Rise of the Forgotten

Episode 3: Echoes of the Veil

Ash couldn’t shake the image of the twisted figures, their faces contorted by the power of the Veil. It was like a shadow was creeping into his very soul, pulling him deeper into its dark embrace. As much as he tried to push the thought away, it lingered, gnawing at him like a festering wound.

The morning after the vision, Ash found himself standing at the edge of the village clearing, staring down at the dark symbol etched into the stone. It had a pulsing energy, like a heartbeat—alive and patient. His hand still tingled from where he had touched it.

He glanced around. The Matron was with the other survivors, organizing the rebuilding efforts, while the elder who had discovered the stone had left to fetch more villagers to help with the excavation. For a moment, Ash was alone. His heart thundered in his chest as he stepped closer to the symbol again.

The air around him seemed to hum with the presence of the Veil, like it was waiting for him to make his move. He reached out tentatively, but before his fingers made contact, a voice echoed in his mind.

Ash, don’t touch it again.

He froze. The voice was familiar, yet alien, as if it had come from within him but was not truly his. It was the voice from his dream, the one that had spoken to him before he had awakened in the middle of the fire. The voice of the Veil.

“Who are you?” Ash whispered aloud, his voice trembling. “What do you want from me?”

For a moment, the world around him seemed to go still. The wind died, and the rustling leaves fell silent. Then, the voice answered, calm and commanding.

I am the Veil. I am what has been forgotten. I am what you have now awakened. You will be my vessel, Ash. Through you, the Veil will return, and the world will change.

Ash recoiled as the weight of the words settled over him. His hands shook as he stepped back from the stone. “No,” he muttered under his breath. “I don’t want this. I never asked for it.”

You have no choice. The Veil is a force of nature, and it will always find its way. The question is, will you embrace it, or will you fight against your own power?

Ash felt a strange pull in his chest, like the Veil was trying to take root in his very being. He stumbled back, his mind racing. What had he done? He hadn’t asked for this power—he didn’t even know what it was. The more he tried to pull away from it, the more it seemed to consume him.

Before Ash could respond, he heard footsteps approaching. He turned quickly, finding the Matron walking toward him, her expression filled with concern.

“Ash, are you alright?” she asked, her voice soft but filled with worry.

He swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath. “I... I don’t know. I can feel it, Matron. The power... it’s like something is trying to take over.”

She walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not alone in this. Whatever this is, we’ll figure it out together.”

Ash looked at her, her kind eyes a small comfort in the chaos of his thoughts. But the Veil’s words echoed in his mind again, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that the Matron didn’t understand the gravity of what was happening. The power inside him was growing, and he didn’t know how much longer he could keep it under control.

“I don’t know if I can keep fighting it,” Ash admitted, his voice cracking. “It feels like it’s pulling me toward something... I don’t want to become one of those things from the vision. Those... those twisted people.”

The Matron gave him a reassuring smile. “You won’t become one of them, Ash. You’re stronger than you think.”

But Ash couldn’t help but wonder—if he was truly as strong as she thought, why did the darkness inside him feel so overpowering?

---

That Night

The village had mostly settled by nightfall, but Ash couldn’t find any peace. He lay awake in the small shelter the Matron had set up for him, staring at the ceiling, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The Veil’s influence tugged at him like a string, winding tighter and tighter with each passing moment.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden noise outside—footsteps, soft but deliberate. He rose from his cot, creeping toward the door of the shelter. There was no one in sight when he peeked outside, but he could feel a presence—a dark, familiar presence—lurking in the shadows.

Then, from the darkness, a figure stepped into view. It was a man, cloaked in the same shadows that Ash had seen earlier. His face was hidden beneath a dark hood, but his eyes gleamed with an unsettling light, the same eerie glow Ash had felt when he touched the Veil’s symbol.

“Ash,” the man’s voice echoed, smooth and cold. “It’s time.”

Ash’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you want from me?” he demanded, stepping forward. “I don’t belong to the Veil. I don’t want this power.”

The man tilted his head slightly, as if studying Ash. “You misunderstand. The Veil doesn’t care about what you want. It only cares about what you are. And what you are, Ash, is its chosen.”

Ash shook his head violently. “No! I’m not—”

“You are,” the man interrupted, his voice unwavering. “You’ve been marked by the Veil. There’s no escaping it now. Embrace it, and you will have power beyond your wildest dreams.”

“I don’t want power,” Ash spat. “I just want to be normal again.”

The man stepped closer, his figure towering over Ash. “You think you can escape fate? The Veil’s grip is already on you. There’s no going back.”

Ash’s breath caught in his throat. “What do you mean? What happens to me?”

The man’s eyes glinted with something almost like amusement. “The Veil will consume you, as it has consumed all those before you. The question is not if it will take you, but when.”

Before Ash could respond, the figure vanished into the night, leaving only a lingering sense of dread in his chest.

---

The Next Day

Ash’s mind was a blur as he awoke the next morning, the events of the night still fresh in his memory. His body felt heavy, his mind clouded with doubt. Could he really fight the Veil? Or was he destined to be consumed by it, just like the figures he had seen in the vision?

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash from outside. Startled, Ash rushed to the door and opened it, only to see the village in chaos. People were running, shouting. Smoke billowed into the sky from the direction of the stone marker.

The Veil’s power had begun to manifest. The darkness was already spreading, and Ash had no idea how to stop it.