SHADOWS OF THE VEIL

CHAPTER 6 – THE AFTERMATH

The wind carried the chill of dawn.

Rick sat on the edge of the cliff, staring at the sleeping city of Greyhaven below. Smoke still rose faintly from somewhere far away, marking where the Eclipse Order’s attack had reached even the surface world.

Everything felt too quiet — too calm after what had just happened.

Lira stood a few meters away, her coat torn and face streaked with dried blood. She was pacing, talking in low tones into a small crystal communicator that glowed dimly in her palm.

Rick could hear fragments of her words: “Council compromised… Saren led the strike himself… No, he’s alive, but the Veil reacted…”

The rest faded into the wind.

He looked down at his hands. The faint blue glow had faded, but the veins along his wrist still shimmered faintly beneath the skin, like something inside him refused to rest.

“What are you?” he muttered to himself.

“You’re lucky to still be breathing.”

Lira’s voice came from behind him, tired but steady. She slipped the communicator into her pocket and crouched beside him. Her expression softened a little. “That blast back there should’ve killed you. The only reason you’re alive is because the Veil chose to protect you.”

Rick gave a dry laugh. “Yeah, feels great. I nearly fried myself and half a building.”

“You don’t understand.” Lira’s tone was quiet but firm. “Humans can’t channel raw Veil energy. It’s like trying to swallow lightning. It burns from the inside out. But you… you didn’t just survive it — you shaped it.”

Rick stared at her. “So what, I’m some kind of freak experiment?”

“No.” She hesitated, eyes flicking toward the horizon. “Something older.”

He frowned. “Older?”

Lira exhaled. “A long time ago, before the Council, before the Veil was sealed, there were beings called the Veilborn. They weren’t human or creature — they were both. The Veil itself gave them form to protect the balance. When the last war ended, they vanished. Everyone assumed they’d been wiped out.”

Rick blinked. “You’re saying I’m one of them?”

“I’m saying it’s possible. But until we know, we need to keep you hidden.”

Rick turned back to the city, his voice low. “Hidden from who? The Eclipse Order?”

“From everyone.”

A long silence stretched between them. The sun was beginning to rise now, its first golden light spilling across the mist-covered rooftops. The city looked peaceful, like it had no idea it was sitting on the edge of two worlds.

Finally, Rick said, “You keep saying the Veil protects balance. But from what?”

Lira looked at him, her expression unreadable. “From what lies beyond it.”

Something in her tone made his skin crawl. “And that is…?”

“Things even I don’t name,” she said simply.

Rick didn’t press. The way she said it made him realize some answers were better left for later — or maybe never.

A faint sound broke the silence — the crunch of gravel.

Rick’s hand tightened around his dagger instinctively. Lira stood, eyes sharp. From the shadows of the nearby pines, a figure approached — limping, wrapped in a tattered cloak.

Lira raised her hand, summoning a small orb of light. “Stop where you are.”

The figure lifted both hands slowly. “Easy,” came a rasping voice. “It’s me.”

When the stranger stepped into the light, Rick recognized him — the fae archivist from the Council chamber, the one who’d tried to defend him before the attack. His name was Marrek, if Rick remembered right.

The fae’s silver eyes glimmered weakly as he spoke. “You’re alive. Thank the stars.”

Lira lowered her hand slightly but didn’t relax. “How did you get out?”

Marrek gave a grim smile. “Barely. The Council’s sanctuary is in ruins. Half of the elders are dead. The rest are scattered.”

Rick’s stomach twisted. “And Saren?”

“Gone. But he took something from the vaults. A relic tied to the Veil’s core.” Marrek’s voice turned dark. “He means to tear it open.”

Lira cursed under her breath. “Then we’re running out of time.”

Marrek turned to Rick, studying him with faint awe. “You’re the one who opened the Gate without a conduit. The Veil responded to you directly.”

Rick rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s what they keep saying. But I don’t even know what I did.”

“You don’t need to yet,” Marrek said softly. “But you must understand — if Saren succeeds, both our worlds will fall. The Veil doesn’t just separate us; it contains what’s beyond. If it breaks, there will be no light left.”

Rick swallowed, feeling the weight of every word. “Then we stop him.”

Lira and Marrek exchanged a look — the kind of silent conversation between people who have seen too much.

Finally, Lira nodded. “We will. But first, we need allies. The Council’s gone. The only ones left who might fight are the Free Circles — old factions who broke from the Council decades ago.”

“Where are they?” Rick asked.

“Everywhere and nowhere,” she said. “But we’ll start in the one place no one ever wants to go.”

Rick raised an eyebrow. “And that is?”

Lira met his eyes. “The Underveil. The part of the world that never sees the sun.”

A cold breeze passed through the trees. Rick looked down at the faint blue glow that still pulsed beneath his skin. Somehow, he already knew this was only the beginning.