The Cracking Veil

Description

The Cracking Veil

Eternal Darkness: Ebonreach Chronicles Book 2

By Skol Hawthorne

The Cracking Veil
The barrier between worlds is breaking—and something on the other side knows Elias Veylor’s name.

Created through a forbidden ritual and born in the body of a young man with no memories or childhood, Elias has spent his brief existence hunted, feared, and defined by forces older than civilization. He carries three impossible powers within him: the living magic of the forest, the hunger of the Undervein, and the fractured light of the Veil.

Now those powers are awakening.

Drawn into the haunted Ebonweald, Elias discovers a world reacting to his presence. Roots move beneath his feet. Graves whisper forgotten truths. Ancient factions emerge from the shadows, each convinced they understand what he is—and each determined to control what he will become.

At his side is Rynna Leafstride, the fierce Verdantfang huntress who refuses to abandon him, even as their loyal friendship begins turning into something deeper. But Elias is also drawn toward Queen Lirael, an enigmatic fae whose dangerous knowledge and growing affection offer him a different path. As the boundary between loyalty, desire, and destiny begins to blur, Elias must decide whom he can trust with the parts of himself he barely understands.

Meanwhile, the merciless Lantern Order closes in. A seductive vampire sees Elias as something to possess. The Undervein demands an anchor. The forest seeks a vessel. And beyond the Veil, an imprisoned presence waits for the fractures to widen.

When reality finally tears open above Ashenveil Cemetery, Elias is dragged into the wound at the heart of the world. There, he faces an impossible choice: sacrifice one realm to save the others, surrender himself to repair the Veil, or reject the destiny written into his creation and discover another way.

But every act of healing has a cost.

And some wounds awaken when they are closed.

The Cracking Veil is a dark gothic supernatural fantasy filled with haunted forests, vampire intrigue, fae magic, forbidden desire, ancient prophecy, and a hero fighting for the right to choose who—and what—he will become.

Skol Hawthorne was born and raised in Willmar, Minnesota, where quiet landscapes and long winters gave his imagination room to grow. His love of fantasy began in grade school after discovering the Dragonlance novels, a spark that ignited a lifelong fascination with epic worlds and supernatural storytelling.

For years, Skol dreamed of creating his own MMORPG — a dark, atmospheric universe filled with factions, mysteries, and ancient powers. As the lore deepened and the city of Ebonreach took shape, the world he envisioned outgrew design documents and demanded a story of its own.

Eternal Darkness – Ebonreach Chronicles is a sweeping saga born from decades of imagination. Skol writes with the same sense of wonder that first inspired him as a child, crafting stories that explore identity, destiny, and the shadows that shape us.