##@§$**~^. .^~**$§@##
@@$$*^^... ...^^*$$@@
§§§**~~^.. ..^~~**§§§
##@§$**~^. .^~**$§@##
@@@§$**~^. .^~**$§@@@
@$*^...... ...*... ......^*$@
§$***^^... NAFTAKIN, THE BLIND ...^^***$§
###§$**~^. ...*... .^~**$§###
##@§$**~^. .^~**$§@##
##@§$**~^. A STUDENT AT THE CHARCOAL GUILD... HIS .^~**$§@##
§$$$**^^^. EYES SEWN SHUT FROM BIRTH... THE MOST .^^^**$$$§
§*~~^..... SUCCESSFUL STUDENT .....^~~*§
##@§$**~^. .^~**$§@##
§§$***^... BUT ONE DAY HE FELL DOWN INTO A CRYSTAL ...^***$§§
#§*~...... CAVERN. IT WAS DEEP IN THE MOUNTAIN, A ......~*§#
##@§$**~^. GREAT HALL WITH ONLY A SINGLE TINY .^~**$§@##
@$**~..... INLET FOR BOTH LIGHT AND FALLING .....~**$@
##@§$**~^. STUDENTS... .^~**$§@##
###@§**~^. .^~**§@###
@§§$*~~^.. IN THE FALL, THE QUARTZ SLICED OFF THE ..^~~*$§§@
@@$$*~^^.. THREADS IN HIS EYES, OPENING THEM FOR ..^^~*$$@@
@$*^...... THE FIRST TIME. BEFORE HIM, THE ......^*$@
@$***~~^.. CRYSTALS MIRRORED AND REFRACTED THE ONE ..^~~***$@
@@§§$**~^. LIGHT SMIDGE INTO A WHOLE NIGHT SKY, .^~**$§§@@
@$*^^..... AND HE WAS STRUCK DOWN WITH AWE .....^^*$@
##@§$**~^. .^~**$§@##
##@§$**~^. BUT ALSO WITH SHAME, BECAUSE HIS EYES .^~**$§@##
##@§$**~^. HAD SEEN. HURRIEDLY, HE USED THREAD .^~**$§@##
###§$**~^. FROM HIS ROBE TO SEW THEM BACK .^~**$§###
@@$*^..... TOGETHER, AND WHEN HELP CAME HE DID NOT .....^*$@@
###§$**~^. TELL OF HIS TRANSGRESSION. .^~**$§###
###§$**~^. .^~**$§###
§$$*^^.... FOR YEARS HE STUDIED AT THE GUILD. HE ....^^*$$§
##@§$**~^. BECAME A MASTER, AND THEN A PILGRIM. .^~**$§@##
##@§$**~^. YET THE IMAGE FROM THE CAVE NEVER LEFT .^~**$§@##
§$*^...... HIM. ......^*$§
###§$**~^. .^~**$§###
@§*****~^. AT THE END OF HIS LIFE, WHEN AT THE .^~*****§@
##@§$**~^. EDGE OF THE WORLD HE OPENED HIS EYES .^~**$§@##
§$$$**^^^. FOR A SECOND TIME, STARS HAD HATCHED IN .^^^**$$$§
§****^.... THEM... ....^****§
§*~~...... ......~~*§
##@§$**~^. .^~**$§@##
##@§$**~^. .^~**$§@##
@§$$***~^. .^~***$$§@
#§***^^^.. ..^^^***§#