The Regret That Walks
---
The sky wept shadows.
Above them, the black sun pulsed once… then again… and with each pulse, something unholy stirred beneath the surface of the realm. Not in the stone. Not in the air.
Within them.
Kael's breath hitched.
His chest tightened as if something had reached inside and plucked the threads of memory.
Theron staggered.
Nyssra dropped to one knee.
Dain cursed, gripping his head.
And then—
Kael saw himself.
Not in a reflection. Not in a dream.
But standing before him.
His own face. Same scar across the brow. Same tired eyes.
But colder. Hungrier.
Darker.
"...No," Kael whispered.
The Warden's voice echoed behind him.
"You have brought yourselves through the Gate. Now you must pass its judgment. The Gate tests not strength. Not skill. But the soul."
---
The copy of Kael—Regret—smiled.
"You let her die," it said, stepping forward with calm accusation. "You had the power to stop it. And you did nothing."
Kael's fists clenched. "Don't."
"You closed your eyes," Regret whispered, circling. "You chose to believe your hands were clean."
"Stop."
"She screamed for you."
"I SAID STOP!"
Flames burst from Kael's palms — not from the Shard, but from his own Veilforce, wild and unrefined.
Regret didn't flinch.
It stepped through the fire and drove a fist into Kael's gut, slamming him back across the shattered floor.
The others watched — unable to move. Trapped in illusions of their own regrets. Their own ghosts.
Theron faced the boy he couldn't protect.
Nyssra stood before a woman burning on a pyre.
Dain was cornered by a thousand mirror-versions of himself — each one branded with the crown he refused to wear.
But only Kael's battle bled into the physical.
He rose slowly, coughing blood.
Regret tilted its head. "You're weaker than I remember."
"I'm not the same," Kael rasped.
Regret charged again.
Kael drew Myrrh.
The cursed blade shrieked with violent glee and caught Regret's arm mid-swing. Sparks flew. Fire sang. Light bled into shadow.
Then Kael leaned close and whispered:
"You're not me."
And drove the blade straight through Regret's heart.
---
It didn't die like a person.
It shattered like glass.
And with its collapse, a wave of Veilforce rippled out, breaking the illusions that held the others. One by one, they gasped awake, their souls bruised but intact.
The Warden watched in silence.
"You passed."
Kael panted. "That… was a test?"
The Warden nodded. "The first of many. The Gate watches all. But now you may walk its halls without fear of your own shadows."
Dain exhaled, wiping his face. "Let's hope the next trial's easier."
Nyssra grinned faintly. "If it is, I'll be disappointed."
Kael turned toward the city beyond — its spires gleaming under the black sun, stretching toward an unseen truth.
He said nothing.
But inside him, something had changed.
Not just the power.
Not just the Shard.
But resolve.
He would find the truth behind the Gate.
He would survive it.
And he would make sure no one else had to walk it alone.