The Last Veilborn

Eight years ago. The mission was supposed to take less than an hour. Commander Auren Vale briefed us before we left. A possible Veil breach had been reported inside an abandoned warehouse on the eastern side of the city. We were told to enter, locate the disturbance, secure the area, and leave before it spread. There were six of us. It sounded like a routine operation. Warehouse 17 stood at the end of an empty industrial road. Most of the buildings nearby had been abandoned, and only a few streetlights were still working. I checked my weapon while Riven Ashcroft adjusted his gloves beside me. "Forty-five minutes, Rhys If we're not out by then, I'm blaming you, and if we find nothing inside, you're buying breakfast. I didn't come all the way here just to chase another false alarm." Riven said, looking at the warehouse. He always had something to say, even before a mission. "You're going to complain either way," I replied. "That's because you keep giving me reasons." Lyra Venn was already checking the entrance. Kael Arden studied the building while Eryx Rowan checked his communication device. Maelis Thorn stood near the vehicle with her medical bag, making sure she had everything she needed. We had worked together for years. I knew how each of them handled a mission, and I trusted them to do their jobs without having to watch every move. Riven was usually the loudest, Lyra was impatient, Kael noticed things the rest of us missed, and Eryx could spend an entire hour arguing with his equipment. Maelis kept us from doing anything too stupid. "Comms check," I said. Everyone responded. Eryx checked the signal strength and gave me a thumbs-up. "Exterior is clear, no movement around the windows, no visible damage either." Kael reported. "Then let's get this over with, we've been standing here long enough." Lyra said. I took the lead toward the entrance, but stopped when I saw the main doors. They were already open. There was no sign of forced entry, and according to the report, the warehouse had been sealed for years. I raised my hand and the others stopped behind me. "Someone might have entered before us, the report didn't mention another team." Kael said as he looked inside. "Stay close, nobody moves ahead without my signal." We entered together. The warehouse was bigger than it looked from outside. Old metal shelves lined the walls, and broken equipment was scattered across the concrete floor. We moved through the building with our flashlights on, checking the corners and looking for anything unusual. At first, we found nothing. Then the lights above us flickered. Eryx looked down at his device. "I'm getting interference the signal's dropping, and we're not even that far from the entrance." "Can you fix it?" I asked. "I'm checking, It might just be a connection problem." A sound came from deeper inside the warehouse. It was low and difficult to identify, but it made everyone stop. Lyra raised her weapon while Kael moved closer to the shelves. "That didn't sound like machinery, shouldn't we report it before going farther?" Maelis said. I pressed my communication device. "Control, this is Rhys we've entered Warehouse 17 there's possible activity inside requesting confirmation on the reported breach." Only static came through. I tried again, but there was still no response. "Eryx, what's happening?" He checked the device again, his expression turning serious. "It's not the equipment something is blocking the signal." "Find out what it is, everyone stay where they are." Before he could answer, the warehouse doors slammed shut behind us. I ran back to the entrance and pulled at the handles. They wouldn't move. I tried the manual release, but the locking mechanism wouldn't respond. "That's not possible," I muttered. "Caelan, get away from the door!" Lyra shouted. "Something's moving!" The lights went out. I turned on my flashlight, trying to find the others. My beam caught the shelves, the broken equipment, and something moving farther inside. I raised my weapon, but before I could get a clear look, I heard a voice. "Caelan." I stopped. It sounded close, almost like someone was standing beside me. "Did anyone say something?" Riven asked. Nobody answered, then the voice came again. "Riven." He turned toward me the usual look on his face was gone, and he wasn't joking anymore. "Tell me you heard that." "I did. Stay together, and don't follow any voice unless you can see who's speaking." Something crashed behind us. Lyra fired toward the movement, and Kael shouted that he had seen something near the shelves. Maelis called for everyone to regroup, but another noise came from the opposite direction. Our formation broke. I saw a shape move through the darkness. Someone fired again, and I heard metal hit the floor. When I turned, Riven was trying to get back toward us, but something pulled him out of the light. I ran after him. "Riven!" I reached the spot where I had last seen him, but he was gone. I searched between the shelves and called his name again. There was no answer, only movement somewhere in the dark. I heard Lyra calling for Kael. Eryx shouted that the communication system was completely dead, while Maelis tried to get everyone back to the center. I moved toward their voices, but I couldn't keep track of all of them. Everything was happening too fast. I found broken equipment on the floor and blood near one of the shelves. I kept searching, even when I couldn't tell where the others were. Then I heard Maelis call my name. I ran toward her voice, but when I reached the spot, she wasn't there. I couldn't find anyone. I kept looking until I realized there was no one left answering me. I didn't want to accept it. They could still be somewhere inside, injured or trapped, and I wasn't going to leave without them. But the thing that had been moving through the warehouse was still there, and I couldn't even tell where it was. I don't remember exactly how I got out. I remember the doors opening, the cold air outside, and struggling to stay on my feet. The sky was already getting brighter. Hours had passed, even though we were supposed to be inside for less than one. I was the only one who came back. By sunrise, an official report had already been prepared. It said an unknown creature had crossed the Veil during the operation. The team had been caught in the breach, and all five hunters were presumed dead. I read the report twice. There was no mention of the communication failure. Nothing about the sealed doors or the emergency exit. It didn't even mention the voices calling our names. I asked for the mission records and communication logs. I wanted the security footage from Warehouse 17, too. I wanted to know why we lost contact and who had locked us inside. I didn't get the answers I was looking for. The report stayed the same, even when I questioned parts of it. Nobody could explain what happened to our communication system, and the records I requested were either missing or unavailable. Five people went into Warehouse 17 with me. They were my teammates, and I was supposed to bring them back. I came out alone. And the report they gave me didn't match what I remembered.