Veilbreak

Death has never been a mystery in Arien's world. You don't wonder if there's an afterlife, you see it. Spirits walk beside the living, visible from the moment a child takes their first breath and they are impossible to ignore.

Arien is the Light Council's favorite weapon, raised on prophecy and obedience, trained to purge the Shadowlands in the name of "balance." They call her a Lightbringer. A chosen warrior. A holy executioner. Her job is simple: hunt Shadow Spirits, kill them, and keep the Light Kingdom safe.

Except the Shadowlands aren't just "cursed." And the more Arien sees, the less the Council's truth matches the world in front of her.

She never questioned it until the night she finds a Shadow Spirit bound in chains inside a forgotten temple. Oryth is ancient, calm, and terrifying. He looks at her like he's been waiting a long time. Like he remembers her. Like he knows exactly who she is.

Soon she realizes, if she keeps obeying, she becomes the monster. If she stops, the Light will kill her for it. She only has two choices: stay loyal to the Light... or set the darkness free and become the reason the world burns.