I led by example. Every order I gave, I bore the cost of it first. I never demanded what I would not endure myself, not from soldiers, not from kin. And yet you, my son. You were meant to be the better version of me. The proof that sacrifice could forge something purer. So tell me—how did you fall so far from the image I bled to become?
—Galath Areias, The First
Renric Demaris
My throat tightened, and I felt almost nauseous. I could hardly move, my feet rooted to the ground like the elder wood trees of the Wildmarch. Cadyr lay fully still beside me, completely unlike the normally confident and energetic prince I knew.
The stranger stood with an unwavering confidence, something I had only seen from royals of grand stature. His cloak of pitch black blended in against the shadows cast from the coliseum canopy above. Curiously, his face had a gray tinge to it, as if he were slightly ill. His hair matched the color of his outfit, and he paced across the arena floor like a shadow as the sun traveled across the horizon.
Since he had revealed himself, shattering Doran's invention, the Veil had only spoken a single word to me.
Run.
"You dare stand before us—Walkers of Karouse, unmatched in strength—while claiming the name of the kingdom we are sworn to destroy?" Said Primarch Stravos, shattering the silence. "Furthermore, claiming to be descended from the Areias bloodline?"
"You must be mad!" The Drossar representative added.
The Myrrwin woman called out next, "Impetuous fools such as yourself should be dealt with swiftly."
The man only answered with a gleeful chuckle. "Named after a Kingdom? I think you may have your facts backwards."
"You say 'welcome me to this world' as if you are from another world, why?" Drefyr questioned calmly. He stood on the balls of his feet, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Well, after a thousand years or so, could this be considered the same world I grew up in?" The mysterious man, claiming to be named Velamir, said. "When a river changes course and every drop flows anew, do you still call it the same river?"
"A thousand years? What are you talking about?" Stravos demanded.
"You don't know?" Velamir said incredulously, scratching his head in surprise. "None of you know of me?"
Suddenly, Cadyr began to speak. "I know you."
"Ah, at least someone does."
"Cadyr…?" Our mentor questioned, shifting ever so slightly forward, eyeing the strange man cloaked in black.
"You are a son of the first Walker, Galath Areias."
No one moved, not even the sound of the flowing winds could be heard, like the Veil itself had grown silent in the presence of the dangerous man.
The son of Galath? What is he talking about? And how would he even know that anyway?
"Impossible! We all know the names of Galath's heirs, each descending to create the seven royal houses!" Iskar argued, the professor seemed well-versed in Walker history.
"Erased my name from the books, I see, classic." The man mused.
Suddenly, Velamir appeared directly in front of us, hands behind his back. I sensed no intent to harm, but every nerve in my body screamed with terror. There was something eerie about the man, something unnerving and unnatural.
RUN! The Veil screeched again, urging my body backwards.
"You, how do you know about me?"
But Cadyr was not given a chance to answer. Without even moving, the prince and I suddenly appeared several feet away from the man, encompassed by tendrils of shadow slowly drifting away.
In our place, Drefyr stood, his aura illuminating with the blinding light magic he had shown me when we first met.
Velamir eyed the man, not even squinting at the bright light. He countered with his manifestation of magic, darkness enshrouding his figure.
The two Walkers faced each other, and for a brief moment, neither moved.
Then, an explosion of magic.
Both men flew backwards, suddenly appearing and reappearing in different sections of the coliseum. Explosions of rock and sand followed, and a pillar of marble holding up the arena crumbled to dust, falling away. They moved quickly, fading in and out of existence through advanced magics I lacked the knowledge to even begin to comprehend.
"Run!" I called, allowing the Veils' warning to manifest in a shout.
Both nobles and royals alike scattered in fear, not wanting to get caught in the collateral damage. I watched as Primarch Stravos, instead of retreating, readied himself to assist in the battle against the stranger.
He flew forwards, lightning streaming behind him—a stormcloud in human form. His figure became a blur of cobalt, flashing arcs of electricity as his magic clashed with the strangers' dark magic. Brilliant colors of blinding light, pitch black darkness, and sapphire sparks filled the air—a display at the absolute pinnacle of power.
They are on another level. I thought to myself, suddenly feeling meek and insignificant.
The head of house Caelbor did not last long, however, and was almost immediately knocked backwards by a tendril of shadow, collapsing at the feet of the Verdanta representative. His breath looked shallow, blood pooling beneath him, but the Verdanta man held out his hands, shimmering with the radiant glow of nature magic.
I turned, not wanting to waste any more time spectating the battle, but Cadyr held my arm, staring intently at the destructive scene above us.
"We have to help him! This man… he's powerful!"
"How could we possibly help?" I asked frantically, pulling at the strong boy's grip.
"It's possible, but we need to work together." Vireth, the Caldrith boy that I had briefly met in Brimholt, said. His voice was calm now, but it still made my skin crawl—his vision from back then replaying in my mind.
"Working with you guys is gonna be a drag, but we can't let Drefyr fight alone!" Zevar said, his hulking figure now seeming not so intimidating compared to the explosions of magic above, sending boulders and other residual elemental magic cascading down where we stood.
I turned, noticing the small crowd of people behind the boy. Four of the proctors stood strong, shielding Stravos and the house Verdanta member crouched over him.
Finnlen, Calliope, Nyssira, Iseldrynn, Tyvara, and Atea were also gathered. Even the noble boy who had tied Iseldrynn's score remained, although it seemed he was unable to stop the quivering of his body, shaking like a leaf in the wind. The royals had mixed expressions, some determined like Atea, others frightened like the Myrrwin twins, others with a mask of composure, like Tyvara.
It seemed the action of the revered war hero had inspired some of the participants in the tournament, wanting to help him in any way they could.
We turned to each other and began to form a plan.
—
Drefyr Asharim
I flew with urgency, allowing my feet to land on a massive, marble pillar. As I did, the stranger shot out a blast of superheated blue flames towards me, blowing the pillar to bits. I sank into the shadows, reappearing behind Velamir.
"Behind you." I taunted, and without even waiting for him to turn, I slipped into his shadow, reappearing after he twisted around violently. I had to be careful—repeated uses of dark magic increased the Veil's pull, and I had spent many years pushing its thoughts farther and farther from my consciousness. I could not let it take hold of me again.
"Face me like a true warrior!" He screamed in rage, frustrated, nothing like he had been moments ago.
I willed forth a plume of lava magic, cascading onto his back. It burned and singed his cloak, but he disappeared, using his dark magic.
He reappeared further away, under the shadow of a different pillar holding up the massive coliseum.
I need to minimize the damage. I thought to myself, watching as the still present royals below me were conversing with each other. Why are they not running?
I had no time to think. The man suddenly appeared in front of me, a blade of wind cutting through the space between us. I countered with a shield of shimmering light magic, allowing the wind to break apart against it. I manipulated the light, forging a thin sheet of magic to lay across my body. Rushing forward, wind magic behind me, I clad my form in another layer, lightning, crackling with intensity, increasing my speed even faster. I could not rely on the shadow teleportation magic any longer.
Simultaneously, two blades of gray elder wood formed in my hands, and I utilized mist magic to summon two solidified clones of myself, completely mirroring my appearance. There was a strain on my body to utilize so many advanced magics together, but having all four attunements allowed for each manifestation to come much easier than another Walker with only one or two.
I shifted, allowing the light magic to create an optical illusion. Three identical versions of myself charged forward at Velamir, and I was now the one on the left instead of the central one, a mist clone.
"Cheap tricks!" The man clad in black shouted, and tendrils of black energy shot forward, headed only for my true form flying in from his right. He had incredible battle sense and instincts, able to see through the illusion with ease.
"Perhaps, but can you handle this?" I questioned bravely. My form shimmered, and I dodged his attack with ease. He manifested a blade of dark obsidian, and our swords crossed with a screech of metal against sharpened wood.
He struck with heavy fury, whereas I defended with calm composure. We danced through the air, neither one of us able to land a hit. Velamir screamed in rage, pushing me back with a strong gust of wind.
Flying backwards, I accessed my light magic, utilizing an advanced technique. Angel magic. Three angelic spectres formed, made entirely of light, given sentience by my nature magic. I angled downwards, floating below him within a cloud of mist.
Velamir reacted instantly, forming two beings born from dark magic, an advanced technique even I wasn't capable of. Reapers. He may be the son of the first after all.
The two hooded figures flew forward, wielding scythes crafted entirely of darkness. They clashed brilliantly against my angels, flashes of light and darkness illuminating the heavens themselves. One angel fell, fading out of existence. A Reaper was impaled by a spear of light. Now, two angels converged on the final being of darkness.
It was time to end this.
I flew upwards, my blurred movements breaking free from the mist I had summoned. It melted away, allowing me to focus my efforts on my next attack.
But Velamir had expected it, and was already countering with his own attack.
Two bolts of black lightning charged towards me, fast. One arced and bore into my right arm, drawing blood. I had no choice but to use my shadow magic technique once more, fading away and then above the man.
Below you! The whisper creeped into my head, a side effect of overexertion.
I stared downwards at the royals, and Renric, standing in formation near the bottom of the arena.
I'll trust you just this once. I said mentally, half to myself and half to the mysterious entity known as the Veil. My body strained, every muscle wishing it could rest. I knew that if I allowed this battle to continue much longer, even I would begin to struggle.
"You may be a powerful warrior of this new age, but your blood is diluted compared to my own!"
"Blood? Who gives a damn about blood or lineage?" I spat, picturing the common blood boy below me. Even though I was half common blood myself, it did not stop me from becoming the war hero all of Karouse knew me as.
With a roar, Velamir let loose a vortex of fire, spinning the attack with incredible speed, no doubt due to wind magic.
Just as I had expected. It seemed the man favored the primal elements of wind and fire.
I conjured a powerful torrent of pure water, allowing it to fall towards the twisting flames.
A moment passed, and both attacks traveled through the air. Time seemed to slow as I watched the first droplets of water evaporate due to the intense heat.
Then, they collided, a cloud of steam erupting forth from the convergence of opposing elements.
—
Renric Demaris
A particularly large bang rang across the arena, and I caught Velamir's body cascading down from a plume of steam into the coliseum's sandy battleground. His falling form created a crater in the middle of the arena. The sand rushed forward, attempting to trap him in place. Drefyr landed softly, his hands outstretched in both directions, willing the sands to hold the mysterious man still.
"You! You fight like my father!" Velamir shouted, no longer speaking in the measured way he had been before.
"You fight like a coward."
"Would a coward challenge his enemy in the heart of their domain?"
"No, only a fool," Drefyr responded, allowing the sands to inch closer towards the stranger clad in darkness.
Velamir only smiled.
Suddenly, a flash of black lightning speared forth, striking Drefyr in the chest. He flew backwards, crashing into the wall of the arena battleground.
"Black lightning? That technique has been lost for years!" Tyvara exclaimed, jaw agape.
Velamir stood, allowing the sand to fall from his cloak organically. He bled from his mouth, but it wasn't red, instead, it flowed an unnatural black.
"I'm not sure about this." I nervously whispered to Cadyr, but it was Vireth who answered.
"We can do it, Drefyr only needs a moment." The boy spoke confidently, as if he foresaw what would transpire next.
"Now!" Cadyr suddenly shouted, and the royals in attendance all burst into action.
Each royal house member struck, using their preferred elemental attacks. The Myrrwin twins conjured two identical blasts of water. Atea grasped at the sand beneath Velamir's feet, holding him in place. Zevar and Tyvara combined attacks to create a large, conjoined bolt of pure electricity. Vireth summoned forth a plume of glorious flames, and Iseldrynn formed spears of ice. Finnlen summoned a tree, laced it with nature magic, and sent it charging at the stranger, alive and furious. The noble boy let loose blades of wind magic. Cadyr formed a lightning blade, throwing it with all his might.
I focused hard, willing sharpened branches of elder wood to fly forward, increasing in speed through my wind magic. I noticed the four active house representatives, each contributing their advanced magic. Suffocating mist, flowing sands, flaming molten lava, and frigid ice added to our attacks, creating an incredible and blinding explosion of magic where the mysterious man stood.
The deafening scream of our attack slowly died down.
The cloud of dust cleared.
Yet still, Velamir stood, unfazed.
"Child's play." The voice cut through the smoke, drenched in contempt, or perhaps, disappointment.
"A thousand years of evolution, and this is the best the world offers?"
"No." The war hero's voice answered—clear, regal, and undeniable.
A glowing figure stepped from the haze, each stride dismissing death itself.
"I am."
A blade of light energy shot forth, spearing the cocky man in the chest as if it had simply appeared there. Blackened blood spilled, and Velamir coughed, more blood splattering on the sand below. Falling to his knees, he cursed, then suddenly vanished into his own shadow—as if he were never there in the first place.
All was still for a moment.
Then, the gathered royals all seemed to relax at the same time.
Deafening cheers followed, considering less than twenty people remained in the now partially destroyed coliseum.
"We did it!" I celebrated, holding on to Cadyr.
"Yeah. Yeah, we did." He spoke breathlessly, as if still not believing his own eyes.
I turned, wanting to find our mentor, but he did not celebrate.
"Silence!"
As if the world had turned from a shining summer day to a completely still winter night, the air of excitement morphed into a silent respect towards the speaking voice.
"You have seen the threat we now face." He began, holding his bleeding arm. "Are you all prepared to face such a foe again?"
No one spoke for a breath.
I took in my mentor's face, sweat dripping from exhaustion. The absolute peak of power in our world. Even he struggled to fight the man known as Velamir.
Slowly, I raised a single arm into the air.
"I am," I said simply, courage seemingly sprouting from nothing.
"As am I." Cadyr smiled at me in support.
The rest of the royals around us answered back, willed forth by Drefyr's bravery in battle and our sudden triumph over the figure shrouded in secrecy.
"Then we will meet again in one week, to truly commence the annual Veilguard tournament!" Drefyr shouted with finality, and was met with a resounding war cry.