Three days passed before Kael and his companions reached the edge of the Ravenspine Gorge, where the winds howled like mournful spirits and the very air smelled of old, dry bones.
At its center stood the Shrine of Torshul—a colossal structure of ivory and obsidian, buried partially beneath centuries of overgrowth and ruin. The shrine pulsed faintly, not with life… but with the memory of it.
Nyra stared in hushed reverence. "It's not a building. It's a beast's skeleton... carved into a shrine."
Kael nodded slowly. "The First Beast… Torshul the Unfallen."
And somewhere within it, the second part of the Bone Accord.
---
The Guardians Awaken
As Kael stepped forward, the bone under his feet cracked, and a deep, thunderous growl echoed from the gorge.
Shadows peeled away from the shrine walls, forming Sentinels of Bone—spirit-forged guardians made from beast remains and divine hatred. Their eyes glowed with old fire.
Aeron drew his daggers. "Of course there's guardians."
Kael didn't flinch. He held up the Bone Accord Sigil. The guardians paused—then dropped to one knee.
"They're not just protectors," Kael muttered. "They're witnesses. They were waiting."
The shrine doors opened.
---
Into the Spine
Inside, the air was thick with energy—half sacred, half corrupted. Symbols of the Old Pact were carved along the walls in spirals, each telling a forgotten story: the Rise of the Beasts, the Betrayal of the Skies, the Burning of the Accord.
At the center stood a raised platform of fused bone and crystal.
A voice spoke, not aloud, but within Kael's chest:
> "Bearer of the Chain… you seek the Accord. But will you bind what was made to run free?"
Kael stepped onto the dais.
> "I won't bind it. I'll restore it. Dominion without chains. Power without thrones."
The shrine shook.
A second mark carved itself into Kael's back—jagged, tribal, glowing with beastlight.
---
The Beast Memory
Then, the shrine opened his mind.
Kael was thrown into a vision—a colossal beast's eye, wide and filled with pain. It remembered burning skies, gods descending, the Sovereign himself stabbing a chain through its heart.
Torshul had not fallen in battle.
He had surrendered, to protect his kin.
That kin... now whispered in Kael's blood.
---
Back to the Flesh
Kael awoke on the floor of the shrine, gasping. Nyra and Aeron were beside him, weapons ready.
Kael stood slowly, new energy pulsing from within him.
"The Accord is sealed," he said. "We move to the next tribe."
Aeron narrowed his eyes. "You alright?"
Kael looked down at his hand, watching shadows and beast-energy swirl together.
"I think… I'm finally starting to become what the gods tried to stop."
---
Far Above...
In the halls of the Divine Assembly, alarms rang from the Mirror of Paths.
"He's done it," a priest of the Skyfather whispered. "He's forged the second bond."
The gods argued, cursed, and called for retribution.
But the Masked God only laughed.
"Let him rise," the deity said. "The higher he climbs, the louder the fall."
---
End of Chapter 39