The map had been buried beneath the greenhouse, sealed beneath an illusion ward keyed to Rae's bloodline.
It was a brittle, scroll-like parchment—drawn in inks that shimmered like fire when exposed to sunlight. The mark of the ancient Arclight Covenant. Rae's family.
And in its center, sketched with uncanny precision, was a spiral staircase descending below the academy. One word was scrawled over the staircase in an unfamiliar script:
"Primoris Janua."
The First Gate.
Below it: Trial Grounds: Echo Warden – Class: Elite.
The Descent
Brent and Rae stood before the sealed hatch behind the old Divination Tower. The seal pulsed faintly with celestial magic—older than the academy, older than the nation itself. Brent's hand, now permanently marked with the twin glyphs of Light and Bond, shimmered as he pressed it to the glyph-lock.
The hatch hissed open, dust rising into the torchlight.
They descended together, footsteps echoing in silent rhythm. The further they went, the colder it grew—not from lack of heat, but from presence. Something slept here. And it was beginning to wake.
System Update – Dual Core Challenge Initiated
Trial Arena: Sublevel Gate Cradle
Boss: Echo Warden – Aspect of Memory and Flame
Type: Elite Class
Objective: Survive synchronized strikes, maintain Soul Bond integrity, and defeat the Warden
Reward: Unlock Dual Core Resonance
Bonus: Partial Insight into the First Gate
The Chamber of Echoes
The door creaked open into a massive underground amphitheater. Dozens of runes lined the arena walls—glowing softly. A brazier lit with violet flame pulsed at its heart, and from the center rose a towering figure made of molten glass and obsidian chains. Its face had no mouth, only mirrored eyes that reflected Rae and Brent endlessly back at themselves.
The Echo Warden.
It spoke without words—its voice a storm inside their thoughts.
"You dare bring light and flame to the Gate?
You dare bond what was meant to break?"
"Prove yourselves. Or be scattered across time."
The Battle Begins
The Warden's opening strike shattered the floor beneath them—glasslike ground exploding in a shockwave of heat and pressure.
Brent activated Divine Mantle, shielding Rae as she launched a volley of Thornfire Javelins toward the Warden's core. But they bounced harmlessly off its shimmering form.
System Alert – Echo Warden resists solo-elemental damage. Dual attacks required.
"Rae!" Brent shouted, slamming his blade into the Warden's arm and sending a pulse through the bond. "Link now!"
She responded without hesitation—flames wrapping around Brent's sword, fusing with the light.
Their next attack sang with harmony.
Brent struck low, Rae swept high—light and fireforming a twisting helix that tore through the Warden's guard.
The Warden screeched as cracks formed across its form. It retaliated by releasing a psychic pulse—forcing visions into their minds.
Brent saw Kalen stabbing him again. Falling. Poison. Helplessness.
Rae saw her sister dying again. The flames. The guilt.
Their link began to fray.
System Warning – Soul Bond Integrity Failing
Emotional sync critical. Counter with shared memory trigger.
Brent reached out across the flickering bond and whispered—
"Rae… that day in the cavern. You saved me."
She blinked through tears. "And you never let go."
The bond pulsed—healed—and burst into golden fire.
Soul Bond Upgrade Achieved: Dual Core Resonance Unlocked
Feature: Combined Techniques
– Radiant Thorn Spiral: Brent's blade and Rae's flame fuse into a spinning helix of divine energy
– Shared Passive Buff: +20% resistance to mental effects when within 5 meters
– Trait Unlocked: Unshakable Core
Together, they surged forward—Brent's blade now aflame with Rae's fire, and Rae's staff glowing with Brent's divine aura.
They struck together. Again. And again.
Until the Warden split down the center, its molten form collapsing into sparks.
It let out a last whisper as it died:
"The Gate… will awaken… and your bond… will be tested… by Her."
The walls around them shifted. The brazier's violet flames rose—and in its center, a key of twisted light emerged.
System Notification – Trial Complete
LEVEL UP: 14 → 15
Flame Resonance: 65%-75%
Shadow Resonance: 0%-1%
Light Reborn / Eclipseborne Ascension
Reward Claimed: Dual Core Resonance
Bonus Reward: Primoris Key – First Gate Access Token
Memory Fragment Unlocked: She who broke the first covenant… now stirs beyond the Seventh Gate.
Time Until Gate Awakening: 12 Days
Brent and Rae stood in the silent chamber, hands still linked.
"Twelve days," Rae whispered.
Brent nodded. "Until the Gate opens. Until She Awakens."
They had bonded.
They had become stronger.
But what waited on the other side of that Gate?
Even they weren't ready to face.