“What is this?” Kael muttered. “Some kind of… system message?” Glowing words floated in front of his eyes. They didn’t fade like the faces of the people he’d lost. That night, Kael lay on the rooftop beside a small fire, keeping him warm from the cold wind. Thessa had made it clear to him that he wasn’t leaving until he shattered the rock. Only then would she consider him worthy to be her student. He sighed deeply, staring at the stone resting a few feet away. Kael had thought about cheating, maybe breaking the rock with something hard and pretending he did it himself. It would be easy, and none would be the wiser. But the thought made his stomach turn. If he lied now, that would mean betraying his own promise of attaining strength. And ultimately, dying again, only this one he might not come back from. Rubbing his aching forehead, Kael turned his attention back to the glowing text. The more he stared, the more his curiosity grew. “This still doesn’t make sense,” he murm