WHAT LIVES BENEATH THE VEIL
Book Fifteen: The New Beginning
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CONTENT WARNING: This series contains explicit sexual violence, human sacrifice, psychological torture, murder of innocent characters (including children and family members), ritualistic killing, and extreme horror. No character is safe. Read at your own risk.
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Chapter Three Hundred Ten: The Shadows Return
Year 321 – Three Hundred Ten Years After the Curse – Four Years After the Release
Liora sat on the porch of her cottage, watching the stars.
Kael had been gone for six months. She had not heard from him, but she felt him—a distant warmth in the darkness, a quiet pulse of life. He was alive. He was well. He was human.
She was proud of him.
She was hopeful for him.
She loved him.
Not as a lover. As a friend. As a teacher. As a savior.
She had saved him.
Just as the watcher had saved her.
The cycle continued.
But it was not a cycle of hunger.
It was a cycle of redemption.
And she was happy.
But the peace was fragile.
The darkness was patient.
And something was coming.
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The Village – The Stranger
A stranger came to the village.
He was tall and thin, with pale skin and black eyes. He wore a long coat and carried a staff. He moved like a shadow, silent and graceful.
The villagers whispered about him.
Who is he?
Where did he come from?
What does he want?
Liora knew.
He was like her.
Dark. Hungry. Empty.
He was a soul-eater.
A monster.
And he had come for her.
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The Confrontation – The Garden
She found him in her garden, standing among the flowers.
His eyes were black.
His smile was wide.
Hungry.
"Queen," he said.
"I am not a queen anymore."
"Once a queen, always a queen."
"What do you want?"
"I want what you have."
"What is that?"
"Freedom."
"Humanity."
"Peace."
Liora laughed.
"I cannot give you those things."
"You have to earn them."
"Then teach me."
"Teach me how."
"Like you taught Kael."
Liora stared at him.
"How do you know about Kael?"
"I have been watching."
"Waiting."
"Learning."
"You are not the only one with whispers, Queen."
"The shadows speak to me too."
"They told me about you."
"About Kael."
"About the watcher."
"They told me you could help me."
"Can you?"
Liora was silent for a long moment.
Then she said, "I can try."
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The First Lesson – Acceptance
They sat in the garden, surrounded by flowers.
The sun was warm. The birds were singing. The world was beautiful.
"What is your name?" Liora asked.
"Riven."
"The first lesson is acceptance."
"You must accept who you are."
"What you have done."
"What you are."
Riven nodded.
"I have killed tens of thousands."
"I have consumed their souls."
"I have fed on their fear."
"I am a monster."
"Yes," Liora said.
"You are a monster."
"But you are also more."
"You are also capable of change."
"You are also capable of good."
"You are also capable of love."
"Can I be?" Riven asked.
"Can I really change?"
"Yes," Liora said.
"I changed."
"Kael changed."
"You can change too."
"It will be difficult."
"It will be painful."
"But it is possible."
Riven stared at her.
"How?" he whispered.
"By accepting who you are."
"By accepting what you have done."
"By accepting the darkness inside you."
"Then you learn to control it."
"To balance it."
"To live with it."
"Close your eyes."
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The Darkness – The Meeting
Riven closed his eyes.
The darkness greeted him.
Hello, Riven, it said.
Hello, he thought.
We have missed you.
I have missed you too.
Will you feed again?
No.
Will you hunger again?
I do not know.
Then what will you do?
I will try to change.
I will try to be good.
I will try to be human.
It will be difficult.
I know.
It will be painful.
I know.
It will be worth it.
Perhaps.
Then we will help you.
We will always be here.
If you need us.
Thank you.
You are welcome, Riven.
We are proud of you.
Thank you.
He opened his eyes.
Liora was watching him.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Different."
"Good different or bad different?"
"I don't know yet."
"That's okay."
"It takes time."
"It takes effort."
"It takes pain."
"But you will figure it out."
"I will help you."
"Thank you," Riven said.
"You are welcome."
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The Second Lesson – Control
The second lesson was control.
Riven had to learn to control the darkness inside him.
To balance it.
To live with it.
"It is like a wild animal," Liora said.
"If you ignore it, it will consume you."
"If you fight it, it will destroy you."
"You must tame it."
"You must understand it."
"You must accept it."
"Then you can control it."
"How?" Riven asked.
"By using it."
"By feeding it."
"Not on souls."
"On something else."
"On what?"
"On emotion."
"On feeling."
"On life."
"You can feed on joy."
"On love."
"On happiness."
"It is not as strong as fear."
"It is not as satisfying."
"But it will keep the hunger at bay."
"It will keep the darkness quiet."
"It will keep you human."
Riven nodded.
"I will try."
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The Third Lesson – Feeding
They went to the village.
Liora introduced Riven to her friends.
They were wary of him at first.
His eyes were too dark.
His smile was too wide.
He was different.
But they trusted Liora.
So they trusted him.
They welcomed him.
They accepted him.
Riven felt something he had not felt in centuries.
Joy.
He fed on it.
Gently.
Carefully.
Quietly.
The darkness inside him purred.
It was satisfied.
It was calm.
It was quiet.
"How do you feel?" Liora asked.
"Full," Riven said.
"Not hungry."
"Not empty."
"Good."
"That is how it should be."
"You will need to feed often."
"On joy."
"On love."
"On happiness."
"It will keep the darkness at bay."
"It will keep you human."
"Thank you," Riven said.
"You are welcome."
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The Shadows – The Warning
That night, the whispers returned.
Not the gentle whispers of the darkness.
Something else.
Something darker.
Queen, they said.
Queen, beware.
Something is coming.
Something ancient.
Something powerful.
Something that wants to consume you.
And it will not stop.
Until you are gone.
Liora sat up in bed.
The room was dark.
The shadows were thick.
The whispers were loud.
"What is coming?" she asked.
The First, the whispers said.
The one who cursed you.
The one who made you.
The one who created the darkness.
He has awakened.
He is hungry.
He is angry.
He is coming.
Liora's blood ran cold.
The First.
The mage who had cursed her.
The one who had started everything.
He was alive.
He was awake.
He was coming.
How? she thought.
He died.
I killed him.
I consumed him.
His soul is inside me.
He cannot be alive.
He cannot be awake.
He cannot be coming.
The whispers were silent.
Then they said, His soul was not consumed.
It was waiting.
Waiting for the right moment.
Waiting for you to be vulnerable.
Waiting for you to be human.
And now, he is free.
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The First – The Awakening
Far away, in the ruins of the old castle, something stirred.
The First had been trapped inside Liora for centuries, his soul bound to hers, his consciousness dormant.
But when she released the souls, she released him.
He was free.
He was awake.
He was hungry.
He had created the curse to make himself immortal.
To make himself powerful.
To make himself a god.
But Liora had stolen that from him.
She had taken his power.
She had taken his immortality.
She had taken his destiny.
And now, he would take everything from her.
He rose from the ruins.
His body was made of shadow and rage.
His eyes burned like dying stars.
His hunger was endless.
"Liora," he whispered.
"My creation.
My daughter.
I have come for you.
I have come to consume you.
I have come to take back what is mine."
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The Watcher – The Warning
The watcher appeared in Liora's garden.
Its form was dim, its light flickering, its presence urgent.
"Queen," it said.
"Watcher."
"The First has awakened."
"I know."
"He is coming for you."
"I know."
"You cannot defeat him."
"Not as you are now."
"Not as human."
"I know."
"Then what will you do?"
Liora was silent for a long moment.
Then she said, "I will embrace the darkness."
"Not the hunger."
"Not the emptiness."
"The power."
"I will become the queen again."
"Not to consume."
"To protect."
"To protect my village."
"To protect my friends."
"To protect myself."
"Then I will help you," the watcher said.
"I will guide you."
"I will save you."
"Thank you," Liora said.
"You are welcome."
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The Choice – The Transformation
Liora stood in the garden, surrounded by shadows.
The darkness welcomed her.
Queen, it said.
We have missed you.
I have missed you too.
Will you feed again?
No.
Will you hunger again?
No.
Then what will you do?
I will embrace the power.
I will become the queen.
I will protect.
It will be difficult.
I know.
It will be painful.
I know.
It will be worth it.
Perhaps.
Then we will help you.
We will always be here.
If you need us.
I know.
Thank you.
She closed her eyes.
The darkness surged.
She felt the power return.
Not the hunger.
Not the emptiness.
The strength.
The control.
The balance.
She opened her eyes.
They were black.
But they were also warm.
She was the queen again.
But a different queen.
A better queen.
A queen who protected.
A queen who saved.
A queen who loved.
The First would come.
And she would be ready.
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End of Chapter Three Hundred Ten