The Veil is a prison.
Once you enter the Veil, it is impossible to escape.
If you try to walk through the shimmering wall in the same way you entered, you'll only end up losing a limb. The Veil erases the existence of anything that touches its boundaries from within. So if you put your hand in the shimmering wall, you'll just end up losing your arm. Only a stupid person would want to die this way.
No one escapes the Veil... at least, not in the same way they entered it.
[Objective: Reach the Beacon]
It's one of the first things everyone sees upon entering the Veil. Of course, it never explicitly says you'll gain freedom by reaching the beacon. But really… what else could it possibly mean?
Nobody knows who or what created the Veil. Or why it wants them to reach the beacon. But if you want to escape this place, it is the only way to do so.
When the people of the City of Beginnings first saw the pillar of light near the horizon, it gave them hope… A belief that maybe, just maybe, there was still a way out of this place.
But soon, they would come to understand — Hope is the cruelest poison of all.
The Beacon stands hundreds of kilometers away, nestled near the base of the looming mountains. To even approach it, one must cross treacherous terrain — ravines, forests, and lands long claimed by creatures unknown.
And even then... that's not where the journey ends.
The Gatekeeper, it is rumoured that the beacon is guarded by a beast far stronger than any human. The beast guards the gates of freedom...
So after hearing what Ronan just said, Alger almost laughed.
"You... You're going to try and reach the beacon?" Alger said.
Ronan looked at him, dead serious.
"Not, try. We are going to reach the beacon."
Alger paused upon hearing what he just said.
"We? Who's 'we'? Yes, I want to escape the Beacon... while I'm still alive. So if you came here assuming I'm going to accompany you on your suicidal mission, then you're gravely mistaken, Ronan East — or should I say the Banished Prince?"
The Banished Prince
Just like the nickname suggested, Ronan was indeed a prince — a banished one. He hailed from the Eastern Royal Family of Mytherra, one of the four great houses responsible for maintaining peace across the nation.
...which is exactly why people despise him.
Because of Ronan's lineage, many believe he's partly to blame for why they're stuck here — the sins of his family, laid squarely on his shoulders.
But hatred isn't the only thing people feel toward him...
...those who don't hate him, fear him.
Yes, the Royal family is the one responsible for creating the court and the law. But they aren't the ones governing it.
On paper, the Royal Family of Mytherra believes in justice and equality. Whether you're a rat born in the gutters of Mytherra or a noble, who is destined to inherit a continent-wide empire, if your crime is grave enough... You will be sentenced to death. No exceptions. No mercy.
...At least, that's how it's supposed to work.
But in reality, wealth speaks louder than justice. High-ranking nobles and rich merchants often slip through the cracks, tugging strings behind the scenes to buy their freedom.
Which is why, within the Veil, people who were born in nobility rarely exist, if at all.
And this is where a question arises in the minds of most...
Just what did the Banished Prince do that even the Royal family of Mytherra couldn't save him?
Or even worse, what did he do so that even his own family refused to save him?
Simply because of that question, many came to fear the Banished Prince.
But Alger wasn't a part of either of these groups. His relationship with Ronan... was complicated. To him, Ronan was a nobody, a person with whom he shared a few nights in the same cell. But Ronan, on the other hand, is a really delusional person... he believes that they are both friends.
It was almost funny to Alger — how, despite being born in completely different worlds, they both ended up in the same place. Alger, who had no parents, no guidance, no one to depend on... and Ronan, who was born into a life most people could only dream of.
After a long pause, Ronan finally replied to Alger.
"Well, you see, Alger. Over the course of the last three months, I have been preparing for this exact day. So when I say I'm going to escape the Veil, I say it because I have a plan. A real plan to get out of this place... but for it to come true, I need you with me."
Alger scoffed.
"Oh yeah? And what might that plan be?"
Ronan raised his hand and said a single phrase.
"Tempest Conjuror Elemental Ore"
A pale white crystal, larger than his palm, slowly appeared above his hand. Its surface was smooth and glass-like, almost unnaturally perfect, reflecting the dim light with a faint inner glow.
Alger was shocked upon seeing what Ronan held in his hand.
"A Tempest Element Ore? You're going to escape the Veil with the help of that thing?"
Apart from using the crystal as a vessel to hold Elemental Energy, an Elemental Ore — also known simply as Element Ore — could grant magical properties to almost anything when used in the process of crafting.
A sword fused with Element Ore might gain an edge sharp enough to cut through steel. A piece of armor could become indestructible. Even a thin piece of cloth could turn into something capable of shielding you from a snowstorm.
An Element Ore of the third tier — Conjuror — has the potential to create weapons of immense power.
But to unlock that potential, you needed a master craftsman… and within the Veil, there were none.
So what Ronan held in his hand was, at the same time, one of the most valuable items in all of Mytherra — and one of the most useless within the Veil.
There was one more use for Element Ore in the Veil… but no one in their right mind would use a third-tier Ore for something so trivial.
"Yes, Alger. It's a part of my plan, but before I say anything else, I'll have to ask you a question... are you aware of Phasers and Phase?"
Alger was a little confused by the sudden question, but answered anyway.
"Of course, everybody knows about Phasers." Alger said, "Unlike humans, who are only capable of having a single gate, beasts of the wild can have many at once, each housing a different affinity. These beasts are called Phasers, and the unique combination of Gates they have is their Phase..."
Ronan smiled faintly.
"Yes, what you said is correct. Of course, the whole thing goes deeper, with Primary Elements and required tiers, but all of that doesn't matter for now. What you said was correct... almost."
'What?' Alger thought to himself.
After a pause, Ronan spoke up again.
"Alger. What if I told you even humans are capable of being Phasers?"
"I wouldn't believe you..." Alger said.
In the next second, Ronan simply raised his palm and said a single phrase.
"Phase — Steam."
A ball of water slowly formed, no bigger than the tip of his index finger. Nothing out of the usual, Ronan was an Aqua Ascendant; this was his ability.
But what happened next was definitely out of the usual.
The ball of water slowly started to warm up, bubbles appeared on its surface, and after a while, the water vaporized... turning into thin steam that blew over Alger's face.