Kaelin stood at the edge of the village, gazing at the pale horizon as the Elder's words echoed in his mind. "The Veil will release you soon," the old man had said, his tone both ominous and final. Kaelin tightened his grip on his sword, the faint glow of its blade a constant reminder of the burden he now carried. He wasn't ready—not for another world, another fight—but readiness, it seemed, had never been part of his fate.
A sudden wind swept through the clearing, carrying with it a strange chill that prickled his skin. The villagers paused in their work, their faces turned toward the sky as if sensing the same shift. The pale light above began to flicker, dimming and brightening in a rhythm that felt unnatural, like the heartbeat of some unseen entity.
Kaelin's body tensed as the ground beneath him vibrated faintly. The sword at his side pulsed in response, the resonance building until it felt as though the weapon was alive, feeding off the strange energy in the air. The Elder had told him this would happen, but knowing did little to prepare him for the reality.
The light overhead dimmed further, plunging the village into an eerie twilight. The air grew heavy, pressing against Kaelin's chest like an invisible weight. Around him, the villagers murmured in hushed tones, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and reverence. They knew what was coming, even if Kaelin didn't.
Then, without warning, the world fractured.
A soundless explosion rippled through the air, and the sky above shattered like glass, its pieces falling away to reveal a swirling void of darkness. Kaelin staggered, his heart racing as the ground beneath his feet seemed to dissolve. The villagers screamed, their voices fading into the void as the village itself was consumed, its structures and people vanishing into the abyss.
Kaelin's vision blurred, his surroundings warping and twisting in ways that defied logic. He tried to move, to fight against the pull of the void, but his body refused to obey. The sword at his side burned with an intense light, its resonance reaching a deafening crescendo.
And then, everything went black.
Kaelin awoke with a gasp, his lungs burning as though he had been drowning. He clawed at the ground beneath him, his fingers digging into coarse, jagged stone. The air was thin and cold, carrying a faint metallic tang that stung his nostrils. He pushed himself to his knees, his head pounding as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings.
The world around him was desolate and broken. He stood on the edge of a vast canyon, its jagged cliffs plunging into darkness below. The sky above was a chaotic swirl of red and black, streaked with lightning that illuminated the barren landscape in brief, violent flashes. The ground was cracked and uneven, littered with fragments of stone and strange crystalline shards that glowed faintly in the dim light.
Kaelin rose unsteadily to his feet, his sword feeling heavier than before. The blade's glow was faint now, its resonance subdued as if conserving its strength. He surveyed the landscape, his chest tightening at the sight of the desolation. This world—whatever it was—felt wrong, as though it had been torn apart and stitched back together in defiance of nature.
A faint sound reached his ears, carried on the wind—a low, mournful wail that sent a shiver down his spine. Kaelin turned toward the source, his hand instinctively tightening on his sword. The sound grew louder, more distinct, as if something—or someone—was approaching.
The figure emerged from the shadows, its movements slow and deliberate. At first glance, it appeared human, but as it drew closer, Kaelin saw the truth. Its body was emaciated, its skin stretched tight over bones that seemed too angular, too sharp. Its eyes glowed faintly, twin orbs of pale light that flickered like dying embers. It carried a weapon—a jagged spear made of the same crystalline material that littered the ground.
Kaelin raised his sword, his body tense. The figure stopped a few paces away, its glowing eyes fixed on him. For a moment, neither of them moved, the air between them heavy with unspoken tension.
"You are not of this world," the figure said, its voice hollow and echoing, as though spoken from a great distance.
Kaelin's grip on his sword tightened. "And you are?"
The figure tilted its head, its expression unreadable. "A remnant. A fragment of what once was." It took a step closer, its movements slow and deliberate. "And you… you carry a piece of the Forge."
Kaelin's heart skipped a beat. "How do you know that?"
The figure's lips curved into a faint smile, one that sent a chill through Kaelin's body. "The shards call to one another, even across the void. Yours burns brightly, traveler. But beware—light such as yours draws shadows."
Kaelin's mind raced. The Forge, the Elder's warning, the visions he had seen—all of it was connected. But this creature, this remnant, spoke as if it knew far more than it was letting on. He took a step forward, his sword held at the ready.
"What do you want from me?" he demanded.
The remnant's smile widened, revealing jagged, uneven teeth. "Want? No, traveler. It is not I who want. It is they."
The words barely left its lips before the ground beneath Kaelin's feet trembled violently. He staggered, struggling to maintain his balance as fissures spread across the cracked stone. From the depths of the canyon came a sound—a deep, guttural roar that shook the very air.
Kaelin's eyes widened as figures began to emerge from the darkness below. Dozens of them, their forms twisted and misshapen, their glowing eyes piercing the gloom. They crawled and slithered up the canyon walls, their movements unnervingly fluid and fast. Each one carried weapons forged from the same crystalline material, their jagged edges glinting in the lightning flashes.
Kaelin turned to the remnant, his jaw clenched. "What are they?"
The remnant's expression darkened. "Shadows. Echoes of the multiverse's collapse. They hunger for the light of the Forge, for what remains of creation."
The creatures reached the canyon's edge, their guttural roars filling the air. Kaelin raised his sword, its faint glow intensifying as if responding to the threat. The first of the creatures lunged toward him, its crystalline blade slicing through the air with deadly precision.
Kaelin moved on instinct, his sword meeting the attack with a sharp clang. Sparks flew as the blades collided, and Kaelin felt the force of the impact reverberate through his arms. The creature pressed forward, its strength unnatural, but Kaelin gritted his teeth and pushed back. With a swift, fluid motion, he twisted his sword and drove it into the creature's chest. Light spilled from the wound, and the creature dissolved into ash, its weapon clattering to the ground.
But there was no time to celebrate. The other creatures surged forward, their weapons gleaming as they charged. Kaelin braced himself, his sword raised as he prepared to meet the onslaught.