Invisible Burdens

The dust from the colossus still hung in the air as silence took over the temple. The Veil Spear gleamed on its pedestal, intact, as if nothing had happened. But it wasn’t the spear that everyone was watching. It was me.

Aria approached slowly, her lips slightly parted, as if searching for words but finding none. Lysbeth gripped her sword tightly, observing my every movement. Rei, on the other hand, looked at me with open distrust, as if he no longer saw a companion but a threat.

—“You did it,” —Aria finally said, her voice trembling—. “But… Kaoru, what you did…”

I lowered my head. I could still feel the dark energy coursing through my veins, burning every fiber of my being. —“I had no choice. Without that power, we would have all died.”

—“And what if next time you can’t control it?” —Rei asked bluntly—. “Today it was a colossus. What happens if tomorrow it’s against us?”

—“Rei!” —Aria scolded him, annoyed—. “Don’t speak like that.”

—“Someone has to,” —he replied, not taking his eyes off me—. “We can’t ignore what we saw. That power… it’s not human.”

The echo inside me laughed, savoring every word. “He’s right. You aren’t like them. They already feel it, they already know. And sooner or later, they’ll step away from you.”

I clenched my fists in anger. —“I won’t let it control me.”

Lysbeth stepped forward, placing her hand on my shoulder. Her gesture was firm, but her eyes were filled with concern. —“Kaoru… it’s not just about trying. We need to find a way to seal that power before it’s too late.”

Nara, silent until then, let out an exaggerated sigh. —“Well, if it matters, I’d rather have all that power on our side than without it. But I won’t deny that watching you split a colossus in two was… unsettling.”

—“What matters is that we’re alive,” —Aria intervened firmly—. “And that we got the spear.”

We all looked toward the pedestal. The Veil Spear seemed to be waiting, as if it knew it would soon be wielded.

With hesitant steps, I approached and took it. The moment my hands wrapped around it, a wave of energy coursed through me, different from the shadow’s. It was cold, clear, like a river flowing beneath ice. The contrast made me shiver.

—“Do you feel it?” —Lysbeth asked.

I nodded. —“It’s… different. It doesn’t seek to corrupt me—it guides me.”

Rei crossed his arms, still wary. —“Then you’d better use it before that other thing inside you wakes up again.

The way out of the ruins was silent. No one spoke much, and I could feel the distance that had grown between us. Although Aria stayed by my side, her eyes revealed a hidden fear she tried to conceal.

When we reached the entrance, the sky was beginning to darken. The wind howled between the stones, heavy with omens.

Nara broke the silence with a nervous smile. —“Well, we got out alive, got the spear, and no one lost an arm this time. Does that count as a victory?”

No one answered.

It was Lysbeth who stopped suddenly, looking toward the horizon. —“Do not let your guard down. The real challenge will be keeping this relic away from Kiseki.”

Aria squeezed my hand, seeking reassurance. —“No matter what comes, we’ll face it together.”

I nodded, though inside me the shadow whispered with delight.

"The spear won’t matter. And when the time comes, you’ll beg me to take control again."

The weight of the weapon in my hands was comforting, but the real weight was inside me. And I knew: every step toward the castle brought us closer to a war we still didn’t fully understand.