James didn't move. His back was still half-turned to the ancient monolith, the air around it faintly warm from whatever surge had passed through only moments ago. Vale's boots echoed louder now, each step steady, confident. Calculated.
James turned just enough to face him, eyes narrowing.
"What do you want?"
Vale gave a mock-innocent shrug as he stepped into the chamber, his presence immediately filling the space like smoke in a sealed room. "Curiosity. I overheard your reassignment—figured I'd take a stroll, see how the golden-eyed wonder was settling in."
James said nothing. The warmth in his chest hadn't faded—it pulsed slowly, deliberately, like it was watching. Waiting.
Vale stopped just shy of the crystal ring.
His gaze flicked past James, to the monolith, and a muscle in his cheek twitched.
"You weren't supposed to find this," he murmured.
James blinked. "You know what it is?"
Vale's mouth twisted into something that wasn't quite a smile. "I know enough. That it's older than the academy. That the higher-ups pretend it doesn't exist. That people who stumble down here tend not to come back."
James stepped sideways, just enough to stand directly between Vale and the stone.
"Then maybe you should leave."
"I'm not the one who's out of place," Vale said.
Then he lunged.
There was no warning—not a shout, not even a twitch of his eye. One moment he was still, and the next his fist was cutting through the air like a blade. James reacted purely on instinct, arms raising just in time to deflect the hit.
The impact jarred his bones. Vale was stronger than before.
Augmented.
James dropped low and swept his leg, forcing distance. The system flared immediately.
[Combat Trigger: Bond Synchronization Rising]
> Core Sync – 23%
Passive Traits Activated: Flame-Kissed Focus, Draconic Resilience
Temporary Boost: Strength +2, Balance Correction (Reactive Movement Enabled)
Vale came again—this time faster. His fists were wrapped in faint blue light, Aether-infused. Not enough for spells, but more than enough for damage.
James ducked, spun, redirected the force into the wall. Stone cracked.
Vale whirled, laughing, and struck again. This time James let the hit land—only partially. The blow caught his shoulder, sent him stumbling back—but the heat inside surged immediately.
Not pain.
Fuel.
James dropped into a stance, rod in hand before he even realized he'd drawn it from his belt sheath.
Vale's eyes narrowed. "You think you're a match for me now?"
James didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
The system pulsed.
And then the monolith behind him began to glow again.
Not red.
Not gold.
Crimson.
Deep and brilliant and alive.
Vale noticed it at the same time. His head snapped toward the light, and his expression changed—confidence slipping for the first time into something sharper. Unease.
James felt the heat behind him like the breath of a forge.
> Strike, little sun… prove your claim…
The voice was clearer now.
Sundrakar.
Not shouting. Not commanding.
Encouraging.
Vale didn't wait.
He charged, arm reared for a heavy right hook.
James let go of hesitation.
He sidestepped cleanly, twisted, and let the rod snap up with both hands in a full-body swing.
It connected with Vale's ribs.
A spark of crimson light burst from the point of impact, not visual—aetheric. Vale cried out, stumbled, fell back against the wall with a snarl.
The system responded instantly.
[Bond Trait Surge – Combat Recognition Established]
> Core Sync – 26%
Flamebound Reaction: Sundrakar's Breath Initiated (Instinctual Burst – Suppressed)
Warning: Containment Protocol Activated – Dormant State Preserved
James dropped the rod.
Not from weakness.
From restraint.
Vale stared at him, hand pressed against his side, fury dancing across his features—but something else, too. Wariness. Confusion.
"You're... not supposed to be this strong."
James stepped forward slowly.
"No," he said. "I'm not."
He didn't attack again.
He didn't have to.
Vale turned and limped out, muttering something under his breath.
James waited until the sound of footsteps disappeared completely before turning back toward the monolith.
The glow had faded.
But the heat lingered.
And this time, when he looked down at the floor around it, he saw what he hadn't noticed before—
Not glyphs.
Not wiring.
Chains.
Massive ones, half-sunken into stone, glowing faintly beneath centuries of dust.
As if something beneath them had shifted.
And wanted out.