The sky trembled long before anyone noticed.
To most of the world, it looked like a strange shimmer, a faint ripple across the golden morning light — but Arin Kael felt it as a pulse beneath his skin, a subtle vibration that tugged at his instincts like an invisible thread.
He stood on the edge of Veylor Peak, overlooking the sprawling city of Astryx, wind pushing his black hair across his eyes. His breath formed small clouds in the cold air, but his heartbeat remained perfectly calm and steady.
Today wasn't supposed to be special.And yet everything felt wrong.
Or maybe… everything was finally becoming right.
Arin smirked softly, flexing the leather gloves wrapped around his hands. "So it begins," he whispered.
Behind him, a deep voice rumbled."You felt it too."
Arin didn't turn. He didn't have to. The footsteps were far too heavy, too steady to belong to anyone but Razan, one of the top-ranked Veilbreakers, a man built like he wrestled mountains for exercise. His aura burned like molten iron.
"Hard not to feel something when the sky literally shivers," Arin replied, eyes still locked on the horizon.
Razan crossed his arms. "Commander Aestra wants you in the Hall. Now. She said it's priority-class."
That pulled a dry laugh from Arin's throat. "Priority-class? What is it this time? Another Chimera Beast loose in the lower district? Or did someone accidentally tear a hole into the Nether again?"
Razan didn't smile.That alone told Arin this wasn't normal.
"Just come," Razan grunted.
Arin nodded, taking one last look at the trembling sky. He felt it again — a faint pull, like fingers dragging across his soul. He wasn't scared. If anything, he felt… excited.
Something big was coming.
And his instincts had never been wrong before.
THE VEILBREAKER ORDER
The two descended Veylor Peak through winding stone paths until Astryx unfolded around them — colossal spires etched with runic insignias, floating lanterns drifting between bridges, and hundreds of warriors, scholars, and mystics in white, black, and crimson cloaks weaving through the courtyard.
This was the stronghold of the Veilbreaker Order, an elite corps sworn to defend the world from the threats lurking beyond the Veil — the barrier separating the mortal realm from the shadow worlds.
Although Arin had only joined two years ago, he had already surpassed cadets who had trained since childhood. His combat instinct was unnaturally sharp, his reflexes terrifyingly precise, and his spiritual energy — "Eclipsal Flux" — burned brighter than anyone had ever recorded.
People didn't say it aloud, but the whispers were everywhere.
He's not normal.He's something else.He's dangerous.
Arin ignored all of that.
He didn't join to be admired.He joined because he couldn't ignore the pull inside him — a strange emptiness he'd felt since he was a child, like a part of him belonged somewhere he could never reach.
The Veilbreakers… felt closer to answers than anything else.
THE COMMANDER
The Hall of Astryx opened with a thunderous echo as Arin pushed the doors.
Inside, warriors stood in lines. Maps floated midair. Giant crystal monitors flickered with unstable readings. The tension was suffocating.
At the center stood Commander Aestra Varin — tall, silver-haired, with eyes like polished steel. Even her silence commanded respect.
"You're late," she said coldly.
Arin shrugged. "The sky was shaking. Thought I'd enjoy the view."
Razan slapped his forehead.The room went silent.
Aestra narrowed her eyes at the young man before her — the only cadet who dared speak to her like that and somehow remained alive.
"Sit." She gestured.
Arin obeyed, dropping into a chair beside other high-ranking cadets — including Eira, a quiet girl with snowy hair and piercing blue eyes, and Kaien, a genius strategist with glasses and an attitude as sharp as his mind.
Kaien pushed his glasses up. "Try not to fall asleep this time, Arin."
"No promises," Arin muttered.
Aestra activated the central display.
A holographic image appeared — the sun, half-devoured by darkness.
Whispers erupted.
Kaien's eyes widened.Eira froze.Razan looked like he'd swallowed a boulder.
Arin leaned forward slowly, eyes narrowing.
"What… is that?" he asked.
Aestra's voice dropped to a grim register."It's a Precursor Eclipse."
The room stiffened. Even Arin felt his heartbeat skip for the first time today.
Eira whispered, "That's impossible. Those happen only when—"
"—when the Veil weakens beyond stability," Kaien finished.
Aestra nodded. "Exactly."
She turned to Arin specifically."It started thirty minutes ago. And its epicenter—"
She flicked her fingers, shifting the display.
The new image showed an ancient, sealed ruin deep in the Blackstar Wildlands.
Arin blinked.
"That's… the Temple of Umbran Dawn."
Aestra's voice hardened."The oldest Veil-seal in existence. And it's breaking."
THE MISSION
Aestra paced slowly, her footsteps echoing.
"We are sending a six-person squad to investigate the seal site immediately. This mission is classified as Level S — breach events, dark entities, potential high-tier anomalies."
Kaien's jaw dropped."S-level? But only the top-ranked officers—"
"You will accompany them, Kaien," Aestra interrupted.
Kaien froze.Eira's eyes widened.Razan lifted an eyebrow.
Aestra then turned to Arin — deliberately, slowly, intensely.
"And you… will lead them."
The room collectively inhaled.
Everyone knew Arin was powerful — absurdly powerful — but making a 17-year-old lead an S-class mission was beyond unheard of.
Arin blinked once.
"…Me?"
Aestra's stare didn't waver."You are the only one whose energy reading reacted to the Eclipse before it began."
Kaien turned sharply."What? He sensed it before the phenomenon even started?"
Arin frowned.So that pulse he'd felt… wasn't a coincidence.
Aestra spoke low, serious."You felt the first tremor before even our sensors did. That alone is enough reason."
Eira gazed at Arin. "Something in the ruins must be calling to you…"
Arin didn't know why, but he felt a strange pressure in his chest — like he had forgotten something important, something buried inside the sealed ruins.
Aestra continued, "Razan, Eira, Kaien — you three will join him. Two more elites will meet you at the gates."
Arin exhaled slowly."So we're really doing this…"
"Yes," Aestra said.
Then she added, almost reluctantly:
"And Arin… don't underestimate what's inside those ruins. Ancient seals don't break without a reason."
Arin smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Aestra stared deeply, her voice dropping even further.
"And if you encounter him — retreat immediately."
The room froze.
Kaien whispered, "You don't mean…"
Aestra nodded.
"The Silver Wraith."
A chill ran through the hall.
A figure feared even among the strongest Veilbreakers. A wanderer of the shadows. A genius. A monster. A ghost.
Some said he was a fallen hero.Some said he was a curse in human form.Some said he could tear down a mountain with a single breath.
And some said he didn't exist at all.
Arin swallowed, for once serious."If he appears… we run. Got it."
Aestra nodded. "Good."
Outside, thunder rumbled — but the sky was clear.
DEPARTURE
Within an hour, the squad stood at the colossal eastern gates.
Razan tightened his gauntlets.Kaien reviewed maps floating midair.Eira adjusted her snow-white blade.
Arin stretched lazily.
"Everyone ready?"
Kaien scowled. "You still act like this is a casual patrol."
Arin grinned. "Just keeping the mood light."
Eira smiled faintly. "It's always like this with you, Arin."
Before Arin could reply, two figures approached in matching black cloaks.
Lynx — a lean assassin with sharp golden eyes and a playful smirk.Draiven — a quiet, intimidating man with an aura so heavy it made the air vibrate.
Razan exhaled. "Great. The problem twins."
Arin looked between them."So the squad is complete?"
Lynx grinned. "Oh, we're more than complete. We're unstoppable."
Kaien muttered, "Or dead in 10 minutes."
Arin raised his hand, motioning toward the distant forest where the ruins waited.
"Let's go, then."
The gates opened with ancient groans.Wind rushed past them like a warning whisper.
The squad stepped into the wilderness.
The air felt heavy.The sky dimmed.The pulse Arin felt earlier was now stronger — like someone knocking inside his soul.
Eira stepped closer."Are you okay?"
Arin nodded slowly."Yeah… but something's calling me from ahead."
Kaien stiffened. "Calling you? As in — literally?"
Arin didn't answer.
Because suddenly — everything stopped.
Birds went silent.Wind froze.Even the air felt like glass.
Draiven's voice trembled. "Something's here."
A black shadow ripped across the sky like a blade.
Arin stepped forward instinctively, eyes sharpened, energy rising around him like electric fire.
The shadow crashed into a nearby tree — slicing it cleanly in half.
Silence.
The squad formed a defensive stance.
And then they heard it —a voice drifting from the darkness, calm and cold:
"So… the Veilbreakers finally sent their little prodigy."
Arin's breath hitched.
That voice…He had heard it before.In dreams he never remembered fully.
A figure stepped out — tall, silver-haired, eyes glowing with inhuman brilliance.
Kaien's face went pale.Eira's hand tightened around her sword.Razan cursed under his breath.
Lynx whispered:
"…The Silver Wraith."
And he was smiling — directly at Arin.
Arin's heart pounded.
The Silver Wraith raised a finger toward him.
"You're late, Arin Kael."
Arin froze.
"How the hell do you know my name?"
The Wraith's grin widened — sharp, knowing, unsettling.
"Because, boy...I knew you long before you were ever born."
The world shook.