A Door To The Veil

Chapter 7: A Door to the Veil

Two Blood Coins rested in Riven's palm, their silver surfaces gleaming dimly under the lantern light. Perfectly smooth. No markings, no engravings—yet their presence carried a weight far heavier than metal.

Selene leaned casually against the rooftop's ledge, arms crossed as she watched him. "You're thinking too hard about it."

Riven didn't respond.

The Blood Coins weren't ordinary. Xyren had given him the first before dying. The second had been tossed to him by the masked assassin before vanishing into the night. Two assassins—both powerful, both knowledgeable—had deliberately passed these to him.

He turned them over in his hand. Cold. Heavy.

A message. A warning. Or a trap.

Selene's smirk widened. "You can feel it, can't you?"

The air around them was different—heavy, expectant, like something unseen was watching.

Then, the system chimed.

[New Contract Available.]

[Path of the Veil: Accept or Reject the Invitation.]

[Warning: Consequences Will Follow Either Choice.]

Riven clenched his fist around the coins. The system's warning wasn't subtle.

No matter what he did, the Veil Syndicate wouldn't leave him alone.

"What happens if I accept?" His voice was low, measured.

Selene studied him for a moment before sighing. "If you accept, you're officially on their radar. The Veil Syndicate will test you—see if you're worthy of joining their ranks or if you're just another disposable killer."

"And if I refuse?"

Her smirk widened. "Then you're declaring war against them."

Riven's grip on the coins tightened.

Selene rolled her eyes. "You act like you have a real choice. You're already marked, Shadowborn. They'll come for you either way. The only difference is whether you walk through the door yourself, or they drag you through it."

A slow exhale. He already knew that.

But he needed more information.

His gaze shifted to Selene. "Tell me about them."

Her brows lifted. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

The Veil Syndicate: An Assassin's Empire

Selene stepped toward the edge of the rooftop, staring down at the dimly lit streets below. "The Veil Syndicate isn't just an assassin's guild. It's the assassin's guild."

Riven remained silent, listening.

"They control the contracts, the informants, and the killers across the continent. Every major city, every noble court, every underground network has their reach in it."

His frown deepened. "Then why haven't I heard of them before now?"

Selene grinned. "Because you weren't worth knowing about before."

He didn't react.

She continued. "Most assassins operate freelance or in smaller guilds. The Midnight Veil—Xyren's group—was one of them. They answer to the bigger names, take the contracts passed down, and fight to stay relevant."

Riven turned the Blood Coins over in his palm. "And the Syndicate?"

Selene's smirk faded slightly. "The Syndicate is different. They don't just take contracts. They shape them. They decide who dies, who lives, who rises and who falls. Nobles fear them. Kings whisper about them. The underworld serves them."

Understanding settled in.

They weren't just assassins.

They were power.

And now, they had noticed him.

A Walk Through the Underworld

Selene turned, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face. "Come on. If you're going to make this decision, you need to see something first."

Without waiting for a response, she leapt off the rooftop, landing in a narrow alley below.

Riven followed without hesitation.

They moved through the slums of Black Hollow, slipping through narrow streets and hidden pathways. The air here was different—thicker with tension, the kind that warned of unseen dangers lurking just beyond sight.

Eventually, Selene stopped in front of a half-buried door beneath a collapsed building.

She knocked twice, then three times, then once.

A metal slot slid open. A pair of sharp yellow eyes stared out.

Without a word, Selene held up a single Blood Coin.

The slot closed. A second later, the door creaked open.

"Welcome to the real Black Hollow," Selene murmured.

Riven stepped inside.

The Underworld of Assassins

The moment they entered, he felt it—the weight of unseen eyes.

The underground chamber stretched far wider than expected, branching into multiple halls, corridors, and hidden doors.

Everywhere he looked, killers walked freely.

Some sharpened weapons at long wooden tables. Others haggled over poisons, disguises, and forbidden tools. A few simply sat in shadowed corners, whispering with cloaked figures, passing sealed envelopes between hands.

A marketplace.

A marketplace for death.

Selene grinned. "Welcome to the Hollow Market. This is where real contracts are made. No nobles giving out petty assassination orders. No common thugs playing at being killers. This is where the real assassins deal."

Riven remained silent, taking it all in.

Then, a hush fell over the room.

A figure had stepped forward.

Tall. Cloaked in deep crimson, with a silver mask shaped like a fanged grin.

Their presence demanded attention.

Selene sighed. "Here we go."

The masked figure studied Riven. "So. You are the one who holds two Blood Coins."

Their voice was calm. Measured. Dangerous.

The room remained silent. Every assassin in the market was watching.

Selene leaned toward him. "You're making a lot of friends tonight, Shadowborn."

He ignored her.

The masked figure stepped closer. "You have two choices. Accept the invitation…"

They extended a gloved hand.

"Or reject it… and see how long you survive against the ones who have."

The silence was deafening.

The system's notification flashed again.

[Path of the Veil: Final Choice.]

• Accept the Invitation. Join the Veil Syndicate.

• Refuse. Face the consequences.

There was no escape.

All eyes were on him.

Selene simply smirked. "Well, Shadowborn? What'll it be?"

A slow exhale.

Then, Riven made his choice.

END OF CHAPTER 7