The sky above Valmere Academy was shrouded in dark clouds at dawn, but it wasn't an ordinary storm. The wind carried something more—a whisper of old, an unsettling vibration that drifted through the corridors as if the very walls were recalling something long forgotten.
Ethan woke before sunrise, gasping. His body was cold with sweat, and his heart pounded in his chest. He had dreamed of a field wrapped in golden mist, where the Forest Ancestral Deer stood facing a pulsating black void. When he tried to approach, voices whispered in a language he couldn't understand, but their intent was clear: "The seal was merely patched. The tear continues to grow."
Beside his bed, the golden fragment glowed with a pulsing light—now more intense, as if it had taken on a life of its own.
Shared Visions
Elsewhere in the academy, his companions awoke with similar visions. Neyra reported seeing her Living Stone Golem shatter before a hooded figure, while Kael heard the Spectral Crow scream—a sound that lingered even after he woke. Lira, on the other hand, remained silent for hours, her eyes distant, until she finally spoke:
— "I saw a city swallowed by roots. And in the center… a beast I've never seen before. It had eyes of fire and a throne of bones."
The connection between the visions was undeniable. The ritual hadn't solved everything—it had awakened something. Something that had been asleep, waiting for a moment of weakness in the web of balance.
The Hidden Warning
As they sought to understand the consequences, Lira returned to the scroll, using a magical magnifying artifact. Beneath the main layer of text, hidden between the fibers of the ancient paper, more words appeared—revealed only now through the activation of the ritual.
> "He who touches the threads of balance must be ready for the voices that never sleep. The seal hinders, but it also attracts. When the light rekindles, the shadow finds it."
Kael narrowed his eyes, processing the implication.
— "Restoring the seal… may have acted as a beacon. The energy calmed, but now something out there knows where to find the rift."
Academy Reactions
On the surface, the more sensitive instructors and researchers were already noticing subtle changes in the behavior of the academy's beasts. Some grew restless, others refused to eat. Reports began to surface of small tremors, malfunctions in magical artifacts, and beasts staring into nothing—as if sensing an invisible presence.
The academy's headmaster, a mysterious figure known only as Master Althar, called an emergency meeting. When Ethan, Lira, Kael, and Neyra arrived, they found Althar observing them with a grave expression, as if he already knew exactly what had happened, despite not taking part in the ritual.
— "You crossed a line," he said bluntly. "An ancient pact has been reactivated. And the eyes on the other side… are now open."
The Seed of Fear
Later, Ethan distanced himself from the group and climbed to a forgotten watchtower in the academy. There, the Forest Ancestral Deer awaited him. As he approached, the beast lowered its head, gently touching his forehead with its glowing antlers. A wave of calm washed over him… but so did a memory. Not his own, but the beast's.
He saw ancient forests in flames. He saw the first tamers fall before a creature made of pure void, with eyes that devoured hope. The beast was colossal, nameless… but the fear was unmistakable.
Ethan staggered back, his heart pounding like a war drum.
— "Is this… the true enemy?" he whispered.