She hit the ground hard with her back, and all the air left her lungs abruptly. Her vision was a blur of light and darkness. But after a few seconds, the colours started to seep in.

She lay motionless, trying to breathe, which was unexpectedly hard. The illumination died down, and she could see the pale grey sky again. The Lord Sun continued his slow journey through the firmament, indifferent to the dramatic movements down below.

Iris groaned, perked herself up on her elbows and looked around. The Mages were scattered all over the clearing, slowly scrambling back to their feet. Most of them looked around with confusion, mirroring what Iris felt. She turned toward the centre of the clearing. Most mirrors shattered, and fires were now barely glowing embers. The Crystal of Illumination was still sitting at the tripod, all its glow gone.

Something shimmering caught her attention. Iris looked up and opened her eyes wide in awe. There were specks of light flying all around her, like snow falling from the sky. She reached out her hand and tried to catch it, but it dissolved into nothing before it touched her skin. She looked in wonder for a moment. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. The specks of light were swirling around in a captivating dance, shimmering charmingly and then they were gone the next second.

Iris looked over where Marcus was. The moment she lay her eyes on him, she knew they failed. He was on his knees, looking blankly at the Crystal. His face contorted in a grimace full of unspeakable desperation. They tried, and they failed. The weight of this realisation fell on her like a rock, making it hard to breathe again. So, that was it? Were they naïve to hope they could fix the world? Undo the ill effect of people's greed? Wasn't it silly to think that they could do something no one else could?

'Hey, are you all right?' Kara asked, crouching next to her.

Iris looked at her blankly. 'I don't know.' Her head was pounding, and her vision was still blurry at the edges. She rubbed her eyes, feeling wet traces of tears.

'Come, let me help. On your feet.' Kara grabbed her arm and pulled her up, supporting her while she swayed unsteadily.

'Is everyone else unscathed?' Iris asked, looking around at Mages, slowly shaking off their daze.

'I hope so. It was a big explosion back there. But it seems it didn't do any harm except scattering you all over the place.'

'But it didn't work,' Iris said, her voice shaking. 'We failed.'

'Don't beat yourself up,' Kara said, patting her back gently. 'It was the first attempt. We still have time. I'm sure Marcus will think of something to make it work. Now come, sit here, and I'll fetch you some water. You look completely exhausted.'

It took quite a long time to gather everyone and ensure no one was seriously harmed during the Ritual. Fortunately, the worst injury was a sprained ankle. But the Mages' mental state was a completely different story. It showed on their faces a perfect reflection of Iris' feelings: disbelief, disappointment, helplessness. All the supporting people turned out to be absolute lifesavers. They were running around the shocked Mages fussing about them and making sure everyone was tended to and had something warm to drink. Iris was thankful for all those who were aiding them so selflessly.

At last, Marcus managed to collect himself, and the desperate, haunted look on his face she saw earlier was nowhere to be found. His brows were knitted, and his eyes focused while he discussed something with two other Mages. Maybe Kara was right, and they still have time. They must find a solution.

Something happened while they were gathering energy, though Iris was not sure what exactly. She remembered the swirling blackness and those cold, shadowy claws reaching out to her, and she shivered.

'Hey, are you ok?' she heard and looked up in surprise. Jayden was standing in front of her, his face pale, the dark circles under his eyes. He looked at her in genuine concern.

'I'm getting there,' she said honestly. 'You?'

'I'm dead tired,' he huffed and sat stiffly next to her. 'That didn't work out very well.'

' .' They sat in silence, sipping their drinks. Iris realised that for the first time, she didn't mind his company. Both were too exhausted for their usual bickering. She decided to use the temporary respite to get some information out of him. 'Jayden?'

'Hmm?' he muttered, not looking at her, his eyes following Marcus.

'During the Ritual, did you see something... strange?' she asked cautiously, tightening her fingers on the cup. She had to know if what she saw was real, or maybe just a product of her exhausted mind.

'Strange?' he asked and turned his head to look at her with a smirk. 'I would say the whole thing was strange, so you have to be more specific.'

'I saw glimpses of something. Like, some other place, replacing the surroundings. It was cold and dark. And there were... things there. Shadows, I think.'

'Huh, it seems you peeked into the Shadow Realm,' he mused, his smirk gone now, his face serious.

'You... haven't seen anything like this?' she asked, confused.

'I saw something, but it was just a glimpse in the corner of my eye,' he explained. 'When the significant amount of light magic has accumulated, the Veil between the realms is getting more transparent, so some Mages are more prone to look into the other side. It's connected to your magical potential. The stronger your Light, the easier it is to see through the Veil.'

'Oh, I see...'

'Are you sure you are fine? You're very pale.'

'Yes. This place... the Shadow Realm. It was unsettling.'

'How so?' he asked gently.

'I suddenly found myself alone there. Everything else disappeared,' Iris said, and the words just started to blurt out in a cascade. 'I blinked, and you were all gone. I was standing there, and I couldn't even lift my finger. There were so many Shadows all around me. And they were getting closer, and closer and....'

'Woah, easy there! You're safe now,' Jayden interrupted her and then, hesitantly, he wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulders. 'They can't hurt you while they are on the other side. Even if the Veil is thin, they still can't touch you.'

'Are you sure?' she asked and wiped unwanted tears with her sleeve. 'But it all felt so real. I felt cold and couldn't see any of you. Are you sure I wasn't there?'

'I was right next to you,' he said. 'I know it must have looked scary, but I assure you, you were here all along. The Shadows are extremely attracted to manifesting light. So, they all gathered at the other side of the Veil. That's why what you saw seemed so real.'

'I... I guess so.' Iris heart finally calmed down. She was on edge all this time because what she saw scared her out of her mind. But Jayden's simple words calmed her. 'Thank you. I'm sorry I'm such a scaredy-cat.'

'Don't mention it,' he withdrew his arm, and she suddenly felt cold without its warmth. She also noticed there was a touch of pink on his pale cheeks. 'It was a hard day for us all. Let's hope we can get some rest soon.'

Just then, Marcus signalled to everyone. He seemed to be finally ready to address them all. Iris hoped he came up with some new plan and there was still hope for them.

'Thank you all for today,' he said. His voice was strong, though you could hear the fatigue in it. 'I know you are all tired and disappointed. I am too. But we can't give up that easily. Yes, our first attempt was a failure. I accept that and take full responsibility for it. I assumed that having the Crystal of Illumination to amplify our magic and conducting the Ritual in a holy, ancient place would be enough to succeed. Unfortunately, it was not.

'We did make great progress today. We know we are going in the right direction. The amount of energy we collected was enormous, but we're still missing something. Unfortunately, I had to stop the Ritual because if we proceed any further, we would probably tear the hole in the Veil separating us from the Shadow Realm, and no one wants that to happen.' He paused and looked around at the tired, pale faces of other Mages.

'We were speculating about potential solutions. It seems I was wrong, assuming the place of the Ritual is meaningless. It might have been for the original Ritual. But for us to undo this failure require something more. I'm starting to agree with others that our best shot would be to conduct the Ritual in the original spot, where it took place all those years ago. Something was unleashed there, something that made our Lord Sun's power diminished, and I believe we need to be right there to claim it back.'

The silence fell when everyone mulled over the words and their implications. Finally, one of the Mages hesitantly raised her hand and asked. 'But the original Ritual site... is it not where the Inquisition build their Headquarters?'

'I'm afraid it is,' said Marcus. The gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire. 'I know it's a lot to process, and it's changing everything. But we are not making any decisions right now. We still have a couple of weeks to come up with a plan and consider all our options. We will not be rushing blindly into danger. That I can guarantee. We are all exhausted now, so let's head home, get some rest, and we'll get back to this matter tomorrow with clear heads.'

They gather all their things and set off back to the camp. It was still a long trek through the forest, and they were all worn out already. Most of them marched in silence. It felt completely different compared to their morning walk. Everyone was feeling the impossible weight of the decision they must make. If this was the only option, it complicated things—a lot. Iris caught herself thinking that there was just no way it could work. If they must be at Inquisition fortress... no, there was just no way. They were all doomed from the start.

It took them hours to reach the camp, so it was already dark when they walked in. They were greeted with expectant faces of people who remained there. They didn't have to say anything. One look at the solemn group was enough to guess the outcome of their attempt.

'Go, get some rest now,' ordered Marcus. 'I'll fill in the people on our discoveries.'

Everyone nodded, and they slowly dispersed towards different tents. Iris was grateful for that. She wasn't sure if she could stand another round of explaining their failure. The only thing she wanted now was to lie down and stop thinking. She found her tent in a daze and crawled under the blankets, not even bothering with undressing. She was asleep in seconds.

She didn't get a good rest. Soon after she drifted away, the silence of the night was pierced by a scream. Then another. And another. Iris sat up, rubbing her eyes, still groggy. She was not sure if she was dreaming or not. But then she heard another frantic cry. Feeling her stomach tighten and her heart pounding like crazy, she darted out of her tent and froze on the spot.

People were running in a panic all around her. Someone crashed into her so hard that she barely managed to keep her footing.

'What's happening?' she asked.

'You must run, now!' a young woman gasped, looking at her, her eyes wide, full of the purest terror. 'They found us! The Inquisition is here!'

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