Beyond the Shadowveil

"Who's there?" The guard's gruff voice broke the silence as he turned toward the shadows where Aryan had been moments ago.

His hand hovered near the hilt of his sword, eyes darting across the area.

"Huh? There's no one here… but I know I heard something."

Another guard approached from a short distance, his irritation clear.

"Hey! What are you doing, lazing around? Do your job properly!"

The first guard flinched, glancing around once more. "Must've been a cat or something," he muttered, brushing off his unease.

The second guard rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's finish up. You up for a drink after the shift?"

"Oh, sure, why not?"

With that, the two wandered off, their voices fading into the distance.

From his hiding spot, Aryan finally exhaled, his heart racing. "Phew! That was way too close… If I hadn't used Swift-Tel at the right moment, I would've been caught for sure."

Swift-Tel—his self-made movement technique—had saved him again. By harnessing his lightning affinity, Aryan had trained to move faster than the eye could track, though it still took a heavy toll on his body. It had taken countless hours of training to master, but it was worth every second.

He barely had a moment to gather himself before a sudden wave of fatigue hit. His vision blurred for a moment, the world around him spinning as his legs felt like lead. Every breath burned in his lungs, but he couldn't afford to stop now.

Panting, Aryan wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced toward the towering Shadowveil Barrier Wall, the final obstacle between him and the forest.

"I can't give up now…" His breath hitched, determination sparking within his tired frame. "I must get into the forest, no matter what!"

Summoning whatever energy he had left, Aryan pushed forward, using Swift-Tel one last time.

His body blurred as he dashed toward the wall. Just as the lightning energy faded, he rolled and pressed his back against the cold stone, breathing hard.

Rising to his feet, Aryan's gaze locked onto the looming Shadowveil Forest before him. The air seemed heavier here, thick with mystery.

Under the pale moonlight, the forest was both breathtaking and unnerving. Towering trees stood like silent sentinels, their branches twisting unnaturally, and the ground beneath was covered in dense, fog-like mist.

"So this is Shadowveil Forest…" Aryan whispered, awestruck by its eerie beauty.

The trees had an almost ethereal glow, their ancient roots pulsing faintly with energy. There was something alive about the place—something watching.

The deeper parts of the forest were said to be home to unspeakable horrors, but even from here, at the edge of the Outer Wards, the tension in the air was palpable.

Legends surrounded Shadowveil Forest. No one who ventured too deep ever returned, and the beasts lurking within were unlike any found elsewhere.

The Outer Wards held low to mid-tier monsters like Lesser Shadow Beasts and Stoneback Wolves, but as one ventured further, the dangers increased. The Veilwild, the middle section, was home to Night Terrors and Phantom Panthers—creatures that stalked the unwary in the dark. And the deepest region, known as the Shrouded Abyss, was where even seasoned warriors dared not tread. It was rumoured to contain beasts of unimaginable power—Elder Wraiths, Elemental Titans, and something far worse: an ancient, sealed entity that could bring ruin to the entire kingdom if ever released.

Aryan stared ahead, mesmerized and filled with equal parts dread and excitement.

"Majestic… and terrifying… just like they said." Yet, despite the danger, something inside him urged him forward.

Aryan's gaze lingered on the towering trees, his mind drifting as memories of the recent days surfaced.

"After that fight with Darius… and the strange dream I had in the infirmary… something about me has changed," he muttered, almost as if speaking to himself.

His hand unconsciously clenched at his chest, feeling the faint pulse of energy within him, unfamiliar yet persistent.

"But what exactly has changed… I don't know."

His voice trailed off as the eerie silence of the forest seemed to close in around him.

A strange sensation tugged at him, deep and insistent, like an invisible thread pulling him forward.

"It's like… like someone—or something—is summoning me. No, pulling me," Aryan whispered, his eyes narrowing as he stared deeper into the dark expanse of Shadowveil.

The feeling had been growing ever since he woke up in the infirmary, lurking beneath his skin, growing stronger with each passing hour. It wasn't fear, not entirely, but a pull that gnawed at him, unrelenting.

His breath hitched as a chill ran down his spine. Whatever was calling to him was inside that forest. His mind screamed at him to turn back, to leave this cursed place behind—but his body refused to listen. He stood there, silent, wrestling with the unknown force that tugged at his very core.

For a long moment, the only sound was the distant rustle of leaves, the wind howling softly through the forest's ancient trees.

Aryan closed his eyes, trying to make sense of the strange magnetism that had taken hold of him. His pulse quickened, the forest's mystery seeming to pulse in tandem with his heartbeat.

After what felt like an eternity, he opened his eyes. A sharp breath escaped his lips, and he shook his head, forcing a crooked smile.

"Haa… well, whatever it is, I'll know once I see it for myself."

There was no point in overthinking it now. The only way to understand was to move forward.

But deep down, a whisper gnawed at the edges of his mind. Whatever awaited him in those shadows… it wasn't good. He could feel it in his bones. The sense of foreboding was palpable, pressing against his skin like the weight of the storm clouds before lightning struck.

"And yet… here I am, walking straight into it," Aryan muttered under his breath, his smile fading as the gravity of the situation set in.

"Something tells me this isn't going to end well."

With a final glance toward the towering trees, Aryan took a deep breath and steeled himself. Whatever was pulling him into the forest wasn't going to stop. He was no longer just walking into the unknown; he was being drawn into it.

And there was no turning back.