Paths Beyond

Hey, another chapter. I wrote this and finished at 0500. I am tired and am taking a nap before writing another. I hope you enjoy.

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"Impossible," Grey thought, though the word barely took shape in his mind. The pain was all-consuming, a relentless force tearing through his body like fire and frost intertwined. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe—every fiber of his being screamed in torment. The golden liquid enveloping him burned hotter than any flame, seeping into him as if trying to remake him from the inside out.

Beside him, Keen's ragged cries rose and fell, echoing like tortured harmonies in the bronze chamber. The sound reverberated off the cauldron's smooth walls, amplifying their shared agony until it felt like the room itself was alive, feeding on their suffering.

Grey's vision blurred. The edges of his consciousness began to fade, dissolving into an eerie, hollow quiet. The searing pain gave way to creeping numbness, a cold void that reached for him, beckoning him closer. His breath faltered, and for a fleeting moment, he welcomed the stillness.

But then, like a shard of light piercing the darkness, a voice called out.

"Grey?"

It was Serene. Her voice was clear, trembling with desperation yet cutting through the haze like a light in the darkness.

The word jolted him, wrenching him from the abyss. His lungs seized, dragging in air with a sharp gasp, and the pain came roaring back, merciless and all-encompassing. For an instant, the golden liquid felt like molten fire coursing through his veins, but he was alive. Barely.

"Grey? Can you hear me?" Serene's voice trembled, thick with worry, as it anchored him to reality.

Grey tried to answer, but his strength was fleeting. The best he could muster was a weak, guttural grunt. Even that felt like a monumental effort. His body felt like it was unraveling, his nerves ablaze.

"Good. You're still here." A shaky laugh broke through Serene's words, an attempt to mask her fear. "You sound awful. Seriously, Grey, I've heard dying rodents that sounded better."

Through gritted teeth, Grey rasped, "Still... better than... you on... a bad day," his voice nearly swallowed by the cauldron's oppressive heat.

A sharp laugh escaped her, the sound strangely grounding. "Wow, Grey, you've got jokes while you're boiling alive in a pot. Maybe I should stop worrying about you."

Another pained grunt escaped him. "Just... noisy..."

"Oh, I talk too much?" Serene huffed, leaning closer to the cauldron. "This from the guy who trained so hard he forgot how to have a conversation. You're lucky I even tried to talk to you back then."

Grey focused on her voice, her words a fragile anchor in the storm of agony. "Didn't... ask you... to," he muttered, his voice like sandpaper.

"Right, because you were too busy brooding in the corner like some kind of tragic hero," Serene shot back. Her tone lightened as she continued, "Do you know why I started training as a hunter? It wasn't because I had this burning desire to kill Hooded Horns or fight wolves. It was because of you."

Grey tried to process her words, the pain making it hard to think. "Me?" he managed weakly.

"Yeah, you. Watching you train every day, so focused and determined—it made me want to be like that. I begged Shot to teach me. I thought if I became a hunter, I'd have an excuse to talk to you without sounding like an idiot."

Grey let out a low, hoarse chuckle. "Didn't... stop you... from sounding... dumb."

Serene gasped in mock offense. "Excuse me? I was the best trainee Shot ever had. She said so herself."

She pressed on, her voice softening. "Do you remember when Tear came to live with you? She followed me everywhere, calling me her 'big sister.' You owe me for keeping her out of your hair while you obsessed over training."

"Tear's... lucky... she got... you," Grey admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Serene playfully rolled her eyes. "You're impossible. Do you know how mad Tear would be if you turned into soup right now? I'd have to tell her big brother melted away because he didn't listen to me."

For a moment, Serene was silent, her chest tightening. "You're going to be fine, Grey. You have to be. You're stronger than you think—you've always been stronger than you think. Just... don't leave us, okay?"

Her words stirred something within him, giving him just enough strength to keep going. Though his body screamed in protest, Grey clung to the sound of her voice, letting it guide him through the pain.

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Keen, too, was wracked with agony, the liquid in the cauldron scorching him from within. His cries had dwindled to labored breaths, the sheer effort of enduring silencing his voice. Then, cutting through the haze like a familiar blade, Brawl's voice reached him.

"Still alive in there, Keen? Or are you just trying to out-scream the kid?"

Keen grunted, forcing out a response through clenched teeth. "Better... than you'd... do."

"Ha!" Brawl barked out a laugh, though his voice softened. "Maybe. But I wouldn't make such a racket. I'd let my suffering be dignified."

"Dignified?" Keen managed, his voice strained but laced with faint humor. "Like... the time you... fell through Elder's roof?"

Brawl groaned at the memory. "You had to bring that up. That damn roof nearly killed me. And Elder—he made us patch it up while he smacked us with his cane."

"Bark... didn't help... just sat there... eating fruit," Keen said, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the pain.

"Yeah, but he saved the fruit and split it with us later," Brawl replied, his tone softening. "Said we earned it for putting up with Elder's temper. Even back then, Bark was always looking out for everyone else."

A long pause followed as both men wrestled with the pain and the memory.

"Do you remember," Brawl said quietly, "how Bark tried to climb that roof again? Even though he ended up breaking his hand?"

Keen let out a weak laugh. "Yeah. Said... he'd prove... he could do it. Stubborn fool."

His voice heavy with emotion Brawl said, "Brave enough to tackle anything, even if it made no sense."

Keen's voice wavered. "Would've... handled this better... than me."

"Don't waste his sacrifice, Keen," Brawl said firmly. "If you screw this up, you'll have to call him 'big brother' in death. You know how smug he'd be about that."

A faint laugh escaped Keen. "Never... hear the end... of it."

Brawl let out a low, rueful laugh and pushed himself off the wall he'd been leaning against. He lingered for a moment, his gaze fixed on the cauldron.

"I'll leave you to it," Brawl said, his tone gruff but with a trace of warmth. "Don't screw this up."

Without waiting for a reply, Brawl turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing softly in the chamber. Keen closed his eyes, drawing on the memory of his brother's bravery to fuel his resolve.

Keen didn't speak right away. A strained grunt escaped him as he tried to push through the pain. Finally, he forced out, "Grey... you still with me?"

A weak, muffled sound came from the other side of the cauldron.

"Good," Keen muttered, more to himself than anything. "Just hang on. We've been through worse... haven't we?"

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As the night dragged on, the golden liquid within the cauldron continued its work, its searing heat and transformative power showing no mercy to Grey and Keen. The chamber remained eerily quiet, save for the occasional pained grunt from the cauldron's occupants and the low murmurs of Elder, Brawl, and Serene.

Elder had dismissed the others, giving Shot instructions to stop by Heart's home—the caretaker for the village's young children—and deliver Bark's son, the soon-to-be-named Stone, to Patrona, Keen's wife. He'd also asked her to explain the situation to Patrona.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team worked to haul the meat to the smokehouses. The bounty was divided between Brawl and Keen's squads, with the larger share going to Keen's team. Some of the meat was set aside as rations for the village, while the remainder could be traded for goods and services.

By the time dawn broke, only Elder, Serene, and Brawl remained by the cauldron. Their silent vigil spoke volumes—a quiet testament to their resolve and their respect for the two enduring the trial within.

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Grey felt a pull once again as he sat in pained silence with Keen, but this time, it wasn't toward the infinite abyss from where he could never return. Instead, it was into the star-filled universe in his mind. Unlike before, he didn't have to focus to enter—it felt as if the space was pulling him in, refusing to let him ignore it.

His form coalesced in the familiar void, the pain from his physical body disappearing in an instant. The universe stretched out before him, endless stars reflected in the perfect stillness of the mirrored pool below. This place had always been his refuge, but something was different. Below his feet, the pool rippled, disrupting its usual tranquility. A whirlpool began to form, the lights in the pool—once only reflections—swirling around its edges as if caught in a storm.

"What's going on?" he shouted, fear lacing his voice. He staggered, feeling the pull of the vortex grow stronger. His body began to sink into the whirlpool, the sensation overwhelming.

Just as suddenly as it had started, the pull ceased. Grey found himself submerged to his waist in the swirling liquid. The stars within the whirlpool had vanished, replaced by a golden glow that pulsed with an almost overwhelming energy. The fluid wasn't just the golden liquid from the cauldron—it felt more refined, more alive, coursing with a power that dwarfed what he had felt outside.

As his body absorbed a fraction of the energy, he noticed it felt like drops rather than the torrents he'd experienced absorbed outside. Despite the slower absorption, the energy here was far more potent. It radiated through him, a warmth that dulled his panic—but only for a moment.

The golden liquid began to spread. Tendrils of light shot out from the pool, branching across the mirrored surface like roots searching for sustenance. They reached out to the orbs of light scattered across the space, wrapping around them and pulling them into a new arrangement. As the tendrils moved, the orbs changed. What had once been hazy, flickering lights now solidified into distinct, spherical forms. Each was unique, its size and brightness revealing details Grey hadn't noticed before.

The largest orb, a brilliant crimson with faint crackles of orange, hovered directly beside him. Its imposing size and vibrant intensity made Grey suspect it belonged to Keen, who was right next to him in the cauldron. Nearby, two smaller orbs glowed with deep red light. Their proximity and steady energy led Grey to think of Elder and Brawl, though he couldn't be sure. Further away, a fourth orb flickered faintly. Its pale hue and fragile glow caught his attention, but its identity remained a mystery. Yet, something about its quiet presence made him think of Serene.

Grey marveled at the transformation but was quickly pulled back to the present. The tendrils continued to branch outward, drawing energy from the pool at an alarming rate. The golden liquid that had once seemed infinite was draining rapidly, threatening to leave the pool empty. Panic seized him.

"No!" he thought. His mind raced as he watched the golden liquid deplete. He couldn't waste it—not like this. Not when Bark's sacrifice had made it possible.

"Stop!" he screamed in his mind, desperation surging through him.

To his shock, the tendrils obeyed. They froze mid-motion, the entire space falling eerily silent. The pool beneath him stilled, its golden surface shimmering as though awaiting his command. Grey's heart pounded as he realized the implications—this space, which had always seemed beyond his control, was responding to him.

He stood slowly, stepping out of the pool. The golden liquid clung to his form for a moment before dissipating. Extending a trembling hand, he touched one of the golden branches. Instantly, he was transported to the nearest orb—the one he suspected belonged to Keen. The movement was effortless, a sharp contrast to the laborious effort it had taken him to traverse the space before.

Curiosity overtook him. He reached for the branch connected to the furthest orb. In a flash, he appeared beside it. It was smaller than the others, its light pale and weak. Grey hesitated, recognizing its energy.

"Serene?" he whispered.

The orb trembled slightly, as if in response to his attention. Grey's thoughts raced. Why was it smaller than the others? Did it mean something about Serene's strength, or was it simply different? He wasn't sure—he barely understood what any of this truly meant. So far, he had only noticed that creatures with similar power levels seemed to share similar colors and intensities, but size? That was new.

Before he could dwell on it, the golden tendrils pulsed, and liquid surged toward the orb. Its faint light grew brighter as it swelled, the transformation startling in its suddenness. "Stop!" Grey shouted instinctively, panic rising as the pool drained rapidly, the shimmering liquid dropping to half its original volume. The energy flow finally ceased, leaving Grey frozen, unsure whether he had caused this change—or if the space itself was acting on its own.

Grey watched in shock as Serene's orb grew larger, matching the size of Keen's and Brawl's. The intensity of its light, however, remained unchanged. He stared, unsure what to make of the transformation.

"What's happening here?" he muttered, but the space offered no answers.

Taking a steadying breath, Grey returned to the pool. The liquid was still, waiting for him to continue absorbing its energy. Resolving to stop experimenting, he sank into its depths, letting the golden warmth seep into him once more.

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Serene shifted uneasily, a strange sensation coursing through her body. It was faint, almost like a whisper against her skin, and it vanished as quickly as it had come. She dismissed it with a shake of her head.

"When will they be finished?" she asked, her voice breaking the heavy silence.

Elder stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the cauldron's golden glow. "I don't know," he said, his tone low and distant. "This process... I've never seen it with a Heart of Radiance. Even with a Central Organ, it can take days for some."

As if on cue, a brilliant golden glow erupted from the cauldron. The lid flew off with a deafening clang, crashing against the stone floor. Winds swirled violently above the cauldron, but it wasn't the liquid—there was none left. It had been fully absorbed into Keen and Grey. The commotion emanated entirely from Keen's body, his form glowing with an intense radiance.

"What's going on?" Brawl shouted, stepping forward instinctively.

Elder's eyes widened in shock, his grip tightening on his walking stick as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. His face paled, his voice trembling as he muttered, "That's impossible... the tomes speak of this only in legends..."

Serene's heart pounded as she shielded her face with her arm, her hair whipping wildly in the tempest. She glanced at Grey, who remained still beside Keen, his body glowing faintly with a softer light. Her hands clenched into fists. "Grey..." she whispered, her voice cracking with fear.

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