Those who had awakened to the Veil after me say it whispered to them, feeding them answers to their strife, driving them forth with words of motivation, and in some cases, leading them to a path of corruption. But the Veil didn't just whisper to me, son.
It spoke to me, its very will ingrained into my being.
- Galath Areias, The First
Renric Demaris
I breathed in slowly, calming my mind as I grasped the bowstring of my father's weapon.
The animal before me was a medium-sized wolf, its gray coat of fur blew gloriously in the wind. It stood on its four, thin but powerful legs, perched above a small boulder. The creature's jaw widened, showcasing two razor-sharp fangs hanging from the upper half of its mouth.
I typically avoided hunting for predators, as a missed shot would mean potential for danger, but it seemed as if the events of the past few days had instilled a sense of confidence within me.
I slowly brought the bowstring back, releasing it in a smooth motion, only allowing my breath to escape my throat as the arrow notched to the bow had begun to fly through the air. I focused, channeling the Veil's power, its whispers growing louder and louder within my skull, to the point of distraction. I spurred forth the arrow with the wind, increasing its velocity and deadliness. My mind speculated that perhaps in the future, I could skip the weapon altogether and hunt with the Veils' powers themselves.
The wolf however, miraculously avoided its demise. The arrow instead of landing square in its torso like I had expected, suddenly veered off course.
The animal turned, spotting me instantly with its perceptive eyes, forged through years of evolution to spot small prey in the dense forests.
"How…" I wondered aloud, but I could not finish the thought before the wolf had lunged towards me, claws outstretched. I flew backwards, but not by my own magic.
I stared incredulously at the ground, where the wolf would've eaten me alive only moments ago. The wolf seemed confused as well, as if it had made a miscalculation. It narrowed its eyes, seemingly deep in focus. That's when I noticed something. Its eyes glowed a deep, pitch black, like the night sky had somehow been contained within its skull.
The gentle breeze flowing behind me began to quicken, launching me forward, hurling towards the predator.
It was using magic, I thought to myself, neither believing nor denying the statement.
It was too quick for me to escape from its next attack, but I managed to raise an arm, letting it stick its jaws into the leather gauntlet around my forearm. I felt its fangs ripping into my skin, drawing blood. Barely even thinking, my arm ignited in flames, singing the wolf's mouth and causing it to scamper back in pain.
I wasted no time, and despite the initial shock at the wolf's unexpected use of magic, I rushed forward, pulling my knife from its scabbard at my waist. I repeated my father's hunting mantra as I took the wolf's life with a swift downward motion.
The sudden change in the Kingdom was growing more apparent by the day. "What the hell was that…" I said to myself. But I didn't have time to sit and wonder. It was getting dark fast, the days hunts taking longer than expected and the changing seasons shortening the hours of daylight available to me. I grabbed the now still body of the Wolf, wincing in pain as I let its pressure push against my right arm, now slowly trickling blood.
My grasp on magic seemed to strengthen with every passing day, or perhaps even every passing hour since the day I had first met Cadyr. Along with it, I began to notice changes to my body. I felt faster, stronger. Carrying the wolf around my shoulders was much easier than it would have been only a few months ago, a change that could not have come about through natural means.
—
I gently opened the door, pushing my way inside as I noticed my mother sitting in her spot by the fire as she usually did. As I entered, she stared at me with a knowing look, as if she knew every single thought bouncing around in my skull.
"Renric," she began, still staring at the young boy she knew so well, "You are tangling with things you don't understand. You must be careful." She warned, sighing with exasperation. I had not had a proper opportunity to explain my sudden use of magic when saving the young boy from Kemmerick.
"I know mother, I will. But the Veils pull…" I hesitated, not knowing how she would react, "It's addicting, in a way."
"As power often is" She replied wisely, "you mustn't let that power change who you are." She rose, grasping my shoulders tightly, with hands I hadn't realized still had strength within them. "My son, Alexander's son." She placed heavy emphasis on my father's name, the memory still clear within both of our minds. It acted both as a message and a reminder. "You are all I have left." She finished.
I watched as tears welled up in her eyes, the familiar yet distant name reverberating between us. She, nor I, had spoken it since his passing.
I gave a small smile before replying, "How could I forget something like that?"
Suddenly, I heard a sound, and then a voice.
"Is it this one?" the voice wondered aloud, the sentence trailing off as I struggled to hear the rest of the conversation. But I recognized its cadence, that of the war hero, Drefyr Asharim. The man I had met the other day. Stories and fables of his battles were commonly shared, akin to fairy tales in a way. I had never thought I would come face to face with such a revered warrior.
That man had told me something the other day, in secret, something that shattered me down to my core.
I know it was you.
"I'll be back mother" I told her, turning. I met her gaze as I did so, and she seemed as if she wanted to say something, but decided against it. Instead, she fell back into her chair, closing her eyes deep in thought.
I stepped out of my house, walking towards the garden. As I rounded the corner, however, I ran headfirst into the muscled chest of a man, standing over a foot taller than myself.
"See! I told you this was it." The prince called, standing a few paces away from the older walker.
"Hello, Renric." He greeted me with a seemingly friendly smile, but this man's demeanor was like an ancient text, one that I could not even begin to comprehend.
"Hey, I appreciate your help with the whole Kemmerick thing the other day, but what are you guys doing outside my house?" But even as I asked, I could already anticipate the answer.
"Spying on you! Duh!" The prince laughed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but there was an edge to his words. The carefree tone I had come to expect from the boy was… less free, to say the least.
"Well, you would make for a pretty bad spy stomping around like that." I retorted, gesturing at the carrots and other plants they had trampled on while sneaking around.
"Heh, sorry about that. You can bill the damages to my father."
The mention of the King, even not by name, caused my face to stir, but I bit back the emotion.
He is the son of my father's murderer, I mustn't forget that. I thought to myself.
I glanced at Drefyr, wondering if he had noticed the quick moment, but he simply continued to smile before interrupting our little exchange.
"Shall we go somewhere a little more… private?"
"No!" I replied, a little louder than I had meant. I know it was you, I repeated his words in my head. Leaving the village seemed dangerous, not knowing the true intentions driving the war hero's actions. Perhaps he would lure me away, revealing the truth to Cadyr, killing me where I stood. Like the way the King had killed my father.
Drefyr stared for a beat before smiling, as if he could read my mind.
"I-I need to stay here," I stammered, thinking up an excuse that bordered on a lie and reality. "My mother, she needs me."
"You and your mother." Cadyr quipped, but with a hint of kindness to it, one that I did not realize he possessed.
"Of course, then, this location will be fine," Drefyr said, and suddenly I felt as if the entire world was enveloped in shadows.
A sheet of darkness covered our unlikely trio, partially obscuring the world around me. My feet that had once been on solid ground seemed as if they were stepping on clouds, a dark mist flowing from some mysterious source. I looked around, slowly, and the space darkened, and it was as if we had been transported to a seemingly endless room of black. The only light source available was a small flame that the war hero had procured in his palm, holding it a few inches from his body.
Another flame appeared, this time in front of Cadyr.
I'm going to die, I thought to myself. They know the truth, and they've brought me to this strange… world, to kill me. Perhaps I should admit to it and beg for forgiveness. My thoughts continued to spiral, causing my face to contort into an obvious expression of panic.
"Don't be scared boy, you are safe." Drefyr said, his tone reassuring.
"This is his magic," Cadyr started, stepping towards me. I tripped on myself, falling backwards almost involuntarily. He stopped, regarding me with humorous eyes before continuing, "an advanced form, far beyond anything you or I could do." He spoke with admiration, but with none of the killing instinct or bloodlust I had expected.
I decided to play the situation by ear, letting the two royals lead the discussion.
"Dark magic. A form of the Veil's powers at the pinnacle of human knowledge. Far beyond the elemental magic you may have seen Cadyr use before." Drefyr stated, not in a way to showcase his superiority but rather purely informatively, like a teacher guiding a pupil. "Don't fret," he continued, "you face no harm within my spell, and no others will hear or observe us within this realm."
"And what information do you have for me that warrants… all this?" I questioned suspiciously, dramatically waving my arms at the endless void around us.
"Things are changing within the kingdom, boy, you never know who," he glanced around, perhaps more for effect than for practicality. "Or what, is listening."
"Just spit it out already, Uncle! You're scaring the guy!" Cadyr protested.
"Of course, of course. Renric," He stepped closer, and the flame sprouting from his palm grew ever so slightly, illuminating more of his face. His long scar, strong jaw, and high cheekbones would've made for a scary figure if it had not been for his expression. Full of… my mind blanked, not fully able to comprehend the emotions playing out within my mind.
He looked… fatherly.
"Cadyr and I have been discussing, and we think it would be beneficial to all of us, " he paused, gesturing his hand to encompass both Cadyr and me as a part of his sentence, "if you were to join us in training."
I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that.
Good, the now familiar, scratchy whisper of the Veil rang, shaking throughout my consciousness.
I wouldn't let the mysterious voice decide my every move, however.
"Training? Training for what?"
"For battle, Renric, why else?" Cadyr said. "You and I, sparring partners! We could be like the fabled mouse and dragon, of course, I would be the dragon." He finished, citing the common fairy tale depicting the unlikely duo of a winged, fire-breathing beast and its cheese-eating rodent companion.
"Like I said, things are changing in Karouse, and it's always better to be prepared than not." Drefyr reached a hand out to me, still lying on my back in the dark mist. We locked eyes, his gaze expectant. I remembered earlier that day, the wolf who had mysteriously been able to access the Veil, utilizing wind magic as it had tried to kill me.
But I did not grab his arm; instead, electing to get up on my own. I still could not yet trust the duo's intentions. There was still too much I did not know.
"I do not need to prepare for a battle. Now, if you'll excuse me, my mother-" My speech halted suddenly, and I fell to my knees, clawing at my temples.
NO! The voice screeched, as if it were attempting to break through my mind and into reality itself.
"Renric? Are you alright?" Cadyr said, voice dripping with concern.
"This is…" Drefyr began, before waving a hand. Suddenly, the world changed in an instant, moving from a pitch black to a bright, blinding light.
The voice plaguing my mind began to quiet, turning from a high-pitched screech to only a faint murmur.
I glanced from side to side, eyes squinting as I adjusted to the bright light, taking in the new scenery. It mirrored that of the former space, but instead of an infinitely stretching void, it seemed as if we had entered directly into the sun itself. Cadyr had seemingly disappeared, somehow gone from the mini-dimension that Drefyr had created.
"Light magic," the hero answered, despite never being asked a question. "It can momentarily halt the Veils' whispers, or in your case, its will." He said knowingly, like he had also been able to hear its screech.
"You must have many questions. Let me–"
"No kidding! What do you want from me? If it's my life-" I stopped, burning passion igniting a flame in my palm. I had called upon the Veil's power without even thinking, but with it, the voice grew louder.
LISTEN! The voice screeched once more.
With a yelp, I fell once again to my knees, the flame extinguishing swifter than it had appeared.
"I admire your courage, but I advise you to listen now." Drefyr said, his tone caring but stern. He waved his hand, intensifying the light to an even greater degree before letting it die down once more.
"Was it you, back then, the one who sent the bolt of fire at the prince?" He asked, but it was less of a question and more of a statement. "And then, you knew the man whom the King killed, your father, I presume?"
I bit my lip, knowing that no lies could protect me now. I simply nodded my head.
"How do you feel towards the King?"
The question seemed to have an obvious answer, but still, it was hard to fully trust the stranger.
"How would you feel towards the man who took everything from you?" I spat with a bitter tone.
He placed a hand below his chin, stroking it the same way Cadyr did, or perhaps it was the other way around.
"Violent." He answered simply. So sudden and matter-of-factly that it almost made me laugh.
"Understandable, I hold little allegiance to my half brother, but know this," his voice took on a cautioning tone, "the power a King holds is great, it is a uniting force. A power upheld by strength. In the absence of that power," He paused. "The result is pure, unadulterated chaos."
"Maybe it would be worth it," I said, admitting to what essentially amounted to treason, but I sensed that Drefyr cared little for treasonous entities.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Trust me, the thought has crossed my mind, and if it weren't for that boy," He gestured grandly, and although no one was present, I knew. "I might have already done it. But those who would wrest control from the young boy's hands…" He paused, "I probably couldn't kill them all on my own."
His confidence was reminiscent of the young boy who likely still existed back in the real world. I considered his words, knowing there held a calm, reserved wisdom, one informed by much more knowledge than my own. Brutal and violent emotions still raced through my mind, giving me a headache worse than when the Veil had been screeching throughout my consciousness only moments before.
"Thank you for the advice." I replied, before remembering the whole purpose of the visit in the first place. "Training, what for? Why me?"
"You interest me, something special, I can sense it, or perhaps, it can sense it. A common blood, blessed by the Veil? I've never heard of such a thing." As he spoke, he waved his hand, transporting us suddenly back to the garden behind my house, as if we had never left.
Cadyr sat, cross-legged on the floor, twirling a carrot idly in one hand while gnawing on another in his mouth.
"Hey, what was that all about? Why did you leave me out here with-" He paused to spit the raw carrot from his mouth, "-only plants to keep me company? I'm so bored." He complained.
I ignored his complaints, smirking, "I will train with you, where and when?"
Cadyr jumped up, his eyes darting back and forth between me and his Uncle.
"Great! Trust me, Ren, I can call you that, right? We are gonna have so much fun!" He finished with a giddy excitement.
"He doesn't have many friends, does he?" I whispered to Drefyr.
"No, no he does not." He replied, a smile dancing on his lips.
—
"The Veil seldom raises its voice—but when it does, the world listens. I've seen kingdoms sway and heroes falter, all nudged by a hand unseen. It waits, plans, and always... always arrives at its desire. Whether that is wisdom or something else, I no longer know."
—Scholar Thalen, Final Writings