Episode 9: Veil of the Forgotten

Eryndis sat on the rocky ground, the cool wind brushing against his face as he tried to regain his strength. The Abyssal Key and the Shard of Crimson Tide hummed faintly within his pouch, their energies mingling as if drawn to one another.

Time Remaining: 7:45:03

The system chimed, breaking the brief silence.

[Quest Update: The Forgotten Realm Awaits]

Objective: Enter the Veil and recover the Third Shard.]

A map materialized in his vision, pinpointing a location far to the north. The area was shrouded in darkness, marked only as The Forgotten Veil.

“Veil?” Eryndis muttered, standing and brushing dust off his armor. The air around him had grown noticeably colder, a prelude to the journey ahead.

The Forgotten Veil was unlike any place Eryndis had encountered so far. The landscape was desolate, with skeletal trees and crumbling ruins dotting the horizon. A perpetual twilight hung over the realm, bathing everything in a muted gray light.

[Zone Hazard: Temporal Distortion Detected – Time May Flow Differently.]

The system's warning sent a chill down his spine. As if this couldn’t get any worse, he thought.

As Eryndis ventured deeper, the ruins began to shift. Walls rebuilt themselves only to crumble again, pathways twisted and reformed, and the sky seemed to ripple like water. He quickly realized the zone was alive, adapting to his presence.

A faint voice echoed through the air, carried on an unnatural wind.

“Why do you seek the shards, mortal?”

Eryndis gripped his Shadow Blade, scanning his surroundings. “Who’s there?”

The voice didn’t answer directly, but the shadows around him began to coalesce, forming a towering figure cloaked in black. Its face was obscured, but its glowing eyes pierced through the veil.

[Entity Detected: Warden of the Veil]

Level: ???

“You tread where you do not belong,” the Warden said, its voice a deep rumble. “Turn back, or be consumed.”

“I can’t do that,” Eryndis replied, stepping forward. “I need the shard.”

The Warden extended a skeletal hand, and the ruins around them trembled. From the shifting ground emerged creatures—twisted abominations of stone and shadow.

[New Enemy Detected: Veilbound Golems]

Level: 8

Health: 300/300

Eryndis activated Shadow Surge, teleporting behind the nearest golem and striking with his blade. The creature crumbled instantly, its form unstable and fragile.

Enemy Health: 0/300

But the Warden wasn’t idle. With a wave of its hand, more golems rose, their forms more solid and resilient than before.

Enemy Health: 500/500

Eryndis fought valiantly, using every skill at his disposal. The Shadow Surge allowed him to stay one step ahead, while precise strikes with his Shadow Blade wore the golems down.

Health: 80/120

Mana: 15/60

As the last golem fell, the Warden’s form shimmered.

“You are persistent,” it said, its tone almost amused. “But this is far from over.”

---

The Warden vanished, and the ruins around Eryndis shifted again, forming a labyrinth. The system chimed.

[New Objective: Navigate the Labyrinth and Confront the Warden.]

Eryndis gritted his teeth and pressed forward. The maze was filled with traps—pressure plates, hidden spikes, and collapsing walls. He relied on his reflexes and the system’s guidance to avoid them, but the strain was beginning to show.

Health: 65/120

At the heart of the labyrinth, Eryndis found the Warden waiting. The chamber was vast, its walls lined with glowing glyphs. At its center floated the shard, encased in a barrier of swirling energy.

[Objective: Defeat the Warden to Claim the Third Shard.]

The Warden attacked without warning, sending waves of dark energy toward Eryndis. He dodged and countered, but the Warden was far more powerful than anything he had faced before.

Health: 40/120

Mana: 10/60

Eryndis activated Shadow Surge, teleporting above the Warden and striking with his blade. The attack disrupted the barrier slightly, but the Warden retaliated with a blast of force that sent him crashing into the ground.

Health: 20/120

I need to end this now, he thought, eyeing the glyphs on the walls. They pulsed in rhythm with the barrier, their energy clearly linked to the shard.

The system chimed.

[Environmental Interaction Available: Disrupt the Glyphs to Weaken the Barrier.]

Eryndis sprinted toward the nearest glyph, ignoring the Warden’s attacks. He placed his hand on the glowing symbol, channeling his mana into it. The glyph shattered, and the barrier around the shard flickered.

The Warden roared, its form destabilizing. Eryndis repeated the process with the remaining glyphs, each one further weakening both the barrier and the Warden.

With the final glyph destroyed, the barrier around the shard collapsed. Eryndis activated Shadow Surge, teleporting directly to the shard and snatching it from its pedestal.

The Warden let out a final, deafening cry before disintegrating into shadows.

[Item Acquired: Shard of the Forgotten Veil]

Eryndis sank to his knees, the shard glowing faintly in his hand.

[Quest Update: Three Shards Acquired – Three Remain.]

The ruins around him began to crumble, the labyrinth collapsing into a void. Eryndis sprinted toward the exit, narrowly escaping as the veil consumed itself.

Time Remaining: 6:45:12

He emerged into the twilight, the shard and his determination intact. But the weight of his mission grew heavier with each step, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that the system was withholding more than it revealed.

The next challenge awaited, and Eryndis was ready to face it.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***