The Forest Beyond the Veil

Corvenmere slept beneath a sky soaked in violet stormlight. But Kael Virellian did not sleep.

He stood barefoot in the moonlit corridor outside his sealed dorm, fingers grazing the cold stone. Whispers danced just beyond hearing—spirits old and cruel, buried under the academy’s bones.

One voice rose clearer than the rest.

"Beyond the wards. In the forest. Come."

Lucien was already there.

The forest beyond the Veil wasn’t on any map. It was forbidden—untamed and sealed for centuries, where reality thinned and magic breathed freely.

He stood at the edge of the trees, waiting.

He didn’t know why he came. Only that his blood had burned since the Binding Circle. Since Kael had seen him—truly seen him. Not the heir. Not the polished Astor illusion.

The cursed boy. The one who’d nearly killed his brother with magic that should never have existed.

Then the wind shifted.

Kael stepped from the shadows.

No coat. No wand. Bare-chested, his skin inked with glowing sigils—ancient and living, writhing faintly like they knew Lucien was watching.

Lucien’s throat tightened.

Kael’s voice was quiet. “You felt it too. In the circle.”

Lucien didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

Kael stepped closer. “There’s something inside you, Lucien. Something broken. Something powerful. I saw it.” He tilted his head. “Why do you hide it?”

Lucien’s magic flared defensively—gold light flickering across his hands. “Because if I don’t, someone dies.”

Kael’s smirk faded.

“Then maybe you need someone who doesn’t mind bleeding.”

The forest responded with a soft tremor. The Veil pulsed.

Lucien whispered, “This is madness.”

Kael stepped into the circle of golden light. “Madness is safety compared to what we are.”

And then—he kissed him.

It wasn’t gentle. It was teeth and fire and power colliding, the kind of kiss that tore down wards and made magic howl in the air.

Lucien grabbed his shirt, dragging him closer, lips bruising, eyes closed like he was afraid of what he’d see if he opened them.

And then—

A blast of magic exploded around them.

Kael was thrown back, crashing into a tree. Lucien fell to his knees, golden veins of power cracking up his arms, eyes wide with horror.

“No—no no—” he gasped.

The forest responded.

A shadow rose from the trees—shifting, massive, and hungry. The Veil had torn. Something ancient now stared at them through the wound.

Kael wiped blood from his lip. “You opened a gate.”

“I didn’t mean to—”

“It doesn’t care.”

The thing screamed—a sound of metal, death, and memories that should never return.

Kael stepped in front of Lucien, sigils blazing across his skin. “You need to run.”

“I’m not leaving you—”

“You have to—”

Lucien surged forward instead, pressing his forehead to Kael’s. “Then we end it together.”

Kael’s breath caught.

And for the first time in years, he didn’t feel alone.

They turned together. Two boys. One shadow. And a storm about to break.

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