Chapter 22: The Veilborn's Pursuit

The air was thick with tension as Elliot, Seris, and Dain moved through the darkened landscape, the ruins of Veyndor fading behind them. The distant howl of the wind carried an eerie resonance, like whispers of unseen entities drifting across the fractured land. The encounter with the Veilborn had shaken them all, but they had no time to dwell on it. The deeper they ventured into the unknown, the more the weight of their circumstances bore down upon them.

Elliot's mind raced. The word 'Keybearer' still echoed in his head, gnawing at his thoughts like an unsolved riddle. He gripped the shard tighter in his hand, feeling its warmth pulse against his skin. It had reacted to the Veilborn, just as the creature had reacted to him. Was it drawn to the shard? Or was it drawn to him?

Seris glanced at him, her keen eyes noticing his troubled expression. "You're thinking too much again."

"I can't help it," Elliot admitted. "That thing… it knew who I was. What I was."

Dain, who had been walking a few steps ahead, spoke without turning back. "That won't be the last one." His voice was grim. "We've made an enemy tonight, and enemies don't just disappear."

Elliot swallowed. "Do you know anything about them? The Veilborn?"

Dain finally turned, his golden eyes sharp. "Only stories. And none of them end well."

Seris crossed her arms. "We're already in too deep, Dain. If there's something we should know, now's the time."

The hunter hesitated for a long moment before sighing. "The Veilborn are remnants," he said at last. "Creatures that exist in the space between worlds. They are neither alive nor dead, bound to forces beyond comprehension. Most say they were once people who strayed too far into forbidden places." His gaze met Elliot's. "But they're drawn to power. And right now, you're carrying something that screams power."

Elliot looked down at the shard in his palm. The faint glow from its core pulsed steadily, as if in rhythm with his heartbeat. The implications unsettled him.

"Great," he muttered. "So I'm basically a walking beacon."

"Not just you." Seris's voice was quiet, but firm. "We're all in this together. Whatever comes next, we face it as a team."

Elliot met her gaze and found reassurance there. A small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

A sudden shift in the air sent all three of them into alert mode. The silence that had once pressed around them had deepened, turning unnatural. Dain's hand moved instinctively to his bow, while Seris tightened her grip on her sword. Elliot, though far less experienced, braced himself as well.

Then, a sound. Not the wind. Not an animal. But a whisper.

You cannot run forever, Keybearer…

Elliot felt his blood turn cold. The voice wasn't coming from around them. It was inside his head.

"Elliot?" Seris's voice snapped him out of it. He hadn't realized he had frozen in place.

"They're still watching," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Dain cursed under his breath. "We need to move. Now."

Without hesitation, they picked up their pace, navigating the uneven terrain as swiftly as they could. The land stretched endlessly before them—jagged cliffs, broken pathways, and strange, looming structures that seemed half-formed, as if reality itself had struggled to construct them properly.

Their hurried steps were cut short when the ground suddenly trembled beneath them. Elliot staggered, barely managing to keep his balance. From the shadows ahead, something stirred.

The darkness itself twisted and moved, forming a humanoid shape—a second Veilborn, its hollow face fixed directly on Elliot.

Dain was the first to act. He loosed an arrow with impeccable speed, the silver-tipped projectile soaring through the air. The Veilborn dodged with unnatural grace, its body shifting like liquid shadow. It lunged forward with inky tendrils snapping toward them.

Seris moved in an instant, intercepting with a powerful swing of her sword. The steel met resistance against the tendrils, but a sharp crackle of energy rippled through the contact, forcing the Veilborn to retreat slightly.

Elliot stumbled back, his heart hammering against his ribs. He wasn't a fighter—he knew that—but he couldn't just stand there. Gritting his teeth, he clutched the shard, and for the first time, he focused on it.

The shard pulsed in response.

A wave of energy surged through his veins, instinct guiding him as he extended his free hand toward the entity. A faint glow radiated from his fingertips, and the Veilborn hesitated, as if sensing the power behind it.

"Do something," Seris urged, still holding the creature at bay.

Elliot had no idea what he was doing, but he acted on instinct. The energy within him built up, and with a burst of will, he released it.

A shockwave erupted from his palm, slamming into the Veilborn. The entity let out a distorted, inhuman screech as the force sent it recoiling. The shadows around it flickered violently before it melted back into the darkness, vanishing from sight.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Elliot gasped, his entire body trembling from the exertion. The shard in his hand had dimmed, its power momentarily spent. He looked up at Seris and Dain, their expressions a mixture of shock and wary acknowledgment.

"That was… unexpected," Seris finally said, sheathing her sword.

Dain exhaled slowly. "Looks like you're not entirely helpless after all, scholar."

Elliot let out a breathless laugh, though he wasn't sure if it was from relief or disbelief. "Yeah. Lucky me."

Dain gave him a long look before nodding. "We keep moving. No stopping until we find shelter."

Seris gestured toward the distant horizon, where the outline of an unfamiliar structure could be seen—tall, ancient, and eerily inviting. "That looks promising."

Elliot followed her gaze, and though something deep within him whispered a warning, he knew one thing for certain.

They had no choice but to press forward.