###@¤%^:,¨ ¨,:^%¤@### ¤¤%:,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,:%¤¤ @@¤^^:,,,¨ ¨,,,:^^¤@@ ##@¤%^:-,¨ ¨,-:^%¤@## ###@¤%^:,¨ ¨,:^%¤@### @@¤¤%^:-,¨ ¨¨¨:¨¨¨ ¨,-:^%¤¤@@ ##@¤%^:-,¨ 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... ¨¨¨¨¨¨,:%@ @@%^:--,,¨ ¨,,--:^%@@ ##@¤%^:-,¨ ¨,-:^%¤@## ##@¤%^:-,¨ ¨,-:^%¤@## ###@¤%^-,¨ ¨,-^%¤@### ###@%^:-,¨ ¨,-:^%@### ##@¤%^:-,¨ ¨,-:^%¤@##