The air of Vaelhara carried the scent of rain that had yet to fall. Cold, damp, and laced with something older than time itself.
Hanae Moreau's footsteps echoed softly along the stone path leading to the heart of the village, each step like a gentle knock on the doors of sleeping spirits.
Vaelhara.
A place unmarked on human maps, but etched into the veins of the spirits.
This land carried countless stories—some spoken, some whispered by the soil and the heartbeat of the trees.
Hanae let out a long sigh, steadying her pace.
She did not come as a savior, nor as a welcomed guest.
She came because of a call that could not be ignored—because signs of a torn spirit had surfaced, and the Veil Concord could no longer look away.
There was something wrong in Vaelhara.
She still remembered that night, when the knock came at her door, when a Concord envoy threw a rolled report onto her desk and stared at her with heavy eyes—eyes that held more than orders.
"The spirit chains in Nimaara are trembling," they said. "At first, we thought it was just a weakened soul bond. Maybe a parting. Maybe a natural death. But… after we traced the path, we found something."
Hanae remembered their fingers pointing at the tangled spirit map drawn on the paper.
The lines weren't broken, but they twisted wildly—like they had been coiled by something foreign.
"This… isn't ordinary damage," they whispered. "There's something else, gnawing at the spirit path from within."
"A shifter?" Hanae had asked.
They shook their heads. "No signs of foreign shifters. No human traces. But there is a breach… like the trail of an unknown predator."
"A spirit predator?" Hanae's eyes sharpened.
"Not the kind you've ever met." Their gaze grew serious. "We don't know what, or who. But if this path collapses completely, its resonance could spread. And if that happens, the boundaries of this world could crack."
Hanae had been silent for a long moment before finally rising to take the report.
"Who is involved?"
"A Khurai. The name bound to this path: Merek Veyar."
Merek.
That name now echoed in her mind, walking alongside her every step on this land.
-----
They called us Sentinels— the custodians, observers, boundary keepers, intermediaries who stood between worlds—too close to spirits to be called human, too human to be called entirely spirit.
Hanae Moreau was one of the Sentinels of the Veil Concord, a descendant of mixed Miko blood, tasked with spirit healing and the mending of torn paths.
As a Sentinel, being sent to remote places was part of her life.
And now, Hanae was here.
Vaelhara greeted her in silence.
-----
"Sentinel Moreau."
The voice of an old man broke the quiet.
His steps were light despite the years bent across his back. His skin was tough like tree bark, his eyes calm but sharp in observation.
"Master Aren Maekha is waiting."
Hanae gave a slight nod, letting the man guide her past wooden houses standing amidst fog and towering cypress trees.
Feather charms and spirit carvings hung at every doorway.
Some villagers peeked at her from behind their curtains. Their whispers were too faint to hear, but their stares pricked the back of her neck.
She knew that look—the gaze cast upon an outsider. Upon one who brings ill news. Upon one who is not trusted.
Master Aren Maekha stood at the edge of the main courtyard, his frame broad, his shoulders steady, his dark hair tied neatly behind him.
He didn't smile when welcoming Hanae, and Hanae didn't expect him to.
"I know your journey was long, but we don't have time for formalities," Aren said, his voice flat but naturally firm.
"Veil Concord sent me with a clear message." Hanae answered calmly. "There is a broken spirit bond here."
Aren stared at her, long and deep, as if weighing just how much he could trust this outsider.
"We are Khurai—those who have chosen the path of spirits. One of our Khurai… has lost his soul bond. Maybe more than that."
"What do you mean?" Hanae frowned.
"The bond isn't just weakening. It's on the verge of being ripped apart. If that happens, it could spread and endanger the spirit paths of other Khurai."
"Are you sure this isn't a normal loss? Soul bonds—"
"—are a choice, not fate. We know." Aren cut her off. "But this isn't just a loose connection. It's like… something is gnawing at his spirit path from within."
Hanae's thoughts snapped back to the Concord's report.
The spirit lines twisted like they were infested.
They never mentioned the possibility of vampires.
They didn't know what creature caused this.
But… Aren's words—"gnawing at the spirit path"—the traces resembled bite marks…
In silence, Hanae began to piece it together.
Could the predator they were searching for… be a vampire?
She kept that thought to herself.
"His name is Merek Veyar," Aren continued. "He is one of our Khurai. He chose his partner a year ago—Lucia. But after the vampires—" His voice tightened at that word. "—appeared at our borders, Lucia disappeared. Merek is now… broken. His spirit path is unstable. He's physically and emotionally volatile. And Merek believes that Lucia's disappearance is tied to that vampire."
Vampire.
Hanae locked her focus on that word.
So this was the breach. Not an unknown spirit predator. Not a rogue shifter. But a vampire.
"You don't believe what Merek Veyar claims?"
Aren paused. "We've never known vampires capable of disturbing soul bonds."
Yes, true. Vampires were never known to interfere with spirit paths.
Yet, this vampire… might be connected.
"How deep is the damage to his spirit path?" Hanae asked.
"Deep." Aren shook his head slowly. "Too deep for us to mend on our own."
Aren's gaze lingered on her before adding,
"Some of us—the Circle—don't want you here."
Hanae shrugged lightly. "Not the first time I've been unwelcome."
Aren allowed a faint smile. "Good. One of them is Rhett—Merek's cousin. He's not someone easily persuaded by words."
"Good," Hanae echoed with a calm tone. "I'm not someone who gives up just because I'm rejected."
Aren nodded, satisfied. "Follow me. Let's begin before it's too late."
-----
The fog in Vaelhara thickened as they stepped deeper into the heart of a problem that might not be entirely fixable.
But Hanae knew one thing:
Even the most shattered souls can still be saved—or at least, kept from breaking further.
And if not?
Then she would stand with them until the end, as a true Sentinel should.