Stepping into the Mist

The flames on the alchemy table began to burn soundlessly, and the liquid in the flask bubbled away. Rahm's gaze came from the mist deep within his mind, and Rune felt his consciousness being drawn into a dark, profound place. After passing through an illusory, endless black "tunnel," he saw several Faint Lights at its end.

They were his old friends—Helena, Banster, and Frem.

He approached the figures, but before he could greet them, Helena was the first to break the silence. "You look to be in good shape, Rune. Seems we needn't worry about Truth Academy needing a new pope."

"Thank you for your 'concern.' Looks like I'm not about to be summoned by Our Lord anytime soon," Rune said, shooting Helena a glare. Yet there was clearly no offense in his tone. He then turned to the others and nodded lightly. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I needed some time to restore order aboard the Ark, as well as recover myself."

Frem, tall and built like stone, carefully examined the condition of Rune's soul projection. His voice was deep. "The incident is resolved?"

"Resolved," Rune said with a nod. "Order is returning to Lightwind Harbor, and the elves elsewhere in the world should gradually 'wake up' as well. In the end, the worst did not happen."

"...We want to know more," Banster said from nearby. The gaunt, tall old man who followed the God of Death wore a grave expression. "The impact of this incident far exceeded that of Pland and Frost. It directly affected an entire 'race,' and it pointed toward history from before the Deep Sea Era... What exactly happened in Lightwind Harbor?"

Rune fell silent for a moment. His gaze swept across the figures before finally settling on Frem, leader of the Fire-bringers. After considering