It started with a sound. A low hum that vibrated the bones of every living creature in the sanctuary. Takeshi stood mid-lesson with a class of young tamers, watching as the clouds above shimmered unnaturally.
Then, with a flash of blue light, the sky split open.
A jagged rift pulsed in the air above the forest, crackling with unstable energy. It was as if reality itself had been torn by invisible claws.
Elira dashed to Takeshi's side, bow already strung. "That's no storm."
"No," Takeshi whispered, Codex glowing faintly in his hand. "That's a gate."
From the breach, monsters began falling—strange, twisted creatures unlike anything recorded in the Codex. They had no aura of malice, but they didn't belong. Panic stirred in the sanctuary as the beasts crashed into the world, howling in confusion and pain.
Fyria arrived, trailing flames. "What is this? Are we being invaded?"
"No," Takeshi said grimly, already moving. "They're not attackers. They're refugees."
He approached the nearest beast—a translucent feline with multiple eyes, bleeding light from open wounds. He knelt and reached out.
"Easy, buddy. I'm here to help."
The Codex flared.
[New Entry Added: Rift-Touched Beasts]
A bond formed. Faint, fragile. But real.
And then the rift flared again—and a voice echoed through it.
"Heir of the First Bond... your sanctuary is only the beginning. The other world is falling."
The sky screamed—and the gate widened.