Chapter 11: Oder of the veil (Riven Aldor)

The morning sun barely peeked through the towering academy walls as Aria sat on the edge of her bed, deep in thought. The events of the previous night still played in her mind like an unsolved puzzle. Jax's secrecy, the Book of Secrets, and the crypt beneath the library—it all felt too deliberate, as if someone had placed them on this path.

She had spent years trusting Jax, but now, doubt gnawed at her. He had admitted to working with someone, but who? And why? If Jax was lying, what else was he keeping from them?

A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. Eryn stood there, arms crossed. "You're up early."

"So are you," Aria replied, eyeing her warily.

Eryn sighed, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "You still don't trust Jax, do you?"

Aria hesitated before shaking her head. "I don't know, Eryn. He's hiding something big, and I have this feeling that we're being played."

Eryn sat beside her. "I get it. But we've come this far together. If Jax really is working with someone, we need to figure out who. And why."

Aria nodded. "Then we need to watch him. Closely."

---

That night, the team regrouped as planned. The chamber was quiet, save for the faint flicker of candlelight casting eerie shadows against the stone walls.

Jax arrived last, his usual confidence dimmed by something unreadable in his expression. "Alright," he said, setting down the Book of Secrets. "We need to figure out what the riddle means before someone else does."

Aria studied him, searching for cracks in his façade. "You seem tense."

Jax met her gaze evenly. "I didn't get much sleep."

Lila leaned over the book. "Let's focus. 'The ancient ones sleep beneath the crest of light'—if the Lumina family crest is involved, that means the crypt isn't just a crypt. It's hiding something."

Jax nodded. "And if the 'endless night' refers to a resting place, then we need to look for a tomb with that symbol."

Eryn frowned. "But how do we get inside the crypt without attracting attention?"

Jax hesitated. "There might be a way."

Aria tensed. "And you just so happen to know it?"

Jax exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's a hidden passage in the east wing of the academy. It leads straight down to the tombs."

Silence hung heavy between them.

"How do you know that?" Aria asked, voice laced with suspicion.

Jax hesitated, but before he could answer, a faint noise echoed through the library. A soft shuffle of footsteps.

Aria snapped her head toward the sound. "We're not alone."

Lila quickly snuffed out the candle, plunging them into darkness. The team held their breath as the sound grew closer.Thensilence.

A sudden chill ran down Aria's spine. Whoever was watching them was still there.

Jax's voice was barely a whisper. "We need to move. Now."

No one argued. As they slipped out of the library and into the shadowed corridors, Aria's mind raced.

Someone was watching them.

And she had a sinking feeling that the answers they sought were far more dangerous than they had ever thought.

The team moved swiftly through the academy's darkened halls, their footsteps barely making a sound against the stone floor. Aria's heart pounded in her chest. Someone had been watching them in the library. But who? And why?

As they rounded a corner, Jax suddenly stopped, holding up a hand. "Wait."

The others froze.

Jax's eyes darted toward a shadowy alcove just ahead. "Someone's there," he whispered.

Aria's grip tightened around the dagger she always kept hidden in her belt. "Show yourself."

A tense silence filled the corridor. Then, slowly, a figure stepped forward from the darkness.

A girl.

She looked to be around their age, her dark cloak barely concealing the academy uniform beneath it. Her face was partially obscured by a hood, but her piercing amber eyes flickered with recognition as she took in the group.

Lila gasped. "Riven?"

Aria's eyes widened. Riven Aldor. One of the academy's top scholars. Brilliant, quiet, and always keeping to herself. What was she doing sneaking around in the middle of the night?

Riven sighed, lowering her hood. "You're as reckless as ever, Jax."

Aria's stomach twisted. She knows Jax?

Jax's face remained unreadable. "What are you doing here, Riven?"

Riven folded her arms. "I should be asking you that. You're getting too close to something you don't understand."

Aria stepped forward. "What do you know about the crypt?"

Riven hesitated before glancing down the hall, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "Not here. If you want answers, follow me."

Lila exchanged a nervous glance with Eryn. Aria crossed her arms. "And why should we trust you?"

Jax sighed. "Because Riven isn't just another student. She's part of the Order of the Veil."

Silence.

Lila looked stunned. "The secret society that studies forbidden knowledge?"

Riven nodded. "And if you don't listen to me, you're going to get yourselves killed."

Aria didn't trust easily especially not people who came out of nowhere.but

something in Riven's voice told her the girl wasn't lying.

After a long pause, Aria nodded. "Fine. But if this is a trap, I swear"

Riven smirked. "If this were a trap, you'd already be dead."

With that, she turned and disappeared down a hidden staircase in the chamber.

Jax glanced at the others. "Well? Are we doing this?"

Aria exhaled. They were already in too deep. There was no turning back now.

"Let's go."

And with that, the team descended into the unknown, stepping deeper into the shadows and closer to the academy's darkest secret.

***

The Order of the Veil is a clandestine society dedicated to the study and protection of forbidden knowledge. Unlike the Shadow Concord, they do not seek power but instead strive to prevent dangerous secrets from falling into the wrong hands.

Formed centuries ago by scholars and mages who recognized the threat of the Shadow Concord, the Order operates in secrecy, hiding within academies, libraries, and royal courts. They believe that knowledge itself is not dangerous—only those who wield it irresponsibly.

Their members are skilled in arcane studies, ancient history, and covert operations. They gather lost texts, decode prophecies, and monitor any sign of the Shadow Realm's influence. While they do not always agree with the Academy's strict limitations on magic, they work from within to prevent another catastrophe.

Riven, as a member of the Order, was assigned to investigate the crypt and the recent disturbances at the academy. But even she did not expect to uncover that the Order's greatest fear was now at their doorstep.