At the dawn of a gray day, Valmere Academy awoke beneath a shroud of unease. Even after the Guardians' ritual, the newly restored seal remained intermittently unstable, as if struggling to hold back the forces that once ravaged the land. Among the tamers, a heavy silence echoed—laden with memories and a fear no one dared to voice aloud.
Ethan, still feeling the echoes of the ceremony, gazed toward the horizon from the central courtyard. The Forest Ancestral Stag stood by his side in watchful silence, its eyes reflecting the shadow of an ancient fear, as if sensing something stirring beyond the known limits. Gradually, the light dimmed, and a magical transmission—now activated through an old crystal once belonging to the monitoring division—caught everyone's attention.
In a message formed of shimmering runes and distorted sounds, the transmission declared:
> "From the Forgotten Realm, the borders blur. Prepare yourselves: what was buried for eons will seek to rise again, and the darkness of the past shall engulf the present."
Signs at the Edge of the Unimaginable
While the council gathered in the Hall of Founders to decipher the meaning behind the message, Master Althar and Radomir led a joint investigation. In the quiet corridors of the main building, ancient maps and dusty scrolls gained new significance, revealing that the legends of a lost realm—a dominion where magic reigned supreme and mysteries were as vast as time itself—were not mere tales. And now, something inexplicable seemed to be moving outward from that realm, almost as if a rift was opening between worlds.
Chancellor Solon gathered the most sensitive tamers, including the group that had just completed the ritual, to discuss their next steps. In a grave and contemplative tone, he said:
— The signal indicates that forces from the Forgotten Realm are infiltrating the borders of our world. These enemies are not mere invaders; they are manifestations of an ancient power that refuses to remain buried. We must be ready to face not only external darkness but also the challenges this return will pose to our very essence.
The Journey to the Frontier
As the council hastily outlined an action plan, the group of tamers—Ethan, Lira, Kael, and Neyra—was chosen to lead an expedition toward the academy's most hidden wing, where the signs of the Forgotten Realm were most intense. The path ahead led through abandoned gardens, ivy-covered hallways, and subterranean chambers nearly untouched by time.
In one of these areas, at the foot of ancient stone walls, they found remnants of inscriptions that told the legend of a people who once inhabited the Forgotten Realm—a place where light and shadow danced in a precarious balance. Neyra, with her calm and methodical voice, read from a weathered scroll:
— "When the border of forgetting is torn, the children of darkness will find passage, and the chosen must raise the blade of truth to seal the abyss."
Those words echoed not just in their ears but in their souls, stirring a mix of fear and determination.
The First Ambush
In the shadows of the forgotten corridors, as the expedition delved deeper into the area marked by the inscriptions, a muffled and rhythmic sound began to emerge. From the end of a wide hallway, creatures lurked—shadows with malleable outlines and glowing eyes. Echoes of legend took shape: the invaders from the Forgotten Realm, foretold by the message, appeared like specters of a darkened age.
Ethan raised his hand, signaling the group to remain calm. His experience had taught him that panic was the greatest enemy of strategy. With the Forest Ancestral Stag beside him, he led the group into a defensive formation. Lira directed her Nebulous Serpent to slither through the shadows, tracking enemy movements, while Kael, with his Spectral Crow, flew overhead for a better vantage point.
Suddenly, the gloom materialized into a group of semi-ethereal beings, vaguely humanoid in shape but with beastly features—each emanating an aura of despair and dark power. The attackers advanced with almost choreographed steps, as if the darkness itself had orchestrated their assault.
The Battle for the Frontier
The clash began with palpable tension. The tamers' beasts responded with well-trained reflexes:
Lira commanded her Nebulous Serpent: — Glacial Breath! A jet of icy light surged forward, partially freezing one of the invaders and stalling its charge.
Kael launched precise attacks from above with his Spectral Crow, striking with rapid blows that cleaved the air and forced the enemies to retreat for moments.
Neyra, with her Living Stone Golem, erected a sturdy barrier between the tamers and the invaders, using the power of the earth to halt the advance of the shadows.
Ethan, bonded with the Forest Ancestral Stag, felt each movement not only with his mind but with his entire being. He used a technique honed through countless hours of training: — Echo Link! At his command, a current of energy flowed through the ground, linking tamer and beast in a synchronization that seemed to channel the very history of the Academy. The Stag summoned roots from the earth that surged upward, entangling one of the invaders and weakening its assault.
Each tamer showed in that battle that true power came not from individual strength, but from unity and deep understanding of one's own limits. The fight was meticulous, with every mistake acknowledged and every success hard-earned. Even the invaders, with their primordial might, seemed to falter before the group's synergy.
The Echo of the Last Strike
After long minutes that stretched like eternity, the invaders' assault retreated. The enemies' whispers faded as swiftly as they had emerged, leaving only the tamers' ragged breaths and the silence slowly settling over the frontline.
As the group gathered their strength and took account of the battle's remnants, Ethan gazed into the hallway's horizon with the eyes of one who had faced darkness and survived—but without the certainty that the victory was complete. The Forgotten Realm had sent its heralds, and the rift in the world's energies signaled that the conflict was only beginning.
A Call to the Future
Returning to the expedition base, the tamers compiled the reports and marks left by the clash. Every fragment of collected energy, every symbol etched into the walls, told part of a much larger story—the story of a world that came before and now sought to reassert itself.
Kael summarized gravely: — Today we witnessed the invasion of shadows from the Forgotten Realm. But we also saw that our united strength is more powerful than any darkness they may conjure.
Lira, her eyes reflecting the same blend of hope and fear, added: — We must be ready. Every victory and every sacrifice will help us one day close this rift before the Void consumes everything.
Ethan held the Stag's gaze, sensing that this moment marked a turning point—a call to continue the fight, to unite their strength, and above all, to keep alive the light that guided them.