The sky seemed to bend differently over Ishtara Mountain. Clouds clung to the jagged ridges like torn fabric, threads of mist weaving between peaks as though the mountain itself breathed them out. The students of the first year stood clustered on the dirt path, their uniforms catching flecks of dew.
"Remember," said Instructor Mel, her voice firm though her eyes scanned the treeline, "this is a safe zone. No Threaded Beast of higher layers roams this stretch. Still, stay close. Ishtara is… unpredictable."
I stood with rest of the cohort, As the Instructor were explaining rules and essential, I looked at Humongous Mountain That stood Infront of me. There was a certain Pull towards the mountain. As if the mountain was calling to me. It's Peak tore through the sky and from it's peak A eerie but thin mist flowed. The Place was haunting but very beautiful. It was still Morning and the peak was basked in gold.
'I already don't like this, I feel like something very wrong is going to happen here'
Our plan was to get to the stronghold located just above the Foothold of the Mountain.
Of course, They would have drived us their but that would not give us opportunity to come face to face with The Threaded.
I know what's going to happen but I am still a little nervous
Basically The church lured out a layer 3 beast to slaughter the weak ones in this batch.
This is also to get the Mountains more equipped with church personnel The Order of Pattern.
This will further help them in breaking the seal.
The seals were actually interesting because there are 7 known seals, one in each Kingdom except Theon which has two, one here in Ishtara and one in Aurica which is half controlled by them.
The other two are in Ulma.
After lampooning, All of us started our hike.
***
We were walking on dirt path in a forest leading to Mountain, Everyone had formed Pairs and as always, Phoebe was right beside checking out the scenery in the forest. The forest was little cold despite being bathed in sunlight. It had sort of rusting and iron in the air.
Their were four Instructors for each class. Leading our way is Instructor Mel our Homeroom Teacher.
Instructors were explaining history of Mountain and various structures built by people who once inhabited it.
There were currently Two big reasons as to why Ishtara mountain Range was not explored or expanded into civilization,
First being The Church claiming it as sacred. And the other being, That there is a Layer 6 Beast Inhabiting the Mountain. Not much information about the Beast itself is known. but it is said that, When it breaths Rattling of chains is heard, As if deep asleep.
In the Mountain and the surrounding forest normal animals have mutated by Thread of chain, Like corruption.
The trees grew bigger as we entered deeper and slowly all classes which were chattering started to quiet down, Partly because None of them had seen a living Threaded Beast, Of course Neither have I.
Well, we did not have to too long as we heard rustling noises.
The rustling grew sharper. Branches bent, snapped, and something heavy scraped against bark. The chatter of the students strangled itself into silence. The only sounds now were boots scuffing dirt and the shallow breaths of those too nervous to fill their lungs.
Phoebe leaned slightly toward me."...That isn't a deer," she whispered.
No, it wasn't.
The air had shifted—iron and rust in the wind, sharper now, like the tang of fresh blood. Even the sunlight piercing through the canopy seemed reluctant, dulled against the oppressive shadow of trees that had grown too tall, too warped. Their bark bulged in spirals, the kind of unnatural growth you'd expect from stone twisted by hands, not time.
Instructor Mel raised her hand. The entire procession stopped.
"Remain calm," she said, her tone steady, but her other hand already traced the sigils of a summoning thread along her sleeve. Behind us, the other three instructors mirrored her, spreading out slightly to form a shield-line across the trail.
Something broke through the underbrush.
It wasn't large—not yet. A fox, its fur matted in patches of black chainlike growths, skin taut where the corruption had eaten through muscle. Its eyes were nothing but holes, yet I swore it looked at us. The fox opened its mouth, and instead of a cry, the sound of rattling chains slipped out.
Someone in the group gasped. Another student muttered, "It's… Threaded—" before Mel shot them a glare to silence.
The fox staggered closer. Its paws dragged, leaving shallow grooves in the dirt as though the ground itself recoiled.
More rustling.
To the left, to the right—behind.
I turned.
They were crawling out from every direction. Birds with wings fused into nets of chain. Squirrels dragging their own bodies on loops of steel where legs should have been. A stag whose antlers clinked together with iron links strung between the tips.
Dozens of them.
The instructors braced, Mel raising her voice:"Everyone behind us. Do not scatter. Do not run. This is your First encounter, They all are Layer 1. You all can kill with a little effort"
The fox in the front gave a shudder, and as it did, the chains along its body strained outward, scraping the dirt with sparks.
The fox lunged first.
Its body dragged chains through the dirt, claws leaving sparks as it pounced straight for the nearest student group. Before anyone could scream, Instructor Mel's hand shot forward. Hand of Grey Rock bloomed that caught the fox midair, freezing it.
She was right. These things weren't the true horrors of the mountain just corrupted remnants leaking from its borders. But still, standing this close, seeing their eyeless heads and hearing that constant rattling,....it was different than any practice dummy.
A stag burst from the trees, its antlers webbed with chains. It lowered its head and charged at our formation. Students screamed, scattering back. One boy fell flat, frozen with terror.
But Instructor Veyra intercepted the stag first. Her palm slammed into the ground, and glowing sigils erupted beneath her feet. From them, a dozen spear-like chains shot upward, skewering the beast mid-charge. It writhed, rattling louder, then collapsed in a twitching heap.
'It seems she also has Thread of chains, Is it that common??'
"Eyes open!" Veyra barked at the students, her voice like iron. "These aren't practice forms. Kill or be killed!"
The battle scattered across the trail.
A bird with wings of woven chains swooped down, slashing a student's arm. He cried out but managed to slash upward with his sword, his Thread flaring faintly, and the bird disintegrated in smoke. His face was pale, but his eyes wide with disbelief he had actually killed it.
A fox latched its jaws on a girl's leg before two others rammed their spears through its neck. Black ichor soaked the dirt.
Phoebe and Me also found ourselves two Beasts, One was a Deer and One was a Fox.
Phoebe jumped in and whispered under her breath 'Cognition', And her perception slowed down and cognition speed up, her eyes lit up a little.
Deer ran forward
It stomped it's foot on ground and Chains erupted and started chasing towards her.
She immediately took out her Kunai and with terrifying accuracy threw them at it's eyes.
before it reached it's eyes she exhaled a cold air and ran towards the deer with her long sword.
While dodging the chains, the air became colder and Icicles formed above her head, the icicles shot towards the deer.
It tried to block with it's chains but the icicles hit it in it's abdomen.
Without giving it a chance she lunged forward and closed the gap, before it could react she pierced the deer's brain through eyes.
It screamed in agony before dying.
I also immediately conjured chains and with long sword in hand lunged forward.