When they arrived at the cavern lit by magical artifacts, the group was greeted with a mixture of relief and respect. The atmosphere was damp, earthy, and the air was permeated with a faint metallic scent emanating from within. They were deep within the cavern, where the walls were carved with ancient symbols and crystal channels emitted a faint blue light, fueled by cores of magical energy embedded in the stone. The floor was smooth and cold, marked by the tread of hundreds of feet.

  In the main hall, a group of people waited. They wore immaculate, pale yellow uniforms, and most of them had serene expressions, though their eyes conveyed a mixture of vigilance and discreet hospitality. Their ages varied, from young people in their twenties to wise-eyed elders. There was something about their bearing: solemnity, discipline, and a hint of mystery that made one's hair stand on end.

  Several people immediately rushed to Liria's care, offering makeshift stretchers and clean bandages. However, when one of the attendants indicated they would be taken to separate rooms to rest, Liria raised her voice.

  "He's staying with me," she said with unexpected firmness, pointing at Joel.

  The attendant hesitated for a second, but a glance from one of the newly arrived magi was enough to make him step aside. Thus, the two were led to a smaller cavern, connected to the main hall by a narrow passageway. It contained a stone bed covered with thick blankets, a magic lamp on a ledge, and a small cubbyhole where medical supplies and simple food were stored. The air smelled of damp earth and old stone.

  Once inside, Liria slowly lay down, letting out a soft moan. Joel cautiously helped her, wordlessly adjusting her injured leg.

  "Are you okay?" Joel finally asked, still staring at her makeshift bandage.

  "I'm... tired," Liria replied, staring up at the rocky ceiling. "Not just from the wound. All of this... is too much."

  Joel said nothing and simply sat against the wall, frowning in the dim lamplight. Liria glanced at him.

  "I don't know what we're doing here... I don't know who those people are, I just knew if I stayed there... I was going to break." Her voice trembled a little, not from fear, but from honesty. "I never wanted to drag you down with me."

  Joel shrugged slowly. "You didn't leave me much choice. Besides, running from one hell only to fall into another is my specialty."

  Liria gave a short, dry laugh that ended in a sigh. Then she settled carefully in bed. "Can you keep watch while I sleep? Just a little..."

  "Sure," Joel said without looking up. "I'm not the type to sleep easily anyway."

  Minutes later, when her breathing slowed and deepened, Joel allowed himself to observe her. She didn't have a particularly beautiful face, not like the princesses in the orphanage songs. But there was something about her presence, her reserved gestures, and her way of enduring pain that held him captivated. She reminded him of a woman from some dream life, perhaps a wife, or a war companion. Perhaps both.

  It was in that moment of apparent calm that introspection hit him like an icy wave. How had he gotten here? What the hell was he doing, an orphan without magic, fleeing through portals and following a girl he'd barely known for two months? What was it about Liria that made him follow her without question? It was absurd, he knew, but also inevitable.

  He felt as if his dreams weren't just other people's memories, but pieces of a puzzle slowly being assembled inside him. As if each life lived in dreams had prepared him for something greater, for a war deeper than that of empires. And yet, with each step, he felt himself becoming more blurred, his identity diluted between what he had lived and what he had dreamed. It was becoming difficult for him to distinguish what his true life was. The line between dream and waking life grew ever more tenuous.

  Some time passed before the sound of soft footsteps broke the silence. Two figures opened the door and crossed the stone entrance wearing new clothes, simple but clean, with discreet embroidery around the edges that denoted a certain hierarchy. Both were the magi who had rescued them.

  The first, the one who had conjured the portal, looked clearly weakened. Despite being well dressed, his face was pale as wax, and there were still light stains of dried blood at the corner of his nose. His eyes, though dull, were penetrating, as if they could effortlessly dissect a lie.

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  The other, a man with dark skin and slicked-back black hair, maintained a firm posture. His gait was calm, but his gaze was analytical, assessing. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his every movement seemed calculated.

  Joel stood up, crossing his arms. Liria also sat up slightly in bed, propping herself up on one elbow.

  "He's staying," Liria said, before the mages could say anything.

  The dark-haired man nodded once. "Fine. If you decide so, so be it. But first we need to know a few things." His eyes fixed on Joel. "What's your name?"

  Joel raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you already investigated me?"

  "We want to hear it from you," the second mage, the silver-haired one, replied.

  "Joel," he finally said. "Born in an orphanage, son of no one, Survivor and nothing more."

  The two mages exchanged a brief glance.

  "Have you never shown any magical affinity?" the dark-haired man asked.

  “Nothing useful. Just dreams,” Joel replied, instantly regretting having said even that. But the mages didn’t seem to pay attention.

  “He was the one who led the only formation that didn’t collapse in combat,” Liria chimed in, her tone dry but with a spark of pride. “He held his men together, rescued several wounded... and saved me. All without magic, with just head and guts.”

  The mages nodded slowly. Then the dark-skinned one bowed slightly and said,

  “I am Deyar. And this”—he pointed to the other mage—“is Kael.”

  Kael bowed his head in a small nod.

  "Liria," Deyar said then. "Now we want to know about you. How did you end up in that unit? What do you know about your family?"

  Liria was silent for a few seconds, as if sorting through her memories. Then she spoke, in her unadorned voice:

  "My mother died when I was ten, and I was raised by an uncle and aunt. They were neither good nor bad, they just did what was necessary. I had a poor childhood, but I didn't lack food or shelter. A few months ago, a group of army personnel came to conduct mass testing in my village and chose me. They said I had magical affinity... something ambiguous between water and spiritual. They took me, and that was that."

  Kael frowned slightly and murmured to Deyar, "So they didn't find anything…"

  Deyar nodded silently. Kael stepped forward, looked at Liria more closely, and spoke in a gentle but firm tone:

  "Liria, there is something you should know. You are the daughter of a great mage and a companion of ours, my master... He was also a Dimensional Walker like me; his name was Aldren."

  Liria looked at him with narrowed eyes, not fully understanding.

  Kael continued, "We never knew about the relationship between him and the woman who was your mother. Only a few years ago did we find letters written by him, where he mentioned a woman... and a newborn daughter. Since then, we have done everything possible to find and rescue you. Your father died thirteen years ago, under mysterious circumstances..."

  Liria remained silent, shocked.

  “Both of us,” Kael added, “are part of an organization that fights against the oppression of the empires. We belong to the Cult of the Resplendent Dawn, one of the so-called ‘blessed cults.’”

  Deyar then intervened, “The blessed cults arose as a response to the brutality of the empires. We are few in number, but we fight to free our own, to restore balance. Unlike others, we do not use sacrifices or dark manipulations, only knowledge, resilience, and hope.”

  Kael looked back at Liria, “Children of Dimension Walkers have a small chance of inheriting that gift. That’s why we want to give you a special test. Few know of it. Will you allow us?”

  Liria took a deep breath and nodded.

  Kael pulled a strange object from his robes, a translucent sphere that emitted a faint glow. He murmured words in an ancient language and placed the sphere on Liria's outstretched palm. For a few seconds, nothing happened, then a bluish light began to spin within the crystal, gathering speed until a halo enveloped the girl's hand. A draft emerged from the sphere, stirring the hair of everyone in the room. Liria trembled, not from fear, but from something deeper, as if something within her was awakening.

  "Positive," Kael said in a small voice, visibly surprised. "You have the potential; you are an heir to the path."

  The silence that followed was absolute. Only the faint hum of the magical artifact filled the air. And in that instant, everything changed. Liria lowered her hand slowly, her eyes fixed on the fading glow.

  "I don't know what to think..." she whispered. "I don't know if I want this. All my life I've been dragged from one place to another, choosing nothing."

  Kael took a step forward. "I understand. But if you agree to join the Cult of the Dawn, you will have a purpose. You will be able to continue your father's path."

  "What if I don't want to follow that path?" Liria asked, her tone strained. "What if I don't want to live to fight?"

  Deyar intervened gently. "It's not an obligation, but it's an opportunity few have."

  Liria shifted her gaze to Joel. Her eyes searched for an answer, an anchor. He saw the fear in her gaze, but also a spark of hope, as if she wanted to believe her life could finally have some control.

  "What would you do?" she asked him.

  Joel shrugged thoughtfully. "Any path is the right one, even if it seems wrong... as long as you choose it decisively. Sometimes what matters isn't the destination, but the path you take, and that at the end of it, there are no regrets."

  Liria was silent for a few moments. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and finally said, her voice barely breaking:

  "I accept... but only if Joel comes with me."

  The magi exchanged a quick glance. Kael hesitated for a second, but then nodded slowly.

  "Then it shall be. You will both be part of the Dawn."