The man from the Shadow Court stood perfectly still, like the darkness itself obeyed him. His coat swayed slightly with the draft whispering through the ruined shrine, and when he smiled, Rick saw the faint shimmer of runes carved into his skin — glowing red like old embers.
> "You don't have to do this," Lira said, raising her blade. "The Council may have fallen, but some boundaries still hold."
> "Boundaries?" the man said, tilting his head. "The Veil is cracking, darling. Boundaries are myths."
He lifted a hand. The shadows along the wall peeled free, twisting into shapes — half-human, half-beast. They had too many limbs and eyes that glowed faintly red. The chamber filled with the low hum of corrupted magic.
Marrek growled under his breath. "This is going to be ugly."
Rick gripped the sphere in one hand and clenched his fist with the other. The burning mark in his palm pulsed again, harder this time, almost like it was responding to the enemy's energy. He didn't understand it, but it felt alive — like it wanted to fight.
> "You take the left," Lira said, eyes locked on the Court agent. "Marrek, with me. Rick — stay back."
Rick nodded, but deep down, he knew staying back wasn't an option.
The agent whispered something in a language Rick couldn't understand, and the shadows lunged.
Lira's runes ignited, blue flame cutting through the air like ribbons of lightning. Marrek moved in a blur, claws slicing, fangs flashing in the half-light. Every strike sent bursts of dark smoke swirling away — but the creatures kept coming, endless and relentless.
Rick felt his heart pounding against his ribs. Every sound was magnified — every breath, every spark of magic. When one of the shadow beasts slipped past Marrek and charged him, instinct took over. He raised his hand, and the golden light burst again — stronger than before.
The creature disintegrated instantly, leaving behind only ash and the faint echo of a scream.
The Court agent turned his gaze on Rick. "Ah," he said softly. "So it's true. The Veil-Born awakens."
Before Rick could move, the man flicked his wrist, and invisible force slammed him against a pillar. Pain exploded through his back. He gasped, the crystal sphere slipping from his grip and rolling across the floor.
Lira shouted his name, but the agent was already chanting. The runes on his arms flared, and the stone beneath Rick's feet cracked open, spilling black smoke that coiled around his legs.
> "Do you feel it?" the man said, stepping closer. "That power in your veins — it doesn't belong to you. It belongs to us. The Veil's gift was meant for the Court, not a confused mortal."
Rick could barely breathe. The smoke wrapped tighter, cold as death.
He forced his hand forward, pushing against the pressure, and the golden light fought back — weakly at first, then stronger, burning through the darkness like fire through paper.
The man's smile vanished.
> "Impossible," he hissed.
Rick's voice shook, but he managed to say, "You talk too much."
The light exploded outward, blasting the agent backward. The impact threw him against the far wall, cracking the stone. For a heartbeat, the entire chamber went silent — then the shadows began to collapse into themselves, leaving only scorched marks on the floor.
Marrek let out a low whistle. "Remind me never to piss you off."
Rick groaned, pulling himself upright. "Trust me, it's not something I can control."
Lira picked up the sphere and approached him. "You just repelled a Shadow Court mage, Rick. That's not something a human should ever be able to do."
> "Yeah, you mentioned that," he said, rubbing his shoulder. "Any chance someone explains why?"
Lira hesitated, glancing at Marrek before saying, "The Veil-Born aren't supposed to exist anymore. They were the bridge between worlds — human bodies carrying fragments of the Veil's own power. The last one died over a century ago."
Rick blinked. "So I'm… what? A reincarnation?"
> "Or a mistake," Marrek muttered. "Magic doesn't care about destiny. Sometimes it just chooses wrong."
Rick looked at his palm, still glowing faintly. "Feels like it chose me for something worse than wrong."
The ground trembled again, faint but steady. Lira's eyes widened.
> "We have to go," she said. "The fight woke the sentinels. This place will collapse."
They ran — across broken stone, through the tunnels that led back to the surface. The walls shook, dust raining down as ancient mechanisms groaned to life. Behind them, a rumbling roar echoed like a monster waking from a long sleep.
They burst out of the warehouse just as the tunnel caved in behind them. Rick fell to his knees, gasping, the cold night air biting his lungs.
Lira held the glowing sphere tightly against her chest. "We have it," she said, breathless but steady. "The First Key."
Marrek scanned the dark horizon. "And the Court now knows who's carrying it. We won't have peace again."
Rick pushed himself up, eyes narrowing at the skyline of Greyhaven — all steel and light, completely unaware of the storm growing beneath it.
> "Let them come," he said quietly. "I'm done running."
Lira looked at him — truly looked — and for the first time, there was something like respect in her eyes. "Then we'd better get you trained before you get us all killed."
Marrek chuckled. "Now that's motivation."
As they walked toward the faint glow of the city, Rick couldn't help but glance back once more.
The warehouse was gone, swallowed by the ground, leaving nothing but a faint golden shimmer that faded with the wind.
He didn't know where this path would lead — but deep down, he could feel it: something had shifted.
And far away, in the darkness beyond the Veil, something ancient had just woken up… and it was watching.