Jason staggered backward from the altar, heart pounding. The glowing glyphs on the stone circle flickered and dimmed. Silence returned, thick and consuming. He could still hear the echo of his name whispering from unseen mouths. The mark on his hand pulsed faintly, as though alive, syncing with the rhythm of his breath.
"Did… did you hear that?" Jason asked, glancing at Elias. But Elias's face had gone pale—paler than Jason had ever seen it. The old man's lips trembled as he stepped forward, eyes glued to the altar.
"It's awakening," Elias whispered. "The Bloodline Gate… it's responding to you now."
Before Jason could respond, a cold wind swept through the ruins. The temperature dropped, their breaths steaming in the air. Fog slithered through the stones like a living thing, rising from the ground as if summoned.
"Something's wrong," said Elias, drawing his cloak tight. "The forest doesn't breathe like this unless…"
A low crunch echoed from the trees behind them. Jason turned sharply. Through the fog, a figure slowly emerged—a tall silhouette draped in a long, dark coat, hood pulled low, face obscured. The figure carried a long staff etched with carvings, and a raven perched on their shoulder, its eyes glowing silver.
Jason stepped in front of Elias instinctively.
"Who are you?" he called out.
The figure paused. Then, in a voice both male and female, deep and soft, they said, "I am Seraphine. Guardian of the Veil Between."
Elias gasped. "The Threadsman…" he whispered.
Jason's eyes narrowed. "Guardian of what?"
Seraphine stepped forward, fog curling around her boots. "The Veil Between Realms. The place your blood now connects to."
She looked at Jason's hand, where the mark shimmered faintly. "That mark… is not just a gate. It is a bond. And bonds demand balance."
Jason felt the mark tighten against his skin, almost like it was listening.
"You've crossed the first threshold," Seraphine said. "And now… others are watching."
The raven cawed sharply, flapping its wings. Elias stepped back.
"Why are you here now?" Elias asked. "You vanished after the Watcher War."
Seraphine turned her head slowly. "Because the Bloodline has chosen again. And the world must remember what it forgot."
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a silver thread, impossibly thin, glowing faintly in the dim light.
"This thread once belonged to your father, Jason," she said, holding it out. "Before he disappeared."
Jason's throat tightened. "My father?"
Seraphine nodded. "He used it to bind a fragment of the Veil shut. But it's fraying. You must decide—follow the path he started, or watch it unravel."
Jason took the thread, and the moment it touched his skin, images flashed in his mind. A younger version of his father standing in a burning forest… symbols carved into a stone gate… a woman with silver eyes crying in the rain… and a monstrous shape waiting just beyond the Veil, whispering his name.
He stumbled back, panting. "What… was that?"
"Memories sealed in the thread," Seraphine said. "Now they're yours."
Elias looked grim. "This changes everything. If the Veil is weakening again, then—"
A loud howl echoed through the woods. The fog thickened suddenly, and strange shadows danced between the trees.
Seraphine's voice was calm but sharp. "We must leave. Now."
They moved quickly, with Seraphine leading the way. The raven circled above, eyes scanning the mists.
As they moved deeper into the forest, Jason's thoughts swirled. Who was Seraphine really? Why did she still have his father's thread? And what was waiting behind that Veil?
Finally, they reached a clearing where a forgotten watchtower stood, its stones cracked and covered in ivy.
"This was once a sanctuary," Seraphine said. "Built by the first Bloodline Holders. We'll be safe here—for a while."
Inside the tower, torches lit by old magic flared to life. Jason stared at the intricate murals on the walls. They told stories he couldn't fully understand—of realms collapsing, creatures escaping, and a single figure holding a glowing gate closed with chains of light.
"That's the first Gatebearer," Seraphine said softly. "His name is lost now, but his burden… is yours too."
Jason felt the weight of it settle on him. The mark on his hand burned brighter.
"You're not alone," she said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "But you must choose the kind of bearer you will become."
The raven cawed again, this time sounding almost like a warning.
Jason turned to Elias, who simply nodded. "We'll find the rest of the Anchors. But now… we must be ready for what hunts you."
As the torches flickered and the forest groaned outside, Jason felt something stir deep within him—not fear, but purpose.
He didn't have all the answers yet.
But now, he had the thread.
And he had a path.