The sound of the academy bell tore through the air — three sharp rings, followed by a long, drawn-out toll.
Every student at Blackspire knew what it meant: combat alert.
Shiv didn't waste another second.
"Wong, Nill — with me."
The principal's cloak swirled behind him as he strode toward the armory passage.
Wong followed, his heart hammering, his mind still stuck on Sister… Keeper of the Gate…
---
The corridors were chaos.
Students in partial armor sprinted in different directions, some toward defensive positions, others toward the safe halls.
Magical wards along the walls pulsed in a slow, warning rhythm, their glow turning blood-red.
From somewhere ahead, Wong heard the distant boom of magic detonations.
The air carried the faint metallic tang of blood — and something darker, like burnt ash.
---
They emerged into the outer courtyard.
From here, Wong could see the South Gate — a massive arch of black stone, now under siege.
Figures in ragged white hoods and armor the color of bleached bone pressed forward in waves, their chants carrying across the open space:
> "Purify the flesh. Burn the rot. Break the bone."
At the front, a towering man wielded a double-headed glaive wreathed in pale, searing fire.
Wherever his blade struck, stone cracked and wards flickered.
---
Shiv raised his voice, magically amplified.
"Blackspire Defenders! Hold the line!"
Bolts of lightning and fireballs arced from the walls, cutting into the cultists' ranks, but the attackers were relentless.
A group of them broke through the outer wards, sprinting straight toward the courtyard.
Nill drew his twin short swords. "Wong, they're coming straight for you!"
---
Wong took a steadying breath and summoned his mana.
The new Talent's name burned in his mind: Soul Link.
Shadows pooled around his feet, coiling upward into the shape of a beast.
The air chilled as a deep, guttural growl rolled from the darkness — and then the Shadow Blood Hound stepped into view.
Its eyes were twin embers, its black fur rippling like liquid smoke.
Through the Soul Link, Wong felt its hunger… and its loyalty.
One thought, and it lunged.
---
The first cultist barely had time to scream before the hound's jaws clamped around his throat, dragging him into the shadows.
Another swung a mace, but the hound moved with terrifying speed, phasing through the strike to sink its teeth into the man's leg.
Wong raised his staff and unleashed a wave of necrotic energy, skeletal hands bursting from the ground to pull two more enemies off their feet.
---
Shiv, from the center of the courtyard, was weaving a barrier spell to reinforce the gate — but his eyes flicked toward Wong.
"Good. Keep them off me. The glaive-bearer is their commander — if he falls, the rest will break."
Wong's gaze locked onto the towering man at the gate.
Through the chaos, he saw the commander turn his head — and smile directly at him.
The pale fire on his weapon flared brighter.
"Child of Bone…" the man's voice carried unnaturally far, "your sister says hello."
---