try to erase it."
She went still.
Then—quietly—she slid her hand beside his.
Fingertips brushing.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
But everything in that moment.
The air shifted.
Kaelen turned—and found Seraphine standing just inside the doorway.
Her expression unreadable.
Selene didn't move.
Neither did Kaelen.
Seraphine didn't speak.
She only walked forward, eyes locked on Kaelen's, and dropped something in his lap.
A shard of stone. The color of starlight.
"You'll need this," she said. "The next Trial opens tomorrow night."
Then she walked away.
But her hand lingered on the doorframe.
And when she turned back—just for a heartbeat—
Kaelen saw the shadow of something unspoken in her eyes.
Longing.
Kaelen lay awake long past the others.
The shard glowed faintly on his desk.
And inside, he could feel it.
A door. A choice. A truth.
Unlock Witness Tier 2 – The Price: One Bond Must Break
Kaelen's hands trembled.
Because for the first time…
…the glyph wasn't asking him to be strong.
It was asking him to choose.