The Veil-Bonded:Valthyrixxen

The Valthyrixxen were first found in the soft-bleeding regions of Thaer'Vessura, where the mist never lifts and the ground exhales spores that shimmer in shifting shades of silver. However, the word "discovered" suggests that they had not previously been there, watching, waiting.

The Valthyrixxen are tall, thin, and translucent in places, as if they were made of whisperroot and wind. Their internal equilibrium with their host is tracked by bioluminescent tides, which are tiny pulses of internal light that bend their bodies. They do not hunt, harvest, or consume in the conventional sense, in contrast to most other species. They become close.

Symbiotic feeders, Valthyrixxen, attach themselves to other sentient beings, especially those that exude strong emotions. The Vessurahl Concord, a dreamlink, is used to create the tie rather than a physical one. It starts out as a sequence of recurrent dreams that the host and the Valthyrixxen share. The dreams gradually get more intense until the host wakes up, breathless, and never again alone after one last shared vision.

The Valthyrixxen then enters a state of transitional cohabitation, blending with the host's emotional and neurological systems. Instead of taking over, it coexists with the host's mind, whispering at scary times, relaxing during angry ones, and consuming bursts of joy, sorrow, love, desire, and despair. The "meal" is richer when the feeling is stronger.

Both parties gain from this partnership. As payment for food, the Valthyrixxen offers:

In times of crisis, emotional clarity can increase attention and filter panic.

The Valthyrixxen's presence serves as a barrier against mental manipulation, making them resistant to psychic attacks.

Accelerated recovery, especially for physical and mental injuries.

But the link lasts forever. Additionally, hosts start to evolve with time. Their nervous systems change into something that is not entirely mortal; their eyes become known as a Vessurathi--a fusion creature feared in TCOSA, where many view it as a gradual invasion--is created when the host and Valthyrixxen completely combine after around 20 years of coexistence.

The implications are darker. According to some accounts, "Valthyrixxen Overfeed" occurs when hosts are repeatedly coerced into extreme distress in order to overload the Valthyrixxen with emotion. These creatures become tainted, erratic, lovely, and insane. A subset of Vessurathi, according to some academics, are actually Broken Concordants--bonds that are broken down under emotional stress and give rise to new horrors.

Nevertheless, the Valthyrixxen are shown as protectors in Veytherraean art, encircling dreamers with silver ribbons of light. A soft touch while you're asleep. A murmur in the darkness. A pledge that you won't be alone during your darkest moments.

You won't ever be by yourself again.

Case File: Elyra Caenneth

A quiet-spoken widow from the seaside dusk-city of Nyzural ws Elyra Caenneth. She traveled the grief-stricken globe by herself, numb to everything, after losing her husband in the Titanfire Collapse--until whispers brought her to Thaer'Vessura.

She had no intention of pursuing a Valthyrixxen. All she needed was to recollect the sensation of feeling.

However, the thing located her.

In a grove of glass-petal trees, it cuddled next to her, its translucent body throbbing softly with her grief. She cried for the first time in years. The Valthyrixxen pressed in, taking in her pain as purpose rather than prey. That was the start of their Vessurahl Concord.

She gave it the name of Thal'riven, which translates to "mourning star."

As Thal'riven nourished, softened, and shimmered, her emotional scars gradually healed, and they became inseparable. However, there was a catch: Elyra forgot more the stronger the relationship she had with the beast.

The voice of her husband. His gaze. His name.

She stood tall and calm--smiling--when the High Council called her to speak about the danger posed by the Valthyrixxen.

She hesitated when asked if she missed her previous existence before whispering, "I am unable to recall what I have lost. Just that I'm whole once more."

She and Thal'riven disappeared into the woods that night.

Since then, no one has seen them.