The path to the Hollow Temple was nothing like I imagined. There were no grand staircases carved into mountains or gates of glowing stone. No. The Veiled Road lived up to its name—it was hidden beneath layers of illusion and memory.
The disc Lys gave us floated ahead, casting a pale light that parted the mists like a blade. Around us, the forest shifted in unnatural ways—trees leaning inward, roots that curled like hands, and whispers that brushed our ears in voices not our own.
Kael murmured something under his breath, tightening the ward he cast around us. "The Veiled Road doesn't just test your strength. It tests your mind."
"So, it's a trap," Riven muttered, sword already half-drawn.
"No," Kael said. "It's a warning."
I held the disc tighter, feeling the power resonate with my pulse. "A warning of what?"
Kael didn't answer. He didn't have to.
Because just ahead, the trees parted to reveal a clearing unlike any other we had seen—a wide circle of scorched earth, blackened with ash. In the center stood a single stone monolith, split down the middle. And carved into the stone… was my name.
SERA.
I stumbled back, heart hammering. "This—this isn't possible."
"It's a memory trace," Kael said, eyes narrowing. "Someone—or something—projected your future here. The Hollow Temple sees across time."
"But how?" Riven asked. "She's never been here before."
"That's the thing," Kael replied. "Time is a Thread, too. And hers has already started unraveling."
The wind howled through the clearing, and suddenly the air shimmered. The ground cracked—and from the shadows around the monolith, figures emerged.
Not living.
Not dead.
Shades.
They wore old robes of the Temple. Their eyes glowed faintly blue. And each one wore the symbol of a broken Thread on their chest.
"Sera," one of them rasped. "You have come too far."
"You must turn back," another added. "Or face what remains of those who tried to control the Loom."
Riven stepped in front of me. "If they're hostile—"
"No," I said quickly, stepping beside him. "They're memories. Ghosts bound to the Thread. They want to speak."
One of the shades reached toward me. I flinched—but as his hand passed through mine, I felt a jolt of pain. Not physical. Emotional.
A life. A vision. A boy, not unlike me, holding a thread of light—then losing everything to fire.
"His name was Elyan," Kael whispered. "He was the First."
I turned to face the shade. "I won't become him. I swear it."
The shade didn't reply. But it slowly lowered its hand… and stepped aside.
The rest followed.
Kael gave me a look of quiet awe. "You just passed the first veil."
Riven exhaled. "How many more are there?"
Kael didn't smile. "Six."
And we had only just begun.