The moon hung low, casting silver shadows that seemed alive.
Every step reminded me of the Veil's pulse—unseen, waiting, watching.
"Why me?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Why did you even save me?"
He didn't answer immediately.
His hands brushed over the edges of the walls, as if sensing something invisible. "Because someone had to," he finally said. "And because you're… important."
"People always say that. Important how?" I pressed.
He stopped in a hidden courtyard, lit only by the faint glow of bioluminescent moss.
"The ones who trained you said that?"
Santiago turned to me, eyes serious, golden in the dim light. "I was trained for this. By people you don't know, in ways you couldn't understand yet. We fight the Veil's predators, the ones who cross its boundaries and prey on humans… like Pedro."
I shivered. "Who trained you? And why?"
"Long ago," he said, his gaze drifting to the sky, "the Veil chose protectors. My mentor, Lyren, taught me how to see the threads between dreams and reality, how to defend humans, how to survive. We are… guardians. Not heroes. Not saints. Just survivors who stand between the Veil and chaos."
I swallowed hard. "So Pedro… he's like the ones you fight?"
He nodded. "But he's different. Stronger. Dangerous in ways even Lyren feared. That's why I've been watching you for months. You have something he needs. Something that could tip the balance of the Veil's power."
The weight of his words pressed down on me. "And if I don't—?"
"Then the Veil will decide for itself," he said quietly, eyes scanning the shadows. "It doesn't care about morality, or justice, or love. It only feeds. And sometimes, it doesn't even wait for permission."
I shivered, thinking of Pedro, of Eric, of all the nightmares I'd survived. "So… all this, the dreams, the deaths… it's not just random?"
"Never random," Santiago said. "The Veil tests, punishes, and shapes. And you—Eliza—you are part of that balance. One way or another, you'll have to face it. And I'll help. But you must be ready. Not just to fight what's outside… but what's inside you too."
I stared at him, heart pounding. Fear, anger, and a strange hope twisting together.
For the first time, I understood the scale of what I was dealing with—and why Santiago had risked everything to find me.
The courtyard felt smaller somehow, shadows leaning closer, whispering of rules broken and chaos to come.