Roland had only been distracted for a minute.

Celeste had been talking to a local scout, gathering information and—hopefully—an up-to-date map. Meanwhile, he had wandered a few steps away, drawn in by the sight of an ornately crafted sword displayed outside a smithy. The etching along the blade looked almost Veil-touched, and for a moment, he wondered if—

Then everything went black.

He hadn’t even had time to react before a massive arm wrapped around his torso, lifting him off the ground as if he weighed nothing. The grip was unbreakable, iron-clad with natural strength far beyond his own. A Starborn.

Roland barely had a chance to struggle before a second set of hands—these far more precise—pressed against his temples. A surge of divine energy crackled through him, disrupting his focus before he could call on his soul gaze. His vision blurred, his body locked up. An Orderborn.

Not good.

But as they hauled him through the streets, ducking into side alleys and slipping away from the crowd, Roland realized something strange—there was no killing intent. No hostility in the grip that held him. Just urgency. Desperation.

By the time his vision cleared, he was in an empty room, the door slammed shut behind them. The chair beneath him was sturdy, the rope binding his wrists tight, but not painfully so. He tested it, shifting slightly, but whoever tied the knots knew what they were doing.

He exhaled slowly, forcing his pulse to steady. If they wanted him dead, they’d have done it already. Best to wait, to listen—

The Orderborn stepped forward first. His golden skin gleamed under the dim light, the intricate hexagonal carvings along his arms glowing faintly with divine energy. His expression was tense, unreadable, but his voice was firm.

“You must open a gate into the Veil.”

Roland remained calm, keeping his breathing steady as he studied his captors. The Orderborn’s glowing markings pulsed faintly, betraying his frustration, while the Starborn loomed behind him, arms crossed over his massive chest like a living mountain.

“Open a gate into the Veil,” the Orderborn repeated, his tone sharper this time.

Roland tilted his head. “I can’t.”

The Orderborn’s jaw tightened. “Lies.”

“It’s not a lie,” Roland said smoothly. “It takes two to open a gate—both a Worldborn and a Motherborn. Without Celeste, I can’t do anything.”

The Orderborn let out a hiss, something between frustration and disgust. “I don’t want to rely on a treekiller.”

Roland raised an eyebrow. Treekiller? That wasn’t a term he had heard before, but from the venom in the Orderborn’s voice, it was clear enough what he meant. He guess Celeste or maybe just Lifeborns had a history.

The Starborn stepped forward, glaring down at Roland. “You’re lying. I’ve seen a Worldborn open a gate before.”

Roland met his gaze evenly. “Then it wasn’t into the Veil. It was probably a labyrinth.”

That gave them pause. The Orderborn’s fingers twitched, and the Starborn’s glare flickered with uncertainty.

Before they could press further, the door slammed open with a force that rattled the walls.

Celeste stood in the doorway, and Roland immediately knew she was livid.

Her skin crackled with barely contained energy, faint sparks dancing along her arms and shoulders. The usual sharpness in her eyes had been replaced with something far more primal—something dangerous. The very air around her buzzed with static, as if the room itself recoiled from whatever power she was holding back.

His captors took one look at her and didn’t even hesitate.

They ran.

No words, no threats—just raw, instinctive fear. The Starborn shoved past the Orderborn in his rush to escape, their heavy footsteps thundering down the hall.

Roland blinked, still tied to the chair. “So... thanks?”

Celeste exhaled sharply, her fists still clenched. “They’re lucky they ran.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Roland didn’t doubt that.

Celeste let out a long sigh, the energy crackling around her slowly fading as she unclenched her fists. She ran a hand over her scalp, visibly forcing herself to calm down. Then, to Roland’s surprise, she looked genuinely regretful.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice quieter now. “I should have protected you better.”

Roland raised an eyebrow, still bound to the chair. “You can make it up to me by untying me.”

She huffed a small, amused breath and stepped forward, cutting the ropes with a flick of her dagger. As soon as his hands were free, he rubbed at his wrists, looking at her expectantly.

“So,” he said, “who exactly were my friendly kidnappers?”

Celeste sighed again, this time heavier. “They’re not bad people, just... desperate.”

“Desperate enough to tie me to a chair,” Roland muttered, flexing his fingers.

Celeste leaned against the table, arms crossed. “Some of them have been stuck here for centuries, Roland. Hundreds of years, watching as the veil was been closed to them. Blocking any way they had to get home.”

That made him pause. He glanced toward the now-empty doorway where the Orderborn and Starborn had fled. “They’re trapped?”

Celeste nodded. “They have families waiting for them. Wives. Husbands. Children they haven’t seen in lifetimes. The only Veil Keepers still active are the corrupted ones from Mortalis, and they aren’t opening gates to send people home. They’re only making things worse.”

Roland frowned. He had never thought about it like that.

He exhaled slowly. “And I’m the first Worldborn they’ve seen in a long time. The first new Veil Keeper.”

Celeste nodded. “They saw a chance, and they took it.”

Roland rubbed his wrists, thinking over everything Celeste had just told him. Then, after a long pause, he met her gaze.

“What would it take?” he asked. “To get them home?”

Celeste tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling as if the answer might be written there. She stayed quiet for a moment, then exhaled. “A lot.”

He crossed his arms. “Define a lot.”

She pushed off the table and turned to face him fully. “First, we need to get stronger. Strong enough to hold our own against whatever Mortalis throws at us. We need divine payments, as many as we can get, and we need to upgrade our gear. No more relying on basic steel—Veil-forged weapons, enchanted armor, things that won’t break the moment we fight something big.”

Roland nodded, taking it all in. “And even then?”

Celeste’s expression darkened. “Even then, it might not be enough.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“Because the best place to send them home would be at the junction between the main Veil paths,” she said. “That’s where the strongest connections form between Viridara, Mortalis, and the rest of the Veil. But there’s a problem.”

“Let me guess,” Roland said, “that’s where Mortalis is strongest.”

Celeste nodded grimly. “They control most of the major gates. If we want to send people through safely, we’ll have to fight for control of that junction. And we’ll be outnumbered.”

Roland exhaled, considering the challenge ahead. “So, we need allies.”

Celeste met his gaze, her expression thoughtful. “If we could reach the other Veil Keepers—the ones still on our side—then maybe, maybe we could start getting people home. But even if we manage that, it won’t be easy.”

Roland hesitated, then asked, “What about Fang?”

Celeste’s expression darkened slightly. “We can’t take Fang into the Veil until we understand what made the other Colossals go mad.” There was a sadness in her eyes, a quiet hesitation that told him the uncertainty affected her more than she let on.

Roland clenched his fists. If he was going to carry the title of Veil Keeper, then maybe—just maybe—he had a responsibility to change things.

Celeste let out a sigh, rubbing a hand over her scalp. “That’s a problem for another day. Right now, we have a more immediate one.”

Roland raised an eyebrow. “More problems?”

She smirked. “Yes, and it’s your fault..”

Roland groaned. “Let me guess—the Flameborn I beat yesterday isn’t taking it well?”

Celeste nodded. “He’s really not taking it well. He’s demanded a Trial of Strength to regain his honor.”

Roland frowned. “Alright… but what does that have to do with us?”

“The trial is for him to close the labyrinth.”

Roland blinked. “Wait. What?”

Celeste crossed her arms. “The others have accepted it—as long as you agree.”

Roland rubbed his temple. “Okay, back up. How is that even possible? You can’t just ‘close’ a labyrinth.”

“You can,” Celeste corrected. “If you defeat all the remaining Veil-lings and harvest enough divine crystals, the labyrinth will collapse on itself. Without creatures feeding off its energy, and with its last remnants taken, the Veil stops holding it together.”

Roland exhaled, leaning against the table. “And I’d be needed to open the way in.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

He studied her for a long moment. “What do you think we should do?”

Celeste shrugged, but there was something sharp behind her casual demeanor. “We should agree.”

Roland narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

She smirked slightly. “Because it’s a good chance to gather more ingredients. The labyrinth is already on its last legs—one way or another, it won’t be around much longer. And let’s be honest, the youngling only cares about proving himself in a fight. With both of us there, he should make it out alright.”

Roland wasn’t convinced. She was saying all the right things, but there was something in her expression, a flicker of something she wasn’t saying.

He crossed his arms. “Spill it, Celeste.”

She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Fine. There’s something else I want from this.”

Roland raised an eyebrow. “Of course there is.”

“There’s always a boss Veil-ling,” she explained. “One that’s stronger, faster—outperforms all the others. It’s usually the last to go down, and it always carries something valuable.”

“You want its resources,” Roland guessed.

Celeste grinned. “Exactly. And since the kid doesn’t care about the spoils, we can walk away with something really useful.”

Roland exhaled. He knew this wasn’t just about some Flameborn’s honor. Celeste always had an angle. Still, she wasn’t wrong—the challenge was inevitable, and if they could walk away stronger for it, then why not?

“Alright,” he said. “We’ll open the labyrinth.”

Celeste’s grin widened. “Good. Let’s make sure we get something worth the trouble.”