The Whispering Veil
---
The next morning, Kael awoke to the cold sting of mountain air and the rough crackle of leather being strapped tight.
Theron stood by the mouth of the cave, fastening a strange harness to his back. Two sheathed swords crossed over his shoulder, glinting with runes that shimmered faintly in the gray morning light.
Kael sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Where are we going?"
"Out of the Deadwood. North, through the Hollow Ridges."
Kael frowned. "But Liora—"
"She's safe. And if you want to keep her that way, you'll come with me. What's hunting you won't stop at one village."
Kael hesitated. His heart screamed to go to her, to make sure with his own eyes that she was alive and whole. But something deeper—darker—whispered inside him. Run now, or she dies next.
He stood. "Fine. But I want answers."
Theron gave him a sideways glance. "You'll get them. Just hope you can stomach the truth."
---
They traveled beneath a sky of ash and frost. Trees thinned into jagged stone as they climbed, leaving behind the charred valley below. The world felt heavier the higher they rose — like the air itself bent under unseen weight.
Kael noticed it first when they stopped to drink.
The wind had stilled. There was no sound. Not even birds.
Then—whispers.
Not loud, not clear. Just… present.
Faint voices slipping beneath thought, threading through his mind like silk.
He blinked and staggered, nearly spilling his waterskin.
Theron noticed. "You heard them."
Kael stared. "What are they?"
Theron's face darkened. "The Veil. You're hearing it now."
Kael's skin crawled. "It's alive?"
"No. Not exactly. But it remembers. And those marked by more than one Veil tend to… attract its attention."
Kael rubbed his temples. The whispers had faded but left behind a strange emptiness. "What did they say to you, when you first heard them?"
Theron paused. "They didn't."
Kael looked up.
"I've only one mark," Theron said simply. "They only speak to you."
---
By nightfall, they reached a cliffside outpost carved into the rock like a forgotten temple. Moonlight spilled across the shattered stone as they passed beneath a towering arch etched with symbols Kael couldn't read — but somehow recognized.
He slowed, fingers brushing one of the ancient runes.
It burned beneath his touch. Not with pain — with recognition.
Theron watched him closely.
"These ruins are pre-Collapse. From the First Convergence."
Kael tilted his head. "What's that?"
Theron exhaled. "When the realms weren't separate. When the Veils were whole. And all three powers existed in one world." He turned toward the massive door at the center. "The Echo Blades believe it's happening again. And you, Kael, may be the first proof."
The door groaned open at Theron's touch, revealing a grand hall carved from obsidian stone — lined with torches that flared to life without flame. People turned as they entered. Hooded, armored, silent.
Kael felt their eyes on him. Felt the tension ripple as the doors sealed behind.
A woman stepped forward, her robes trailing across the floor like flowing ink. Her eyes shimmered silver.
"Theron," she said coolly, "you brought him."
"Had no choice."
She turned to Kael. "So… the boy who shouldn't exist."
Kael swallowed. "Glad to be famous."
Her lips twitched — not a smile, but not quite a threat.
"I am Sylis, Seer of the Echo Blades. You've awakened what lies dormant between realms, Kael Rhiven. The Woken call you Unbound."
Kael stared. "What does that mean?"
"It means," she said, stepping closer, "the Veils are no longer separate inside you. And something ancient… is watching you through the cracks."
Kael's blood turned to ice.
---
That night, Kael dreamed of the village again — but it was different.
The sky wasn't fire. It was black and endless. A figure stood where his home once was, veiled in shadow, face hidden. The marks on Kael's body burned as he approached.
"You are not theirs," the figure said.
Kael stepped closer. "Who are you?"
"I am what they buried in silence. What they fear you'll remember."
Kael felt himself falling—through the earth, through time, through the fabric of what was real.
And as he plunged into the darkness, he heard one final whisper:
"The Veils are breaking. And you were the first crack."