Chapter 3: Crossing the Veil
The night was too quiet.
Elior sat at the edge of his bed, staring at the floorboards worn thin beneath his feet. His uncle's words from the night before still clung to him like chains: You are not ready. That is the end of it.
But something deeper pulled at him—something older than fear, older than silence. The dreams. The whispers. The fleeting glimpse of a woman in the woods. He couldn't ignore them anymore.
The fire in the hearth had burned down to ash. In the faint glow, Elior whispered into the darkness, "If I stay here… I'll never know who I am."
The choice was already made.
---
The next morning, he told Kael first.
"You're insane." Kael's voice was low but sharp, his arms crossed as he paced in Elior's room. His sandy hair stuck up in wild tufts, but his eyes were deadly serious. "The Realm of Spirits isn't some fairy tale. It's death for anyone foolish enough to enter."
Elior looked at him, hands trembling at his sides. "Then let me be the fool. I can't keep living like this, Kael. Every night I hear them. Every night I feel them pulling me closer. I need to know."
Kael stopped pacing, his jaw tightening. He'd seen Elior at his weakest—bloodied from bullies, broken by silence—but he had never heard this tone before. A raw, desperate honesty that cut through everything else.
Kael rubbed the back of his neck. "Damn it, Elior…" He exhaled slowly, then forced a crooked grin. "You think I'm letting you run off to your death without me? Not a chance."
Elior's chest tightened, a wave of gratitude choking him. "Kael—"
"Don't say it," Kael interrupted. "If you cry, I'm leaving."
Despite himself, Elior laughed, though his voice cracked with emotion.
---
Telling Liora was harder.
They met beneath the old willow by the stream, where sunlight scattered like gold across the water. Liora stood with her arms folded, listening quietly as Elior explained.
When he finished, she said nothing at first. Only silence, broken by the rush of the stream.
Finally, her eyes lifted to his. They were not angry, not fearful—but heavy with sorrow. "So you've already decided."
"I have to," Elior whispered. His throat burned. "If I don't… I'll never be whole."
Her hand reached for his, trembling. "Do you understand what you're asking? The Realm of Spirits doesn't let people walk out easily. If you go…" Her voice cracked. "You may not come back."
Elior swallowed hard. "Then I'd rather die searching for the truth than live half a life in silence."
Tears welled in her eyes. For a moment, Elior thought she might turn away. But instead, she stepped closer, resting her forehead against his. "Then I'm going with you."
His breath caught. "Liora, no—"
"I love you, Elior." Her voice shook, but her grip on his hand was firm. "And I won't let you walk into the darkness alone."
The world blurred as Elior pulled her into an embrace, holding on as if the moment might shatter. For the first time, the weight of what he was about to do truly struck him—not as a lonely burden, but as something shared.
Kael's teasing. Liora's trembling courage. Their love for him was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.
---
That night, under the pale light of the moon, the three of them stood at the edge of the forest where the veil was said to be thin. The air was unnaturally still, as if the world itself held its breath.
Elior's hand shook as he drew a circle into the dirt with a stick, just as the elder's whispers had described. He murmured the incantation, each word trembling on his lips.
The ground vibrated. The air thickened, shimmering like glass. A slit of silver light appeared before them, widening into a door that hummed with ancient power.
Kael whistled low, though his bravado sounded strained. "Well. That's not terrifying at all."
Liora gripped Elior's hand. He felt the tremor in her fingers, though her eyes burned with steady fire. "If you're afraid, Elior… it's not weakness. It just means what you're doing matters."
Elior looked at them both—his best friend and the girl who had given him hope. His chest ached with emotion. For years, he had felt like nothing more than a boy without a past, a shadow wandering through life. But in this moment, with Kael and Liora beside him, he wasn't just an orphan. He was someone worth standing for.
The silver light pulsed, waiting.
Elior took a shaky breath. "Together, then."
Kael grinned. "Always."
Liora whispered, "Always."
And with one final step, Elior led them through the veil.
The world bent. Light swallowed them whole.
And everything changed.