The halls of Shadowveil had grown heavier with each passing day under the blood-red eclipse. Supplies dwindled, wards strained, and the weight of leadership pressed upon Liora and Riven like never before. Yet amid the darkness, a fragile light had bloomed: Liora was pregnant. The news had come quietly in the aftermath of the last defense—a miracle born of their balanced curses, a child carrying traces of both celestial remnant and demonic blood. Healers whispered it could be the key to mending the veil… or its final undoing.
Liora rested in their fortified chambers, one hand protectively over her still-subtle swell, when the betrayal struck.
Elder Varak, a trusted member of Shadowveil’s inner circle and longtime guardian of the central wards, entered under the pretense of delivering a st
