Leira's body convulse ever harder, her spine arched unnaturally, toes and fingers curled, eyes sewn shut. The noises she made were muffled, enveloped by the dark and vast water above her, breathing became a challenge for her, it was as if she was drowning, like something gripped her throat. Her thoughts began racing, she heard the voices of the echoes she had passed, they were so loud, and very familiar, what they were saying didn't even sound like words anymore, just memories now.
She saw flashes, it was her… a figure was standing on the edge of a cliff, and the sea was roaring and crashing behind her. Bright light poured from her hands, almost unending, and it wrapped around a group of people who were kneeling in the dirt, terrified but hopeful. The woman was strong, fearless, unwavering and she faced a storm made of shadows, the same kind that had tried to drown Leira here, her hair was white and her eyes were glowing. Leira felt it before her mind understood it… the woman was her… what she used to be.
The Veil Keeper.
The protector of the boundary between light and dark, the one who kept the darkness from spilling into the world, the one who had sealed it away… until the Veil began to break.
Leira tried to get a grip of herself but she couldn't, her body just kept trembling uncontrollably, like she was trapped between two worlds, the water above her vibrated, as if it reacted to something she couldn't see. Then the memories came even faster, the shadows crawling across fields, the Veil Keeper's light burning them into dust, her voice calling out words and names Leira didn't recognize.
Every flash burned through her mind like lightning, and though it all, something whispered through… her name. Not Leira, not the ones she had in her other lives but her very first life, her real name. It was so low, she couldn't grab onto it, her brain pushed it away. Her fists clenched, she was still gasping for air, every muscle in her body shook violently, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her heartbeat began to slow down.
And then she heard it again, but as her brain tried to push it away, she held onto the first letter.
"N…"
It came out weak, like a trembling whisper, trying to be let out, but the moment it left her lips, everything stopped. The convulsing stopped abruptly, her breathing steadied, the water above her began to freeze, and then there was nothing but… light.
It started from her chest, a single pulse spread through the vast water above, the dark figures around her began to slowly shimmer, and then a strong beam of white light shot outward, cutting through the blackness.
The shadows screamed.
The voice that had been haunting her, that had told her to return her light, that had tormented her roared in anger. "No!"
But it was too late.
Leira's eyes shot open, they glowed completely white, not a single trace of the girl that was pulled below the water a while ago, she began moving with purpose, her fingers trembled with powers that didn't belong to this lifetime.
This wasn't Leira anymore, it was her… The Veil Keeper had awakened.
She lifted her hands slowly and the light around her surged like a wave, bolts of energy quaked the water, slicing through the shadows, tearing them apart. The voice let out a loud shriek, but this time, it was filled with pain.
Every movement she made sent light bursting from her palms, it was sharp, fast and precise.
The Veil Keeper let out a loud scream, not from pain but from release. The light expanded outward, brighter and brighter until the shadows all began to disintegrate.
When most of the darkness had vanished, she turned, and saw him.
Cassian.
His figure still flickered between shadow and man, as the light hit his face. For a moment, she could almost see the man who he once was, the one who had laughed with her before the horrors began, but that version of him was gone, whatever stood in front of her now was just a vessel being puppeteered.
She walked toward him, not on the ground, but with each step she took, the light created a platform for her. The closer she got to him, the more panic filled his eyes.
"Leira…" he said, but his voice was filled with something, sadness maybe.
She stopped inches away from him, the space around her was buzzing with something that felt like electricity. When she spoke, her voice was not her alone, it was deeper, ancient, and it had an echo.
"I will be seeing you soon,"
Cassian's eyes widened with fear. "No… wait…"
She pressed her palm to his chest.
His body began convulsing as light spread through him, slowly moving up his neck and then his face. For a moment, the struggle in his eyes were no longer there, it was just his golden eyes, as if the real him was trying to get a word out, but the shadow inside him took back control.
Then everything burned white. Cassian's body shattered into particles of dark smoke and vanished into the air, like the other shadows.
Leira… no, the Veil Keeper lowered her hand, her expression turned calm, unreadable. The darkness was gone, everything was silent, and then the light that surrounded her began to move, it wrapped around her body and lifted her slowly upward, her hair flowed behind her like silk as she rose through the blackened water.
The higher she went, the clearer the water became, the black slowly turned to see-through. And then finally when she got to the surface of the water, it felt like the world stood still.
She hovered there for a moment, glowing brighter than the moon, droplets of water floated around her, then the light slowly began to lower her gently back onto the boat where Kael was. He stared at her in awe, unable to move.
She landed softly, her feet barely made a sound on the wood, her eyes were still glowing, but her movements were slower now, more human, almost tender. She stood in front of Kael and slowly raised her hand to his cheek, her touch was warm, almost too warm.
"Keep her safe," she said, her voice soft but charged with something ancient. "The next echo awaits." Kael froze in shock, a single tear rolled down his face, he wanted to say something, maybe utter her name, but before he could, she placed her index finder on his lips, shushing him, stopping him from uttering it before Leira herself remembers.
The Veil Keeper smiled failntly. "Soon," she whispered. "She will remember."
Then she let out a deafening scream, so loud that Kael stepped back and covered his ears, light burst out of her like an explosion, the boat rocked from the force. The light illuminated the entire
lake for miles, and then… dimmed.
When the glow finally faded, Leira was lying on the floor of the boat, drenched and barely breathing, the glow in her eyes was now gone.
Kael rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. "You're okay," he whispered, his voice shaking. "You did it. You're so close, Leira… you'll be done with the echoes soon enough."
Leira blinked weakly, her eyes unfocused, she could see him but everything felt distant, like she was still half in the water and half in her vision.
"I… saw her… me…" she murmured.
Kael nodded. "I know."
Leira sat up slowly, clutching her head. The images of her vision were still in her mind; the cliff, the storm, the people, the way her hands had glowed, she remembered all of it, but she also remembered not being in control, it was like she'd been watching someone else move her body.
And then… something shimmered in the water beside the boat.
It was the shard.
It floated gently on the surface of the water, glowing faintly. Leira reached out her fingers above the surface, and the shard began drifting closer on its own, as if recognizing her. It stopped just before her hand, and then dissolved into light that was absorbed into her wrist.
She gasped as the energy rushed through her. Kael watched her silently, his expression was unreadable.
The surface of the lake began to shift again, revealing clear and clean water, so clear that the bottom could be seen, then the surface stilled, the reflection of the sky returned, calm.
Leira exhaled. "It's over," she whispered.
Kael shook his head slightly. "Not yet," he said quietly. "But we are close"
Leira looked down at her wrist, where the shard had vanished. She could feel it, a faint hum under her skin, she felt stronger, more in control of her powers. Each shard was a piece of her… and each echo was leading her closer to her real name… To N…