Kieran had never been to the Veins of Caldrath.
Few had.
The understructure beneath the city—twisting tunnels and ancient halls left by a civilization older than the kingdom itself. Forgotten by most, but not all.
Guild rumors spoke of cults, old blood, and darker things kept under the capital's feet for a reason.
Kieran didn't believe in ghost stories.
But this wasn't a story.
It was a summons.
And it was signed in the name of his mother.
The Letter
The parchment had appeared in his satchel.
No one had seen who left it. No scent. No trace.
Only a symbol burned into the seal:
A broken crown eclipsed by a crescent void.
Inside, in looping ink:
"Come to the Veins. Beneath the south tower.Bring no one.You must know the truth of your blood."
Kieran didn't hesitate.
The Descent
He followed old maps and guild tunnels until stone turned to bone-colored walls. Strange murals lined the path—faces without eyes, hands raised in warning or worship.
Then, the chamber.
It was circular, lined with shattered statues, and at the center: a woman in a cloak of dusk, hood low, standing beside a shattered pedestal.
She didn't turn.
She didn't need to.
"You have her eyes," the woman said softly.
Kieran froze. "You knew my mother?"
"I am her sister."
The woman lifted her hood.
She had Kieran's red eyes.
A Legacy Buried
Her name was Serel.
She told him the truth:
Their bloodline was one of the last remaining High Voidborne—nobility of the first age, those gifted not just with void sense, but with the ability to channel memory itself.
Their mother had fled the capital during a purge—escaping into Eldoria to keep him hidden.
"They feared her. Feared you. So they buried the name. Kieran… you're not just a survivor. You're the last spark of a blood they failed to extinguish."
Kieran's breath slowed.
He should've felt afraid.
But the Blessing of the Late Bloomer kept him steady.
"Then why summon me now?" he asked.
Serel's smile vanished.
"Because your awakening was a signal. And now the old guard within Caldrath—the ones who killed your mother—they know you're alive."
She pointed to the wall behind her.
Carved there, fresh and still dripping black ink, was a symbol he recognized from his encounter with the Failed One.
The same cracked mask.
"He was created here. He was their first weapon. You… are their final fear."