Keep running. Wyss had been running from his past for years, trying to escape the memories of that day. But no matter how far he ran, he could never shake the guilt that weighed heavily on his soul.
Unfortunately, as he ran from his past, its shadows lay in wait to rip into him. Wyss’ efforts to grow in power, working alongside his newfound allies in Sub-Rosa, led them to the depths of a great glacier in Icebeach – a place they had learned was where memories go to take shape and feed on the pain carried in one’s heart.
Sub-Rosa valiantly fought through the glacier, but in a moment of weakness their de facto leader, Davarian, was swallowed whole by a fiery creature resting in the water. Wyss rushed into conflict to save his friend, dodging and weaving through battle – all until he suddenly saw a vision of the tragedy from his past. It was like he was shunted backwards in time, seeing every gruesome detail of the destruction that had occurred in his hometown.
The vision was so vivid and intense that Wyss felt like he was reliving the event all over again. He could hear the screams of his mother, see the flames licking at the buildings, and feel the ground shaking beneath his feet. The overwhelming guilt he had felt before came crashing down on him once more, threatening to drown him in its intensity. He fell to his knees and begged his mother – or the ghost of her – for forgiveness, love, recognition, anything that could help him in this sea of guilt, but he was given no quarter from the blame he felt.
As he came back to reality, Wyss learned that his friend had died while he was lost in his own thoughts. He had failed to save his friend, and the guilt he felt was now compounded by the knowledge that his own weakness and inability to move past the traumas he had experienced had contributed to his friend’s death.
Wyss had lost all feeling, staring into space as he heard Tollin demand vengeance and Daki strike him across the face to bring back his senses. He realized that he had let himself be controlled by a phantom of his past, and that it had caused him to lose someone he cared about deeply. He knew that he had to face his past and come to terms with it if he ever wanted to have any peace of mind.
The vision had torn apart his emotional stability, leaving him broken and helpless. But as he sat there, grieving for his friend, he resolved to confront his past head-on, no matter how painful it might be. For he knew that only by facing his demons could he hope to overcome them and find the redemption he so desperately sought.
