2025-01-21 21:21:01The campfire crackled weakly against the cold night, casting flickering shadows on the weary faces gathered around it. Evans sat apart from the others, his sword resting against his knee, its edge catching the firelight like a faint promise of violence. The weight of the shard’s vision lingered, pulling his thoughts into a spiral of doubt and fear.
Across the fire, Amara studied him, her sharp eyes narrowing with concern. She had seen him like this before—closed off, wrestling demons he wouldn’t share. But now, the stakes were different. The darkness they had confronted in the ruins wasn’t just a threat outside of him; it was inside him, festering.Miriam broke the silence. “We need to talk about what happened back there.”Lorian, sharpening his axe, didn’t look up. “What’s there to talk about? The ruins were a deathtrap, and we walked out alive. That’s enough for me.”“It’s not enough,” Miriam insisted, her voice firmer. She turned to Evans. “The
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Shadows of the crown Chapter 76: The Cost of a Choice
The howls drew closer, echoing through the dense forest like a sinister melody. The cold air thickened with dread as Evans gripped his sword tighter, feeling the weight of the moment press against his chest. Every instinct screamed at him to flee, but he knew there was no running. Not now.“We need a plan,” Amara said, her voice steady despite the tension crackling in the air. Her bow was raised, the string taut and ready to loose an arrow at the first sign of danger.Calder stepped forward, his dark cloak blending into the night. “They’re shades,” he said, his voice low. “Creatures born of the darkness. They’re fast, relentless, and nearly impossible to kill by conventional means.”“Nearly?” Lorian growled, hefting his axe. “That’s not exactly comforting.”“They’re vulnerable to light,” Calder explained, ignoring the barb. “But only concentrated light—fire weakens them, but it won’t destroy them completely. The best chance we have is holding them
Shadows of the crown Chapter 77: The Darkness Within
Evans leaned against the nearest tree, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath. The light of the shard had dimmed, but its presence lingered, a weight in the air that pressed against him like an invisible hand."You're not fine," Amara said sharply, her eyes scanning his pale face. She crouched beside him, her concern barely masked by her frustration. "You look like you've been dragged through the abyss.""I said I'm fine," Evans replied, though his voice was hoarse. He tried to stand, but his legs wobbled beneath him.Lorian stepped forward, his axe resting on his shoulder. "You just faced down a pack leader of shades and channeled ancient power no mortal should wield. You're not fine, lad. None of us are.""Enough," Calder interjected, his voice quiet but firm. His eyes lingered on Evans. "He’s alive. That’s what matters—for now.""For now?" Amara turned on Calder, her voice rising. "What does that mean? He save
Shadows of the crown Chapter 78: The Veil Beckons
The forest seemed to tighten its grip as Evans and his companions followed the Sentinels deeper into the wilderness. The air was heavy with an unspoken tension, each step feeling like it brought them closer to the unknown. The towering trees loomed overhead, their gnarled branches blocking out the light, casting the path in a dim and shifting shadow.Althea, walking at the head of the group, spoke in hushed tones to a fellow Sentinel. Evans strained to listen, but he caught only fragments: words like "threshold" and "time running out." His fingers brushed against the shard in his pocket, its faint pulse a constant reminder of its ominous presence. A part of him feared what would come next—what the shard truly meant, what the Veil had in store for them."You’re too quiet," Amara said softly as she matched his pace."I’m thinking," Evans replied, his eyes scanning the dense forest around them. He felt as though the trees themselves were watching them, whispe
Shadows of the crown Chapter 79: The Weight of Shadows
Evans lay still, the cold earth beneath him grounding him to the present moment. The shards of light that had once engulfed him were now gone, leaving an eerie quiet in their wake. His body ached from the strain, but it wasn’t the physical pain that gnawed at him. It was the unsettling chill that had settled deep in his chest. The shard had vanished, but something inside him remained—something dark, like a shadow cast over his very soul.He pushed himself up, the world spinning for a moment before settling back into focus. Amara was kneeling beside him, her face pale, her hand resting gently on his arm. Her touch was warm, but her eyes were full of worry."Evans," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Are you all right?"He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. Instead, he felt an overwhelming emptiness, as if the Veil had taken something from him that could never be returned. The darkness in his soul was palpable, a cold weight that pressed again
Shadows of the crown Chapter 80: The Price of Darkness
The air seemed to freeze as the dark figure loomed before them, its presence an oppressive force that threatened to crush the very essence of their will. Evans’ grip tightened around his sword, his muscles taut with the instinctual need to fight. But deep within, a voice—a whisper—nagged at him, telling him that this wasn’t just another enemy to be defeated. This was the Veil itself.The figure’s eyes were endless, black voids that swallowed all light, all hope. It spoke again, its voice a low, echoing hum that reverberated in their bones.“Foolish mortals,” it sneered, its voice almost melodic, yet dripping with malice. “You think you can defy the Veil, steal its power, and escape its grasp? You are nothing but insects, and I... I am the shadow that shall crush you.”Evans stepped forward, his hand still tight on his sword hilt. “We’ve already paid the price,” he said, his voice steady, though the weight of his own words bore down on him. “And we won
Shadows of the crown Chapter 81: Shattered Bonds
The forest felt alive with an unnatural pulse as the figure—no, the shadow—towered before Evans and Amara. Its presence was suffocating, like the weight of the world had been pressed into the shape of a nightmare. Evans could feel it in his bones, a coldness that reached deep into his chest, trying to extinguish the light of hope.But Amara stood at his side, her fiery hair now burning brighter than ever, her determination a beacon in the overwhelming darkness. Together, they faced the Veil’s agent, the creature that had brought them to this cursed place.The creature’s laughter echoed through the air, a sound that seemed to vibrate the very ground beneath their feet.“You resist... but the Veil has already claimed you,” it whispered, its voice a slithering hiss. “You cannot fight it. You are already bound.”Evans’ heart raced, but his mind sharpened, clearer than it had been in a long time. He had heard these words before, felt the temptations gn
Shadows of the crown Chapter 82: Echoes of the Past
The shadows in the forest seemed to stretch longer, darker, as Evans and Amara moved cautiously forward. The illusion of Miriam had left a lingering unease between them, like the ghost of something lost forever. Miriam had been a friend, a part of their group—someone who had been swallowed by the Veil, and now she was back. But the way she had appeared, the smile twisted in malice—it couldn’t be her. It was something else, something darker.“We need to keep moving,” Amara said, her voice low but steady. She had her hand on her weapon, ready for whatever might come next. Evans nodded, his grip tightening on his sword as they moved deeper into the forest.The air was thick with an oppressive silence, the kind of silence that came before a storm. Every step felt like it could lead them straight into the jaws of something terrible, yet they pressed on. The flicker of shadows continued to dance around the edges of their vision, too quick to catch but impossible to ignor
Shadows of the crown Chapter 83: The True Face of the Veil
The figure before them remained motionless, its presence an oppressive weight in the air. The cloaked being seemed to absorb the light around it, leaving only the swirling shadows in its wake. Evans could feel the pull of its gaze, as though it were reading him, stripping away every layer of defense, exposing him to something far darker than he had imagined.Amara stepped in front of Evans, her posture firm, her hand resting on the hilt of her weapon. “What do you want?” she demanded, her voice steady despite the growing unease.The figure’s voice reverberated through the clearing, as if it were coming from all directions at once. “I am the Veil, and you are nothing but threads caught in its weave.”Evans’ heart skipped a beat. “The Veil… you?” he murmured, confusion and fear rising within him.The figure’s laugh was low and unsettling, like the sound of distant thunder. “No, child. I am not the Veil, but I am its creator, its origin. The one who
Latest Chapter
Chapter 107: The Awakening Shadow
The tremors intensified. Dust rose from the shattered earth, and the air thickened with an unnatural weight. It wasn’t just a shift in the battlefield—it was a warning.Evans steadied himself, his breathing ragged. His body still hummed with the remnants of the power he had absorbed, but something felt off. The Veil’s corruption was gone, yet the air crackled with a presence just as menacing.Amara was already on edge, her stance tense. “Evans, something’s still here.”“I know,” he muttered. His eyes scanned the battlefield, but the Keeper was nowhere in sight. It didn’t make sense. That man had orchestrated everything—the unraveling of the Veil, the twisted illusions, the endless suffering. He wouldn’t just leave.Unless…Evans’s stomach dropped. “What if we were wrong? What if we didn’t destroy the Veil?”Amara’s sharp gaze locked onto him. “What are you saying?”Before he could answer, the wind howled through the ruin
Chapter 106: The Price of Power
Evans floated in an endless void, weightless, lost between existence and oblivion. He tried to move, but his limbs refused to obey. A heavy silence wrapped around him, deeper than anything he had ever known. It wasn’t just emptiness—it was absence.Was this death?A voice cut through the void. Soft. Familiar."You were never meant to come this far, Evans."His pulse quickened. He knew that voice. It was one he had longed to hear, one that had haunted his dreams and waking moments alike.His mother.A light flickered in the darkness, and suddenly, he wasn’t floating anymore. He stood on a vast mirror, its surface reflecting a sky of swirling gold and black. And there, in the distance, was a figure—a woman draped in white, her silhouette shimmering like a memory struggling to take shape.“Mom…” His voice came out hoarse, disbelieving.She turned, smiling, her face glowing with warmth and sadness. “You’ve come so f
Chapter 105: Between Light and Shadow
The moment Evans raised the shard, the air around him seemed to tighten, as if the world itself was resisting what he was about to do. The entity beyond the rift sensed it too. Its countless shifting eyes turned toward him, its tendrils retracting for a brief moment before lashing out with renewed fury. The entire sky pulsed, the golden veins in the darkness writhing, desperate to consume everything.Evans felt the shard pulse in his grip, the remnants of the Veil’s power thrumming through his veins. His heart pounded. This was it. The moment of decision.But as he took a step forward, the ground beneath him cracked open.BOOM!A massive shockwave erupted from the rift, sending both Evans and Amara flying backward. Evans hit the ground hard, his breath leaving him in a painful gasp. The shard tumbled from his grasp, sliding across the fractured stone."Evans!" Amara’s voice rang through the chaos, but he barely heard her.His vis
Chapter 104: The Rift Opens
The sky above them stretched and tore like a wound in the fabric of existence, splitting further as the thing beyond the rift began to move. It was not just a creature—it was a presence, something too vast for the mortal mind to comprehend. Its form shifted endlessly, writhing tendrils and ever-changing faces dissolving into golden light and reforming again in the abyss. The weight of it pressed down on the world itself, distorting everything, making the air thick and heavy.Evans felt his breath catch. He had faced horrors within the Veil, illusions meant to break him, but this was real. This was something ancient. Something unstoppable.A deep, resonant sound echoed from the rift, a voice that did not belong to one being but to many, each whispering over the other, their words unintelligible yet filled with meaning.The Keeper stood still, unmoved by the unfolding catastrophe. His hollow eyes remained fixed on Evans, as though waiting.Amara tig
Chapter 103: Beyond the Veil
The last remnants of the Veil crumbled away, dissolving into streaks of dark mist that dissipated into the air. A heavy silence settled over the ruins of the once-consuming illusion, leaving only Evans and Amara standing at the heart of its shattered remains.For a brief moment, Evans allowed himself to breathe. The pressure that had threatened to suffocate him, the weight of his fears, was gone.But the victory felt… incomplete.Because as the Veil faded, something else emerged.A presence.It had been waiting.A cold wind swept through the ruins, carrying whispers that curled around Evans’s ears. His skin prickled. The air had changed—not with relief, but with something far more unsettling.Amara must have felt it too because she stepped closer, her grip tightening on her weapon.“We’re not alone,” she murmured.Evans turned his gaze forward.And then he saw it.At the very edge of w
Chapter 102: The Heart of the Veil
The air grew colder as Evans and Amara pressed forward, the massive structure looming ahead. It was ancient—far older than anything Evans had seen before. The walls were carved from dark stone, swirling with shadows that seemed to pulse as if alive.“This place…” Amara whispered, running her fingers along the surface. “It’s not just part of the Veil. It is the Veil.”Evans tightened his grip on the shard in his pocket. “Then this is where we end it.”A deep, guttural whisper slithered through the air, wrapping around them like invisible tendrils.You cannot end what has no beginning…The voice was everywhere and nowhere, reverberating through the stone, seeping into their bones. The doors ahead groaned as they slowly creaked open, revealing a dark corridor lined with shifting mirrors.Evans hesitated. “More illusions.”Amara nodded. “Stay close.”They stepped inside.Reflections of the PastThe
Chapter 101: The Veil’s Last Whisper
The world around them was still, the weight of the battle settling over them like a heavy fog. The last remnants of the shadowy figure had faded, but Evans could still hear its parting words echoing in his mind.You are only just beginning to understand the Veil’s true power.Amara let out a shaky breath, wiping her blade clean before sliding it back into its sheath. “Tell me I’m not the only one who thinks that was too easy.”Evans, still gripping the shard tightly, shook his head. “It wasn’t easy. And it’s not over.” He looked down at the fragment in his palm. The light that had exploded from it was dimming now, as if exhausted. But something had changed. The shard no longer pulsed erratically—it felt stable, like a compass pointing in a single, unwavering direction.“We broke its form,” Evans said, turning the shard over in his fingers. “But the Veil isn’t just something we can fight. It’s an idea, a presence. And it’s still here.”Ama
Chapter 100: Into the Abyss
The clearing was quiet now, eerily so. The echoes of the battle with the tree's forces faded into the stillness, but the weight of what they had just survived hung heavily in the air. Evans rose slowly, his limbs sore and his head pounding, but the sensation of the shard still pulsing in his pocket kept his focus sharp. There was no time to rest—not yet.Amara stood beside him, her eyes scanning the surroundings, still wary of any lingering threats. The light from the shard had driven back the shadows, but they knew better than to think it was over. The Veil was too vast, too pervasive. What they had faced so far was just the beginning.“Are you sure about this?” Amara asked, her voice soft but resolute. She reached for his hand, her fingers brushing against his skin, grounding him.Evans gave her a faint nod. “We’ve come this far, Amara. I won’t let it win. I won’t let it control us.”Amara’s eyes softened, but there was a hard edge to her gaze t
Chapter 99: The Heart of Shadows
Evans and Amara pushed deeper into the shadowed forest, the eerie pull of the shard growing stronger with each step. The trees loomed like silent sentinels, their twisted branches clawing at the sky as though trying to break free of the world they had been cursed into. The air was thick with an unnatural chill, the kind that seeped into the bones and made every step feel like a journey into a deeper abyss.Evans glanced at Amara, her face etched with both determination and unease. They had faced countless horrors together, yet there was something different about this place—a suffocating sense of inevitability, like the very forest itself was holding its breath.“The shard is drawing us in,” Evans muttered, his hand subconsciously tightening around the glowing fragment that pulsed faintly in his pocket.“I can feel it too,” Amara replied, her voice tinged with wariness. “It’s as if it knows what we’re after. And it doesn’t want us to stop.”They tr
