Chapter 12: Race Against Time
The rain had turned into a thin mist by the time Zephyr, Fenna, and Star slipped through the academy's south orchard, their boots sinking into the soft earth. Frost still clung stubbornly to the shaded patches, crunching underfoot with every careful step.
Above them, Lowmoor's main spires pierced the mist like jagged black fangs. The silver detection chest had arrived two hours earlier, carried on the shoulders of four Guild soldiers in rune-marked armor. It now sat in the Headmistress's Tower, humming with restrained power, waiting for the full sweep that would expose every hidden mana pulse.
And hidden within Zephyr's cloak, curled close to his heart, was Star—an existence too bright, too wild, too dangerous to survive discovery.
"We have twenty-four hours," Fenna whispered. Her hazel eyes burned with fierce determination. "The system said the Veil Stone lies in Hollowfell Mine?"
Zephyr nodded. "Abandoned twenty years ago after a tunnel collapse. Gravewind smugglers used to hide relics there. If there's even a fragment left, we can mask Star's core long enough to survive the inspection."
Star chirped softly, as if understanding the weight of their mission. Zephyr ran a thumb down the hatchling's spine, feeling the steady thrum of warmth beneath the black and silver scales.
"Let's move," he said, his voice steady. Failure is not an option.
Lowmoor's outer walls were patrolled day and night now, but there were still old ways out—ways forgotten by most.
Fenna led them to a collapsed root cellar beneath the academy gardens, half hidden under a tumble of dead vines and rotted barrels. Zephyr crawled through first, scraping his cloak on rough stone. Fenna passed Star carefully after him, then followed, sealing the entrance behind them with a small illusion talisman she had snuck from Greenhouse storage.
The passage beyond was narrow, walls slick with damp. It stank of mold and old earth, but it sloped gently downward toward freedom.
When they emerged into the trees outside the academy's southern border, the mist thickened into a heavy fog. Perfect cover.
They didn't stop.
The path to Hollowfell Mine wound through a narrow forest valley known as Gloom Hollow. Even during daylight, little sun reached the mossy floor. Now, with mist swirling low among the trunks, it felt like they were walking through a world half-forgotten by light.
Star squirmed in Zephyr's sling, his senses on edge. Zephyr could feel the hatchling's unease through their bond—a low, restless tension.
"Beast trails crisscross the Hollow," Fenna murmured, drawing a short blade from her belt. "Stay sharp."
They traveled fast, but not recklessly, eyes scanning every movement of branch and shadow. Twice, Zephyr's Dragon Sense warned him of danger before it struck.
Once it was a Frostmane Fox, a sleek predator with shimmering blue fur and needle-sharp teeth. Zephyr and Fenna hid in the underbrush as the fox sniffed the air and moved on, uninterested.
The second time was worse.
A low rumbling growl froze them in place.
From the mist emerged a Hollow Stalker—a mutated panther-like beast, black as pitch, with hollow sockets where eyes should have been. It sniffed the air hungrily, drawn to their heat.
[Name: Hollow Stalker]
[Rank: C-Rank Beast – Stealth and predation type. Highly aggressive toward mana signatures.]
Zephyr's heart pounded. Star hissed softly inside the sling, sensing the threat.
"Don't run," Fenna whispered. "It hunts movement."
The Hollow Stalker crept closer, nostrils flaring. Zephyr tightened his grip on Fenna's hand, feeling the low hum of Star's magic gathering in his chest.
Not yet, he thought desperately. I can't reveal him.
He remembered the flask of Moonleaf Pollen dust Fenna had packed in their emergency kit. Carefully, he drew it from his belt, uncorked it, and flicked the dust into the air.
Moonleaf scent—sharp and bitter—hit the Hollow Stalker's sensitive nose. It recoiled, snarling, then turned and melted back into the mist, retreating into the Hollow's deeper shadows.
They waited a full minute before moving again, breathless with relief.
"That was too close," Fenna muttered.
Zephyr nodded grimly. "We have to be faster."
By mid-afternoon, they reached the edge of a sheer ravine. Below, the jagged mouth of Hollowfell Mine yawned in the rock face, framed by broken beams and collapsed scaffolding. Cold air poured from it, carrying the stale scent of dust and minerals.
The mine looked abandoned, but Dragon Sense warned Zephyr otherwise. Faint, sluggish auras flickered below—wild beasts that had made the ruins their den.
Fenna tugged her hood lower. "We need to be careful. The Veil Stone won't sit out in the open."
Zephyr set Star down gently on a rock. The hatchling flapped his tiny wings and chirped questioningly.
"We need your nose, little one," Zephyr said. "Find heat. Find light."
Star tilted his head, then scampered into the mine's entrance, silver eyes sharp with purpose.
Zephyr and Fenna followed close behind, blades drawn.
Inside, the mine was a maze of shattered tunnels and broken tracks. Water dripped from overhead beams; collapsed carts and rusted tools littered the path.
Star led them deeper, paws silent on the rock.
A faint glow pulsed ahead—a shard of broken crystal embedded in a collapsed wall. But as Zephyr reached for it, Star froze, frills flaring.
Zephyr dropped into a crouch without thinking, pulling Fenna down with him.
Around the corner slithered a Cave Maw, a massive serpent-beast whose flesh shimmered like wet stone. It flicked a tongue toward the faint crystal light, sensing intruders.
[Name: Cave Maw]
[Rank: B-Rank Beast – Tunnel guardian variant. Extreme mana sensitivity.]
Fenna's eyes widened. "We can't fight that."
Zephyr's mind raced. Distraction. He pulled another packet from his belt—ash-dried river fish, pungent even through the wrapping. He tossed it high into the air.
The Cave Maw twisted, lunged upward, and Zephyr seized Fenna's wrist, dragging her through a side passage Star had already darted into.
They ran, breaths ragged in their throats, until the serpent's angry screech faded behind them.
The tunnel opened into a wide cavern.
At the center lay a black crystal formation jutting from a cracked pedestal—ancient, pulsing with deep violet light.
Star chirped triumphantly, racing toward it. Zephyr hurried after, examining the readings flashing across his System:
Object: Obscura Veil Stone (Fragment)
Status: Stable
Use: Core masking, stealth enhancement.
Warning: Will shatter after extended use (>60 days).
Perfect.
Zephyr pressed his hand to the cool surface. The stone trembled, then cracked apart willingly, as if recognizing the dragon's presence. A shard the size of his palm floated into his hands.
The System chimed:
Veil Stone Acquired.
Temporary Dragon Core Suppression (Success Rate: 97%).
Relief broke over him like a tidal wave.
"We have it," he whispered to Fenna. "Now we just have to get home."
They retraced their steps through crumbling tunnels, Zephyr clutching the Veil Stone, Star tucked deep in the sling against his chest. Every sound seemed louder now, every shadow deeper.
It was dusk when they stumbled out of Hollowfell and back into the misty woods. Zephyr's legs shook with exhaustion, but his heart burned with fierce pride.
At the academy's outer fence, Fenna paused, brushing hair from her face. "We made it."
Zephyr smiled. "We did."
Above them, the first stars pierced the mist, distant and silent.
He touched the sling where Star slept and whispered, "One more secret kept. One step closer to flying free."
They vanished into the orchard shadows, silent as ghosts, bearing with them the future of a forgotten bloodline—and the dawn of a legend no one yet dared imagine.