Silence hung in the chamber as Eren remained kneeling before Queen Elena. The cold stone pressed against his knees, a reminder of his position—a stranger in a foreign court.
"Rise," Elena finally commanded, her voice gentle yet carrying an unmistakable authority that filled the vast space.
Eren stood slowly, his muscles stiff from the long journey. As he t the queen’s gaze, recognition flooded through him. This was the woman from his dreams, though sothing was different. In his visions, she had always appeared distant, enigmatic. Now, a warm smile transford her features, bringing a humanity he hadn’t glimpsed before.
For a mont, they simply regarded one another, the silence between them charged with unspoken recognition.
"Leave us," Elena instructed with a asured wave of her hand. "Except Commander Maria and Viva. You two, remain."
The attendants and guards filed out. The twins moved in perfect synchronization as they retreated toward the massive doors.
As Mika passed Viva, she paused. "Your cat will be long gone before you return," she whispered, loud enough for Eren to hear.
Viva stiffened. "Don’t forget I’m close with the Veilwalker now," she hissed back with a glance at Eren. "I might make him hate you."
Commander Maria suddenly turned her head. Her left eye—the one not marked by the jagged scar—flashed with unnatural light as she fixed her gaze on Mika.
Imdiately, Mika’s body jerked as if pulled by invisible strings. Her grace abandoned her, her steps becoming chanical as she moved toward the exit.
"You dare not," Mika muttered through gritted teeth, struggling against the unseen force.
The heavy doors closed, leaving only the four of them.
Elena studied Eren before speaking again. "I hope your journey wasn’t too stressful," she said, returning to her throne. The crystalline structure seed to respond to her approach, light shifting through its structure.
"It was... manageable," Eren replied, his tone deliberately cool as he maintained his rigid posture.
Elena settled onto her throne, the fractured light playing across her features. "Viva will take you to your chambers until you have fully recovered from the journey’s strain," she said, her gaze never leaving his face.
A muscle in Eren’s jaw tightened. After all this ti, after all the dreams and questions that had haunted him for years, she wanted him to rest?
"I have been through far more stress than you can possibly imagine, Your Highness," he countered, each word edged with carefully controlled resentnt. "I didn’t co this far to sleep, eat, and act like a pampered princess."
In the corner of his vision, he saw Commander Maria shift, her hand moving closer to the hilt of her weapon. Viva’s eyes widened at his boldness—or perhaps his foolishness—in addressing the queen so directly.
A flicker of sothing—amusent? respect?—crossed Elena’s face. "The body requires rest," she said, her tone subtly shifting, becoming almost hypnotic in its rhythm. There was a strange quality to her voice now, like honey poured over steel—sweet on the surface but unyielding beneath.
The manipulation in her tone only sparked Eren’s defiance further. He took a step forward, ignoring the warning look from Commander Maria. "I don’t need rest," he said, each word precise and deliberate. "I need my answers."
The chamber fell silent once more. Elena leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming with sudden interest. The light from the throne intensified, bathing her in an otherworldly glow.
"And you’re certain you need answers, Veilwalker?" she asked, emphasizing the title that ant nothing to him yet seed to an everything to those around him. "Are you truly ready to pay the price for them?".
Eren bristled at the na. There it was again—that strange title everyone kept using. Veilwalker. Does the na link with thr prophecy too? Why did they all insist on calling him that instead of his actual na?
Eren held her gaze steadily, refusing to be intimidated by her display. "Everything has a price," he declared without hesitation. "I’m willing to pay it all."
For a long mont, Elena simply studied him, as if asuring his resolve. Finally, she nodded, seeming satisfied by what she saw.
"Good," she said, settling back against her throne. "But rest now. True knowledge requires patience and strength." She gestured toward Viva. "Tomorrow will be... demanding."
Eren felt the dismissal in her words. He wanted to press further, to demand answers imdiately, but sothing in her posture—or perhaps it was the way Commander Maria’s hand now rested openly on her weapon—told him it would be futile.
With a stiff, shallow bow that spoke more of obligation than respect, he turned and followed Viva toward the exit.
Behind them, as the doors closed, Commander Maria turned to face Elena. A faint blush had spread across the queen’s cheeks.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?" Maria asked.
Elena’s eyes seed distant. "For centuries, I have longed for this mont," she whispered. She straightened, looking toward the distant cavern ceiling. "Can’t you see the way the Veilwalker was speaking to ? Mother, Thornvale is about to rest again."
---
The corridors of Thornvale Palace followed the mountain’s natural veins. As they walked, Viva kept ahead of him, occasionally glancing back. They passed training grounds where warriors practiced forms that seed eerily familiar to those in Eren’s visions. The warriors paused as he passed, watching him with curiosity.
’They all know who—or what—I am supposed to be,’ Eren thought bitterly. ’Everyone except .’
Eventually, Viva stopped before an intricately carved door. She placed her palm against it, and the stone glowed briefly before swinging inward.
"These will be your quarters," she said.
The chambers were spacious yet intimate. The walls were polished stone, their natural patterns catching the amber light from crystal sconces. A large bed occupied one corner, and a naturally ford alcove housed a steaming pool—a private bath fed by hot springs.
Everything felt organic. The furniture seed coaxed from the stone rather than carved. Luminescent vines traced patterns across one wall. Through a crystal window, Eren could see the subterranean city below.
"Is there anything you require?" Viva asked, hovering near the doorway.
"Water," he said, not turning from the view. "Just water for now."
When she left, Eren exhaled deeply. He moved around the chamber, running his fingertips along the stone surfaces, feeling that strange, humming energy he’d sensed upon entering the palace.
Viva returned with a stone cup of water, which she offered with both hands—a gesture of respect at odds with her earlier casual deanor.
"Thank you," Eren said, accepting the cup and taking a long drink. The water was cool and sweet, with a mineral taste that was surprisingly pleasant.
Viva hovered awkwardly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "How are you feeling after the journey?" she asked, her voice pitched slightly higher than usual.
Eren studied her over the rim of his cup. "I’m fine," he replied, noting how different she seed within these walls—less the carefree companion of the forest journey and more a nervous courtier.
"I’ll leave you to rest then," she said, already turning toward the door, clearly eager to escape.
"Wait, Viva."
She froze at the sound of her na. Slowly, she turned back to face him, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Yes?" she asked, her hand nervously twisting a strand of hair.
"Everyone here seems to know as the ’Veilwalker,’" Eren said, his voice cool and asured. He set the cup down beside him. "After everything we’ve been through, can you at least tell why?"
Viva’s discomfort visibly increased. She bit her lower lip, her eyes darting around the room as if seeking an escape route. "I wish I could tell you myself," she finally said, "but I can’t. The queen decided to do that honor herself." Her fingers twisted more frantically in her hair. "She was very specific about it."
Suddenly, she backed toward the door. "I’m sorry, I can’t help you with this!" she blurted, then turned and fled, leaving the door open in her haste.
As Eren moved to close it, he heard voices in the corridor—Viva’s, distressed, and Mika’s.
"What’s wrong?" Viva was asking.
"I can’t seem to find your cat," Mika replied threateningly. "Where are you hiding her?"
"I can’t find her myself!" Viva protested, genuine panic in her voice.
"You liar!" The sound of a weapon being drawn. "You’ve hidden her sowhere!"
Rapid footsteps indicated Viva fleeing with Mika in pursuit.
Eren closed the door and returned to the window. Sowhere in the city below, answers awaited him—about his past, about his strange powers, about his visions.
’Tomorrow,’ he mused. ’I guess that’s not long enough to wait to discover the truth.’
He ran his hand along the wall, feeling that humming energy respond to his touch. It was as if the mountain recognized him.
As he settled onto the bed, a flicker caught his eye. A small carving on the bedpost depicted a hooded figure standing between two worlds separated by a thin veil—the silver spires of the Moonlight Kingdom and the stone magnificence of Thornvale.
’Veilwalker,’ Eren thought, tracing the carving. ’Who—or what—am I supposed to be?’
The stone ward at his touch, the humming energy growing stronger. For a mont, the carving seed to glow.
Whatever price Elena spoke of, he was prepared to pay it. After a lifeti of lies and half-truths, Eren was determined to face whatever reality awaited him.
Outside his door, distant echoes of laughter and footsteps filtered through—Viva and Mika, their quarrel apparently transford into so kind of chase.
Eren closed his eyes, allowing himself to sink into the bed. Despite his resistance, the strange energy of Thornvale Palace humd through his veins like a lullaby in a language he’d forgotten he knew.
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