"Some doors are meant to remain closed. But I was never one to ask permission."
---
Aedric followed the instructions in the letter, his steps silent against the marble floors of the Academy. The path led him deep—below the lecture halls, beneath the grand libraries, past corridors no ordinary student had ever walked.
The air thickened. The torches flickered, casting long shadows. And then, at the end of the passage, a door stood waiting.
No handle. No keyhole. Only a symbol—a black sigil shaped like a serpent devouring its own tail.
Aedric placed his palm against it.
Pain lanced through his arm, sharp and cold. Blood dripped from his fingertips as the sigil glowed crimson, drinking his offering.
The door groaned open.
And he stepped inside.
---
The Gathering of the Veil
Aedric found himself in a vast underground chamber, its walls carved with runes that pulsed like living veins.
Figures in dark robes stood in a circle. Faces hidden. Eyes watching.
"You are late," a voice spoke—low, commanding.
Aedric met the speaker's gaze. "I wasn't aware I was invited."
A chuckle rippled through the gathered figures.
"Names mean nothing here," the voice continued. "We are the Black Veil. We are the truth behind the Academy's lies."
Aedric said nothing. He did not trust them. Not yet.
A hooded figure stepped forward, holding a blade. "If you seek to join, you must pass the Trial."
Aedric tilted his head. "And if I refuse?"
"Then you leave this room in pieces."
The choice was never real.
Aedric stepped forward. "Then let's begin."
---
The Trial of the Veil
The rules were simple.
Survive.
The execution, however, was anything but.
Aedric was thrown into a circular arena, the walls closing in with each passing second. Five masked figures stood around him, their blades drawn.
No names. No mercy.
A test of skill. A test of will.
The first attacker moved fast—but Aedric was faster. A sidestep, a precise strike to the ribs, and the figure crumpled.
The second came from behind. Aedric twisted, catching the blade with his own. Sparks flew. A moment later, his opponent lay motionless.
Three remained.
They did not hesitate. They struck as one.
Aedric did not parry. He did not dodge.
He stepped into the attack.
Pain flared as a dagger grazed his shoulder, but his hand shot forward, gripping his opponent's wrist. A sharp twist—snap—and the figure collapsed, screaming.
Two left.
Aedric exhaled. Enough games.
A single movement—fluid, effortless. A blade flashed.
And the trial was over.
---
Acceptance into the Dark
The chamber was silent as Aedric wiped the blood from his hands.
The leader of the Black Veil stepped forward. "You fight like a man with nothing to lose."
Aedric met his gaze. "That's because I don't."
Another chuckle. A nod of approval. "Then welcome, Brother of the Veil."
A mark was pressed into his palm, burning into his skin. A symbol of his initiation.
Aedric had entered the Black Veil.
But what they did not know—what they could not see—was that he had no intention of serving them.
No.
He would use them. Learn from them. And when the time came…
He would burn them to the ground.