Rayfe woke in a familiar wooden cottage, in his simple bed.

  Stretching, Rayfe slowly sat up.

  “Rayfe? Rayfe, wake up! Breakfast is ready.” A deep voice sounded from outside his room door.

  Rayfe paused. Because this was a voice he knew. This was a voice he spent his entire life hearing. The laughs, the jokes, the serious conversations, they were all in this steady booming voice.

  But this couldn’t be true. It could not.

  “Dad….?”

  “Yes, Rayfe. Hurry up. Your breakfast is going to cool.” His father’s voice spoke again, sounding impatient this time.

  Rayfe’s hands shook with emotion. He could barely stand up as he walked on shaky legs towards the door, where his father might lie behind. “Dad… is it really you?”

  He opened the door. Outside stood his father, his tall and muscular frame almost blocking out the doorway. Down the corridor he could catch a faint glimpse of his mother’s gentle smile, and he could hear Selene’s playful laugh.

  “Dad…” Tears rolled down his face and onto the floor below like an avalanche.

  “I had a nightmare… You were all gone… You… Mom… Selene… I thought I had lost all of you…”

  Rayfe ran into his father’s open arms, sobbing into his broad chest.

  “It’s okay, Rayfe. You’re okay. I’m here now.” His father reassured him, hugging him closer.

  But Rayfe kept crying and crying, until his father’s comforting words felt like a murmur.

  Then he looked up. The wooden roof was gone. Replacing it was a crimson sky. The sun was large and imposing, no longer white but glowing a deep, bloody red. Clouds were set on fire in vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow. The ashes of the burning clouds fell down like raindrops, scattering around him.

  Rayfe was no longer hugging his father. He was hugging a corpse, a corpse that shared his father’s face. Beside it lay the corpse of his mother.

  His father’s corpse spoke first. “Rayfe. You left me to die. You left all of us to die. All this just so you could get that Rift-stone.”

  “No… Dad… No… I didn’t. I didn’t want to lose you. I don’t want the stone.”

  His mother’s corpse spoke next. “Rayfe… You should have died with us. You should not be alive. Why… Why do we have to die, but you get to survive?”

  “Mom… No…”

  Fresh tears spilled from his eyes, flowing down the almost dried tear-marks.

  A timid voice echoed behind Rayfe.

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  “Rayfe? I’m scared…”

  Rayfe turned around. “Selene?”

  Her small frame sat encased in a small iron cage, the imposing metal enclosure not large enough to let her stand.

  “Selene… I’ll save you. I’ll save you. I promise.”

  “But you didn’t save me when those bandits kidnapped me.” Her innocent voice was tinged with coldness as she pointed out the hard truth.

  “I’m sorry… Selene. I’m sorry… Mom. I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

  The world seemed to crumble around him, a ring of fire surrounding Rayfe, Selene and the two corpses.

  “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry… I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY…. I couldn’t do anything…”

  Selene said no word, those now blank eyes stared at him, in contrast with her usually warm attitude.

  “I’m sorry…” Rayfe gasped out, tears forming a small puddle at his feet. The world started shaking. He became increasingly disoriented, and his feet folded beneath him, his head hitting the ashen floor.

  “Rayfe?” A low raspy voice rang into his ears, splitting all the noise in his head.

  “Rayfe. Wake up.” Silas said once more. Rayfe became increasingly conscious of strong arms shaking his shoulders, and the wetness of tears clinging onto his clothes.

  “I’m sorry…” Rayfe kept quietly sobbing.

  “Rayfe. Rayfe, listen to me.” Silas gently shook his shoulders, but Rayfe was still trapped in his trance-like state.

  “Rayfe!” Silas yelled. It was the first time he had raised his voice.

  Rayfe fell silent. “…Silas?” He croaked. The stern face slowly focused into view, those eagle-like eyes flashed with a sliver of concern.

  Silas slowly released Rayfe’s shoulders. He looked out of the window, where the first traces of sunrise could be seen piercing the night sky.

  “Must be hard on you. You’re just a kid.”

  “Why? Why did I survive?” Rayfe stared at his hands, wet with tears. A few days ago it was slick with blood.

  Silas’s eyes slowly followed his, as if he too saw the rivers of blood that flowed in his village.

  “No one can answer that question. What matters now is… that you are alive. And your sister is alive. You are the only one who can save your sister. Remember that. Remember your dream.”

  Rayfe tensed up at the mention of his sister, Selene. “Selene… Yes. I’ll save her. Silas. Teach me. Teach me how to save Selene. Please…”

  As Rayfe wiped his tears and got off his knees, He realised one thing - he was nowhere near ready to face the vast chaotic world.

  Which was why he needed to learn. Learn to survive, learn to adapt, and learn to fight.

  And he had a teacher.

  “Let’s go.”

  Rayfe and Silas walked through the pale sunrise, skipping breakfast.

  Soon, they arrived at the field that Rayfe had trained in yesterday.

  “How I discovered my echo’s rules was by asking questions.” Silas started explaining. “What can my shadow do? How many shadows can I make? Does a shadow disappear after I leave it alone? Can I control its temperature? Its mass? All of these I answered. And that is how I discovered the rules of my echo.”

  “Of course, there are probably still rules that I haven’t yet discovered. But the key is to keep asking questions. Find out your rules. The more you know your echo… the more effective it will be when fighting.”

  “Now… Yesterday when you first opened your gate here… I said that we’ve discovered the first rule… and it is that I can push open the door as well.”

  “But… How is that going to help me?” Rayfe questioned.

  “Anything that you can or cannot do with your echo is a rule. The more you know about your echo, the better. For example, if you hide something important behind that door, and an enemy is able to push it open whenever you open it, it isn’t very secure, is it?”

  Rayfe nodded. It made sense to him. If the door was only accessible to him, then it would be much more secure.

  “Now… ask a question of your own, and then test it out.”

  “A question of my own…” Rayfe fell into thought.

  “Can I store items in the door… and take them out later?”

  Silas gave a nod of encouragement.

  Rayfe closed his eyes and concentrated again. When he opened his eyes, the door was there. It still amazed him how it was possible for him to do that.

  He picked up a small rock, pushed open the door, and placed it inside the chamber. He then closed the door.

  He imagined the door disappearing, and it did.

  “Now… open the door again to check.”

  Rayfe imagined the door appearing again.

  He pushed it open, revealing the small chamber.

  Inside contained a small rock.

  “That’s the first rule you tested. Now… I’ll go hunt for some food. You stay here. Keep asking questions. Keep testing your echo. Rest when you have no mana. I expect you to have some basic grasp of your echo when I’m back. If you hear any movement or see anyone approaching, hide in the tall grass. Do not come into the forest.”

  He promptly turned around and strode away into the woods.

  Rayfe, taken aback by his sudden disappearance, paused for a while before he started thinking about his second question.

  “What if I try to open multiple doors at once?”