§*/,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,/*§
§¤/~~~~,,¨ ¨,,~~~~/¤§
#@§*~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~*§@#
##@§¤*/~,¨ ¨,~/*¤§@##
##@§¤*/~,¨ ¨,~/*¤§@##
@@§§¤*/~,¨ ¨¨¨/¨¨¨ ¨,~/*¤§§@@
###§¤*/~,¨ 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... ¨,~/*¤@###
@§*~~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~~*§@
###@§¤/~,¨ ¨,~/¤§@###
§§§*~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~*§§§
§***~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~***§
#§*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*§#