Radiance within the Forlorn Forest

A time in the not so distant past, his mother used to tell him fairy tales about a Golden City. It was fictional, yet the younger Veritas believed it to be real. 

She described it as a city shimmering, and glistening, radiating the light of the sun and shining upon every direction. It was gold, pure gold, it was believed to be a once prosperous city turned into gold by a mad Pathbearer. 

In the fairy tales that she told, the Pathbearer was described to have been very sad. Thus, with his tears, came the golden apocalypse, turning every building, human, and everything in the vicinity to be solid. 

In the end, all he could do was weep, for everything that he once had is destroyed by his very own hands. 

One could only daydream, Veritas thought. In this vast, dark, and lonely landscape. A glimmer of gold means a ray of hope, it could be the Golden City in the fairy tales that he'd heard from his mother. Or.. it could just be treasure.

He'd hoped for the former. 

Veritas continued to head over to the glimmer in the distance. Holding the knife in his hands, he was prepared for something to come, so he had to keep his guard up. There might be a wolf or a wild boar that came charging at him. Nevertheless, he was prepared to kill anything. 

For a few moments, the golden glimmer never seemed to get bigger. It was still the same size as he saw it. Yet now.. He could see remnants, as if it were shining brighter and louder than ever before. 

The forlorn forest loomed over him, darkness and shadows covered everything, yet light still seeped from the leaves of the trees. The trees themselves are huge, they seemed to reach the sky becoming great in all aspects. The trunks were the size of an average peasant house, and the leaves were as big as his head. The soft cold breeze touched his body, whispering in his ears, and making him feel soothed. 

Along his journey, he had not stopped trying to use his Attunement, but it was to no avail. Without a soul, he could not even live, yet alone to use an Attunement. All he could do was to keep trying and notice some difference but alas it had not shown. 

However, Veritas prepared to visualize the wind to his will. So the time when he gets his soul back, he would know how to use it. It was only visualizing of course, yet that was already a big step in his endeavor. 

Veritas thought about the different aspects of his soul. First, was his Path, now that he had received his Attunement, he expected it to have correlation or similarities to it. It was almost the same as his father after all. 

His father, Julius, was attuned as the Pillar of the Winds, he onced described it as the cornerstone that guides the winds. In simpler terms, he was the wind himself and he guided it. Wherever his wind goes, there will be peace.. or blood. Similarly, his Path was Guidance, at first he was confused by this yet throughout the years he had learned of its correlation to his Attunement. 

To be the wind, he must guide, and with guidance lies a true king. 

He was a Pillar and a Guide, this suited him the best as a King. He had guided his people through famine, he had guided his people towards peace, and he had guided his kingdom into prosperity. 

Veritas held much respect for his father for this. 

As for his Soul Rank, he described it as Beyond, a rank that transcended human purity. 

The Soul Ranks went something like this, Untouched, Impure, Pure, Beyond, Hallowed, and nothing more is known above that. 

In history, there hasn't been a recorded person above Hallowed, maybe it was reserved for Demigods or Gods. Scholars say that those that ascend above Hallowed are not human anymore. Some say that those that transcend Hallowed leads to the Abyss. While others say that they lead to the Divine itself. 

Even Kings have only reached Beyond. Hallowed has only been achieved by a few people from history. Such as the Ancient Blessed of Fire, Artorius. He was said to have climbed 4 layers of hell and returned to tell the tale.

As for Untouched, it was quite self-explanatory. Those that haven't yet touched their souls remained Untouched thus similar to the normal people. Yet they were better due to the fact that they can gaze at their soul. 

Impure were the majority of the Pathbearers. Throughout most of their lives, Impurity fills their soul. Achieving a complete or Pure soul was a major hurdle and could not be achieved by most. 

Those with Pure souls resonate with their mind and body. They can feel the Soul surging through every part of their physical aspect. These are the masters of the Soul and there are only some that have achieved this state. 

To be a Beyond is such an amazing feat. To think that Father is a Beyond means that he is a Pillar of Humanity himself. In my life, I hope to achieve that rank of my soul. However, I must face the hurdle that I am experiencing right now. 

The glimmer in the distance was now gradually increasing in size. Although due to its radiance, he could not see what was actually inside the glimmer. He could only continue further.

For what seemed like an hour or so, the progress that Veritas made was substantial. He could see the glimmer more closely now and he was getting closer and closer to the source. 

In his surroundings, he noticed quite a few things. First, the trees are covered with a shave of gold. There were particles among the air and the leaves were transmuted. He was heading to a golden source! 

Although it is dangerous to traverse the golden landscape, he was not worried. He felt eased somehow. 

Thus, he could only continue further and further. 

Until, he reached the source.

Around him was a golden paradise, the trees were shining, the air was glittering, and even the darkness was gone, replaced by the radiance of gold. 

However, the most radiant out of everything in his surroundings was the source. 

As he got closer to the source of the golden paradise, he noticed the great sunlight shining down on it. It was the source of the reflections of radiance, and it lit up everything in the vicinity. 

Veritas looked up and noticed a large gaping hole above the golden trees. It was as if something had broken or forced their way out of the forest. It was cracked, messy, and broken. 

"How concerning." 

He was worried, yet there was nothing he could do but to pursue further. 

Now, he was almost at the source, the brilliant radiance was blinding; he could not see what the sun was shining upon. And if a singular ray of sunlight was focused on that one source, then it would be glowing hot. He had prepared himself. 

The brilliant radiance of the reflection from the Sun felt warm. After spending a long time in the cold breeze of the forlorn forest, it was.. nice to say the least.

And now.. He had finally come and reached the source. His eyes were closed, fearing that he would instantly be blinded the moment he opened them. So, he used his hands to reach.

His hand touched a side of the source, he was surprised! It was not hot after all, it was only warm to the touch, almost comforting in a way. 

He checked the sides and the corners, it seemed rectangular in a way. The source was taller than him and it was as smooth as gold. Then, he moved on to the middle. At first he noticed some ridges and patterns, it was like a laurel or some grains. 

Then he noticed something, a circular object connected to the rectangular source. It was.. A door knob!

Could it be that the source was actually a golden door? Was it open or not?

Veritas tried to confirm by rotating the knob and pulling it. When he rotated it, he heard a click that unlocked the door from the frame.

Nonetheless it was heavy, it was gold after all! He was going to have time pulling the door.

After trying to pull it with one hand and failing, he decided to use both. With all his strength, he pulled. He pulled with his arm strength, and his body weight, using his legs as a base. 

He made little progress. At first it didn't seem to budge but then he noticed that the door was getting pulled towards him. And after a few minutes of effort and strength, he finally managed to open it ajar. 

Of course, Veritas couldn't peek through it as the radiant light of the reflection would instantly blind him. So he continued pulling until finally he could fit in the half-opened door.

Using his hands as his eyes, he touched and felt where the half-opened hole was and slid into it. 

It could not fit him whole but it was enough to squeeze himself inside. 

In his thoughts, it could just be a normal door, therefore he would end up on the other side of it. Yet, a lingering thought resided in his mind. 

It could be a pathway or a portal, a radiant door in the middle of nowhere was something quite peculiar in itself. He had to find out for himself. 

For now, he slid into the radiating door and made his way to the other side. 

The warmth of the sun gradually descended and he was then met with a cold breeze once more. Veritas felt the radiance vanish from within his eyes, so he carefully opened them. 

"Thi- This! What happened-"

Welcoming his eyes were ruins and destruction.

It was a ruined city, it gave off the feeling of once a glorious city that was now turned into a remnant of its shining past. 

"Is this?-"

He could not be mistaken, the buildings and houses were broken down. Light was near nonexistent, and the landscape was filled with desolation. 

"The Golden City!"