"And that night... before it even began, the darkness had already started to echo in some hearts."
The whole town had become one, as if tied to an invisible string, a single heartbeat. In every street, the same sound, the same effort; the cracking of birch branches being cut, the prayers of the calloused hands of the elderly as they were brought to the square. While these logs were carefully stacked, a pot of Zephyra — the blessed water — was placed on top of each pile. An invisible tension even suppressed the coolness of the air. Tonight was the night of the Revelation Ceremony.
With tired but careful steps, I was returning home, carrying the vegetables I bought from the market under my arm. I felt the weight of the unknown on my shoulders, and in my mind, everyone's gaze... If I don't step onto the birch logs in the flames tonight... People would not only look at me strangely, but would treat it as if I was rejecting my own soul. Johann wouldn't stay silent either. Elora would bring it up every chance she got, repeatedly hitting me with it. I had no choice but to go. My fear had settled on top of my freedom to choose.
When I arrived home, breathless, I placed the vegetables I bought from the market onto the kitchen table. I took out the cauldron from the lower cupboard, laid dry twigs under it, and lit the fire. I set the cauldron over the flames and poured in the water I had brought from the outdoor faucet. Pouring the remaining water into another container, I began washing the vegetables. My fingers had automatically started chopping when suddenly, the door began to knock as if it would fly off its hinges.
Elora, as usual, leapt up impatiently. When she opened the door, I could already see the change of expression that suddenly appeared on her face. That familiar aggression had vanished, replaced by a mesmerized admiration. Johann walked in with his usual carefree demeanor, carrying a basket of fruit. I was still in the kitchen, chopping the vegetables at the counter, when I called out:
"Elora, who's here?"
Elora's voice was full of excitement, and without even seeing her face, I knew who it was. "Johann!" she exclaimed joyfully.
Elora quickly took the basket from Johann and placed it on the table. I shook my hands and walked over to join them. Elora had already bitten into one of the fruits from the basket. Johann, meanwhile, had started flipping through the pages of a thick book he pulled from his bag.
"Welcome, Johann," I said politely.
He looked up, a familiar smile spreading across his face. First at me, then at Elora, he wore a slightly teasing expression. Both of us understood what he was thinking and smiled faintly. Elora suddenly looked up, her eyes searching ours with a questioning gaze, as if she had just noticed us.
"I wish you'd washed it first, Elora," I said with a slight jab.
Johann immediately raised his hand, as if to defend himself. "I washed it and brought it right after picking it. I knew this monster would throw the fruits straight into her mouth," he said, and our laughter echoed, bouncing off the kitchen ceiling. I sat next to them, and our conversation deepened. And I realized that all my fears about that night, the anxiety growing inside me for the Revelation Ceremony, had vanished, at least for a while.
---
Hohenberg Mansion — At the Same Hour
In one of the rooms, immersed in the darkness of the grand hall, Erhard sat behind a large desk. In front of him were piled papers, documents, and a few sealed envelopes that carried the weight of the aristocracy. His eyes were tired but focused; his fingers turned the corner of a letter while he mentally evaluated the last lines of another document.
The door was tapped rhythmically with a trembling finger. A deep, aged voice was heard: "Erhard."
He lifted his head and smiled at his father, who stood in the doorway. He carefully closed the document in front of him and set it aside.
"Come in, father," he said, beginning to rise from his chair.
However, the elderly man immediately signaled for him to sit back down with a wave of his hand. "No need, no need."
Erhard obeyed and sat back down, looking at his father with a mixture of curiosity and concern. His eyes wandered over his father's hands and expressions.
"As long as both my sons are this determined," the elderly man said proudly, "our reputation will last for generations. I didn't work as hard as this in my youth for our family, Erhard. You two, Tobias and you... You're making me envious."
Erhard smiled slightly. "I plan to get things in order a bit before my brother arrives," he said in a low voice.
"Good, good... Well done," the man said. "I'm sure you'll make me proud tonight. Just like Tobias... You'll have a holy soul too. You'll make our name known not just across these lands, but even in the realms beyond the oceans." But Erhard's eyes slowly drifted to the window. He looked at the forest outside, at the birch branches swaying in the wind. The unease growing inside him, the one he couldn't even understand, had drowned out his father's words.
"Father… What if… What if my soul is not chosen? What if I don't have a sacred soul?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper.
His father chuckled softly and spoke with confidence: "Do you think such a thing is possible, Erhard? Each and every one of us is blessed. Look at Tobias, he's the chosen of Ignis. I am of Golden's. Is it possible for you not to have a blessed soul? This blood, this lineage... it makes us all chosen." But Erhard's gaze returned to the outside. The darkness inside him spoke louder than his father's words.
The sky had darkened. The moon was shining in all its majesty, and the people were gathering in front of the birch trees. Everyone's eyes were on the pile of branches, their ears on each other's whispers.
"Is the King not attending the ceremony again?" one asked.
"Yes... As always," replied another. "When was the last time you saw him there?"
The conversations died down as a guard's sharp gaze passed by.
At that moment, a loud voice echoed. The sorcerer had stepped up to the pile of wood, next to the sacred Zephyra.
"Oh, companions of the ancient souls!" he cried. "We have gathered here today to discover our sacred bonds and dive deep into the truth. The night is ready to whisper its secrets; the stars wait to illuminate our souls. Are you ready to open the door to your destiny?"
From the crowd, he pointed to a young girl. The girl took a deep breath and stepped forward. The sorcerer took her hands.
"This night is no ordinary night. The moment you see the mirror of your soul is a journey only for the brave. Silence the fear in your heart; the choice of your soul will not deceive you."
The young girl lowered her head. The sorcerer dipped his palm into the Zephyra and raised his water-filled hands above her head, gently pouring it over her. The Zephyra dripped down her forehead, and a drop fell from the tip of her nose.
The girl climbed onto the ceremonial wood. She closed her eyes. Flames began to circle around her—first softly, then with great power. As the grape leaves carried by the wind spun around her, she transformed into the shape of a deer.
"Agros!" the sorcerer cried.
When the flames died down, the girl stepped down. The sorcerer held her hands and closed her eyes.
"May it be filled with light…"
Then Elora stepped forward. Johann's eyes drifted to the Hohenberg family, who had just entered the area. He nudged Adeline with his elbow.
"Look, here comes yours."
Adeline immediately pointed at Elora, and Johann refocused on the ceremony.
Elora climbed onto the wood. Flames surrounded her, and the leaves took shape, forming a chameleon.
"Shaedon!" the sorcerer cried (here, the chameleon spirit's name is inserted).
"May it be filled with light…"
Next was Johann. His spirit appeared in the magnificent form of an owl.
And then it was Adeline's turn.
She slowly walked up and stood in front of the sorcerer. His long hands gently took hers.
"Fears and anxieties can be left behind…" the woman said with a smile.
Adeline lowered her head. The Zephyra flowed down her forehead. She stepped onto the wood, closing her eyes. At first, the flames were orange, but they suddenly turned blue and pink. The crowd watched in awe. The silhouette formed above the flames was a rabbit, shaped by the stars.
(The sorcerer's eyes gleam with tears, Erhard's gaze is zoomed in.)
When Adeline opened her eyes, she stepped down and hugged the sorcerer.
"Thank you," she said and walked over to her friends.
It was Erhard's turn.
He stepped out from the crowd. The sorcerer whispered the same words to him and poured the Zephyra over his head. As Erhard climbed to the top of the wood, he looked first at his father, then at Adeline. He closed his eyes.
But then—
A scream.
The flames engulfed him. They were much fiercer, burning, unbearable. Erhard screamed. The black smoke rising from the flames shaped into a wolf silhouette in the sky.
The crowd recoiled.
Erhard trembled as he descended, his clothes still burning. He fixed his eyes on Adeline. He saw her pained look. When he turned to his father, there was only a meaningless silence.
He clutched his chest. His whole body was covered in wounds.
He went to the sorcerer, managing to say a single word through trembling lips:
"Help…"
The old woman closed her eyes, a single tear falling. She tried to speak, but no sound came.
Suddenly, Erhard collapsed to the ground.
No one moved. The crowd was frozen. Adeline and Johann grabbed the Zephyra and rushed to Erhard's side. They poured the Zephyra onto his wounds, but his skin was still burning. It was so hot that no one could touch him.
Adeline, in despair, looked at the sorcerer with tear-filled eyes.
But there was no answer.
Only silence and the hum of darkness...