CHAPTER 77: GREAT DISTURBANCE

After the night rest, in the morning Kelvin sat on the edge of his bed, the leather-bound journal from Master Kaelus was open on his laps.

The words within the tales of tamers who had faced the Veil, swam before his tired eyes, each line was a warning and a promise.

"The Veil is a tear, a hunger. It thrives on fear and grows with every loss." The phrase was quoted by Lyra just weeks ago which lingered like a shadow in Kelvin’s mind, it weighd heavier now in the quiet of morning.

Kelvin traced the pendant around his neck, the flame-carved rune was warm against his skin which was a reminder of their triumph in the Shadowfen Marshes.

His left arm which has been freed from bandages, bore faint scars from the zombie’s claw, a silent testament to their hard-won victory.

Xerion the end tyrant sprawled across the floor, his fiery scale flickering softly with a low rumble vibrating through the room as he sensed his tamer’s unease.

Lyra, when she was done went to the male dormitory. She stepped into Kelvin’s room and meet him studying."You are up early," she said with her voice carrying a hint of concern. "Couldn’t sleep?"

Kelvin closed the journal, setting it on the bed. "Too many thoughts," he admitted, his voice was rough from disuse. "The Veil rift... Kaelus and Veyne keep saying it’s not over. I can’t shake the feeling that we are missing something."

Lyra nodded, settling onto a wooden chair near the window. Salaris, her shadow-cloaked raptor, flickered into view, perching on the sill with a rustle of iridescent feathers. "I felt it too, during the patrol.

Those flickers in the wards—they are not random. Something is stirring." Before Kelvin could respond, Darius came in through the door with his broad frame filling the space.

His hazel eyes sparkled with their usual mischief, though the scratches on his face from the marshes were still faintly visible.

Rhoam, his iron-plated panther, trailed behind with his heavy paws thudding against the floorboards.

"Good morning, heroes!" Darius announced, tossing a soulstone into the air and catching it with a flourish. "What is with the gloom? We are supposed to be basking in glory, not brooding like old sages."

Kelvin managed a half-smile, the tension in his chest easing slightly. "Just thinking about the Veil. Have you read your journal yet?"Darius shrugged, flopping onto a spare chair that creaked under his weight.

"I skimmed through it, that creepy stuff, but I am more interested in breakfast now. Are you coming with me?"Lyra rolled her eyes but stood up, her smile was genuine. "Fine, but we are training after the meal.

The journals are not just stories, they are lessons. We need to be ready."They headed to the common room, where the air was thick with the scent of fresh bread and sizzling bacon.

Tamers bustled around long tables with their laughter and chatter a stark contrast to the quiet dread that clung to the Tide’s Crest. Their beasts settled nearby, Xerion curling up by the hearth, Salaris perching on a rafter, Rhoam sprawled across the floor like a living barricade.

As they ate, a young tamer approached, her braided hair bounced with each step. "You are the Tide’s Crest, right?" she asked with her eyes wide. "Is it true you shattered a dark crystal?"Kelvin nodded, swallowing a bite of bread.

"Yeah. It wasn’t easy."Her face lit up. "You are legends! Can I join the Crest? I have got a Level 3 Windfox!"Darius grinned, leaning forward. "Legends, huh? Tell you what—train hard, and we will see."She scampered off, beaming, and Lyra chuckled.

"You are terrible, Darius. You know she will be practicing all day now.""Good," he said, popping a piece of bacon into his mouth. "The Crest needs fresh blood."

Their meal was interrupted by a low hum from Kelvin’s pack—the Sanctum’s monitoring device, its runes pulsed faintly. He pulled it out, the holographic display flickering to life, showing their silhouettes and those of their beasts. A message scrolled across it: "Report to Master Kaelus now. It is urgent."

Kelvin’s stomach knotted. "This can’t be good." They hurried to Kaelus’s study, a cramped room lined with shelves of dusty tomes and glowing artifacts.

When they arrived the elder tamer stood behind his desk, his silver hair was catching the light of a single lantern. His face was grim, the lines were deeper than usual."

The wards flickered again last night," he said without stuttering. "And it is stronger this time, near the eastern gate. The rune masters traced a surge of dark energy and the Veil energy."

Lyra’s eyes narrowed and she asked. "From the Shadowfen?"Kaelus shook his head. "This time it is closer. A grove just beyond the Sanctum’s borders. It is not a full rift, but it’s a warning. I need the Tide’s Crest to investigate."

Kelvin’s pulse quickened, the journal’s words echoed in his mind. "Investigate? You mean scout or fight?" "Do both, if necessary,"

Kaelus replied. "Take your beasts, your gear, and move quietly. The Sanctum’s watching through the monitoring system, but you are on your own out there."

Darius cracked his knuckles, a grin that tugged at his lips. "This sounds like a field trip. Let’s do this."They returned to the dormitories to prepare, the air was buzzed with a mix of anticipation and dread.

Kelvin strapped on his armor, the leather creaked as he tightened the buckles, his staff a familiar weight in his hand. Xerion paced beside him, flames flaring brighter as if sensing the coming challenge.

Lyra checked her runes, her fingers traced the intricate patterns on a new set of shadow glyphs she had crafted, designed to amplify Salaris’s stealth.

Darius packed extra soulstones with their green glow casting eerie shadows across his room, while Rhoam rumbled, eager for action.

As they gathered in the courtyard, a familiar figure approached, Zack, their rival, his dark cloak was swirling. His serpent beast, Vyris, coiled around his arm, its scales glinted like polished obsidian."Off to play heroes again?"

Zack drawled, his smirk sharp. "Be Careful, so you don’t trip over your own egos."Darius bristled, but Lyra cut in, her voice was cold. "Save your breath, Zack. We have got work to do."

Zack’s eyes narrowed, but he backed off, his serpent hissed softly. Kelvin watched him go, unease prickling his spine. There was something in Zack’s tone, a knowing edge that didn’t sit right.

The grove lay an hour’s trek from the Sanctum, a dense cluster of ancient oaks draped in moss, their branches are heavy with an unnatural stillness.

The air grew colder as they approached, the scent of earth and decay replacing the morning’s freshness. The ground was soft, littered with fallen leaves that crunched underfoot, and a faint hum vibrated through the air, like the echo of a distant storm.

"This place feels wrong," Lyra whispered with her runes glowing as she scanned the shadows. Salaris flickered in and out of sight, her feathers blended with the gloom.Kelvin nodded with his staff raised.

"Stay close. Xerion, scout ahead."The End-Tyrant bounded forward, flames casting a warm glow that pushed back the darkness. They moved cautiously with the monitoring device humming in Kelvin’s pack, a reminder of the Sanctum’s watchful eyes.

The grove was eerily quiet, the usual chatter of birds and insects absent was replaced by a low, pulsing thrum that set their teeth on edge.

They reached the grove’s heart, a space where a single stone slab stood, its surface etched with unfamiliar runes that pulsed with faint, violet light. The air around it shimmered, a faint distortion that made Kelvin’s skin crawl.

"A Veil anchor," Lyra said, her voice tight. "It’s stabilizing a rift, pulling dark energy through."

Before they could investigate further, the ground trembled, and a rift tore open—a jagged tear in the air, spilling shadows and cold. From it emerged dark wraiths, spectral figures with glowing eyes and claws of smoke.

Their presence was a weight, pressing against the trio’s minds with whispers of despair."Form up!" Kelvin shouted, Xerion’s flames roaring as he lunged at the nearest wraith.The battle was chaos.

Kelvin channeled fire through his staff, the flames searing through the wraiths’ ethereal forms. Lyra’s runes lashed out, binding the creatures in shadow chains, while Salaris darted between them, her talons rending their forms.

Darius fired soulstone blasts, each explosion scattering the wraiths, while Rhoam charged, his iron plates deflecting their claws.But the wraiths were relentless, their numbers growing as the rift pulsed. Fatigue set in, Kelvin’s arms burning, Lyra’s runes flickering, Darius’s blasts weakening.

The whispers grew louder, sowing doubt. You’ll fail. You’re weak. Kelvin shook his head, focusing on Xerion’s warmth, the bond anchoring him."We need to close the rift!" Lyra yelled, dodging a wraith’s claw.

"The anchor—destroy it!"Kelvin nodded, rallying the group. They fought their way to the slab, the wraiths closing in. Kelvin channeled a Convergence, Xerion’s flames blazing into a fiery vortex.

Lyra wove a massive rune, binding the rift’s energy, while Darius aimed a soulstone blast at the slab’s core. Their beasts struck as one, and the slab shattered, the rift collapsing with a scream of shadow.Silence fell, the grove still once more.

The trio stood, panting, their beasts battered but alive. They’d won, but the victory felt fragile, the Veil’s presence lingering in the air."We need to report this,"

Kelvin said, his voice hoarse. "This isn’t over."They returned to the Sanctum, the monitoring device heavy in Kelvin’s pack, their steps heavy with the weight of what they’d faced.

The grove was a warning, a sign the Veil was stirring. Their bonds, though strained, held firm, a beacon in the gathering storm.