Ash had been completing the daily quests assigned by the All-Seer, each one more gruelling than the last. The results were becoming visible—his frame had begun to fill out with lean muscle, his presence more grounded, sharper.
One quiet morning, as the golden light filtered through the manor's windows, Marianna noticed the subtle shift in him. The way he moved. The strength in his gaze.
With gentle concern, she approached him. "Ash… are you training?"
He gave a slight nod.
"If so," she continued, "I'd suggest taking someone with you. My knight, Sir Lance, is loyal and capable. He could ensure your safety."
Ash looked away for a moment before turning to face her fully. His voice was steady, but laced with quiet intensity.
"Mother… I'm grateful you worry about me. You embraced me when no one else did. You soothed me when I needed it most. You… and Licia… will always have a place in my heart. But I don't need Sir Lance. I don't need any favours from the Rivenhart family."
Marianna's expression softened. She smiled faintly, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.
"Thank you for your kind words, Ash. I hear your heart. I won't press further. Just promise me you'll stay safe."
Behind her, Licia had been quietly listening. She smiled, her eyes misty. She had cared for Ash since the day he was born—his nurse, his guardian, and in many ways, his true mother.
Ash turned toward her, his expression shifting—gentle, grateful.
He stepped forward and took her hands in his own.
"Licia… thank you. For everything. For every sleepless night, every scraped knee, every moment you stood by me when I had no one else."I'll be leaving now. I've decided to train in the forest. You don't have to watch over me anymore. Go home and rest. For the next four years, live freely. And when I return—when I turn eighteen—the pact will be over. You'll be free too. If you wish… come with me then."
He looked back at Marianna.
"You too, Mother. You're not bound to that name anymore."
Before either woman could respond, Ash's form shimmered, then vanished in a silent gust of wind, leaving only still air where he once stood.
Marianna and Licia stared at the spot, stunned. The silence between them deepened—not from fear, but from awe.
Ash had vanished without a sound.
The boy they once protected… was becoming something else entirely.
The forest was quiet, except for the steady rhythm of Ash's breath and movement.
Push-ups.Pull-ups.Squats.A long run through winding trees and rough terrain.
Every day, without fail.
Sweat clung to his skin, his muscles burned, but there was a quiet satisfaction in the grind. And just as he finished the last rep, a familiar mechanical hum filled the air.
"INITIATING."
"SUBJECT: ASH HAS COMPLETED THE ASSIGNED QUESTS."
"REWARD UNLOCKED: HELA'S CLOAK."
Once equipped, all traces of mana from the wearer are completely suppressed.
Ash blinked. A dark cloak materialised before him, fluttering despite the still air.
"Woah… now that's a handy artefact," he muttered, picking it up with a smirk. "I'll put it to good use."
From a few feet away, a gruff voice broke the moment.
"Boy… are you seriously talking to yourself now?"
Fenrir, now a massive, scarred wolf, raised a brow.
Ash turned, half-annoyed, half-grinning.
"You old mutt. I've just been rewarded for my hard work. Not that you'd understand loyalty to a higher cause."
He held up the cloak for the wolf to see.
Fenrir's eyes narrowed. Then, it widened slightly.
"Hela's Cloak…" he muttered. "So the goddess is watching you. That cloak's her prized possession. Use it wisely, Ash—it's more than a shroud. It's a message."
Ash shrugged the cloak over his shoulders, smirking.
"Of course, I'll use it wisely. I'm not an idiot." He paused. "Usually."
Later That Afternoon
Ash and Fenrir sat beneath a tree, sharing a humble meal before pressing deeper into the wilds. The deeper they went, the more natural Ash's movements became.
Silent steps.Controlled breath.Zero mana leaks.
Fenrir kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
"If I didn't know better," the wolf thought, "I'd swear he was a shadow. The boy's getting dangerous."
Suddenly, Ash stopped mid-step.
Without a word, he scaled a tree in two quick bounds, perching high above the forest floor. His golden eye pulsed faintly as he activated one of the All-Seeing Eye's lesser powers.
Far Vision.
His gaze pierced the trees and brush until it landed on a figure—a girl, no older than him. She was dragging herself across the ground, covered in blood and torn fabric. Deep wounds. Broken pride. But her eyes burned with the will to live.
Ash's brow furrowed. Who was she? What was she doing this deep in the woods?
Then—Poof.
A swirl of shadows formed before him, and a small, floating figure appeared. Pale skin. Hair like midnight. And eyes that burned with mischief and power.
Hela. In miniature form.
"Fufufu… It's been a while, my little Reaper," she purred."That girl… I want her."
"Recruit her. Mark her as yours—and she will belong to me."
Ash's expression hardened. He looked down toward the girl, then back at Hela.
"As you command, Lady Hela."
The goddess giggled, vanishing in a whisper of black mist.
Ash adjusted the cloak over his shoulders, leapt silently from the tree, and moved toward the wounded girl below—A shadow in the forest. A hunter not of prey… but of fate.
Ash reached the girl without making a sound, his steps muffled by years of silent training. She lay beneath the twisted roots of a fallen tree, dirt smeared across her bruised face, eyes flickering with fear—and the sheer will to survive.
He knelt beside her and extended a hand.
"Are you okay?"
Startled, she flinched and tried to crawl away, her body trembling."W-Who are you, mister? Are you from my clan? Are you here to finish me off?"Her voice cracked. She was crying, but trying not to.
Ash's heart clenched."No, young lady. I'm a nobody too."
He paused, then offered a small, rare smile."But I saw your will to live. That's worth something. What do you say? Want to come with us?"
He gestured behind him, where a massive wolf stood silently, watching.
She recoiled slightly at the sight.
Sensing her fear, Fenrir huffed and shrank down into his pup form with a cheeky grin."Don't worry, girl. I don't bite... unless you're dinner."
Despite herself, the girl giggled—and winced, clutching her ribs.
Ash quickly pulled a small vial from his satchel. It was the last healing potion Licia had slipped into his cloak."Here. Drink this."
She took it with shaking hands, downed it in one gulp, and passed out instantly.
Ash scooped her up gently in his arms. Without a word, Fenrir shifted back into his towering wolf form. Ash leapt onto his back, and the two vanished into the woods like a gust of shadowed wind.
At the Campsite
By nightfall, the fire was crackling and the air was still. The girl stirred inside the tent, her wounds fully healed, the pain gone, but the weight in her heart was still heavy.
She sat up, tears already forming as the memories came rushing back. She bit her lip, trying to hold them in.
Ash stepped into the tent, eyes cool, calm, and observant.
She quickly wiped her face and forced a smile."Thank you, kind sir… for healing me. May I ask your name?"
He nodded."I'm Ash Ri..." he stopped himself."Ash Lightbringer."
Her eyes widened slightly."Thank you, Sir Ash. I am Keira. I'm a half-elf… Once, one of the forest tribes."
Ash's gaze sharpened."And now?"
Her voice dropped."Now... nothing. I was abandoned. I was different. I didn't belong."
Ash's right eye flared red—the All-Seeing Eye activating in a silent pulse of arcane light.
SCANNING SUBJECT...
Name: Keira Duskthorn
Race: Half-Elf (Moonborn)
Age: 15
Title: The Thorn of Dusk
Affiliation: None
Base Stats:
Strength: 40/100
Agility: 90/100
Willpower: 60/100
Intelligence: 70/100
Wisdom: 50/100
Charisma: 53/100
Mana Sensitivity: 80/100
Unique Abilities:
Veilstep – Short-range shadow teleportation. Silent. Untraceable.
Silenced Pulse(Passive) – Nullifies ambient sound and mana detection in a radius.
Duskwither Blades – Dual enchanted daggers; charged with blood to release bursts of shadow energy.
Moonborn Resilience – Regenerates faster at night. Immune to illusions.
Ash crossed his arms, unreadable."Not bad. She'll be useful."
"Is something wrong, mister?" Keira asked, looking herself over in confusion.
Ash shook his head."No, Keira. I was just thinking. I have a proposition."
He looked her in the eye."Would you like to become an assassin?"
Silence.
Ash turned away."I take that as a no. Rest here. If you need anything—"
"Wait!" Keira interrupted, voice trembling.
"I… I would be honoured. You gave me a reason to live. You didn't look at me with pity. You extended your hand… and I took it. So yes. I want to be useful. I want to serve you, Ash Lightbringer."
Ash studied her for a moment, then raised a hand. A black cloak, trimmed in silver threads, shimmered into existence, along with a single curved dagger.
"Good. Dress tonight. At midnight... You take the Oath."
Without another word, he stepped outside and vanished into the shadows.
Midnight.
The forest held its breath under the pale gleam of the moon.
Keira moved through the shadows, draped in her new black cloak—its silk whispering like secrets. She followed the familiar scent of ash and nightshade, deeper into the forest until she reached the cave—the one where Ash had first heard the voice of Hela… and where his path had forever changed.
Inside, the cave's walls pulsed with faint, bluish light—residue from ancient runes. The space opened into a wide, dome-like chamber, eerie and still. The only sound was the slow drip of water echoing somewhere in the back.
At the centre stood Ash, cloaked in black, his hair falling just above glowing red eyes—the Eye of the All-Seer faintly active.
His voice rang out, steady, commanding."Keira Duskthorn. Kneel, if you accept my authority over you."
She hesitated—only for a breath—before her instincts bowed faster than her body could follow. She knelt. Not out of fear, but conviction.
Ash's tone remained cold, ceremonial."You will abandon your name. You are no longer Keira. From this moment, you are—Veilthorn.A thorn wrapped in silk."
Her voice did not waver."I accept the name Veilthorn, Lord Ash."
Ash slid a parchment toward her. Its letters shimmered, etched in ink that moved like smoke."This is the Oath. Read it—loud, and with no hesitation."
Veilthorn lifted the paper. Her fingers trembled—not from fear, but reverence.
She began to speak, and her voice echoed across the stone.
"In silence, I swear.
To walk where others fear, to strike where none dare.
My blade follows not gold, nor crown, but the will of the Lightbringer.
I cast away my name, my past, my face—
And take up the shadow to shield the flame.
If I falter, may the silence claim me.
If I betray, may my blood water the roots of the cause.
In the shadow of loyalty, I serve.
In the silence of death, I remain."
As the final words left her lips, the temperature in the chamber dropped.
Dark mist coiled around her arms like a living thread. From the shadows above, a single violet flame blinked into existence—Hela's mark of acceptance.
Ash stepped forward, his hand extended.
"Rise, Veilthorn. Welcome to my creed."
She reached out and clasped his hand.
A sharp pulse of cold fire seared across her skin—the Mark of Hela flared to life on the back of her hand, glowing in deep violet and black. A rune that would never fade, never lie, and never forgive betrayal.
Veilthorn looked up—eyes sharper, colder, but filled with purpose.
Ash gave her a single nod."Your new life begins tonight."