Chapter Five: Shadows of the Past
The Veil was never still.
Elena felt it in every step as she and Kael moved through its endless terrain—the ground shifting like glassy waves beneath their feet, the sky bending and stretching with impossible colors. The beauty had become oppressive now, tainted by the Watcher's words. Every shimmer reminded her of danger, every ripple of instability.
The mark on her arm pulsed faintly, as though echoing the Veil's heartbeat. She rubbed at it absently, wishing she could erase it, carve it out, anything to stop feeling like a beacon in the dark.
Kael walked ahead, his posture tense, shadows whispering faintly at his heels. He hadn't spoken since the Watcher vanished, and the silence between them stretched heavy, unbearable.
Finally, Elena couldn't stand it.
"You knew." Her voice cracked against the Veil's endless hum. "You knew the mark was calling them."
Kael didn't turn, but his shoulders stiffened.
She pushed harder, anger and fear tangled in her chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wouldn't have changed anything." His reply was flat, controlled, but there was strain beneath it. "Knowing only makes the weight heavier."
Her fists clenched. "It was my weight to carry. My choice."
Kael stopped suddenly, turning to face her. His eyes—dark, sharp, unflinching—locked onto hers. "You think you want the truth? The truth destroys faster than lies."
Elena swallowed hard, but she didn't back down. "I'd rather be destroyed by the truth than suffocated by silence."
The words hung between them, sharper than blades. For a moment, Kael's mask cracked. Something raw flickered in his eyes—guilt, grief, regret so deep it looked like it had carved him hollow.
"Elena…" His voice was quieter now, almost human. "The last Marked said the same thing."
Her breath caught. "The last…?"
Kael looked away, jaw tight, shadows curling closer around him as though to shield the words. "There was another. Years ago. She bore the mark before you. And I…" He faltered, something breaking in his tone. "I failed her."
The ache in his voice struck Elena harder than the confession itself. She stepped closer before she realized it, her anger faltering into something gentler. "What happened?"
For a moment, she thought he might actually answer. But then he shook his head, eyes darkening again. "Some stories aren't meant to be told."
Her chest tightened. She wanted to demand more, to tear down the walls he kept raising, but the look on his face stopped her. It wasn't stubbornness keeping him silent—it was pain.
The ground beneath them shifted suddenly, the glassy surface rippling like disturbed water. Elena stumbled, and Kael's hand shot out, steadying her. His touch was firm, steady, and for a moment the Veil's chaos faded.
"Stay close," he murmured.
Elena nodded, her pulse quickening for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.
They moved on, deeper into the Veil. The landscape twisted around them, mountains folding in on themselves, rivers of light snaking through the air like living serpents. Elena's head spun with the impossibility of it all.
Then the air grew colder.
A shadow passed over them, darker than Kael's own. Elena shivered, glancing upward—and froze.
Above them, something vast moved across the fractured sky. Not a wraith, not a hunter, but something larger, heavier. Its wings stretched wide, blotting out the light rivers, its body shifting between solid and mist. Eyes like molten silver burned as it scanned the ground below.
Elena's voice was barely a whisper. "What is that?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "A Shadeborn."
The name alone made her stomach twist. "Is it… looking for us?"
"Yes." His voice was grim. "The mark called it."
The creature let out a roar that shook the Veil itself, glassy ground shattering in spiderweb cracks beneath their feet. Elena stumbled back, panic clawing at her chest.
Kael's hand found hers again, gripping tight. "Run."
They ran.
The Veil shifted violently around them, the terrain rearranging as though trying to trap them. Trees of crystal erupted from the ground, mountains flipped in impossible arcs, rivers of light surged like barriers. The Shadeborn's roar followed, closer with every step.
Elena's lungs burned, her legs screaming with each stride, but Kael never slowed. His grip on her hand was iron, dragging her forward, shadows forming a path through the chaos.
The ground cracked beneath them. Elena cried out as her foot slipped on the glassy surface, the abyss yawning below. She would've fallen if not for Kael yanking her into his arms, spinning them both onto solid ground.
For one breathless moment, she was pressed against him, his heartbeat hammering beneath layers of shadow and steel. His eyes met hers—storm-dark, fierce, but burning with something she couldn't name.
"Elena," he said, her name rough on his lips, "hold on to me."
Before she could answer, the Shadeborn descended.
Its massive form crashed into the Veil with a roar, claws tearing through the shifting ground. The shockwave threw Elena from Kael's arms, sending her sprawling. Pain lanced through her side as she hit the ground, the mark on her arm flaring violently in response.
The Shadeborn's gaze locked onto her, silver eyes blazing.
"Elena!" Kael's shout cut through the chaos. He hurled himself between her and the beast, shadows erupting around him in a storm. His blade gleamed black as night as he struck at the Shadeborn's claws.
The impact shook the ground, sparks of shadow and silver flying. Kael staggered but held his ground, shadows lashing like chains around the creature's limbs.
"Elena, move!" he barked, voice raw with urgency.
But she couldn't. The mark pulsed too strongly, burning like fire beneath her skin. The Shadeborn's attention was fixed on her, drawn by the light seeping through her veins.
"No…" she gasped, clutching her arm. "Not again—"
The heat built, unbearable, until it felt like she would explode. She remembered the wraiths, how the light had surged out of her uncontrollably. If it happened again—if she lost control—she could destroy more than the monster. She could destroy Kael.
"Elena!" His voice broke through the haze, sharp and desperate. "Look at me!"
Her gaze snapped to him. He was on his knees, shadows barely holding the Shadeborn at bay, his blade trembling under its weight. But his eyes—dark, unyielding—were locked onto hers.
"You are not alone," he said, voice fierce. "This time, you are not alone."
Something in her broke. The fear, the doubt, the helplessness—she let them shatter. The mark's light surged, but instead of fighting it, she reached for Kael with everything inside her.
Their connection flared. Shadows and light twined together, pulsing in sync. The glow softened, steadied, no longer wild but controlled.
Kael's eyes widened in surprise, then determination. "Good. Now—together."
He moved, and she moved with him—not physically, but through the bond that thrummed between them. His shadows coiled tighter, her light flared brighter, and for the first time, they didn't fight each other. They fused.
The Shadeborn roared as the combined force struck, shadows binding its wings while light seared its body. It thrashed, shrieked, but the power held, burning through it until its massive form shattered into fragments of silver mist.
The Veil fell silent.
Elena collapsed, the light fading, her body trembling. Kael was at her side instantly, catching her before she hit the ground. His arms were steady, his chest heaving, his shadows dimming like dying embers.
"You did it," he murmured, disbelief and something fiercer threading his voice.
"No," she whispered, too weak to lift her head. "We did."
For the first time, Kael's mask cracked fully. A faint, fleeting smile touched his lips—a smile that carried both pride and sorrow.
He held her close, his voice low against her ear. "You're stronger than you know, Elena."
Her eyes fluttered shut, exhaustion dragging her under. The last thing she felt was Kael's heartbeat against hers, steady and unyielding in the chaos of the Veil.