Nova_Verse

In the world of NOVA, death is not the end. Beneath the mortal realm lies the Soul Land, where the spirits of the departed linger, sustained by the memories of the living. But once the last person who remembers you is gone, so are you.

For most, this is an inevitable fate. For a rare few, it is a chance to rise.

Those who leave behind a lasting impact—be it through legend, power, or sheer will—gain the ability to defy the boundaries of life and death. These beings, the Soulbound, can forge bonds with the living, exchanging power for emotion. The greater their influence, the stronger they become, even gaining the ability to walk between worlds.

But not all spirits wait to be remembered. Some claw their way back through sheer hatred. Some carve their names into history through blood and fire.

This is the story of one such soul.

A man betrayed. A warrior forgotten. A legend reborn.

And now, Rael Noctis will forge his own destiny—one soul at a time.

The masochists

The sky, once a distant expanse of stars, now cracked with violet rifts, spilling tendrils of shadow into the world. The streets glowed with eerie, flickering embers, and the distant screams of those caught in the chaos merged with the deep hum of something old awakening beneath the ground. Every breath Elara took felt heavier, as though reality itself was pressing against her, trying to break apart.

She clenched the pendant in her fist, its unnatural warmth pulsing against her palm. It was a key. A throne. A weapon.

Darius stood a few paces ahead, his cloak shifting slightly in the unearthly wind that swirled around them. His golden eyes were unreadable, but there was something new in them—a quiet urgency. Even Rael, who rarely let fear show on his face, looked tense.

"You're running out of time, Shadowmarked," Darius said, voice measured. "The veil is no longer just breaking. It's choosing."

Elara's grip tightened. "And what if I don't want to be chosen?"

Darius tilted his head. "Then it'll choose someone else. And I promise, you won't like the alternative."

Elara glanced at Rael, searching for some kind of answer in his expression. He exhaled through his nose, his crimson eyes scanning the ruined city before landing on her. "We can't let this thing fall into the wrong hands."

Elara nodded slowly. She hated that he was right. Hated that Darius was right.

But she hated most of all that somewhere deep down, a part of her wanted this power.

A deep rumbling sound shuddered through the air. The world around them rippled, the buildings shifting, distorting—like a mirage on the verge of collapsing.

From the far side of the broken city, something moved.

The first figure stepped out of the haze, its body elongated, its limbs unnaturally sharp. Its hollow eyes glowed with violet light, its mouth moving in silent whispers. Then another emerged. And another.

Rael tensed, blade already in hand. "We need to move."

Darius didn't flinch. "No. She needs to decide."

Elara felt her heartbeat thunder in her chest. The pendant pulsed again, sending another wave of warmth up her arm. The whispers were clearer now, no longer just distant echoes.

Elara closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. She thought of everything that had brought her here. The betrayals. The fights. The moments she'd almost died for a power she barely understood.

And now, standing on the edge of something far greater than herself, she realized the truth.

This wasn't about fate. It wasn't about destiny.

It was about who had the strength to take control.

Elara's eyes snapped open. The violet glow of the pendant flared against her skin.

She wasn't going to be a pawn in someone else's game.

She was going to rewrite the rules.

The void-touched shrieked as the ground beneath them cracked, darkness spreading outward in jagged veins. The air itself bent as shadows surged around Elara, no longer resisting her—but obeying.

Rael took a half-step back, his gaze flickering with something between awe and concern. "Elara…"

Darius, however, simply smiled. "There she is."

Elara raised her hand. The shadows rose with her.

And for the first time, the veil listened.

THE VEIL'S EDGE