The cold water swallowed Lira, dragging her under before she could even gasp. The shattered gondola splintered around her, and the murky depths of the canal closed in, blurring her vision. The Veil burned against her wrist, a searing heat that defied the frigid current, but its whispers were incoherent now—just a chaotic storm of sound.
Kicking her legs, Lira struggled to break the surface, but something coiled around her ankle, yanking her deeper. Her lungs burned as panic set in. She clawed at the water, only to see the armored figure descending after her, its movements impossibly fluid in the thick water.
The Veil pulsed sharply, and suddenly, her surroundings shifted. For a brief moment, Lira wasn't in the canal. She was standing in a massive, crimson-lit chamber, its walls carved with intricate runes that seemed to shift and writhe as she looked at them. At the center of the room stood a colossal black obelisk, its surface cracked and glowing with the same eerie light as the Veil.
The whispers grew louder, clearer. This time, they weren't coming from the Veil—they were coming from the obelisk.
"You must not run," the voice intoned, deep and resonant. "Face the truth, or all will be lost."
Lira reached out instinctively, her fingers brushing the obelisk's surface. The second she made contact, the vision shattered, and she was back in the canal, her head breaking the surface of the water with a gasp.
---
"Lira!" Selene's voice cut through the chaos. She was clinging to a jagged piece of the gondola, her weapon aimed at the armored figure that had followed them into the canal. Aelis was further down, sputtering curses as he swam toward the edge of the water.
The Voidborn surged toward Lira, its movements eerily smooth despite the water. Before it could reach her, Selene fired, the blast striking its visor. The creature recoiled, momentarily disoriented.
"Swim!" Selene shouted.
Lira kicked toward the canal's edge, her arms burning as she hauled herself onto the slick stone platform. Aelis grabbed her arm, helping her up before turning to Selene.
"Hurry!" he yelled.
Selene fired another shot before diving toward them. The Voidborn lunged after her, but Aelis threw one of his remaining explosives into the water. The detonation sent a shockwave through the canal, throwing the Voidborn off balance and giving Selene enough time to climb onto the platform.
"We need to move," Aelis panted, grabbing Selene's hand to pull her to her feet.
"No kidding," Selene snapped, but her sharp tone was undercut by the fear in her eyes.
---
They made it to a safehouse hidden beneath a derelict train station, the dimly lit space cluttered with old tech and scattered maps. The adrenaline was still coursing through Lira's veins, but her body felt heavy, weighed down by the Veil and the vision she had seen.
"What the hell was that thing?" Aelis demanded, pacing the room. "And why was it calling you a traitor?"
"It's a Voidborn," Selene said, her voice grim. She slumped into a chair, her face pale. "But I've never seen one like that. It wasn't just some mindless beast. It was intelligent."
Lira sat on the edge of a rusted cot, clutching her wrist where the Veil pulsed faintly. The whispers had subsided, but the memory of the obelisk was vivid in her mind.
"It called me a traitor because of this," she said quietly, holding up her wrist. "The Veil… it's connected to the Voidborn somehow. And Arathor knows why."
Selene leaned forward, her gaze sharp. "What did he say to you?"
Lira hesitated, her mind replaying his words. *You're not its savior. You're its executioner.*
"He said the Veil isn't just a weapon. It's a key. And I'm the lock." She looked up at Selene, her voice trembling. "What if I'm the one who's supposed to release the Voidborn?"
--
Selene's jaw tightened. "That's exactly what Arathor wants you to think. He's trying to manipulate you."
"But what if he's right?" Lira shot back. "The Veil has been hiding things from me. It showed me something—a temple, an obelisk. I think that's where it came from. And whatever's there… it's the answer to all of this."
Aelis frowned. "So what, you want to go chasing after some ancient temple based on a vision? Sounds like a great way to get killed."
"It's not just a vision," Lira insisted. "The Veil is leading me there. If we don't figure out what it wants, we'll never be able to stop the Syndicate—or the Voidborn."
Selene rubbed her temples, clearly torn. "If you're right, then the Syndicate probably knows about the temple too. They'll be ahead of us."
"Which is why we can't waste time," Lira said. "We have to find it before they do."
---
Reluctantly, Selene nodded. "Fine. But we do this on my terms. We gather intel, prepare supplies, and figure out exactly what we're walking into. No more surprises."
"Agreed," Lira said, though a part of her knew there would be plenty of surprises ahead.
As the group began mapping out their next steps, Lira felt the Veil hum faintly, almost as if it were satisfied. But the whispers were still there, lurking at the edges of her mind.
And in the back of her thoughts, Arathor's words echoed like a haunting refrain.
*You're not its savior. You're its executioner.*