Night had fallen over Eldara Academy, casting long shadows across the courtyard. Lanterns flickered in the evening breeze, illuminating the spires with a soft, golden glow. Despite the calm, a tension lingered, threading through every corridor, every hall, every shadow.
Lyn and Umbra stood atop the highest hill, overlooking the academy grounds. The pendant glimmered faintly in Lyn's hand, almost as if it were alive, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
"It's coming," Lyn murmured.Umbra's fur bristled, eyes scanning the darkened forest. "Yes. And it won't wait for us to be ready."
From the edge of the forest, faint shadows shifted. Small, ephemeral forms appeared and disappeared among the trees. Whispering winds carried indistinct words, soft enough to be missed by untrained ears.
Back in the academy, students still trained, oblivious to the signs. A duel between two Class B tamers sent sparks of mana flying across the courtyard, but even these bursts of energy felt subdued, almost muted by the ominous atmosphere.
"Umbra, see how the wards flicker?" Lyn pointed to the faint glimmer along the academy's protective runes."Yes. They sense it too," the wolf replied. "Even the walls are reacting."
High above, the council convened once more.
"The disturbances are no longer isolated," Kaelen noted.Archmagister Veyran's gaze was sharp, his fingers tracing unseen symbols in the air. "And Ashveil's mark is drawing attention — from forces both known and unknown.""Should we alert the students?" another council member asked, voice tense."Not yet," Veyran said. "They must feel the stirrings for themselves. Preparation comes through experience, not warning."
The forest shimmered with ethereal light, and for a moment, a tall, shadowed figure appeared among the trees. Eyes glowing faint amber, it watched Lyn, Umbra, and the academy with patient calculation. A cold breeze carried its presence into the courtyard, brushing against student robes and causing minor hair-raising sensations.
"Umbra… do you see it?" Lyn whispered.The wolf's growl was low and steady. "It watches. And it waits."
Even the academy's wards seemed to hum in response, a subtle resonance that hinted the unseen force was not entirely natural.
Lyn returned to the courtyard, the pendant clasped tightly in his hand. Students laughed and trained around him, yet he couldn't shake the sense that the calm of the academy was fragile, like ice over a turbulent river.
"This calm will end soon," he said softly to Umbra."And when it does, we'll need everything we've learned," the wolf replied.
Lyn gazed at the distant forest. Amber lights glimmered in the darkness, hints of the commander's presence, foreshadowing a storm that would reach every corner of Eldara.
"We must be ready," Lyn murmured.Umbra's eyes met his with unwavering confidence. "And we will be."
The night deepened, shadows lengthened, and the first echoes of the coming rebellion whispered across Eldara Academy, leaving every tamer with a sense of anticipation — and unease.