All Chapters of SHADOWS OF THE VEIL: Chapter 131
- Chapter 140
235 chapters
Chapter 133 — The Night Emberwake Burned
The fortress trembled under another violent blast, shaking dust from the rafters. Alarm horns wailed across the mountain range, echoing like the cries of dying titans. Soldiers scrambled through the corridors, weapons drawn, panic buzzing through the air like electricity.Rick, Hailey, and Luna burst out of the Council Chamber and into the open courtyard.The sight that greeted them was chaos.Shadowcrest assassins poured through the broken outer gate—black cloaks swirling, blades glinting with lethal intent. Their movements were fluid, silent, merciless. The front line of Emberwake soldiers was already collapsing.Rick’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the battlefield.“So they chose this night,” he muttered.Hailey drew her twin swords. “Can we talk later? We need to—”Before she finished, one of the Shadowcrest assassins leaped from the roof of a collapsed tower, diving toward Luna with a blade aimed for her heart.Rick vanished.A blur of motion—faster than the eye could follow.The
Chapter 134 — Rick vs. The Masked Herald
The world fell silent.Every soldier—Emberwake or Shadowcrest—froze where they stood, their battle forgotten as two figures stepped forward into the center courtyard.Rick.And the Masked Herald.Snow-like embers drifted from the shattered battlements, glowing faintly in the night. Moonlight glinted off the Herald’s half-mask, giving him an otherworldly, almost ghostly aura.Hailey whispered, “Luna… this is bad. Really bad.”Luna didn’t blink. Her hands were trembling.Not from fear.From knowing something was about to change forever.Rick didn’t turn back to them.He didn’t need to.He whispered one thing under his breath—soft, almost lost in the growing wind.“Stay behind me.”---The Herald moved first.No warning.No battle cry.Just pure speed.A whisper of fabric—A flicker of the mask—And suddenly he was in front of Rick, blade drawn from a hidden sheath, slashing straight for Rick’s throat.Rick blocked with his forearm.Steel met shadow-infused skin.Sparks exploded outward.
Chapter 135 — The Herald’s Message
The night air was heavy with smoke and drifting embers. Pieces of shattered stone still fell from the broken outer wall where Rick’s Veil Rend had blasted the Herald away.But despite the devastation around them…no one moved.Not Luna.Not Hailey.Not Alder.Not even the hardened assassins.Everyone watched Rick.The man who had stood alone against the Masked Herald—and survived.Rick tried to steady his breathing, but every inhale felt like fire in his chest. Luna kept her hand on his back, supporting him as though she feared he might crumble if she let go.“Rick,” she whispered, “you need to rest.”He shook his head. “Not yet.”Alder stepped forward, confusion and frustration twisting his face.“What the hell was THAT? You just took on a monster and almost tore the mountain apart!”Hailey elbowed him. “He saved our lives, genius. Try gratitude.”Alder opened his mouth—then shut it again. Even he knew he’d crossed a line.Rick stood slowly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth
Chapter 136 — Into the Echo Trail
The night stretched endlessly as the group stood at the fractured entrance of the Emberwake fortress. The moon hung low, pale and heavy, casting silver light across the broken stones.Ahead of them drifted the trail—a thin ribbon of shifting dark aura, weaving through the night air like smoke that refused to disperse.Rick stared at it with an expression somewhere between recognition and dread.Hailey nudged his shoulder gently. “You sure you’re ready for this? You just fought a masked demon without a lunch break.”“It’s not about being ready,” Rick said quietly. “It’s about having no choice.”Luna stepped beside him, her eyes soft but determined. “Then we walk with you.”Alder cracked his knuckles. “Yeah, yeah, let’s get this over with before more masked psychos show up.”Rick almost smiled.Almost.---They stepped onto the trail.The moment Rick’s foot crossed the faint swirling aura, the world shifted.The air thickened.The temperature dropped.And a low hum resonated beneath th
Chapter 137 – The Night the Sky Trembled
The moment Adrian and Malia stepped out of the Healing Chamber, the whole mansion felt different—too quiet, too tense, as if something enormous was about to descend on them.A cold wind ripped through the courtyard, snapping the lantern flames sideways.Malia stopped mid-step.“Adrian… do you feel that?”He closed his eyes.A pulse—deep, ancient—rippled through the air like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to any living thing. His spiritual veins trembled in response.“Yes,” he said slowly. “Someone just tore open a spatial boundary nearby.”Before either of them could move, the sky cracked.A literal crack—thin as a hairline fracture at first—stretched across the night like someone had split the heavens with a blade. A blinding pale-blue light spilled through the rift.Boom!The ground beneath them shook. The guard towers shuddered. Even the air buzzed, alive with violent energy.From the distance, warriors of the Crestfallen Estate rushed out, shouting.“Master Adrian! The sky—!”“We’
Chapter 138 – The Map of the Abyssal Rift
The estate was still shaking from the celestial rupture when Adrian marched straight into the Council Hall, Malia at his side. The elders, guards, and core disciples rushed in behind them, whispering in fear and confusion.Elder Rowan stepped forward first.“Adrian… what was that being? Why did it call you the bearer of the Star-Core Shard?”Adrian didn’t answer immediately. He moved to the center table, placed both palms on its surface, and let out a slow, controlled breath.“We don’t have time for debates,” he said. “Rick is alive—and trapped in a place worse than any battlefield: the Abyssal Rift.”Malia summoned the holographic imprint the celestial entity had left behind, projecting it above the council table. The swirling map lit up the entire chamber, casting deep shadows across every elder’s face.A dark region pulsed at the center—like a bleeding wound in the world.Elder Magnus squinted. “Impossible… That region shouldn’t exist. Every record says the Abyssal Rift collapsed c
Chapter 139 – Dawn of the Rift Expedition
The night before departure was strangely quiet.The estate—usually filled with the bustle of disciples training, patrolling, or whispering rumors—stood still under the silver glow of the moon. Even the air felt heavy, as if the world itself was holding its breath.Adrian sat alone on the rooftop of the East Wing, legs crossed, palms resting lightly on his knees. The Star-Core Shard pulsed faintly inside his chest—its rhythm matching his heartbeat.He wasn’t meditating.He was remembering.Rick’s face.His laugh.The way he’d grab Adrian by the arm whenever trouble found them—usually because Rick had invited it.“If we get caught, we run together. Not separately.”Adrian’s jaw tightened.Rick had always been the one protecting him… and somehow, it felt like Rick was still doing it, even trapped inside the Abyssal Rift.A soft presence approached from behind.“You’re not sleeping either,” Malia said.Adrian didn’t turn. “Can’t.”She sat beside him, knees tucked close to her chest. “Are
Chapter 140 – The Rift Calls His Name
The ground shook beneath Adrian’s boots as the Abyssal Rift widened across the sky like a wound ripped open by invisible claws. Purple-black lightning forked outward, illuminating the land in flashes of unnatural light.Malia shielded her eyes.“By the gods… it’s bigger than I expected.”Selene didn’t flinch.“It grows larger every cycle. And it’s hungrier.”Adrian stared at the colossal tear, his pulse matching the Shard’s frantic beating inside his chest.Rick… I’m coming.Their path led through a barren stretch of land known as the Broken Expanse. Once green, it was now a wasteland—forests reduced to ash, the sky permanently dim.Selene walked ahead, her cloak snapping in the wind.She spoke without looking back.“Stay close. The Rift bleeds corruption into the air. It can make you hear things.”Malia frowned. “Hear things like what?”“Terror,” Selene replied simply.They continued in tense silence.---The First WhisperHalfway across the cracked terrain, Adrian suddenly froze.A
Chapter 141 – The World Between Worlds
The stone steps lifted Adrian into the sky, each platform drifting upward as though carried by invisible currents. Malia and Selene followed closely behind, their silhouettes framed by the roaring tear of light ahead.The Abyssal Rift loomed larger with each step—a swirling maelstrom of violet storms, fractured lightning, and shadows that moved as if aware of their presence.Malia tightened her grip on her blades.“This feels wrong. Like the air itself is alive.”Selene’s expression remained composed, but her voice dropped low.“It is alive. The Rift feeds on thought, fear, memory. The more unstable your mind, the deeper it burrows.”Adrian swallowed.“So how do we stop it?”“You don’t,” Selene answered. “You endure it.”She paused, glancing at him.“You won’t face what we face. The Rift will… tailor itself to you.”Adrian froze mid-step.“What does that mean?”Malia looked confused. “Tailor? Like what—illusions?”“No,” Selene said. “More personal.”Before Adrian could press further,
Chapter 142 – The Rift That Shaped Him
Adrian couldn’t move.Rick stood in front of him—real, breathing, battle-worn. Not a twisted echo. Not a dream. Not a memory.Rick.Older by years Adrian never got to see.Scarred in places Adrian didn’t recognize.And carrying an aura that crackled like caged lightning—powerful, restrained, and not entirely human anymore.Rick lifted two fingers and tapped Adrian lightly on the forehead.“You’re staring like you’ve seen a ghost.”Adrian let out a breath that felt stuck for fifteen years.“You are practically a ghost! You vanished, Rick. We all thought—”Rick raised a hand.“Later. I swear I’ll explain everything. But right now…”He tilted his head.A distant, bone-deep rumble echoed through the forest of glowing trees.“…we need to move before the Rift finishes welcoming you.”Adrian stiffened. “Welcoming me?”Rick sighed.“You’re the Bridge. Of course it’s excited.”Before Adrian could ask, Rick turned and pushed him forward.“Walk. And stay close. Everything here has teeth.”---Th