The light was too bright.
Jayden shielded his eyes, stumbling forward through what felt like smoke made of glass. He had crossed the threshold — not into another battlefield, but something stranger.
Somewhere between dream and memory.
Somewhere sacred.
---
A Place That Wasn't Real
He stood in a vast, open space. White skies, no sun. Ground like polished obsidian. In the center, a single pedestal held a lantern — no fire, just a soft, humming glow.
> "This is not a dream," a voice said.
"And not a test you can fight your way through."
Jayden turned. No one.
Just the voice, everywhere and nowhere.
"Then what is it?" he asked aloud.
> "A trial of light. Of memory. Of joy."
Jayden blinked. Joy?
He had faced blades, monsters, betrayals, curses, even war.
But joy? That was something he hadn't truly touched since he was a boy.
---
The Faces of Light
Suddenly, the room shifted — not in shape, but in feel.
He heard laughter.
His laughter.
From a long-forgotten birthday when his sister poured juice on his head by accident.
From a time when he danced badly at a festival in Graveton, not caring what anyone thought.
From moments that made him human.
And one by one… they appeared before him — echoes of himself. Younger versions. Innocent ones.
"Why do you hide us?" one asked.
Jayden swallowed hard. "Because we make me weak."
The child version shook his head. "No. We make you whole."
---
Veyna's Voice
From somewhere distant, Veyna's voice echoed, soft and clear.
> "Jayden, don't forget who you were. If power costs you joy, then it's not power. It's a cage."
He fell to his knees, overwhelmed. These memories — these feelings — they didn't weaken him. They reminded him why he fought.
Not just to break chains.
But to laugh freely again.
To love again.
To live.
---
The Lantern Lights
The lantern on the pedestal flared to life.
A pulse of warmth — not burning, but healing — spread through his chest.
His scars didn't vanish.
But they stopped bleeding.
His eyes stopped glowing white. Instead, they shimmered gold.
Balanced.
Not just power. Not just control.
> Clarity.
---
The Return
Jayden opened his eyes — truly opened them — and found himself back near the ruins of the Tower, surrounded by those who had fought beside him.
They looked different to him now — not just soldiers, rebels, or survivors.
They were people.
Frightened, flawed, beautiful people — each with light inside.
He looked up at the sky, where dawn had fully broken.
Then he whispered, "I remember."
---
The Message in the Light (To the Reader)
And again, as if looking through the page, Jayden speaks to you:
> "You'll be tempted to forget the good things. To hide the softer parts of you."
> "Don't."
> "Those aren't weaknesses. They're proof you survived."
> "Remember your laughter. Your stories. Your fire."
> "You're not just a fighter. You're a light."
And the chapter closes not in battle…
…but in a quiet moment of becoming.