The sky darkened.
Above, two celestial bodies within the Floating Islands of Veyra. The Veil Moon and the Mortal Moon were aligned perfectly, casting the world below in an eerie twilight.
Shadows stretched unnaturally, and the air grew thick with something unseen, something ancient.
It was the Hollow Eclipse.
The very moment when the barrier between realms was at its weakest.
And standing guard over that fragile seal were two of the strongest warriors the mortal realm had to offer.
Henry Rosewick, The Unchained Hound.
He sat lazily against a jagged rock, his stainless white steel armor still unblemished by battle. Resting across his lap was Unchained, an odachi crafted for a warrior without restraint. A weapon meant for nothing less than carnage.
Across from him, seated in front of the seal, was Ethan Star, the Savior’s Champion.
Draped in flowing red robes, he radiated an aura of divine presence, his long white spellbook resting on his knees.
The seal itself loomed before them.
A massive, pulsating purple sphere, its surface swirling with arcane energy. Thick, vein-like tendrils extended from it, leading to seven enormous, beating hearts.
They serve as the lifeblood of the seal.
And then, a ripple in the air.
“Hey, Ethan.” Henry called out, flipping a page in his book without looking up.
Ethan remained still, his posture undisturbed as he continued to meditate, “Yes, number two?”
Henry scowled and grabbed a nearby rock. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed it at Ethan’s head.
The rock shattered mid-air, reduced to dust before it even touched him.
Ethan exhaled through his nose, amused, “You’re going to have to try harder than that.”
Henry smirked, “Yeah, yeah. But you did sense that, right?”
Ethan slowly opened his eyes, the divine glow within them flickering, “Of course. Stealth spells won’t work on us.”
His gaze flickered toward the shadows at the edge of the floating island, “Especially if they’re planning to leave witnesses.”
A deep, guttural whisper echoed through the air.
The temperature dropped.
From the darkness of the stone ruins surrounding them, figures began to emerge.
Hooded cloaked individuals, their hands grasping relics dripping with black ichor. The Veilguard Church had arrived.
Leading them were the four mask believers—The wolf, The fox, The hippocampus and The deer.
Each of them bore an Idol of Sacrifice around their necks, the twisted symbol pulsing with unnatural energy.
The deer stepped forward, spreading his arms, “The Hollow Eclipse is upon us, dear warriors.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
His voice was rich with confidence, laced with something almost… amused, “You know why we are here.” he continued.
Henry let out a loud yawn, standing up and cracking his neck, “Yeah, yeah. You want to break the seal, unleash the Veils, and let them have their party.”
He rested Unchained on his shoulder, “You idiots do this every year.”
Ethan remained seated, flipping a page in his spellbook, “And every year, you fail.”
The fox chuckled, “Do we? Tell me, Savior’s Champion, do you not feel it?”
Ethan’s fingers stilled.
The seal pulsed.
The seven gigantic hearts beat faster, their veins swelling, darkening. Something beneath the seal moved.
Henry narrowed his eyes.
The hippocampus pulled her two cleaver, “The eclipse weakens the chains more than you realize. And this year…”
The deer reached into his robe, pulling out a dagger coated in glowing red inscriptions, “We brought a key.”
The fox raised her hands, chanting. The relics held by the Veilguard acolytes began to vibrate, their ichor-like essence rising into the air like smoke.
Ethan’s book slammed shut, “Henry.”
“Yeah, we''re not letting them start.” Henry took a step forward, rolling his shoulders.
The wolf clapped his hand, “Oh, but we already have.”
A single drop of blood fell from the dagger from the deer''s hand.
The ground trembled.
And the seal… cracked.
---
A crack spread across the surface of the seal, jagged and glowing with eerie purple light.
The seven massive hearts pulsated wildly, their veins swelling as if something within them was struggling to break free.
Ethan angry was evident by his expression, “How the hell did they accelerated the decay. If we don’t stop them now-”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Henry rolled his shoulders, gripping Unchained with both hands.
His stance shifted, energy coiling around his blade like an unchained beast ready to pounce.
The deer sneered, “Too late.”
He plunged the dagger into his own chest.
Blood...dark, thick, unnatural.
Poured from the wound, but instead of falling to the ground, it floated, twisting into tendrils of crimson mist.
The air howled as if the world itself recoiled from the act.
The other mask lifted their hands, chanting in perfect unison. The Idols of Sacrifice around their necks ignited, glowing a deep, malevolent purple.
Henry’s grip tightened, “Ah, hell.”
The sky turned black.
The Hollow Eclipse was now fully formed.
No sunlight, no starlight, just an oppressive darkness that made the air feel suffocating.
Then, the voices came.
Whispers slithered through the air, hundreds, thousands, speaking in a language that twisted the mind and sickened the soul.
The Veils were watching.
And they were hungry.
Ethan raised his spellbook.
Golden runes flared to life around him, forming intricate divine barriers, “We can’t let this ritual finish!”
Henry let out a wild grin, his eyes glinting with excitement, “Agreed.”
He moved first.
In an instant, he was a blur of white steel, Unchained flashing in the darkness like a streak of silver lightning.
The ground beneath him cracked from the sheer force of his launch.
The wolf barely had time to react before Henry was upon him.
SLASH!
The wolf jumped back just in time, but the tip of Unchained carved through his armour, cutting deep into his shoulder.
The wolf staggered back, “That damn sword-”
Henry didn’t give him time to breathe.
He pivoted, twisting his entire body as he brought his odachi around in a wide arc.
The force alone sent a shockwave through the air, shattering the ground beneath them.
The wolf raised his hand, summoning a barrier of black energy-
CRACK!
The barrier shattered instantly.
The wolf was sent flying back, crashing into the ruins with a sickening thud.
The hippocampus snarled, “Kill them now!”
A dozen Veilguard cultists surged forward alongside her, weapons drawn.
Ethan exhaled sharply, “Fools.”
With a single flick of his wrist, he opened his spellbook. The pages flipped on their own, and then-
BOOM!
A wave of radiant golden light erupted from the book, crashing into the incoming cultists like a tidal wave.
Screams filled the air as divine energy burned through their dark robes, sending them sprawling.
The hippocampus raised her cleaver dashing towards him-
Ethan turned his gaze on her. His eyes glowed.
“Silence.”
The words carried power, forced reality to obey.
The hippocampus choked, her voice stolen from him, his spell fizzling into nothing. She clutched her throat, eyes wide with terror.
Ethan didn’t stop. He lifted his hand, forming a golden spear of light, “You should have never come here.”
He launched the spear but...
A hand intercepted it.
Not a human hand.
A Veil’s hand.
The spear dissolved on impact. The air turned suffocating.
Henry’s grin vanished, “Shit.”
The seal cracked further.
From within the sphere of purple energy, something was pressing against it from the inside. Long, jagged fingers, shifting and twisting, their shape wrong, unnatural.
The whispers grew louder.
Ethan paled, “They’re breaching through.”
The deer coughed up blood, but he was laughing now, “You’re too late.”
Henry’s grip tightened around Unchained, “Like hell we are.”
The battle was far from over.
And the seal was one step closer to breaking.