Rain swept across Valenhardt's rooftops, turning the streets into glimmering ribbons of light. The Guild tower loomed against the gray sky, its runes glowing faintly blue.
Kael Draven stood under the tower's balcony, coat soaked, Ember perched on his shoulder like a small sun refusing to dim. Aegros padded beside him, droplets hissing into steam against his metal fur.
"Rain and I have an agreement," Kael said. "It falls, I ignore it."
Ember chirped, unimpressed.
They stepped inside the Guild's research hall, where Lira and half a dozen scholars were bent over shimmering crystal panels. The hum of mana filled the air.
"Draven," Lira said without looking up. "You're early."
"I'm here because it's dry," Kael replied.
Varin appeared from behind a rune console. "We've been analyzing the residue you left from yesterday's test."
"The one that nearly summoned ghost claws into my hand?"
"That one," Varin said. "We discovered something."
The Guild's Discovery
The projection rune lit up, showing Kael's mana flow as a web of golden lines. But in the center, faint streaks of black-blue energy pulsed irregularly, like tiny fractures.
"These," Lira said, "are Rift echoes. They appear when your mana over-saturates—usually during strong emotional resonance."
"You mean when I'm annoyed?" Kael asked.
"Yes," Varin said. "Which, knowing you, means always."
Kael crossed his arms. "And what do these echoes do?"
"We don't know yet," Lira admitted. "But they seem to react to your summons."
"React how?"
Varin gestured. "Call one of them. Carefully."
Kael raised an eyebrow but complied. "Ember."
The phoenix materialized with a burst of gold light—and immediately, her flames flickered blue at the edges. Aegros, sensing something, growled low, his fur crackling with faint electric veins.
"That's… new," Kael said.
"Fascinating," Lira whispered. "They're absorbing trace Rift frequencies."
Ember's flame brightened suddenly, blue and gold mingling like twilight fire. Kael felt it—a deep, humming link in his chest, stronger than usual.
For a heartbeat, Ember's cry echoed with two voices—hers and something else, faint and ancient.
Kael winced. "Okay, that's creepy."
Varin frowned. "Your bond resonance spiked by twenty percent. Whatever this energy is, it's strengthening your connection."
"Strengthening or mutating?" Kael asked dryly.
Lira hesitated. "Possibly both."
Beast Reaction
The resonance subsided slowly, Ember's blue fire fading back to gold. She landed on Kael's arm, trembling slightly. Aegros nudged her with his snout, protective.
Kael stroked her head gently. "You good?"
Ember chirped weakly, her flame dimming.
"She'll need rest," Lira said. "And monitoring. That kind of resonance strain isn't natural."
Varin's voice dropped low. "We may need to consult the Central Archives. There's only one known case of Rift-linked summoning in history."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Just one?"
"From before the First Rift War," Varin said. "A summoner who bound creatures from the other side. His name was erased from records."
"Erased," Kael repeated. "That's encouraging."
Varin sighed. "For now, stay within city limits. No long-range summons or mana-channel experiments. We'll study this energy before it studies us."
Kael nodded. "You make it sound like it has opinions."
"It might," Varin said quietly.
Later at the Academy
By afternoon, the rain had stopped. The academy courtyard glistened under patches of sunlight. Students practiced in the open field, their laughter cutting through the cool air.
Kael sat beneath a tree, Ember sleeping lightly on his lap while Aegros lounged nearby. Ryn joined him, carrying two mana drinks.
"Heard you got lab-tested again," Ryn said. "Did they figure out why you attract disasters?"
"They're calling it a gift," Kael replied. "I call it bad luck."
Ryn chuckled. "The Guild seems obsessed with you lately."
"That's because I keep making their machines cry."
Ryn took a sip. "So what now?"
Kael leaned back against the trunk. "Now? I wait. They poke crystals, I nap."
"That's your grand plan?"
"It's worked so far."
Ember stirred faintly in his lap. For a brief moment, a blue spark flashed through her feathers before vanishing. Aegros's ears twitched, and he rumbled, uneasy.
Kael frowned. "You felt that too, huh?"
"Something wrong?" Ryn asked.
"Probably not," Kael said. "But just in case, stand ten feet back if I start glowing."
Ryn blinked. "That's not funny."
"It wasn't a joke."
Evening Intrigue
As night settled, Kael returned to his dorm. Ember and Aegros were calmer now, though faint blue motes occasionally shimmered around them like dust in moonlight.
Kael opened his window, letting the cool wind in. The city looked peaceful, but he couldn't shake the faint hum that followed him since the rift.
A knock on the door broke his thoughts.
Lira stood there, cloak damp from the drizzle. "Varin wanted you to have this."
She handed him a small crystal vial filled with faintly glowing liquid.
"Mana stabilizer," she said. "If the resonance flares again, pour this on your summoning mark."
Kael turned the vial in his hand. "What happens if I don't?"
"Then we'll find out how strong the city's containment wards are."
"Noted," Kael said. "Anything else?"
Lira hesitated. "Be careful, Kael. You may not realize it, but you're standing at the edge of something ancient."
Kael smirked. "Story of my life."
When she left, Kael placed the vial on his desk and glanced at his sleeping summons. Ember's feathers glowed faintly blue. Aegros's breath came in quiet, rhythmic waves of silver steam.
"Edge of something ancient, huh?" Kael murmured. "Guess I'll bring snacks."
He lay back, closing his eyes. Outside, thunder rolled softly in the distance—the same hum from the rift, faint but growing.