The forest was eerily quiet. The rustle of leaves, once a comforting background to Aedan's thoughts, now felt like an unsettling prelude to something far worse. His breath hung in the air, fogging in the cold night as the weight of Veyrin's words pressed upon him.
The Crimson Veil.
Whoever—or whatever—this person was, Aedan felt a deep instinctual warning flood his senses. His skin prickled with something more than the cold as Veyrin's silver eyes locked onto his, waiting for a reaction.
"The Crimson Veil," Aedan repeated quietly, still processing. "Who are they?"
Veyrin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced over his shoulder, scanning the dark horizon, his expression unreadable.
"You won't find answers in this forest," Veyrin said finally, his voice steady. "And you're not prepared to face them—yet. But you will be. And soon."
Aedan clenched his jaw. "I don't need to be 'prepared' to face whoever this is. I just need to know what they want."
Veyrin's gaze softened ever so slightly. "You've been thrust into a game much larger than you can comprehend, Aedan. The Essence Bearers are not like anything you've faced before. They are embodiments of power and purpose. Their motives are… not always clear. But their actions leave scars in the world."
The warning was stark, yet Aedan found himself unwilling to back down. He wasn't afraid—not anymore. The shard's power coursed through him, and he could feel the potential waiting to be unlocked.
"I'm not going to run. Not anymore."
Veyrin sighed. "Good. It will be your downfall, then."
Aedan's eyes narrowed, but Veyrin was already turning away, heading deeper into the forest. The movement was swift, almost graceful.
"You'll need allies for this journey, Aedan," Veyrin called over his shoulder. "I can only guide you so far. The rest… it's up to you to figure out."
Aedan hesitated for a moment, then followed, his footsteps silent on the forest floor. Despite the tension, a sense of urgency began to rise within him. There was no time to waste.
---
Hours Later, Near the Edge of the Forest
The journey had been silent between them. Aedan's mind churned with thoughts of the Crimson Veil, of the Essence Bearers, and of Veyrin's cryptic warning. But as they neared the clearing, the trees thinning out, something else caught his attention.
A flicker of movement in the distance.
Veyrin was the first to notice. His eyes gleamed with an unreadable expression.
"There. This is where you will begin to understand," Veyrin murmured.
Aedan's hand instinctively went to his dagger, but Veyrin stopped him with a gesture.
"It's not an enemy. Not yet."
As they approached, Aedan saw the figure standing in the center of the clearing. The figure was tall, cloaked in black with the hood drawn low over their face, but the energy surrounding them was unmistakable. It was like a crackling storm, a hum that rattled the air itself.
Aedan's eyes narrowed. "Who is this?"
"The first Essence Bearer," Veyrin said quietly, his tone colder now. "The Crimson Veil."
The figure turned, and Aedan's breath caught in his chest.
The person standing before him wasn't a mere mortal. There was something far older about them, something timeless. The eyes beneath the hood were glowing—crimson red, fierce like an inferno, a gaze that seemed to pierce through the very core of him.
The figure tilted their head slightly, the corners of their lips curling into a faint smirk. "So, you're the one they're calling the new player," they said, their voice smooth, carrying a deep power.
Aedan's grip tightened on his dagger, the shard's presence thrumming at his side. "Who are you?"
The Crimson Veil took a step closer, their presence suffocating, and Aedan could feel the shift in the air as if reality itself bent to their will.
"I am no one," they answered cryptically. "But I am everything you need to understand about this world now."
"What do you want?" Aedan pressed, his voice harder now.
The Crimson Veil laughed softly, a sound that sent a chill down his spine. "Want? I don't want anything. I exist to be the catalyst. The harbinger of what's to come."
Aedan's brow furrowed. "I'm not interested in your cryptic riddles."
"Oh, but you will be." The Crimson Veil's eyes flickered, and for a brief moment, Aedan saw a flash of something—something like a burning city, towering and broken. He blinked, and it was gone.
"The Essences are not just for power, Aedan. They are fragments of the world's forgotten history. The lost echoes of its creation," the Crimson Veil continued, their voice now laced with a sort of reverence. "What you hold inside you—the shard you carry—it is nothing compared to what is to come. Your fragment is but a pale reflection of what awaits you."
Aedan stepped back, the weight of their words crashing down on him.
"But you don't need to worry yet," the Crimson Veil added, their voice softening. "The journey is long. There are others like me—Essence Bearers who have walked the Hallows Path long before you."
Aedan's head was spinning. This was too much to take in all at once, and yet… he could feel the truth of it. Every word seemed to resonate with a strange, distant memory.
"Other Bearers?"
The Crimson Veil nodded. "Yes. They are scattered. But they are already taking action. You will have to decide which path you walk. I'm simply here to give you a glimpse of the choices ahead. To show you what awaits in the shadows."
The figure raised their hand, and a sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing, swirling around Aedan like a storm. He felt the weight of it—the oppressive pressure that the Crimson Veil's presence left in its wake.
"I'll be seeing you soon, Aedan." The figure turned and vanished into the night, as quickly as they had come, leaving nothing but the faintest trace of their energy behind.
Aedan stood frozen for a long moment, his thoughts spinning.
"You've encountered the first of many," Veyrin said, his voice steady. "But the path is not so simple. Every Essence Bearer has their own agenda. Their own reason for walking the Hallows Path."
Aedan didn't respond. The presence of the Crimson Veil still lingered, a heavy, unnerving force that pressed against his chest.
"There's so much more you have yet to understand," Veyrin continued. "But every step you take from here will draw you further into the world of the Essence. And I have no doubt you'll encounter others soon enough."
Aedan felt the power of the shard inside him, thrumming, pulsing, and he knew without a doubt—this was just the beginning.
He turned to Veyrin, his resolve hardening. "I'm not backing down. I'll learn what I need to know. And I'll stop them—whoever they are."
Veyrin gave him a knowing look. "Just be careful, Aedan. The Hallows Path has a way of consuming those who walk it."
And with that, they turned and walked deeper into the forest, the world around them still holding its breath.