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"The Veil’s Shroud, that rare, fleeting and cursed phenomenon, is a darkened mantle cast over our world during the last days of autumn, when the boundary between realms thins to a thread. For those who serve the Aurelium Covenant, it is a season of diminished strength—a time when our connection to celestial power wanes, yielding to shadows that dampen the very aether that we rely on. Agents should be especially cautious during this time and keep the use of their abilities to the minimum, since most of the time they won't be able to realize how exhausted their souls are until it's too late."

—High Archivist Thelon Marcellus, Keeper of Celestial Doctrine

Extract from: "Mysteries of the Stars: A Novice's Compendium"

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The sun sank beneath the distant horizon, leaving a strange, lingering warmth over the evening chill. A bruised sky opened, spilling hues of deep purple and gray, swallowed by dusk’s inevitable hand. Autumn had settled over Aurevia, casting a crispness that lingered in the streets. Scarlet and amber leaves scattered across the cobblestones, drifting along the alleys with each passing breeze.

Elisa waited, hidden in the twilight’s thinning shadows, her back pressed against the rough stone of a crumbling wall. She glanced up at the sky, at the strange shroud that had unfurled over the heavens, a phenomenon rare enough to be whispered about but known well among those who understood its power. The Veil’s Shroud, they called it—a shadowed cloak that muted the stars, leaving them dim and ghostly, as though the sky itself had grown tired of Aurevia and its desperate clamoring for light.

There was something different about the world in autumn, Elisa thought. She loved the way the colors deepened, the way decay spread quietly through the city like an unspoken truth. As a girl, she had watched the leaves change, had felt the air turn colder, sharper, and known that there was a kind of honesty in it—a reminder that nothing lasted, that life itself had cycles and endings.

She hadn't realized it then, but just as the season shifted, so did the balance of the forces around her. For it was in the shadows that her abilities thrived, a stark contrast to the sun-fed magic the Covenant knights depended on. A sardonic smile tugged at her lips; tonight, their strength would wane, leaving them vulnerable, while she would weave through the darkness like a shadow they could neither see nor outrun

Her eyes followed the faint figures of two Covenant operatives further down the road. The first was a tall, wiry man with a severe, gaunt face and eyes that seemed to sink in the darkness, cloaked in the telltale indigo-and-gold garb of the Aurelium Knights. This was Darin, a "true knight" by rank but a creature of brute obedience, following the Covenant’s orders with ruthless exactitude. He was flanked by Voss, a shorter, broad-shouldered man whose presence seemed more menacing by contrast.

Once trusted enforcers of the Covenant, Darin and Voss had sunk to mere guards, their depravity and cruelty too savage even by their order’s dark standards. They were known throughout villages as terrors cloaked in Covenant armor, leaving behind blood, fear, and silent scars in their wake. Elisa knew their type all too well.

Silently, she followed them down a narrow alleyway that led toward the outskirts of the city, where abandoned storage buildings lined the waterfront, half-forgotten by the city guard. Her footsteps were soundless, her movements swift and sure as she kept to the shadows. The air around her felt charged, almost electric, a sensation that came from her connection to the darkness—a gift she had honed over years of practice. She felt the pulse of her own heartbeat as a slow, steady rhythm, grounding her to the moment. Each breath she took was an invocation, an affirmation of her abilities. With her Umbra, she could blend into the inky night, a wraith among the living. It enhanced her awareness, allowing her to perceive the slightest movements and sounds. She didn't really knew where her abilities came from, she had never heard about anything similar before.

Memories surfaced of her younger self—a naive girl who once saw the Covenant as something sacred, something to aspire to. She had trained relentlessly, believing in their promises of justice, of power, only to be dismissed, her hopes crushed under their cold stares. They had called her useless, casting her aside like fallen leaves.

Those days lingered in her mind, weighted by a strange, aching nostalgia. A face came to her—a friend she had left behind. His name lingered on her tongue, a ghost she could never quite let go of. He had been kind where the others had been cruel. In another Cycle, perhaps, he might have been more to her. But he had been called away, pledged to the Covenant, drawn by the promise of something greater than the bond they had shared. Something more important than her.

The thought of him tightened something in her chest, and she pushed it aside. Sentiment had no place here, not now. Not in the shadows, in the shadows she was strong.

The path narrowed until it opened to a vast, barren yard, bordered by the skeletal remains of old warehouses. Darin and Voss stopped at the edge, their voices blending with the distant crash of waves against rocks. Elisa moved closer, slipping from shadow to shadow, until she could catch fragments of their conversation.

“…still hiding her in that cell,” Darin muttered, his voice tinged with frustration. “They think a bit of isolation will make her more willing, but it’s only made her stubborn. If we don’t draw out her secrets before dawn, the curse will have left her too drained to even speak.”

Who are they talking about? Elisa thought, her senses sharpening. The Covenant rarely held prisoners for long—their “questioning” had a dark finality. One that usually ended with charred corpses. Was there some secret they thought she held, something they were afraid of?

Voss let out a bitter sigh, glancing toward the distant tower that marked the Covenant’s stronghold. “Figures they’d pick now to be cautious. We should’ve had her in the Hall for questioning weeks ago, but they think she knows something no one else does.” He traced a line across his arm, eyes narrowing as though recalling a task left unfinished. “At least, that’s what they tell us. Sometimes I think they just enjoy watching her wear down to the bones.”

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Darin’s mouth twisted into a humorless grin. “Maybe. But if they’re right and she does know… well, we’re under orders. She’ll talk by first light if we push hard enough.”

“Let’s make sure of it,” Voss muttered, shifting the heavy, serrated sword at his side. Its jagged edge wasn’t meant for clean cuts but rather for intimidation. “I’ll wager she’ll wish she had spoken sooner.”

As they talked, Elisa could feel a familiar anger building within her. Her mind drifted to another girl she had seen in those dim dungeons, one she couldn’t save. Her face lingered in Elisa’s memory, pale and marred by cruel burns, a haunting reminder of the Covenant’s twisted rituals. Elisa would never know her name or what hope, if any, she’d had left in her. All she knew was that the girl was gone, taken for something beyond cruelty. And tonight, for her and countless others, Elisa would ensure that the Covenant’s grip began to loosen, even if only by a fraction.

Tonight would be different.

Without hesitation, she stepped forward from the shadows, making no effort to silence her footsteps this time.

Darin and Voss spun around, their hands hovering by their weapons as surprise flickered across their faces, quickly replaced by confusion. Elisa let a cold and small smile spread across her lips.

“Well, what have we here?” Elisa’s voice carried a cool, mocking edge. “Two knights sneaking about like common thieves. Must be an important mission.” She nearly winced at her own words; taunting them felt hollow, childish even, but she needed it. Without it, she wasn’t sure she’d hold herself steady.

Darin bristled, suspicion hardening his gaze as he tried to size her up. “Another stray wandering where she shouldn’t,” he muttered, irritation creeping into his voice. “You’ve got a death wish, standing out here running that mouth of yours.”

Elisa smirked, through unease twisted in her gut. “Funny. I was thinking the same about you two.”

Voss’s eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms with a derisive huff. “Think you’re clever, huh? With your pretty little taunts?” He scanned her, clearly unimpressed. “Gutsy, I’ll give you that, but it won’t do you any good.”

Elisa’s expression darkened, though the amusement never left her voice. “Oh, I’m full of surprises,” she said lightly. “And you aren't ready for any of them.”

Darin took a step forward, but she didn’t wait. With a speed she hadn’t fully realized was hers, she closed the distance, her blade flashing as it cut across his shoulder. He let out a strangled grunt, stumbling back in shock.

“What—how did you—?” Darin stammered, clutching his bleeding shoulder, his hand trembling against the wound.

Voss tried to muster a scowl, but his eyes flickered with doubt. He muttered a spell under his breath, extending his hand as if to summon power. There was no answer—no familiar flicker of light, no surge of strength. Nothing. Frustration flashed across his face, quickly masked as he took a wary step back, his hand going to his weapon.

Elisa tilted her head, another forced smirk curving on her lips. “Trouble with your magic? I could always show you some card tricks if you’re feeling lost.”

Darin’s eyes narrowed, and he let out a frustrated growl, forcing himself upright and lunging at her, fury now tinged with desperation. His blade swept toward her, but she sidestepped with ease, her movements fluid and precise. The Shroud’s energy heightened her senses, but the feeling of being stronger, faster, still felt new, almost unearned, and a thread of doubt twisted in her mind.

As Darin swung again, she blocked his strike, the clash of their blades ringing in the night. The force of her counterattack sent him stumbling back, eyes wide with a dawning horror. Elisa pressed her advantage, but inside, she grappled with an unease that wouldn’t let go: Was she truly ready for this?

Voss cursed, now fully aware of the danger. Tightening his grip on his serrated cudgel, he lunged, teeth bared. Elisa slipped past him, her steps light, almost instinctive. The shadows around her seemed to welcome her, yet even as she moved, she had to fight the urge to second-guess herself. Don’t hesitate, she thought, steeling her nerves. She spun around, slashing across his leg, and he crumpled, eyes wide with pain and rising terror.

“Feel that?” she taunted, circling them both, her voice low and dangerous. But the words tasted bitter, and she knew she was masking her own unease. “That’s what it’s like to be powerless.” Her confidence felt like a performance she was forcing herself to believe.

Darin’s face twisted with rage as he rushed her again, swinging wildly. She met his attack head-on, their blades colliding. Her strength was undeniable, yet she found herself clenching her jaw, trying to stay focused. Every blow she landed was a calculated move, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that one wrong step might shatter this fragile control she was holding onto. Darin staggered back, his defensive stance faltering. He glanced at Voss, panic flickering in his fierce gaze.

Her smile sharpened as she watched their confidence fracture, but beneath her composed exterior, her heart pounded. “What happened to all that bravery from before?” she asked, her voice cool but edged with effort. “Is this all the Covenant has to show for its power? Just a pair of cowards hiding behind titles and powers they never deserved?” Each line was a lifeline to her own courage, something she desperately needed to hold onto.

Darin’s face twisted with rage, and he lunged at her, his desperation overriding any sense of self-preservation. She sidestepped easily, her blade cutting through the darkness as it met his side with precise force. He choked on his own breath, stumbling and collapsing to the ground, blood staining his bright cloak in dark patches. The sight sent a shiver through her, and she forced herself to swallow down the discomfort.

Voss stumbled back, eyes wide, panic etched across his face. He glanced between Darin's motionless form and her advancing steps, dread twisting his features as he muttered, almost pleading, “What… what are you?”

Elisa took a step closer, her expression hardening as she buried any hint of uncertainty. “Your punishment.” She delivered the line with a conviction she didn’t quite feel, but she needed to project strength—for herself as much as for them.

In a swift, fluid motion, she closed the distance, her blade striking true as it pierced his chest. His knees buckled, and he collapsed, his face frozen in a mixture of shock and fear as the light faded from his eyes.

As silence settled over the clearing, Elisa looked down at their fallen forms, forcing herself to breathe steadily. The Shroud had given her more strength than she’d ever imagined, but she couldn’t shake the thought that maybe strength wasn’t all she needed. I have to be ready for more than this, she reminded herself, as doubt lingered at the edges of her triumph.