The ruins of the Citadel smoldered behind them as Rick, Kai, and Lira made their way through Greyhaven’s lower district. Sirens howled in the distance. News helicopters circled the sky like vultures searching for proof of something the world wasn’t ready to see.But none of them would get close.Illusion wards shimmered faintly over the ruins — cast automatically by the Citadel’s last surviving fail-safes — ensuring that humans would see only “structural collapse,” “possible gas explosion,” or whatever harmless lie the Order needed to keep the supernatural out of sight.Kai kept glancing back as they walked.“How long before people start asking questions?”Lira shook her head. “Hours. Maybe minutes. The wards hide the truth, but they don’t erase fear.” She exhaled sharply. “Half the city probably felt the Veil tremble.”Rick stopped.The Veil was trembling — still. A faint hum pulsed through the air, so subtle Kai or Lira couldn’t sense it, but Rick felt it like a second heartbeat ins

lThe chamber shook.Stone dust rained from the ceiling as the enormous eyes inside the darkness widened—two vast, molten pits that seemed older than time itself. Rick could not move. The runes binding the door had wrapped around his wrist like glowing chains, tightening, pulling him closer inch by inch.“Kai—do something!” Lira cried, her voice cracking with terror.Kai raised his staff, but the moment he tried to channel even a spark of energy, the shadows inside the breach rippled, swallowing the light. His spell fizzled out before it even formed.“It’s draining us,” Kai whispered. “It’s feeding on magic.”The ancient thing spoke again—its voice not sound, but pressure, vibrating through bone and blood:“The Bridge must open.The Hand must come.The Veil must break.”Rick’s pulse pounded. “I’m not anyone’s bridge!”The chains of runes tightened, dragging him closer into the widening crack. Darkness licked at his boots like smoke with teeth.Lira lunged forward, grabbing Rick’s arm

lFor a breathless moment, no one moved.Rick stared at the figure wearing his face—the same jawline, same eyes, same scar on the brow… but twisted, sharpened, wrong.Like someone had carved a perfect copy of him out of darkness.The Shadow smiled wider.“You really shouldn’t look so surprised,” it said.“I am you. Or rather… the part of you they buried.”Kai stepped in front of Rick.“Stay back. Whatever you are, you’re not taking him.”The Shadow tilted its head, amused.“Oh? And who are you—another guardian destined to fail?”Kai’s grip tightened. Lira placed herself by Rick’s side, whispering:“Don’t let him get into your head. Shadows lie.”But Rick wasn’t sure.The symbol on his palm burned brighter, reacting to the inverted mark on the Shadow’s hand.Like they were two halves of a bigger problem.Rick swallowed.“What do you want?”The Shadow’s smile faded, replaced by something colder, cleaner.“Purpose.”It took a single step forward, and every torch in the chamber flickered

The void pulsed like a living thing—silver mist curling around Rick and his Shadow as if the air were breathing with them.Rick felt weightless yet crushed, suspended yet pulled in every direction.Across from him, the Shadow watched quietly.No smirk.No taunt.Just a cold, unreadable calm.Rick forced himself to speak.“What is this place?”The Shadow spread its hands slightly.“Our crossroads. The place where the Veil first divided us.”The mist swirled faster, glowing brighter.Rick swallowed.“You knew this would happen.”“I did.”The Shadow stepped closer, eyes reflecting the silver light.“And so did she.”Rick stiffened.“My mother…?”The Shadow tilted his head, studying him with an expression that looked almost like pity.“She knew the Veil would not let one soul exist in two worlds forever. She sealed me behind the Veil to slow the merging.”Rick shook his head, stepping back.“No. That can’t be true. I don’t even know her.”“Of course you do,” the Shadow whispered.“In ever

The hooded figure stepped fully out of the tear in the sky, the shadows clinging to him like living serpents. His boots touched the stone floor of the ruined temple, and the air instantly grew colder—so cold that Rick saw Serena’s breath in front of her.Rick moved slightly in front of her, a quiet, instinctive shield.The figure’s scar-marked face twisted into something that wasn’t quite a smile.“There you are, Heir.”Rick’s fists tightened.He had spent years hiding that title—running from it, burying it, pretending it didn’t define him. But the man standing before him was proof that the past always found its way back.Serena’s hand brushed his arm. “Rick… what is he talking about?”He didn’t get the chance to answer.The figure lifted his hand, and the shadows behind him swelled like a tide.“Rick of the Forbidden Line,” he said, voice echoing unnaturally, “the Veil recognizes your blood. The time for concealment is over.”Rick stepped forward. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”T