¶&§§=^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^=§§&¶
#¶&&@§=»^¨ ¨^»=§@&&¶#
##¶&@§=»^¨ ¨^»=§@&¶##
&@§»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»§@&
¶&@@@§=»^¨ ¨^»=§@@@&¶
##¶&@§=»^¨ ¨¨¨=¨¨¨ ¨^»=§@&¶##
#&@=^^¨¨¨¨ 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... ¨¨^^==§@
¶¶@==^^^^¨ ¨^^^^==@¶¶
#&§§§»»^¨¨ ¨¨^»»§§§
##¶&@§=»^¨ ¨^»=§@&¶##
##¶&@§=»^¨ ¨^»=§@&¶##
###¶&@=»^¨ ¨^»=@&¶###