CHAPTER 83: THE OUTBURST OF THE VEIL 5

The trio moved cautiously with their beasts alert, the monitoring device hummed in Kelvin’s pack, as a reminder of the Sanctum’s watchful eyes.

Deep within the cavern, they found the fracture, which was a jagged tear in the ground that pulsed with violet light, its edges writhing with dark tendrils.

Around it prowled a rogue beasts that twisted hybrids of claw and scale, their eyes glowed with unnatural hunger, their forms flickering as if it was caught between realities.

At the fracture’s heart stood a crystal shard, its surface crawled with dark runes that radiated a malevolent energy that pressed against their minds, whispering despair.

"Form up!" Kelvin shouted, Xerion reared with his flames erupting in a blazing arc that lit the cavern.The battle was chaos.

Kelvin channeled a fire Convergence through Xerion, the End-Tyrant’s flames swept through the cavern, incinerating rogue beasts in bursts of ash and light, their screeches echoing off the walls.

Lyra wove shadow runes and her gauntlet glowed as tendrils that lashed out to bind the creatures’ limbs, pinning them in place. Salaris struck from the shadows with her talons rending flesh in swift with a precise strikes.

Darius fired soulstone blasts, with each explosion that shattered the beasts’ forms, while Rhoam charged, his iron bulk that crushed anything in his path, his roars shaking the cavern.

But the rogue beasts were relentless, their movements were erratic, driven by the fracture’s chaotic energy. One lunged at Lyra, its claws grazed her arm, drawing blood.

She gasped, stumbling, but Salaris intervened, tearing the creature apart in a blur of shadow and feather. Kelvin’s heart raced, fear spiked, but he was focused, his bond with Xerion a blazing lifeline.

The whispers grew louder, colder, promising failure You will fall. You are nothing. but he pushed them back, shouting, "We will end this now!"

They fought their way to the fracture, where the crystal shard pulsed with dark energy, its runes glowing like miniature stars.

Kelvin’s Convergence burned brighter, Xerion’s flames was a roaring inferno that scorched the air. Lyra’s runes bound the shard, her gauntlet trembled with effort as she wove a web of shadow to contain its power.

Darius aimed a soulstone blast, the green light flared as it struck the shard’s core. Their beasts struck as one, Xerion’s flames, Salaris’s talons, Rhoam’s charge, they all converged on the shard.

The cavern trembled as the shard shattered, the fracture collapsed in a scream of shadow that echoed through the Hollow. The rogue beasts faltered, their forms dissolved into ash, and silence fell, heavy and absolute.

The trio stood amidst the carnage, their breaths ragged, their beasts battered but alive. Kelvin’s hands trembled, his body ached, but pride swelled in his chest, a spark of defiance igniting within.

"We did it," he said with his voice hoarse, barely audible over the fading hum of the fracture. Lyra nodded in agreement, blood trickled down her arm, but her eyes burned with fierce determination. "Together."

Darius leaned on Rhoam, his grin was weak but genuine, and he said. "We are unstoppable, like always."

As they gathered their bearings, a shadow moved at the cavern’s edge, a cloaked figure, their silhouette stark against the fading violet light, watching with an intensity that sent a chill down Kelvin’s spine.

This time, the figure lingered, raising a hand as if in challenge, a faint glow of dark runes pulsing at their fingertips. The monitoring device in Kelvin’s pack flickered erratically, its runes struggled to process the figure’s presence.

"They are not just watching anymore," Lyra said, with her voice tensed, her gauntlet glowed as she prepared a rune. Kelvin nodded, his jaw clenching. "They are testing us. We need to get back and report this."

They began their ascent from the Hollow, the fog parted to reveal a starry sky, the air was cold but clear. Xerion slithered beside Kelvin, his scales was warm and reassuring, while Salaris darted ahead, her feathers caught the starlight.

Rhoam brought up the rear, his iron plates clinked steadily, a constant in the uncertainty.

They camped that night in a forest where they cleared, the air was heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth. Kelvin lit a fire with Xerion’s breath, the End-Tyrant’s flames casting a warm glow that pushed back the darkness.

They ate sparingly, their supplies was nearly gone, and shared quiet words to ease the tension.

"I keep thinking about that figure," Lyra said, with her voice soft as she bandaged her arm and her runes sealing the wound with shadow magic.

"The journals mentioned Veil agents, tamers who turned to veil agents. What if they are closer than we think?"

Darius frowned, tossing a soulstone into the fire, its green light flaring briefly. "You think Zack is one of them? He is a jerk, but a traitor?"

Kelvin shook his head, though doubt gnawed at him. "I don’t know. But he is hiding something. And that figure... they are not just a scout. They are planning something."

As they settled for the night, Kelvin sat beside Xerion, the End-Tyrant’s scales a warm anchor against the cold.

"You have seen worse than this, haven’t you?" he murmured, his hand resting on the serpent’s head. Xerion’s amber eyes gleamed with a low hiss vibrating the air, as if affirming their shared resolve.

The Sanctum’s gates loomed by midday, a welcome sight after the Hollow’s desolation. They reported to Torin, detailing the fracture, the shard, and the cloaked figure’s challenge.

His expression grew graver with each word, his stormhawk screeched softly. "You have done well," he said. "But the Veil’s agents are a threat we can’t ignore. Train, watch, and trust your bonds."

They returned to their dormitories, exhaustion weighed their steps, but a spark of defiance burned within.

The Veil loomed, its shadows are creeping closer, but the Tide’s Crest stood firm, their unity was a flame that would burn through any darkness.

As Kelvin sank onto his bed, Xerion coiled beside him, he felt ready for the battles ahead, their resolve was an ember that would ignite the future.