The silence stretched between them.
Even as they moved deeper into the ruins, Kael couldn't shake the feeling of unseen eyes pressing against him. The presence from before—whoever, whatever it was—hadn't left his thoughts.
Ronan, ever the one to break tension, let out an exaggerated sigh.
"So, are we just gonna pretend we didn't feel that thing watching us, or is this some silent agreement to ignore the terrifying unknown?"
Neither Kael nor Varian responded immediately.
Kael's fingers twitched at his side. He'd felt watched before, hunted even. But this time… it was different.
It wasn't just a feeling. It was a certainty.
Varian, walking ahead, finally spoke, though his voice was distant. "If it wanted to attack, it would have. It was observing."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Observing what?"
Varian didn't answer.
The ruins expanded before them—crumbling walls etched with intricate symbols, towering pillars shattered by time. Despite the decay, there was power here, lingering in the air like a whisper just beyond hearing.
Varian moved with precision, his gaze scanning the ancient inscriptions. He trailed his fingers along the carvings, muttering to himself before finally speaking.
"This isn't just old writing," he said. "It's a cipher. Whoever built this place didn't want just anyone reading it."
Kael stepped closer. His eyes traced the symbols—and something inside him stirred.
Why did they feel familiar?
The Veil pulsed in his mind, responding before he even consciously reached for it. His fingers brushed against the carvings, and instantly—
A jolt ran through him.
The air around him shifted, like reality itself had momentarily twisted. A sharp sensation rushed through his head—not pain, but recognition.
For a split second, he saw—not with his eyes, but with something deeper.
A structure stretching into infinity. A door that should never be opened. A voice that did not belong to him whispering:
"You are not the first."
He stumbled back, breath sharp. The moment passed, and the ruins returned to their silent stillness.
Varian watched him carefully. "I told you not to push too deep."
Kael swallowed. He wasn't sure what had just happened—but it had felt like something had looked back at him.
While Kael was still recovering from the experience, Ronan—who had been keeping watch—let out a curious hum.
"Okay, so I don't know about you two and your whole 'mystical visions of doom' thing, but I think I found something weird."
Kael and Varian turned to see him crouched near a half-buried slab of stone.
It was an inscription—but unlike the ones
Varian had been reading, this one was different. The symbols were similar, but not identical.
Varian's expression darkened as he examined it. "This… contradicts what's written here."
Kael frowned. "How?"
Varian gestured between the writings. "This ruin tells a story of something sealed. But this… this one speaks of something released."
Ronan exhaled. "Fantastic. Just what we need. A contradiction in ancient horror stories."
But Kael had an unsettling thought.
What if both were true?
Before they could dwell on it, the ruins shifted.
The air thickened. The Veil itself seemed to tremble, and then—movement.
A deep, resonating sound vibrated through the stone. The ground beneath them trembled, dust and debris shaking loose from above.
Then, they came.
Shadows rippled from the carvings. Figures half-formed, twisted, flickering in and out of existence. They had no eyes, no faces—just jagged, shifting forms.
Kael tensed. The Veil around him pulsed, and without thinking, he reached for it.
But something was wrong.
His power… it didn't respond the same way.
One of the figures lunged. Kael moved, dodging to the side—but his movements weren't as smooth, not as fluid as before. His connection to the Veil was still there, but it felt… altered.
He had been relying on instinct. But now—now he needed control.
Varian and Ronan fought alongside him,
Varian moving with deliberate precision, striking at weak points only he could perceive. Ronan's form blurred, his body adapting, shifting as he wove through the enemies.
Kael clenched his fists. He had to stop treating the Veil as something that simply reacted.
Shape it. Direct it. Control it.
He took a breath, forcing his mind to focus.
The Veil wasn't just a presence—it was a medium. A force that he could bend.
A shadow surged toward him. This time, he didn't just react—he commanded.
The Veil wrapped around him, twisting space itself, and in a flash, he was behind the creature. His strike landed cleanly—this time, with intent.
The shadows hissed as they began to retreat, the ruins shuddering in response.
As the battle subsided, something clicked in the ruins.
A deep rumble echoed as a section of the wall shifted, revealing a hidden chamber. Within—
A pedestal.
And resting on it—a sealed artifact, humming with power.
Varian's gaze darkened. "We've found it."
Kael didn't know why, but… looking at it made his mark burn.
Something about this artifact was tied to him.
And that terrified him.
Unbeknownst to them, in the darkness beyond the ruins, Rellian watched.
He had seen the way Kael moved, the way the Veil responded to him.
But more than that—he had seen Kael hesitate.
A slow smile crept across his face.
"Not yet," he murmured. "But soon."
Then, without a sound, he vanished.