The talisman in the stranger's outstretched hand shimmered faintly, its fractured edges catching the dim glow of the lanterns, as though alive with a power ancient and inscrutable. Cael's breath caught in his throat—a fragile breath that trembled between hope and dread.
"Why... why me?" His voice was barely more than a whisper, a fragile echo lost beneath the city's restless hum.
The figure's eyes gleamed from beneath the hood, cold yet not unkind. "Because the stars have marked you, Cael Orin. The inverted star is no mere curse but a sign — a herald of change long foretold, though feared by many."
A cold wind stirred, carrying the distant cries of a city both forsaken and alive. "The Veil lies beyond this threshold. But beware, for once crossed, it will reveal truths that may fracture your very soul."
Cael's fingers closed tightly around the talisman, its weight grounding him even as the world seemed to tilt.
"To find the truth, I must step beyond the Veil." His voice gained steel.
The stranger inclined his head solemnly. "So be it. But know this—once you cross, there is no turning back."
A breathless silence enveloped them as Cael stepped forward, heart pounding beneath the shadow of the Horned Star, toward the unknown that awaited beyond the veil of shadows.
As Cael crossed the threshold, the air shimmered—and the stars themselves seemed to shift, as if the cosmos held its breath.