The Hollow Oath

He was taught that suffering was sacred. Then the people he served ordered his death.Caelan Veyr has spent his life carrying the darkness others cannot bear. As one of the Burdened, he absorbs the Blight that threatens the Dominion, taking its corruption into his own body so others can survive. The Luminous Covenant calls his sacrifice holy. Every scar tells him what that holiness costs.Haunted by the voices of his fallen comrades, Caelan is already nearing his limit when a presence within him challenges everything he has been taught. The suffering he accepted as duty may serve a purpose far darker than protecting the innocent.Now the Covenant wants him silenced.His survival depends on Seren Vale, a Quietus hunter trained to execute Burdened like him. When she defies her orders, they become fugitives from the institution that shaped them both. Pursued by relentless hunters, they must navigate fractured loyalties, ancient mysteries, and a world whose peace depends on questions no one is permitted to ask.But exposing the truth means confronting more than the Covenant. Caelan must decide what he owes a world that has demanded everything from him-and whether he can protect others without surrendering himself.The Hollow Oath opens The Burdened, a dark fantasy series by B.R. Veylan. Blending dangerous magic, uneasy alliances, and moments of unexpected warmth, it explores the cost of unquestioned duty, the bonds forged through shared wounds, and the difficult hope of choosing a different future.What happens when the man who carries everyone’s pain finally refuses to carry their lies?