The Echo Blades
---
The obsidian walls of the sanctuary shimmered faintly, pulsing like a slumbering heart. Kael trailed behind Theron, flanked by two silent warriors, their masked faces unreadable. Every footstep echoed like thunder in the vast, dark halls.
"This place feels… wrong," Kael muttered.
"Not wrong," Theron corrected. "Old. The Echo Blades have lived here since the first realm split. They study the Veils. Guard the secrets others buried."
Kael glanced sideways. "What do they want with me?"
Theron didn't answer.
At the end of the corridor, the air thickened — charged with a presence Kael couldn't name. The chamber ahead was circular, its ceiling lost in shadow. At its center stood a pedestal, and upon it, a crystalline shard floated mid-air, spinning slowly.
It called to him.
The moment Kael stepped inside, the shard flashed — and reacted.
Symbols lit across the walls. Wind howled from nowhere. The warriors froze, drawing weapons — not at the shard, but him.
Sylis entered, calm as ever.
"Well," she said coolly, "that settles it."
Kael's eyes darted from the shard to her. "What just happened?"
"You're connected to the Shard of Convergence. It only responds to those who've been touched by all three Veils."
Kael frowned. "Three?"
Theron spoke, voice low. "Life. Void. And Truth."
Kael blinked. "Truth?"
Sylis stepped forward. "The most dangerous of them. The Veil that sees everything. Even what should not be known."
The shard glowed brighter as she approached.
Sylis studied Kael's face. "There are three realms, boy — and each has a Veil. Most people are born beneath one. Some rare few can harness the power of two. But you…"
She extended her hand toward him.
"…You are the first in a thousand years born with all three."
---
Kael sat alone in a chamber carved into the cliffside, wind howling against the open window. His mind churned with everything they'd said — with everything he felt.
Born beneath all three Veils? What did that even mean? Why him?
And the whispers… they were louder now. Clearer.
They didn't speak in words. Not exactly. But emotions. Urges.
Break the seal.
Find the second Shard.
The Hunt begins.
Kael gripped the edge of the stone table, knuckles white. He didn't understand these voices. He didn't want any of this.
But deep down, a part of him thrived on it.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
It was a girl — about his age. Long ash-blonde hair, eyes like frozen steel. She carried a tray of food, but her gaze lingered on him with open curiosity.
"You're the one they're whispering about," she said, setting the tray down.
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You don't look like the servant type."
She smirked. "That's because I'm not. Name's Elara. Apprentice to Seer Sylis. And occasional babysitter for confused boys with world-shattering powers."
Kael snorted. "Great. I needed a sarcastic life coach."
She leaned against the door. "You're a threat, you know."
"Because of what's inside me?"
She nodded. "Because no one knows why it chose you. Or what you'll become."
Kael looked away.
Elara's voice softened. "Just… don't go dark on us. The last 'gifted' they found here nearly tore the mountain down."
"Did he survive?"
"No," she said quietly. "But the mountain did."
---
Later that night, Kael dreamed again.
Not of fire. But of stone. Towering gates. Chains made of light.
He stood before a great door with three keyholes, each glowing a different hue — gold, black, and violet.
Behind it, something vast breathed.
You are the Key, the whispers said. But which door will you open?
He reached out—
The vision shattered.
---
Kael woke, gasping, as the sky outside turned pale with dawn. The Veil stirred.
And somewhere deep in the north, far beyond the Hollow Ridges, a second shard awakened — and so did something hunting it.
A creature with no face, only hunger.
The game had begun.