The wind howled through the jagged ruins of the old temple, its cries blending with the silent whispers of those who had fallen before. Kai Hitari stood at the edge of a broken bridge, gazing into the crimson mist that floated like smoke over the chasm below. Behind him, Herin Rai slowly approached, her boots crunching on loose stone.
"Kai… are you sure this is the right path?" she asked gently, her voice almost lost in the wind.
Kai didn't answer at first. His hand rested on the hilt of the Crimson Veil Sword, now reacting with a low hum—almost like it could sense something ancient awakening beneath them.
"We're not going back," he said at last, his voice cold but determined. "We've come too far."
---
A World That Remembers Pain
They had finally crossed into the Inner Veil—a region sealed long ago, hidden even from the records of the Order. According to the legend, this was where the Crimson Veil World bled into their own, a place where time fractured and shadows remembered every war ever fought.
Herin clutched the old journal tighter—the one she had taken from the archives, the one filled with the notes of Kai's grandfather. The deeper they went, the more reality bent around them. Shapes moved in the corners of their eyes. Whispers tried to crawl into their minds.
And now… they had reached what looked like an ancient battlefield.
Bones of creatures unknown to man littered the field. Some still glowed with faint violet energy. Weapons fused to the ground as if they'd melted into the soil. In the middle stood a stone pillar, carved with runes no one had spoken for centuries.
Kai approached it.
The runes shimmered.
And the ground cracked open.
---
The Trial of the Past
Suddenly, the world split into red and black. Kai and Herin were separated, pulled into visions.
Kai found himself standing in a familiar field—his childhood village. But it was burning.
Flames danced across rooftops. Screams echoed. And then, he saw them—
His father, battling a creature of fire and chains.
Rekha's father, sealing a massive gate.
A younger Herin, weeping in the arms of a cloaked woman.
And at the center of it all… was the Sword. Alone, stabbed into the ground, vibrating with energy.
Kai stepped forward.
The flames vanished.
And in their place stood a man—tall, cloaked, with glowing red eyes.
"Your father failed," the man said, his voice like shattering glass. "And you will too."
Kai drew the sword, and in that instant, the battlefield came alive.
---
Herin's Memories
Elsewhere, Herin found herself in a grand library, every shelf glowing with memories—each book a stolen past.
She walked between them, drawn to one marked "Kai Hitari."
When she touched it, her vision flashed:
She saw his loneliness.
His grief.
The weight of the legacy he never asked for.
And worst of all, she saw herself—standing beside him, but unable to save him.
Then she heard a voice:
"Will you love a boy who walks toward death?"
Herin dropped the book.
She fell to her knees.
And whispered, "Yes."
---
Return to Reality
The illusions shattered.
Kai stood alone at the pillar, sword drawn. His back was torn, his arm bleeding—but his eyes… they were clear.
Herin ran to him, dropping the journal.
"What happened?" she asked breathlessly.
Kai looked down at the sword.
"He's coming," Kai said.
"Who?"
Kai's eyes darkened.
"The one who killed my father. The one who rules the Crimson Veil."
---
The Mark Awakens
As they turned to leave, the runes on the stone burned bright red.
And on Kai's chest, through his shirt, a sigil appeared—burning like a brand. Herin stepped back in shock.
"You've been chosen…" she whispered.
But Kai was already stumbling forward, clutching his side.
The sword, now glowing red, began to pulse faster and faster.
"Something's wrong—"
The ground shook.
A wave of energy exploded from the stone.
---
A New Threat Emerges
From the chasm below, something massive began to rise.
First came the claws—black as night, dripping with ash. Then the wings—shredded and ancient. And then a face. No, a mask—made of bone and flame.
The Veil Warden.
The creature hissed.
"You carry the sins of your bloodline… and I am the judge."
Kai stepped forward, the sword glowing in his hand. Herin joined him, her eyes burning with resolve.
"If you are the judge," Kai said, "then this blade is your sentence."
The battle for truth was about to begin.
---
To be continued in Chapter 20…