The morning fog clung to the academy grounds like a living thing. Lanterns still glimmered faintly along the stone paths, though the sun had begun its slow ascent. Lyn Ashveil walked alone, Umbra's mist curling silently around his feet. The events of the previous day—the Dual Resonance Binding—still echoed in his mind.
"You've changed," whispered Umbra."I hope so," Lyn muttered, eyes scanning the shadows beneath the archways.
He felt it again: that pulse in the air, a vibration not from his own mana, but from somewhere deeper, older.
From beneath the training fields came a faint rumble. Lyn froze. Umbra stiffened beside him, ears pricking as a low growl rumbled in its throat.
"Something's moving below," Umbra said, voice like shifting smoke.
The lower vaults of the academy were off-limits to first-years, sealed by centuries-old wards and runes. But Lyn had never been one to obey rules without reason.
He followed the sensation, tracing the hum of mana that felt eerily familiar. Shadows bent unnaturally along the walls, as if leaning toward him, whispering.
"This way," Umbra murmured.
Lyn descended the winding stairwell leading to the vaults. Each step made the air colder, heavier. When he reached the bottom, he stopped.
The vault was empty. At least, it appeared so.
A soft voice echoed from the far end.
"Lyn Ashveil…"
He froze. The name was clear, but the source unseen. The voice carried an authority older than the academy itself, like the whisper of history itself awakening.
"Who's there?" he called, voice steady.
From the shadows emerged a faint shape—a wolf? No… more than that. Its body was composed of darkness and faint violet light. Its eyes were gold, like Umbra's, but deeper, older.
"You feel it too," the shadow said, voice resonating inside Lyn's mind. "The old seals weaken. The world is stirring."
Umbra growled, stepping forward. "I know this one. It is… different. Ancient."
The figure stepped fully into the dim light. Lyn's breath caught. Its form was larger than Umbra, regal, and terrifying. Runes glimmered faintly along its smoky fur, pulsating like a heartbeat.
"I am a Shadow of the First Era," it said. "And you… are bound to me, whether you know it or not."
Lyn's hand went to his crest. Gold threads of mana surged across his skin, resonating with Umbra and the ancient shadow alike.
"Bound… to me?" Lyn whispered.
"The bond has always awaited you," the Shadow replied. "You are the spark that may awaken what was lost. But beware: the world will not wait for your readiness."
The rumble from beneath the vaults grew louder. The walls trembled, runes flickering. Lyn looked at Umbra.
"Looks like we're not done yet," he said.
Umbra's eyes gleamed. "Oh, I was hoping for more excitement today."
A sudden explosion of light from the runes blinded Lyn for a heartbeat. When his vision cleared, a crack had appeared in the vault floor, thin at first, then widening. A darkness unlike any beast he'd faced spilled from below, slithering like smoke across the stone floor.
"It's beginning," the ancient Shadow murmured. "And you… are the key."
Lyn swallowed hard. The quiet before the storm had ended.
"Then let's see what we're made of," he said.
Umbra lunged forward, merging with the shadows, as the darkness from the vault surged toward them. The echo of ancient power rattled the stone walls, shaking the foundations of the academy itself.
And somewhere above, in the misty spires of Eldara Academy, the first whispers of rebellion began to stir.