The raven circled overhead once more, then vanished into the shadows of Veilgrove's southern ridge, leaving only its echo behind.
Kael and Riven stood before a jagged cliff wall. At first glance, it was just stone—but the relics on their belts pulsed faintly, and Riven's dagger suddenly shimmered with an obsidian glow. She tapped the wall, tracing a pattern… and it vanished.
A hidden staircase of shadowed stone revealed itself, spiraling deep underground.
Whispering Veins – Shadowlink's Trial Ground
The air grew colder with each step, not from temperature but from silence. The sound of their footsteps vanished entirely. No echoes. No wind. Only the pulse of magical glyphs lighting the walls as they descended.
Waiting at the bottom: Master Veyl, cloaked in deep purple and shadowsteel armor, his eyes faintly glowing blue.
"Shadowlink does not teach assassins. We teach control. You do not exist until you strike."
He motioned them forward, and the trial began.
Trial 1: The Echo Hall
• A long corridor filled with magical sentries that react to sound and motion
• Riven excelled—leaping silently across narrow platforms, disabling sentries with silent arrows
• Kael struggled at first, but adapted, using new Shadowstep techniques to blink between shadows
At the end, they dropped smoke bombs and vanished completely, bypassing the final ward.
Trial 2: Phantom Strike
• They were given 10 moving targets and 30 seconds to eliminate them without alerting the system
• Riven dual-wielded daggers for the first time in combat, striking with surgical grace
• Kael used his dual swords, but this time with light-dampening runes—his blades no longer sang with fire, but whispered with shadow
All targets dropped in time.
Trial 3: The Leap of Fade
• A vertical tower of platforms with moving blades, pressure-sensitive floors, and timed illusions
• Fall once, and you're sent back to the bottom
• It was a test of reflex, precision, and agility
• Kael barely made it—Riven raced ahead, vaulting off thin air using temporary glyphs only visible to Shadowlink members
At the top, a final shrine waited.
Trial Complete
The shrine accepted their guild badges. In return, it dispensed the final rewards:
Kael received:
[Whisperfang] – Shadowlink Legendary Dual Sword (Shadow Tier)
• Passive: +30% crit from stealth
• Active: Phase Slice – blink through enemy and strike twice
• Looks: Curved dark steel with flickering shadow trails
Riven received:
[Velshade Cowl] – Shadowlink Assassin Gear
• Passive: Near-invisibility when crouching
• Active: Fade Counter – if struck, blink backward and auto-shoot arrow
• Looks: Midnight hood with faint obsidian runes
Rewards:
• Tier 3 Shadowlink Status Achieved
• Shadowlink Skill Tree Expanded
• New Passive Unlocked: "Fade Momentum" – Increased speed and stealth damage at full health
• +15,000 XP Each
• Both now Level 31
Master Veyl stood before them once more, hands behind his back.
"You've learned silence. Next… you'll learn how to vanish the impossible."