This has to be the first test, he told himself, though uncertainty twisted in his stomach. A soft whisper floated from the stream in front of him, a melody that swam through the air, hauntingly familiar. Sounding suspiciously like the tune Sienna always hummed.

Inhaling sharply, he took a step closer, drawn forward by an irresistible pull. He leaned over the calm surface, its reflective shimmering like a glassy shield. As his eyes searched the water, he found more than his reflection. He was drawn into the river, and into the recesses of his own mind.

Suddenly, the world around him melted away, and he was submerged in a dreamscape of his own creation. Reality faded, and the whisper of the stream transformed into the laughter of his childhood, the sounds of days long gone echoing like a heartbeat in the silence.

He stood in a meadow, vibrant with wildflowers. Lush green grass, bold reds and pinks of blooming petals, and the dreamy sky overhead. But even with the beauty, a shadow flickered at the edge of his vision.

“You really think you can do this?” The voice slithered from the shadows beyond the blossoms, dark and familiar, weaving through his thoughts like a poisonous vine. It was a voice he had fought to silence for years, a haunting echo of every naysayer who’d crossed his path, reminding him he would never amount to anything.

“You’re just wasting your time.” The shadow taunted, smooth as silk but sharp enough to cut. “You’re in over your head. The legends of Valor? Just stories. You’re just a boy chasing fantasies.”

With every syllable, Leon felt a tightness in his chest. This wasn’t the first time he had faced the voice in the shadows, but usually, it was his own voice.

“Remember the last time you tried to prove yourself?” The voice was low now, insidious. “How she suffered because you were too scared to admit you were wrong?” The words were a dagger, plunging deep, igniting ashes of a memory he wished he could bury. Vivian’s scream echoed through him, an unbearable sound that rendered him paralyzed. He stumbled back, unwilling to relive that terrible day, the tragedy that had unfolded before his eyes like a nightmare he couldn’t escape.

“If you want to succeed,” the voice whispered, silky yet menacing, “you have to face the music. You have to choose. Regret or redemption.” There was a silence that followed, thick and suffocating, the absence of its taunting swirling around him.

Leon steadied himself, fists clenching and unclenching. His heart raced so fiercely that he felt it could break free from its cage. Yet within that chaos, there was an ember of resilience. He was tired of the echoes of his failures dictating his path.

“I refuse to make the same mistakes,” he murmured. “Viv, I’m sorry.” The words tumbled out, raw but honest, imbued with a weight that settled heavily on his shoulders like a cloak of grief. “I never thought your own brother would hurt you. If I had believed you, maybe things could have been different for both of us.”

He dropped to his knees, the earth cool beneath him, reminding him of every choice that had led him here. 

Leon looked up, catching the flutter of a shadow in his periphery. When he glanced toward the meadow, a figure stood before him. Beautiful golden hair, flowing like a stream of sunlight, and eyes as blue as the ocean waves. Her gaze was unwavering, though it wavered as she lifted a hand toward him.

His breath caught in his throat, and he watched in wonder as the air around her seemed to bend, pulling her forward, until she stood before him.

Vivian.

The same girl he had loved so fiercely, the first person he had ever wanted to protect. The only one who had never thought less of him, no matter how hard he had tried to prove otherwise. Her cheeks were wet with tears, but she didn't speak. Instead she reached out to him, yet her hand was closed.

Tentatively, he lifted his own hand, feeling the warm rush of blood as it pulsed beneath his skin. The space between them was almost unbearable, an ache that he could only describe as longing, as if their hearts were reaching for one another.

Then he saw it—a glimmer red in the palm of Vivian's hand. It was the bracelet charms he had given her when they were younger, A ruby heart, a silver and aquamarine key, a jaguar, and a potion bottle. He'd always thought the potion bottle was his favorite, though he wasn't sure why.

Leon took it from Vivian's hand, feeling the familiar weight as he cradled it close to his heart. As he opened the bracelet, he discovered the final charm, a golden ring with a tiny sapphire embedded at its center. His heart ached with an intensity that seemed to reach for her.

"I never stopped loving you," he murmured, forcing tears from his eyes.

Vivian reached up, touching her fingers to his cheek. The ache in his chest transformed into a wave of emotion, as if he had finally been able to breathe after a lifetime of drowning.

He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her breath as she spoke. "I forgive you, Leon. You can still be a good man."

Her words were like a key turning in a lock. The meadow faded around him and he began feeling Vivian's presence fade away, not before a whispered, "I love you," followed.

With a jolt, Leon sat up in the stream, finding himself back in the present. He was drenched, though the water was cool as it washed over his skin. When he turned, the creatures stared back, their curiosity matching his own.

He stood, legs slightly unsteady, though he forced himself to take a step forward. But he couldn't stop staring at the charms.

Somehow, he knew what to do. He stepped toward the black beast, carefully reaching out to stroke its fur. "Just because you look scary and dark, doesn't mean you are."

The beast stared at him for a moment before it let out a low, rumbling purr. Leon's fingers danced across the fur, as he whispered, "I choose redemption."

There was a deep, heavy silence, like the calm before a storm.


The beast bowed, a graceful arch of its neck that radiated pride and acceptance. It wasn’t just a creature beneath him, this creature was a friend. Leon carefully swung his leg over it, and the world around him transformed. Each powerful thump of its paws echoed through the earth.

They surged forward, breaching the edge of a forest illuminated by the swirling golds and ambers of the setting sun. Just before plunging into the trees, Leon cast one last glance toward the river, sensing someone watching. Vivian stood there, a silhouette against the shimmering water. “Thank you,” he whispered, hoping his words could traverse the distance and reach her heart.

Then, like a whisper of the wind, he urged the creature forward, delving deeper into the unknown.