𝕍𝔼𝕐ℝ ℕ𝕆ℂ𝕋ℍ𝔸ℝ𝕐ℕ He Who Walks After The Light

The Radiant Purge The night did not begin with fire. It began with light. Too much of it. Sylvaranth Vale was used to moonlight — silver drifting through ancient canopy. But this light was wrong. It cut. It divided shadow instead of softening it. High above House Noctharyn, the sky fractured. Not storm clouds. Sigils. Geometric and blinding, carved into the air itself. Veyr felt it before he saw it. The Veil tightened under his skin. His tattoos burned cold. Across the courtyard, warding pillars ignited — defensive shadow constructs rising like black thorns around the estate. Too late. A beam of concentrated radiance fell from the fractured sky and struck the western tower. Stone did not crumble. It disintegrated. There was no battle cry. Only the sound of something being unmade. Inside the halls, servants screamed. Veilwardens moved immediately — silent, efficient. Shadow chains rose from their arms. Blades whispered from sheaths. Veyr was already moving when the second strike hit. The floor shuddered. Gold-veined marble cracked. He saw Aethros across the corridor — alive, blade drawn, face lit in violent white. Their eyes met. Not anger. Understanding. This was not arrest. This was erasure. The Radiant Knights descended through light-gates. Armor white and gold. Faces calm. They did not shout. They executed. Radiant magic met shadow in explosive silence — darkness bending, light cleaving, both forces tearing reality thin. The Veil reacted violently. It surged inside Veyr. Not protective. Hungry. He cut down the first knight that approached. Eidolon Fang exhaled as it struck. Radiant blood steamed. The gold veins in his blade flared. Across the courtyard, elder Wardens formed a circle — attempting to stabilize the Veil well beneath the estate. Another beam of radiance fell. The earth ruptured. The well cracked.And the Veil screamed. Not a sound. A pressure. A distortion. Shadows across the estate detached from their sources for a single heartbeat. That was when Veyr realized: They weren’t here for conquest. They were here to collapse the Veil itself. He saw his mother then. Serethiel stood in the east archway, holding Lirael behind her. Light speared through the arch before Veyr could reach them. There was no time for a final word. No dramatic farewell. Just a flare of white. And absence. The Veil inside him went silent. Not weak. Still. As if something inside it had just died too. Aethros was fighting like discipline incarnate. Perfect form. Controlled strikes. Radiant knights fell at his feet. But the sky kept fracturing. The Accord had brought siege magic. Not soldiers. House Noctharyn was being mathematically dismantled. Their father stood at the main gate. Alone. Holding the line. Radiant constructs shattered against him as shadow rose in massive, wing-like arcs from his back. He did not retreat. He did not call for them. He bought seconds. “Go!” Aethros shouted. Not at Veyr. At the surviving Wardens. But his eyes were on his brother. There it was. The fracture. The resentment. And beneath it — Fear. “Take it and run!” Aethros snapped. For once, not the heir. Not the disciplined son. Just a brother. The Veil surged again. Wild now. Unstable. Veyr grabbed Aethros by the forearm. Shadow bent. Umbral Translation tore open. But something resisted. Radiant magic interfered. The pull split. Aethros’ grip faltered. Just slightly. Just enough. Veyr stepped through. Aethros did not. He emerged in Blackroot Hollow. Alone. The estate in the distance was already collapsing inward, light spearing down like judgment. The forest did not burn. It went silent. As if the world itself refused to witness it. Veyr stood there, hands shaking. Cold spreading up his spine. The Veil inside him coiled tighter. Not grief. Not rage. Something worse. Selection. He had survived. The heir had not escaped. The house had fallen. And the Radiant Accord would call it stabilization. When the final tower fell, the sky cleared. The sigils faded. The forest resumed breathing. By morning, House Noctharyn was ash and fractured stone. History corrected. A problem removed. Officially, it was recorded as: “A containment of volatile shadow corruption.” But in Aurethil Spire, high above the Luminous Dominion, Aethros stood alive. Brought through light-gate at the last second. Not saved by accident. Saved intentionally. Chosen. Offered purpose. Offered clarity. Offered someone to blame. And when he learned Veyr lived — The hunt began. ⸻ That night: Veyr lost his mother. Lost his home. Lost certainty. And gained something the Veil had never given him before. Loneliness. 🗺️ THE CONTINENTAL STRUCTURE OF AETHERYN Aetheryn is divided into five major regions, each culturally distinct. ⸻ 🌲 1. Sylvaranth Vale The Shattered Elven Territories Ancient forest continent region. Multiple elven subraces coexist—but not peacefully. High Elves – Radiant-aligned, structured, aristocratic Night Elves – Shadow-adjacent, territorial Wild Elves – Beast-bonded, nomadic Ash Elves – Fire-scarred desert dwellers Moon Elves – Seers and tide-mages The ruins of House Noctharyn lie here. Important Location: Velmiraen Former capital of the Veilwardens. Now a burned, silent forest ruin where shadows behave strangely. Fae still linger there. No Radiant mage willingly walks its borders alone. ⸻ 🏰 2. The Luminous Dominion Seat of the Radiant Accord White-stone cities. Sun-touched towers. Structured magical academies. This region believes itself the moral center of the world. Capital: Aurethil Spire Floating arcane citadel-city. Radiant High Council governs from here. Aethros likely operates from this region if aligned with them. Radiant knights patrol borders. Light-magic constructs guard gates. Veyr does not linger here long. ⸻ 🌊 3. The Veiled Coast A lawless, magic-saturated shoreline region. Pirates. Vampire trade syndicates. Sea-witches. Storm dragons. Fae courts overlap this region heavily. Major Port: Duskport Black-sailed ships. Night markets. Magic-forged weapons. Information brokers. If Veyr needs something quiet and dangerous — he comes here. ⸻ 🏔️ 4. Karvath Hold Dwarven mountain kingdom. Rune-forges. Ancient titan bones embedded in cliffs. Giants roam outer ranges. Practical, blunt, politically neutral. They respect strength and oaths kept. Capital: Stonefall Bastion Carved directly into a mountain face. Home to: • Dragon-forged weaponry • Relic vaults • Old world artifacts ⸻ 🌑 5. The Gloamreach Expanse Wilderlands. Werewolf clans. Dire wolves. Troll marshes. Ancient ruins. Rogue mages. Shadow magic flows stronger here naturally. Unicorns roam the inner meadows. It is rumored that the Veil first touched the mortal world here. Landmark: Blackroot Hollow A massive petrified tree with a hollow interior large enough for a village. Shadow energy pools unnaturally here. Eclipse Protocol may destabilize reality in this region. ⸻ 🧚 The Fae Realms The Fae Courts overlap reality. They are not on a map. But they intersect most heavily in: • Sylvaranth Vale • The Veiled Coast • Blackroot Hollow Three Courts: 🌸 The Bloom Court (Playful, seductive, chaotic good-leaning 🔥 The Ember Court (Dangerous, prideful, volatile) 🌙 The Dusk Court (Calculating, quiet, ancient) ⸻ 🐉 Dragon Territories Dragons do not obey borders. Each claims a domain. Notable Dragon: Vaeryndrax the Ash Sovereign Resides in volcanic territory near Ash Elf lands. Knows of the Veil. Has seen Eclipse Protocol once. ⸻ 🩸 Political Tension Current state of Aetheryn: • Radiant Accord expanding influence. • Elven houses fractured after the purge. • Fae courts more active than usual. • Rumors that the Veil has stirred again. Some believe: The Veil chose Veyr not by accident — But because something larger is coming. ⸻ 🗡️ Where Veyr Lives Now He doesn’t rule territory. He drifts. But he has a semi-permanent base. Location: Nightglass Crossing A ruined watchtower overlooking a misted forest valley. Shadows pool heavily there. Fae lights appear nightly. It’s remote. Defensible. Neutral ground. Those who seek him must mean it.

Updated September 3, 2026