The Veil was never meant to exist. That's what they told us.
Two hundred years ago, the world changed. A rift split through the heart of the continents, birthing this realm—a place of shifting landscapes, unnatural skies, and power beyond human comprehension.
The scholars say the Veil is a wound in reality itself, a scar from a war no one remembers.
But I know better.
The Veil is alive.
And right now, it's trying to kill me.
Inside the Veil
"Move!"
I barely register the shout before something massive crashes down where I stood a second ago.
The ground beneath me shatters like glass, sending jagged shards of black stone flying. I roll instinctively, feeling the rush of air as a curved, bone-like blade slices past my face.
The thing trying to kill me—twice now—is a Wraithborn, one of the Veil's oldest horrors. Humanoid in shape, but its body is wrong, shifting between mist and solid mass.
Its mouth stretches unnaturally, rows of serrated teeth where a face should be.
I tighten my grip on my blade. Aether hums through my veins, reacting to my will. My sword isn't ordinary steel—it's a Conduit, forged to channel the energy of the Veil. And right now, I need every ounce of it.
The Wraithborn lunges again. This time, I don't dodge.
I meet it head-on, swinging my blade low. Aether pulses through me, and the sword burns with crimson light as it cleaves through the creature's shifting body.
A shriek—inhuman, deafening—rips through the air as the Wraithborn staggers back, its form unraveling.
But it's not alone.
"Behind you!"
A blast of golden fire roars past my shoulder, slamming into a second Wraithborn before it can reach me.
The creature screeches as it disintegrates, consumed by the heat.
A hand grabs my arm, yanking me back to my feet.
"You zoning out in the middle of battle now?" The voice belongs to Karis, my second-in-command.
Her eyes glow faintly, the telltale sign of someone who's been wielding Aether for too long. "We don't have time for your dramatic pauses."
I exhale sharply, shaking off the moment of hesitation. "The Veil's shifting again."
Karis scowls. "Tell me something I don't know."
Another explosion rocks the battlefield. Above us, two fighters—human and not—clash in the sky, their movements blurring at impossible speeds.
One wields a spear crackling with violet energy, the other fights with bare hands, yet the very air bends around his strikes.
I glance back at Karis. "You feel it, don't you?"
She doesn't answer immediately, but I see it in her eyes. The unease. The realization that this battle isn't like the others.
The Veil is restless.
And that means something worse is coming.
Further ahead, the rest of our squad is holding the line.
Aether bursts flare across the battlefield, lighting up the ruins of what was once a city—before the Veil swallowed it.
Streaks of light carve through the dark sky as our archers, empowered by Aether, send arrows faster than bullets into the ranks of the enemy.
I sprint forward, Karis at my side. A towering beast of onyx and bone roars as it charges toward us, crushing a lesser fighter beneath its clawed foot.
I raise my blade, but before I can strike, a figure lands between us—Revik, the strongest of us all.
With a single motion, he slams his fist into the monster's chest.
Aether surges.
The air distorts.
The beast is thrown back, its ribcage caving inward from the force. It crashes into a crumbling tower, the impact sending a shockwave through the battlefield.
Karis exhales. "Overkill much?"
Revik turns slightly, his violet eyes locking onto mine. "We don't have time to waste."
I clench my jaw. "You think I don't know that?"
Revik doesn't reply. He lifts his gaze toward the sky, where something has begun to take shape beyond the clouds.
A distortion.
A tear.
I've seen it before. Aether Surge. The Veil is shifting, realigning itself. When it does, anything caught inside—human, monster, or otherwise—gets torn apart, rewritten, or worse… consumed.
The battlefield stills. Even the creatures of the Veil hesitate, sensing the shift.
"We need to move," I say. "Now."
But I already know the truth.
We won't all make it out in time.
A/n: Hi Art233 here. This is my new book that I trying my hands on. I've always been a fan of those fantasy books and I've been wanting to write my own since I got an idea two months ago.
For now I don't have any intention of going premium since I want to know how people will receive it so have fun reading and I'll see you after 10 chapters.