The morning after felt wrong.The academy halls were the same — polished marble floors, banners fluttering under enchantments, students hurrying for their first lectures — yet something unseen gnawed at the edges of reality.
Lyn could feel it.
Umbra's shadow flickered faintly as they walked, stretching and recoiling as if resisting something. The wolf's low growl vibrated through their bond, echoing in Lyn's mind.
"Umbra, what is it?" Lyn whispered.
The wolf's voice resonated like low thunder."Something's watching. Not from above… from beneath."
Lyn frowned, glancing toward the floor — the faint shimmer of mana veins pulsed under the stone, glowing in rhythm with the academy's wards. They'd always been steady, serene. Now, they pulsed too fast, like a heartbeat in panic.
Students whispered nearby."Did you hear? The lower library's sealed off.""They say Professor Kael vanished last night.""No, I heard it was a beast containment breach!"
Rumors spread faster than wind — but for once, Lyn didn't dismiss them.
He reached his classroom door just as it slid open by itself — no magic, no sound. Just… open.
"Good morning, Lyn."The familiar calm voice came from Professor Aeris, her white cloak swaying like mist. But her usual serene eyes were shadowed by fatigue.
"Morning, Professor," Lyn said carefully. "Is something wrong with the wards?"
Aeris hesitated, then gestured for him to sit. "There's been… a fluctuation. One that the Council hasn't authorized. The lower chambers are reacting to an old sequence of mana — one we haven't seen in centuries."
Umbra's fur bristled, and a pulse of energy hummed through their link."That sequence," Umbra muttered. "I know it."
Lyn tensed. "Umbra— what do you mean?"
Before the wolf could answer, the windows shuddered — a wave of mana rippled through the air, and the entire class gasped.
For a brief moment, every beast in the academy roared in unison.
From the smallest familiar to the highest-ranked dragon spirit, every creature lifted its head — eyes glowing in gold and violet — as if responding to a call only they could hear.
Then, silence.Pure, ringing silence.
Lyn's crest burned faintly under his skin, golden runes glowing through his sleeve.
Professor Aeris steadied herself on her desk, face pale."…That wasn't natural," she whispered. "That was a summoning pulse."
Lyn swallowed hard, feeling Umbra's gaze on him.And deep within the academy's sealed catacombs, an ancient seal cracked — a soundless fracture, like a whisper turned into fate.