Chapter 1: The Mark of the Veil
The city of Valentis never truly slept. Beneath its towering skyline and neon glow, there were places the light never reached—dark alleys, forgotten streets, and the invisible war raging in the shadows.
Orion Vale had spent his whole life surviving in those shadows. Tonight, he was running through them.
His breath came in sharp gasps as he darted through the narrow backstreets of District 13, boots slamming against the cracked pavement. His hoodie was torn, his knuckles bloodied, but he couldn't stop. Stopping meant death.
Behind him, the sound of pursuit echoed through the empty alleys.
"Move in. Don't let him escape."
Orion gritted his teeth. They weren't regular street thugs. Their movements were too precise, too controlled. He had been hunted before, but this? This was something else.
And it all started with a simple job.
---
One hour earlier.
"Deliver this package. No questions."
Orion had done a lot of questionable jobs before, but this one paid too well to ignore. The instructions were clear—take the black case to a warehouse near the river. No detours, no peeking inside. Just in and out.
Easy.
Or at least, it should have been.
When he arrived, they were already waiting. Six men. Armed. Faces obscured by dark masks. No questions, no negotiations.
Just the promise of death.
Orion had barely slipped away before the first shot rang out. Now he was running for his life.
---
Present.
His lungs burned. His legs ached. But he had no choice.
Orion skidded around a corner and—dead end.
A concrete wall stretched high above him. His heart pounded. He turned, fists clenched, as the first of his pursuers stepped into the alley.
A tall figure in black, his voice calm, almost amused.
"You made this harder than it needed to be, Vale."
Orion's eyes darted around. No way out. No weapon. No plan. Just his instincts and whatever strength he had left.
"I don't even know what's in the damn package," Orion said, buying time.
The man tilted his head. "That's the problem. You weren't supposed to."
The others emerged from the darkness, forming a half-circle around him. Orion counted five—one missing. Where's the sixth?
A chill crawled up his spine. They were herding him.
They knew something he didn't.
The leader took a slow step forward. "Drop the case, and we can make this quick."
Orion exhaled sharply, gripping the case tighter.
"You wouldn't be chasing me if you just wanted the package."
A pause. Then a small chuckle. "Smart."
The man lifted his hand—and Orion saw it. The mark.
A symbol, faintly glowing beneath his glove. Not ink. Not a tattoo. Something else. Something alive.
The alley grew colder. The air thickened.
Orion felt it before he saw it. A presence. A shift in reality.
And then—the wall behind him cracked.
Not like concrete breaking. Like glass shattering.
A deep, resonating hum filled the alley as the crack spread, revealing something beyond. A swirling void. Dark. Endless. Hungry.
A Veil.
And something was coming through.
---
The men reacted instantly.
"Get him away from it—NOW!"
Orion barely had time to register the panic in their voices before the first thing crawled out of the rift.
It wasn't human.
A skeletal frame wrapped in shifting shadows. Hollow eyes locked onto the nearest man. A second figure followed, then a third.
The hunters opened fire. Gunshots roared through the alley.
The creatures didn't flinch.
They moved fast—too fast. Claws flashed, cutting through flesh and armor like paper. Screams. Blood. Silence.
Orion staggered back, eyes wide. He had seen men die before. But this? This was something else.
The leader—the only one still standing—turned to Orion.
His mask was gone. And his eyes were black.
Not dark. Black.
Like the void itself had consumed them.
"You… are marked." His voice was layered, distorted. "The Veil knows you now."
Orion's pulse pounded in his ears. What is he talking about?
The man took a slow, trembling step toward him. "Run, Orion Vale. Run before it claims you too."
Then his body collapsed into shadow.
Gone.
Orion stood frozen, his breath shallow. His mind screamed at him to move, to run—but the Veil was still open.
And it was calling to him.
A whisper, a pulse—a pull.
His skin burned. He looked down and—the same mark was on his arm.
Faint. Glowing. Alive.
His vision blurred. The world spun. The last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed him whole—
Was the Veil dragging him in.
---
Somewhere Else.
Orion gasped as he hit the ground—hard.
But it wasn't the alley anymore.
He pushed himself up, his hands sinking into black sand.
The air was thick, heavy. The sky above him was… wrong. Twisted shapes moved in the distance. Structures that defied logic. The very ground shifted beneath him.
Not Valentis. Not anywhere he knew.
A soft voice echoed from the darkness.
"He finally arrived."
Orion spun, his heart hammering.
A woman stood there, wrapped in shadows, her golden eyes glowing.
She smiled. Not kind. Not cruel. Just… knowing.
"Welcome to the Veil, Orion Vale."
Orion's fists clenched. His body still ached, but he forced himself to speak.
"What the hell is this place?"
The woman stepped closer, her gaze never leaving his.
"Home."
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