Chereads / Mysterious Worlds / Chapter 5 - The Veil of Eternal Twilight

Chapter 5 - The Veil of Eternal Twilight

It felt more like a temporary reprieve than a victory returning to the Nexus. Aiden and the woman walked through the shimmering portal into the chamber of the Core, where the steady hum of energy gave a fleeting sense of stability.

Aiden fell onto the cold obsidian floor, his chest heaving. His body ached from the battle in the Forgotten Sands, and the memory of the shadowy figure's voice lingered in his mind like an open wound.

The woman leaned against the wall, her silver armor glinting faintly in the Core's light. "You held your own back there," she said, breaking the silence.

"Barely," Aiden said, massaging his temples. "That thing—the shadowy figure—what was it? Another one of the rift's minions?"

She nodded, her face set in a grim line. "Yes. They're called Riftborn, creatures born from the chaos of the rift. They are its enforcers, twisting realms and destroying everything that resists."

"Wonderful," Aiden muttered. "So, what's next? Another collapsing world? More shadow monsters?"

She moved forward towards the radiating map of realms. "The Forgotten Sands was just the start. The Nexus is still not stabilizing, and the rift grows stronger by the minute. Our next destination is this place." She pointed towards another flickering orb on the map.

The orb pulsed faintly, its color a muted purple. Tendrils of darkness snaked around it as if the rift itself were wrapping the realm in its grip.

"What's this one called?" Aiden asked, stepping forward to stand beside her.

"The Veil of Eternal Twilight," she said. "It's a realm trapped between day and night. The rift has disrupted the balance, and now the entire world is shrouded in endless dusk."

"What's the anchor there?"

"The Heart of Dusk," she said. "It regulates the light and darkness in the Veil. Without it, the realm will collapse, and the rift will gain even more power."

Aiden sighed, feeling the weight of his role pressing down on him again. "Guess we don't have a choice."

She gave him a small, reassuring smile. "You're catching on."

She activated the gateway, and a portal flickered to life. The light it emitted was dim and tinged with purple, casting eerie shadows across the chamber.

"Stay close," she said as she stepped through.

Aiden took a deep breath and followed.

The air in the Veil of Eternal Twilight was heavy and cool, filled with the smell of wet earth and blooming flowers. Aiden found himself standing on a cobblestone path that wound through a forest of towering, skeletal trees. The sky above was an unsettling mix of deep orange and violet, with no visible sun or moon.

"This place feels… wrong," Aiden said, shivering despite the lack of wind.

"The balance is broken," the woman said, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "The Veil's magic is unraveling. We need to move quickly."

As they walked, Aiden noticed faint movements in the shadows. Shapes flickered at the edges of his vision-humanoid figures that seemed to blend into the twilight.

"We're being watched," he whispered.

"I know," she replied. "The Riftborn aren't the only danger here. The Veil has its own defenses, and it doesn't take kindly to intruders."

"Great," Aiden muttered.

It took them down to the edge of a clearing that had thinned trees, in which lay the spreading ruin; broken pillars, and crumbling walls draped in vines, water darkly puddled by pools reflected twilight sky at its center, this being a monolithic crystal standing, crack-lined and dim.

"That is the Heart of Dusk," the woman spoke with heavy voice. "It is dying."

Aiden approached the crystal cautiously, his footsteps echoing in the stillness. "What do we do?"

"Restore it," she replied. "Like the anchor in the Forgotten Sands. But this one will be harder. The Veil's magic is more… temperamental."

Before Aiden could respond, a low growl rumbled through the clearing. He turned to see the shadowy shapes from the forest step into the open. They were humanoid but elongated, their limbs unnaturally thin and their faces featureless. Their movements were slow but deliberate, and their glowing white eyes locked onto Aiden.

"Twilight Wraiths," she said, drawing out her sword. "Signatures of the Veil's shattering magic. They are drawn to the Heart's instability."

"Can we kill them?" Aiden asked, his hands already tingling with the Nexus's energy.

"Not directly," she said. "They aren't quite physical. We need to stabilize the Heart first."

"Of course we do," Aiden complained.

He touched the crystal, feeling its weak pulse beneath his fingers. It was weaker than the hourglass in the Forgotten Sands, and its energy was fragmented and chaotic.

Traveler… restore the balance…

The Heart's voice was soft, barely audible above the whispers of twilight. Aiden closed his eyes and concentrated on the flow of energy. The patterns on his skin began to glow, and the crystal responded, its light flickering.

The Wraiths hissed and their movements became more frenzied. They charged at Aiden, but the woman stepped in their way, her blade flashing in the dim light.

Keep going!" she bellowed, slicing through a Wraith. The thing disintegrated into mist, but more took its place.

Aiden clenched his teeth, forcing energy into the Heart. Cracks in it began to close over and the flickering glow was steadying.

Out of nowhere, the earth trembled, and a voice that sounded like it belonged in a cave deep underground howled through the clearing:

You cannot undo what has been done.

Aiden's eyes snapped open. At the edge of the ruin loomed a monstrous figure, its form shifting as it seemed to be made of pure shadow. It towered over the Wraiths, its glowing red eyes fixed on Aiden.

"The Riftborn," the woman said, her voice tense. "It's here."

The Riftborn raised an arm, and tendrils of darkness shot toward the Heart. Aiden reacted instinctively, raising his hands to form a barrier of light. The tendrils struck the barrier with a deafening crack, but they didn't break through.

 

"Hold it off!" the woman shouted, charging toward the Riftborn.

Aiden focused on the Heart, ignoring all that was happening around him. The patterns on his skin blazed brighter, and the crystal responded, its light shooting outward. The Wraiths shrieked and dissolved, unable to withstand the energy.

The Riftborn roared, its form destabilizing. It lashed out at the woman, but she dodged its attacks with practiced ease, striking back with her glowing sword.

With one last effort, Aiden poured all his strength into the Heart. The crystal exploded into a thousand shards of light, which reassembled into a perfect, unbroken form.

The twilight sky shifted, and the oppressive atmosphere lifted. The Veil's balance was restored.

The Riftborn let out a piercing scream before vanishing into the shadows.

Aiden collapsed onto the ground, his body shaking with exhaustion. The woman approached him, extending a hand.

"Voces did it," she said.

"Barely," Aiden muttered, allowing her to pull him upright to his feet.

She looked faintly amused. "You're stronger than you think, Traveler. We just have a long way still to go."

Aiden nodded, looking up into the restored sky. "Then let's keep moving on.