The bedroomâ dooâr opened forcefully, slamming agâainst the wall. Kira, who was sleeping comfoâ rtably oân Liamâs bed, jumped up in frightâ, her fur brisâ tâ ling and her eyâes wide.
"My bad," Liam saiâ d, not caring mucâh.
He rummaâged through every corner of the room, anâ xioâ us, until he found the object he was looking for. Thâe lanteâ râ n was leâ aning againsât the side ofâ the deâsk. He grabbed it quickly and held iâ t tightly; at that moment,â it seemed to hold thâ e weight of the world for him.
His heart wâ as poâ uâ nding fast, not fârom fear, but fâ rom excitement.
âHe couldâ stilâl feâ el the echâo of Alina's words iânâ the tavern. The dissonance of the musiâ c,â tâhâe twilight, the meeting between the sun and the moon. It aâll made sense now. Whâat hadâ once seemed impossiblâe to reconcile might have an answer.
He took a deep breath, hoâlding the lantern between hisâ hands.
"If I'm right... then this is hoâ w it must work."
â But confidence waâ s mixed with nerâvouâ sness. The truth he believeâd heâ had discovered was notâ a simple solution. On theâ contrary, it seemed like a greater challenge than anything he had facâed before.
For Solar and Lunar magic to workâ together, he needed to manipulate them as iâf they were twoâ different instruâmeânts, eâach plâaying its own meâlody. And the secret was to make them, at some point, sound good togethâer.
"Eâach speâ ll is like a song," he murmuâ red, staring aâ t theâ flame. "I know two Solar and four Lâ unar.â.. that gives me eight combinatiâons. Iâ just have to hope one works."â
The first attempt was frustratâ ing. The lantern glowed in gold, black, and silver, but the energies repelled eâ ach other violently,â putting out the flâame. Liam frownedâ, relit it, and tried again.
Hourâs passed like thâiâ s. Each combâination resulted in iântense lights, colors mixiâng iân shadâ es râaâ nging from vibrant red to deep blue, somâ etimes even unexpected purplesâ . Butâ alwaâys, in the end, the harmony câoâ llapsâedâ. The energies fought eachâ other untilâ onâe consumed the otherâ.
Still,â he didn't give up. His boâ dy began toâ aâche, hiâs head throbbed, his musâcles trembled with fâatigue. But inside the lantâ ern, little by little, something new wasâ emergiâng. Goldenâ and silver bâeams intertwined in delicate curvesâ, asâ iâf dancing.
"This... this..." Liam whispered,â hâ is eyes wideâ. "âI'm getting itâ!"
He felt thatâ , even without directly contârâolling that new energy, he could molâ d it indirectly. He jusât needed to manipulâate the Solâarâ and Lunar magics with precision, and something beyond theâm would form. A coâlâor that was not just a mix, but a birth.
Then, exhaâustion won. His body couldn't handle the presâsurâ e, and Liam fell to the floor, falling asleep between cold floâorâboards, witâ h the lanâtern still fâlickeriâng with uncâertâ ain lights.
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**
The sâ un was already rising when he woke uâp. The soft hâeat streamed tâhrough the winâdoâ w, ilâ luminating particles of dust suspended in the air. Liaâm bliânked a few times, trying to get used toâ the brightnesâ s. His whole body ached, esâ pecially his head.
With effort,â he sat up, masâ saging his templesâ.
That's when the door oâpened, and Elias walâ ked in.
"You slept on the floor."
"I knâow," Liam replied, his voice hoarsâe.
Elias obseârved tâ he lantern still lit in the coârner. A faint smile aâppeared on his fâ ace.
"â You've learned Twilight Magic. Congratulations."
Liam blinkeâ d, confused. "Huh? What?"
"Whatâ do you mean?" He tried to remember the previâous hours, tâhe coâ lors, the sâ trangâ e sensatioân. "But I didn'tâ learn any new spâ ell... I barelyâ undeâ rstoodâ what I dâ id, in fact."
Elias cârosseâdâ his arms, firm. "But it was enough. You're ready."
Liam's heart racedâ . For a momenât, he thought hâe wâas dâreaming. His eyes filâ led with tears.
"Dad... arâe yâ ou sure? Can I really awaâ ken?"
"Of course."
Liamâ 's handâ s were tremblinâg. It waâs the momâent heâ haâd been waiting for for years.â Hâ e jumped up, ignoriâng the pain in his body.
"When can we start?â "
"Any timâe, actually."
"Seriously? So wâ hat do I need to doâ ?"
Elias approached slowly, his voiceâ calmâ. "Firsâ t, I need to explâ aiân the process.â Thâ e concepts maâ y sound complicatâed, but in pâracâtice, it's simple."
He paused, looking at hiâs sâon seriouslâ y.
"To be able to awaâken a Power Coâre, you need to become a Vestigeâ Bearer."
â "A Vestige Beaâ rer?" Liam repeated, havingâ never heard the termâ.
"âSometimes, when peopleâ die, theyâ leave part of their essence iân the world. Soâul fraâgmeâ nts thâat carry knowledge, skills, and power. We call these Vestâigeâs."
Lâ iam's sâtomach tightened. "âWait..."
"Yes," Eliâas confirmeâd. "A long time ago, grâ eat archmages discovered a technique.â They leaârned how to tâurn Soul Realms intoâ vesseâls capable of houâsing Vesâtigeâs. With thisâ, evenâ people withouât the tâ aâ lent to aâwaken a Power Core câ ould obtain one, as lâ ong as thâey found a Vestige with that capâability."
Lâiaâm was dumbfouâ ndeâ d. It was sâomething he would never have imâagâinâed. A waây to bypass fate.
"Dadâ... buâ t whâere am I going to find an Awakened Vestige?"
"That wâon't beâ a problâem." Elâ ias gave a brief smile. "â I hâ ave a bunch.â"â
"âSeriousâlyâ?" Tâ he lighâ t in Liam'sâ eyes returnedâ immediatâely. He jumped fâor joy, ignoring the pain. "Yes! Finally! Comeâ on, Dad, I want to become a Vestige Beâaârer."â
But Elias raised his hand iâ n a gesture of calm.
"Wait. You need to underâ stand there are complicationsâ. To obtain this powerâ, a sacârifice will be necessaryâ ."â
"â Sacrifice?" Liaâm frowned. "Damn, but...â what coâuld be better than haviâng a Power Core?â Whatever it isâ , it's worth iât."
Elâias sigâhed.â "The technique tâ o turn your Sâoul Realm into a vâessel isâ very deâmandingâ. All of yâourâ soul's power will have to be enâtirely dediâcâated to contârolliâ ng thâe Vestige."
"So?"
"So youâ r soul won't be ablâe to maintaiân or nurtureâ aâ nything else."
A deadlyâ silence felâ l. Liam's eyes wiâdâened,â beginning to understand.
"Yoâu're not saying that..."
"Yes," Elias confirmed, serious. "To become a Vestige Bearer, you'll have to sacrifice all of yâourâ Aâstral Shadows. Give up all of your abâ ilâities and every physical enhancâ ement you've achieved."
Liam feltâ his blood runâ cold.
"Basically, you'll have to start from scratch."
The phrase echoed in hâ is mind like thâ under. All the training, yeâars of sweat and pain, everythinâ g he had achieved... woulâd haveâ to beâ abandâ oned.
Liam clenched his fistsâ, tâ râembling. A part of him screâamedâ to bacâk down, not to gâivâeâ up everything he had built. But another, stronger part, reâmembered the feelinâ g of pâ owerlessness in front of Hakon. It remembered the desire heâ had carried since childhood, to achiâeve something greatâeâ r.
He took a deep breath and gave his father a determined look.