§§&%~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~%&§§
@&%%/.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨./%%&@
##@§&%/~.¨ ¨.~/%&§@##
@&%%//~.¨¨ ¨¨.~//%%&@
§%%~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~%%§
##@§&%/~.¨ ¨¨¨/¨¨¨ ¨.~/%&§@##
##@§&%/~.¨ 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... .~/%&§@###
@§%~~~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~~~%§@
#§§§&%/~.¨ ¨.~/%&§§§#
###@§&/~.¨ ¨.~/&§@###
@@§&/~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~/&§@@
##@§&%/~.¨ ¨.~/%&§@##