Thyssara's silver eyes softened, just enough, as a faint, knowing smile curved her lips, the harshness of the courtyard fading for a heartbeat.
"You've passed, Gareth," she said, voice low but cutting through the tension like a blade, "not just this test… but the first step toward shaping what is to come."
He lifted his chin, meeting her gaze, a crooked smirk forming, "And what… exactly… am I supposed to shape, master?"
Her smile deepened, just barely, eyes glinting with quiet certainty, "Our future, Gareth… one only you can help forge, whether you will or not."
The courtyard fell silent, the air thick with awe, whispers stilled, and even the wind seemed to pause, as if acknowledging the weight of her words.
Thyssara's silver eyes cut toward Mira Nightborne, voice cold and commanding: "Test them… see if they are worthy to stand here."
Mira's dark hair swayed as she bowed, obedience in her movements, the courtyard frozen under the weight of the command.
Thyssara turned to Gareth, a faint, almost deceptive smile on her lips, and gestured him forward, her presence magnified by the guards stepping silently behind her.
"Inside… we have matters to discuss," she said softly, each word measured, as the shadow of her entourage made her seem untouchable, a storm in human form.
Gareth's silver eyes followed her, curiosity flickering as he stepped toward the looming doorway, the whispers of awe trailing them like smoke.
Gareth stepped after Thyssara, the heavy presence of her guards casting shadows that seemed to bend the air itself.
A voice whispered inside his mind, cold and sharp as ice: "You are still a slave… still bound to this world… still a pawn of fate."
He clenched his jaw, silver eyes narrowing, whispering to himself, "No… I am not… I am not bound to anyone."
The voice only grew louder, relentless and mocking:
"Denial will not free you, Gareth… every choice you make has already been counted, every step already measured."
He faltered, hand brushing the wall, the shadowed hallway pressing in, the echo of inevitability curling around him like chains he could feel but could not see.
One of Thyssara's guards locked eyes with Gareth, black hair falling like a shadow over her face, the intensity in her gaze sharp as a blade.
Without a word, she raised a hand, a subtle yet firm gesture urging him to continue following them down the darkened corridor.
Gareth's silver eyes met hers, defiance flickering, but he stepped forward, feeling the weight of her scrutiny press against his chest.
The voice inside his mind hissed again, reminding him,"Every step you take… every motion is still watched, still guided… still controlled."
Inside the abandoned house, shadows clung to the cracked walls as Thyssara Nightspire turned to face Gareth, silver eyes sharp and piercing.
"What is Aeternum Murus Nepheses?" she asked, her voice low but demanding, cutting through the still air.
Gareth hesitated, brow furrowed, silver eyes flicking away—he had no answer, clueless and unequipped for the question.
Her gaze narrowed, studying every twitch, every flicker of thought, and she let a faint, calculating smile curl her lips: "I see… you aren't from here, boy."
Thyssara's silver eyes flicked to one of her guards, who moved instantly, silent as a shadow, to fetch Mira Nightborne.
Mira arrived at the doorway, her dark hair disheveled, eyes wide, and Nesy at her side, blood streaking her face from a sharp strike.
Even Mira bore a mark on her cheek, a faint but visible punch that betrayed the ferocity of what had just occurred.
Thyssara stepped outside the abandoned house, the wind carrying her presence like steel, and her gaze swept over the courtyard.
"Enough," she declared, voice cold and sharp, every syllable a command as she gestured rudely, "all of you—leave."
Gareth's silver eyes followed the departing crowd, chest tight, each step heavy with the weight of their fear and awe.
The voice inside his head hissed again, cold and relentless: "You see? Even now… even with power… you are still a slave to this world… a pawn of fate."
He clenched his fists, teeth grinding, trying to push back: "No… I am not… I make my own choices!"
But the voice pressed on, insistent and mocking:
"Choice is an illusion, Gareth… every path, every act… already written, already claimed by forces you do not understand."
Gareth took a slow breath, silver eyes flicking toward Thyssara, her figure framed in the doorway, guards behind her, realizing the truth of her presence—power and authority could crush him, yet also guide him, and he had no choice but to follow.
Thyssara forced a sharp, almost cruel smile, gripping Gareth's hands tightly, silver eyes boring into him as her voice cut deep: "You are mine now… my orders absolute."
Gareth's lips curled into a crooked, defiant smile, eyes flashing as his fist shot backward toward her face, teeth gritted: "Absolutely not."
Anger surged through him, heat burning in his chest, and the voice returned, whispering darkly, "Attack her… kill her… take her as a trophy… show them all who you truly are."
Mira stood beside Thyssara, bowing slightly, voice calm but teasing: "Master… perhaps you are being a little too rude to this one."
The air pulsed with tension, Gareth's black eyes narrowing, pulse racing, caught between the pull of the dark voice.
The defiance burning in his veins, the room trembling with the unspoken clash of will.
Thyssara's silver eyes flared white, the glow crawling across her irises as if reaching inside Gareth, scanning, probing, her presence invasive and absolute.
Inside him, she traced the lines of a faint, glowing mark on his body, her hands moving with precise force as she tore at his clothes, revealing what even Gareth hadn't fully understood.
Her gaze shifted sharply to the guard behind her, Vawy Ashenveil, voice commanding and cold: "Step forward. Decipher the origin of this mark."
Nessy's cheeks burned crimson, voice trembling but fierce, stepping closer: "Master… what you're doing… it's wrong—stop this!"
Gareth stumbled back, chest heaving, silver eyes blazing as he shouted, "Thyssara! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Thyssara's white-glowing eyes narrowed as she continued, voice sharp and precise: "I am merely trying to understand your abilities, Gareth… to see what makes you tick."
Nessy stepped forward, cheeks still flushed, voice steady: "He can enter the Shadow World… and he can move things with his mind—telekinesis."
A booming laugh erupted from Thyssara, echoing through the abandoned house, her guards joining in, a ripple of amusement and awe vibrating in the air.
She studied Gareth, lips curling in a calculating smile, voice ringing clear: "Indeed… you are different, Gareth. No one has ever wielded two Veil abilities at once."
The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of her words settling over Gareth, a mixture of awe, fear, and the hint of challenge flickering in her glowing eyes.
Thyssara's cheeks flushed faintly, a rare softness breaking through her usual steel, voice teasing: "It makes you… so cute, Gareth."
Gareth looked down, heat rising to his silver eyes, a faint blush coloring his features as he tried to decipher the glowing mark on his body.
When he finally met her gaze, his movements shy, he stammered, voice low but firm: "Don't… don't toy with my feelings."
The guards chuckled quietly, and Vawy Ashenveil let out a soft laugh, whispering with sharp certainty: "The mark… it is connected to the Sun's Pallbearer title."
Thyssara's gaze pierced deep into Gareth's eyes, voice now serious, almost reverent: "That is why the Corrupted keep coming… they want to end the feared Sun's Hunter."
Gareth's silver eyes hardened, locking onto both Thyssara and Vawy, intensity radiating from him like a living storm.
"How the… how the fuck do you know this much?" he spat, voice sharp, disbelief cutting through the tense air.
A memory flared in his mind—the Forest Ruins, black stone like ribs of a dead god, glyphs whispering truths only he had once seen.
The Ruins… it taught you… it revealed the mark… the thought pulsed inside him, a reminder of power and burden intertwined.
He shook his head, voice low, almost pleading with himself: "Guys… I'm not dangerous… I'm still me…"
Thyssara's silver eyes bore into Gareth, unwavering and sharp, the glow of authority radiating like steel in the dim light.
She spoke slowly, each word deliberate, slicing through the tense air: "You have three choices, Gareth… and only one path will leave you standing."
"First… become our slave, bound to obey every command without question, your freedom surrendered entirely."
"Second… join us willingly, pledge your strength to our cause, and gain power, but never true independence."
"Or third… die here, right now, and let the world decide what becomes of the Sun's Hunter."
Gareth's black eyes locked on Nessy, silent and pleading, the intensity in them screaming help me as the world seemed to tremble around them.
Nessy stepped forward, voice cracking with desperation and authority, shouting, "Master Nightspire! Stop! You can't do this—he's not yours to command!"
Suddenly, one of the guards activated a sharp, blinding blue ray, twisting perception like reality bending, and Nessy gasped as Gareth transformed before her eyes into a fat, unknown man clad in heavy warrior armor.
She slammed her hand against his head, disbelief and fear burning in her veins, shouting, "No, no, no, no, no!" over and over, yet still the vision refused to shift, Gareth's black eyes glaring out from beneath the stranger's face.
Fury exploded from her, fists clenching, lunging to finish him, but Mira stepped between them.
Eyes cold and precise, stopping her with a sharp, measured grip, as chaos and tension spiraled like fire in the abandoned house.
Nessy's voice tore through the room, raw and shaking with grief, shouting, "You bastard! You bastard! You killed her—where were you?!"
Tears streaked her face, voice cracking, "Why did you kill her? Why did you kill mom? I hate you!"
Gareth's black eyes dropped to the floor, chest heaving, caught between shock, confusion, and the weight of her rage.
His fists clenched at his sides, trembling with a storm of anger and helplessness, a mix of guilt and disbelief burning inside him.
The room fell heavy around them, silence punctuated only by Nessy's sobs and the unrelenting echo of her words, leaving Gareth broken, raw, and uncertain.