Ruins Beneath the Veil
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The sun had barely risen, but Kael was already deep within the Veilmarsh—a cursed woodland that few dared enter.
It was here, beyond the thorned roots and fog-laced trees, that the Ruins of Velcrest stood in silence.
Shattered pillars pierced the sky like broken promises. Ivy and sorrow wrapped themselves around every stone, and the air itself carried a chill that whispered of old sins.
Kael stepped cautiously through the arch of the ruin's entrance. Lireen's pendant swung on his chest, glowing faintly, reacting to something unseen.
> "You are here, Lireen… I can feel it," he muttered.
But something else was waiting for him.
A soft humming. Not a melody. A resonance.
From the heart of the ruin.
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As he descended into the inner chamber, Kael found it: a dais covered in moss, and above it, a mirror suspended in midair, cracked in four places.
He approached slowly.
Suddenly—
> "She called you here, didn't she?"
Kael spun around. A girl with hair of starlight and crimson eyes stood at the entrance. She looked like Lireen—no, almost.
Too perfect. Too still.
> "Who are you?" Kael asked, his voice sharp.
She smiled.
> "I am the one who wears her face. A Thornborn. And this ruin… is my cradle."
Kael's heartbeat surged.
> "Where is the real Lireen?!"
> "Safe... for now. If you pass the Trial of Reflection."
The mirror behind her shimmered. Kael turned—
—and saw himself, but twisted: his reflection bore black wings and crimson eyes.
> "This is what you become if you choose vengeance," the Thornborn whispered.
Kael reached for the mirror, trembling.
> "And if I choose to love her instead?"
> "Then you will suffer. But love is suffering, isn't it?"
The chamber darkened. Thorns rose from the floor.
The trial had begun.
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Kael gritted his teeth and drew his blade. He would walk through every pain, every memory, every regret—if it meant saving Lireen.
And as the mirror split into shards and surrounded him, each showing a different future, Kael whispered:
> "No matter which path I walk… I'll choose the one where I don't lose her."
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🔹Chapter Highlight Teaser : Kael enters the Ruins of Velcrest only to meet a Thornborn doppelgänger of Lireen. Trapped in a Trial of Reflection, Kael faces visions of twisted futures. One choice remains: vengeance… or love.
Next: Chapter 20 – "The Thorns That Whisper Her Name"
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📖 Highlight Recap :
> Kael enters the Ruins of Velcrest only to meet a Thornborn doppelgänger of Lireen. Trapped in a Trial of Reflection, Kael faces visions of twisted futures. One choice remains: vengeance… or love.
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