The stars above the Temple of Echoing Suns dimmed as Cal'dor Eternus raised his staff, carved from the heartwood of a tree that had bloomed before time. Symbols ignited in the air—twisting, reshaping the sky itself. Steven stood at his side, fists clenched, heart pounding.
"You're about to witness a Riftwalker's art," Cal'dor said. "One we used only in moments of absolute need. This is no ordinary portal. It will lead us into the Shattered Veil—a realm outside time."
"What kind of realm are we talking about?" Steven asked, voice steady despite the growing hum in the air.
Cal'dor's eyes, filled with centuries of memories, narrowed.
"It's where the first Forgotten Spellcaster fell... or vanished. Her name was Velistra, Weaver of Illusions. If she still exists, her soul will guide us. But if not... the echoes will tear your mind apart."
The ground trembled. A blinding arc tore through the sky, ripping reality in two. The rift opened—a swirling storm of silver, black, and violet. Steven's cloak snapped in the ethereal winds, the Codex at his side pulsing.
"Let's go," he muttered. "One step closer to rewriting everything."
They stepped in.
Inside the Shattered Veil...
It was like falling through mirrors that bled memory. Steven saw flashes of his mother's smile, his father's last words, and... himself, cloaked in darkness, eyes glowing with Pain's symbol.
"What—what is this?" he gasped.
"It's illusion made real," Cal'dor warned. "This place feeds on what you fear. On what you love. Keep your will sharp."
A castle of inverted spires loomed ahead, floating above a lake that reflected nothing. And waiting at the gate...
A guardian.
A creature made of masks. Hundreds of them, spinning around a core of screaming light.
"Velistra's Sentinel," Cal'dor whispered. "It guards her soul."
The creature spoke—not with a voice, but with thousands.
"WHO SEEKS THE WEAVER? WHO DARES TREAD MEMORY'S EDGE?"
Steven stepped forward, magic glowing on his fingertips.
"Steven Lethal. Starcaster. And I've come to awaken her."
The Sentinel's masks surged like blades.
"THEN BLEED YOUR TRUTH."
(To be continued)