Chapter 21: A World Beyond the Veil
Yuuto stood on the balcony of the celestial fortress, the relic's pulsing light still faint in his palm. The battle against Lyra had carved itself into his bones. The heat of divine flame still lingered on his skin, and the haunting echo of her final words kept playing in his mind.
"If only you had stayed..."
The relic had accepted him. The system had acknowledged him. But the victory felt hollow.
A soft chime rang through his interface.
[New Zone Available: Eden Veil - Tier 2+]
[Warning: Recommended Level – 150+]
[Only users with System Authority or Status Unlock may proceed.]
Yuuto squinted at the notification. Eden Veil... He hadn't heard of it before. Even among the System Chat logs, few spoke of Tier 2+ zones. Those that did never returned to tell their tale.
Kaien approached from behind, his right arm still bandaged from the battle against Celestial Dusk. "You gonna act on that?" he asked, nodding toward the flickering prompt.
"I don't know yet," Yuuto admitted. "But something tells me this isn't just another dungeon."
Kaien leaned on the stone railing beside him. "You feel it too?"
Yuuto looked out over the glowing skyline. The city had changed. The skies were darker, the stars sharper. Something in the air crackled—divine, electric, unnatural. The world was bending again.
"It's like the system's evolving," Yuuto said. "And it wants us to keep up."
Kaien chuckled bitterly. "We win a tournament, fight off elite celestial users, and now we're being dragged into another warzone. No rest for the blessed, huh?"
Yuuto didn't answer. His mind was elsewhere—replaying the fight, the words Lyra spoke, the look in her eyes when she vanished. Rage. Pain. But also... regret.
"Did we really have to fight her?" he asked, more to himself than Kaien.
The warrior's eyes darkened. "In this world, those who hesitate die. And she didn't hesitate."
Yuuto clenched his fists. The relic in his hand glowed in response.
[Relic Interface Detected. Synchronizing Celestial Privileges...]
[New Function Unlocked: Dungeon Editor - Prototype Version]
[Warning: Use of Editor consumes Soul Units.]
He blinked. "Soul Units?"
The system explained, as always, with a mechanical lack of empathy.
[Soul Units: Collected from high-tier bosses, celestial beings, or through the sacrifice of personal bonds.]
That last part struck deep.
Kaien had seen the prompt too. "Sounds like a power not meant for just anyone. You planning to use it?"
Yuuto didn't reply. He couldn't—not yet. The system had granted him something monumental, but it came with a hidden weight. To rewrite reality, he'd have to pay for it. One way or another.
Suddenly, the air cracked.
A new portal opened in the sky—massive, swirling with silver and black hues, streaks of gold threading through it like veins. A hologram formed at its center, showing a cloaked figure. Its voice echoed across every system user's interface simultaneously.
"To all who claim to seek truth... Eden Veil beckons."
"Inside lies the origin of the System... and the fate of all who wield it."
"Only those who carry celestial scars may enter."
Kaien muttered, "Celestial scars?"
Yuuto touched the relic on his chest—its heat warming his palm. "I have one."
As if in response, the portal pulsed. A single beam of light stretched out and encased him, scanning every fiber of his being.
[Requirement Met: Celestial Scar Verified.]
[Entry Granted: Eden Veil.]
A soft message flickered:
"Once you enter, there is no turning back until the veil is lifted."
He looked back at Kaien, who shook his head. "You've already made up your mind, haven't you?"
Yuuto nodded. "I have to know what's beyond all this. Why the system chose me. Why Lyra fell. Why it all feels... incomplete."
Kaien stepped back. "Then go. And when you come back—if you do—you better tell me everything."
With no further words, Yuuto turned to face the portal.
The light consumed him.
---
He emerged not into battle, but silence.
Eden Veil was nothing like the dungeons he'd faced. It wasn't a fortress or a battlefield. It was... a garden. Or at least, the twisted memory of one. Trees towered overhead, their leaves shimmering with runes. Streams flowed with liquid light. Statues of forgotten gods stood broken along a marble path.
His system adjusted to the change in environment.
[Zone: Eden Veil]
[No Exit Available Until System Trial Completed]
[You are being observed.]
"Observed by who?" he whispered.
The trees didn't answer, but the sky seemed to tighten, like a giant eye narrowing in suspicion.
He walked cautiously along the marble path. The silence was unnatural—no birds, no monsters, not even the wind dared to stir.
Eventually, he reached a clearing. At its center stood a monolith—pitch-black, covered in red markings that pulsed with life.
As he approached, the system pinged.
[Trial Initiated: Voice of the Forgotten]
[Goal: Learn the Truth of the System's Birth. Survive the Witnesses.]
Before Yuuto could react, shadows began rising from the ground. Not monsters. Not ghosts. But memories. People. Thousands of them.
Some looked like ordinary humans. Others bore wings, horns, or celestial halos. They spoke in broken, overlapping voices.
"The code must never be broken—"
"He altered the rule—"
"We gave them systems to help—"
"They used them to conquer—"
"We are to blame—"
"No, it was the Architects—"
"Erase him before he learns—"
Yuuto gritted his teeth. "What... is this?"
A figure stepped forward—taller than the rest. Cloaked in ancient white robes, its face hidden by a mask shaped like a sundial.
"I am the First User," it said. "The system you now command... was once our last hope."
Yuuto's breath caught. "What do you mean?"
The figure raised a hand. The monolith behind it cracked, revealing a glowing memory orb.
"See it for yourself. But beware... once you witness the truth, you cannot return to ignorance."
Yuuto stepped forward and touched the orb.
---
Memories flooded him.
A broken world. Celestials warring with humans. A virus that corrupted all life. A desperate attempt by a dying race to create order from chaos.
The system wasn't a gift. It was a prison. A cage meant to hold back the corruption. But over time, it evolved, changed, twisted by the will of users who sought more power.
And then came the betrayal.
One of the Architects, desperate to control the system entirely, had initiated the Rift—a dimensional break that allowed users from parallel worlds to inherit broken versions of the system. Yuuto was one of them.
He staggered back, breath shallow.
"They... used us," he whispered. "All of us."
The First User nodded slowly. "Now you understand. The relic you carry... it's a key. To fix everything. Or destroy it all."
Yuuto looked at his hands. They shook.
[Choice Required: Reformat or Rebel?]
[Your actions will echo through all linked systems.]
He turned away from the orb, eyes hardened.
"I won't be their pawn anymore."
---
As he left the clearing, the system chimed again.
[Phase One Complete. Phase Two: Survival Begins in 24 Hours.]
[Warning: Eden Veil will adapt to your choices.]
The garden shivered as if alive.
Yuuto stepped deeper into Eden Veil, relic in hand, fire in his heart.
The veil had been lifted. And behind it, the truth was darker than he had ever imagined.
But he wasn't afraid anymore.
Not of the system.
Not of fate.
Not even of the gods.
Because now... he was more than a player in the game.
He was ready to rewrite it.
End of chapter