Page 61 of Cursed Dreams
"They called itSolmara’s Veil," he murmured. "A disease that once plagued the world, long ago, when the High Fae and the dragons were still at war."
Thalia’s mind raced but she said nothing, letting him speak.
Vaelith’s jaw tightened, his silver eyes flashing with something dark, haunted.
"It was merciless," "A sickness that ate away at the body’s very essence, draining its strength, consuming its mana"
Thalia felt her stomach drop.
Mana.
“But Aric isn't fae, he’s human, humans don't have magic”
Vaelith’s expression grew grimmer "The disease left people weak, unable to even stand. Fae, humans, anyone with even a trace of mana in their veins was vulnerable. And once it took hold, it did not stop."
His voice was steady, but Thalia could see it, the way his fingers flexed slightly, the way his shoulders tensed, the way something like grief flickered through his eyes.
"It didn’t just kill," he continued quietly. "Iterasedpeople. Thousands. Humans, lesser fae… entire villages wiped out in weeks. Nothing we tried could stop it."
We.
Thalia’s stomach dropped at the word, but she didn’t interrupt.
Something was wrong—not just in what he was saying, but in how he was saying it. Like this was more than a story to him.
Like he had seen it himself.
"How did it end?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Vaelith was silent for a long time.
Then, he sighed, his expression pained.
"The only cure," he murmured, his voice heavier than she had ever heard it, "is the mana of dragon fire."
The world seemed to tilt beneath her feet.
Thalia stared at him, her lips parting, but no words came out.
Dragon fire.
Dragon fae, they had been wiped out centuries ago, no one had seen a dragon in years, they were myths.
This was impossible.
She felt her knees weaken, despair setting in "No," she whispered. "That can’t be right, there has to be something else—there has to—"
"There’s not."
The words were final, a cruel, unrelenting truth that crushed the air from her lungs.
She shook her head. "I, "
She broke then, collapsing to the ground, sobs wracking her as the crushing truth hit, she couldn’t save Aric
Vaelith’s hands were suddenly on her arms, steadying her.
His grip was firm, grounding, and his voice, softer now, apologetic, almost regretful, spoke to something deep inside her.
