Arc 4: Shadows of the Soulbound.
The morning after the trial was eerily quiet.The academy's spires stood against a dim lavender dawn, veiled in drifting mist that refused to lift. The bells rang late — a rare occurrence that unsettled even the most disciplined students.
Lyn stood by the edge of the courtyard, his cloak fluttering lightly in the cool air. Umbra's presence pulsed faintly behind him, a shadow half-merged with his own. For the first time in weeks, they weren't being called to any assembly or trial. No lectures, no duels — just silence.Yet it didn't feel peaceful.
"You feel it too, don't you?"Umbra's voice brushed through Lyn's thoughts, deep and calm, but laced with unease.Lyn nodded slightly. "The mana currents. They're... wrong."
Ever since the vault had been sealed again, the flow of mana around the academy had become irregular — whispering, flickering, bending in unnatural ways. The instructors called it an "aftershock," but Lyn could tell this was something else. Something watching. Waiting.
A sharp clang echoed across the courtyard.A student's training sword had split mid-swing. The air shimmered faintly around him before snapping back to normal. Everyone froze, exchanging nervous glances.
"That's the third mana fracture this morning," murmured Arden Veyne, stepping beside Lyn with his usual composed expression. His tone was calm, but his knuckles were pale. "The Council's ignoring it again."
Lyn glanced at him. Arden's confidence hadn't wavered since the last arc — since the trials where Lyn had earned the rank of Dual Resonant. Yet even he couldn't mask the anxiety beneath the surface.
"They always ignore it," Lyn said quietly. "Until it's too late."
Arden gave a short laugh. "Maybe that's why they need people like you."
Lyn smiled faintly, but his eyes stayed fixed on the horizon — where dark clouds began to swirl over the distant mountains, shaped like coiling shadows.
Later that night, the calm shattered entirely.
The bell tower's wards flared violet.Every window across the dorms burst with light. Umbra emerged fully, his form towering and fluid, tendrils of shadow spreading protectively around Lyn.
"It begins again," Umbra growled.
From the northern ridge, streaks of dark flame tore through the sky — not spells, but entities. Beasts. The same kind that had once been sealed in the forbidden vaults.
"Umbra…""I know.""We fight?"
The wolf's eyes gleamed like molten gold. "We defend."
The stillness of dawn was gone. The world of Eldara stirred once more, and this time, it wasn't waiting for permission.