Kelvin's jaw tightened. He glanced at Xerion, who growled low, ready for a fight. "We're in."
The fight began without warning. Toren's eagle, Solrath, took to the sky, its wings was unleashing a torrent of golden flames. Kelvin and Xerion moved as one, dodging the fire and countering with a blast of soullight.
The Crag's caves pulsed, amplifying the energy of the battle, and the ground trembled beneath them.
Toren fought with ruthless precision, his bond with Solrath was seamless. Every move was calculated, every strike aimed to overwhelm.
Kelvin felt the pressure, his muscles were burning as he and Xerion wove through the onslaught. But he didn't falter. He drew on their bond, letting Xerion's instincts guide him, their Convergence were burning brighter with every clash.
"Hit the wings!" Kelvin shouted, and Xerion soared upward with it's claws raking Solrath's flank. The eagle screeched, but Toren was already countering, summoning a storm of molten feathers that rained down like daggers.
Kelvin rolled, the feathers was grazing his arm and drawing blood. Pain sharpened his focus.
He reached deeper into the soulstream, feeling Xerion's power surge through him. "Now!" he roared, and they unleashed a full Convergence, a blazing spiral of flame and light that engulfed Solrath.
The eagle fell with its wings chattered, and Toren raised a hand, signaling surrender. The caves' glow faded, and silence fell over the Crag.
Toren's expression was unreadable, but he nodded. "You're as good as they say. The Inner Sanctum will eat you alive… or make you a legend."
Kelvin was panting but managed to grin. "I will take my chances."
Back at the Sanctum, the fight became rumors all over the place. Kelvin's name was no longer just whispered—it was spoken with reverence, with fear, with curiosity. He felt the weight of it, but he carried it with pride.
Lyra and Darius stood by him, their bonds were stronger than ever, their beasts was a testament to the trials they had faced together.
As night fell, Kelvin stood once more at the dorm's balcony, the wind was cool against his skin and Xerion's presence was a steady warmth in his soul, a reminder of what they had overcome and what lay ahead of them.
"The Inner Sanctum is not done with us," Kelvin said, although his voice was low.
Xerion's eyes gleamed in the dark. "Good. I'm not done with it either."
Under the Sanctum's watchful spires, Kelvin felt the fire within him burn brighter. The path was steep, the trials unending, but he had chosen to rise. And rise he would.
Students in the Obsidian Division watched Kelvin with a mix of awe and wariness, their whispers trailing him like shadows.
He felt their eyes, but he kept his focus forward, his bond with Xerion a steady flame in his chest. The Inner Sanctum's call had awakened something in him, a hunger that is not just for victory, but for mastery, for a legacy that would echo through the Sanctum's halls.
The morning after their return, Kelvin woke to the faint glow of dawn seeping through the dorm's narrow windows. Xerion was already awake, his massive form curled in the corner of the room, eyes glinting like twin embers. The End-Tyrant's tail twitched, a sign of restless energy.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Kelvin said, swinging his legs off the bed. His muscles ached from the duel with Toren, but the pain was a reminder of what they'd achieved—and what still lay ahead.
Xerion's growl was low, almost thoughtful. "The Crag wasn't the end. It was a gate. Something waits beyond it."
Kelvin nodded, pulling on his training gear. The scroll from the Hollow Crag had promised further trials, but it hadn't specified when or where.
That uncertainty gnawed at him, but it also fueled him. He'd faced the Echoes of the First Beasts, broken the chains of doubt, and bested an Inner Sanctum initiate. Whatever came next, he'd meet it head-on.
Lyra and Darius were waiting in the training yard, their beasts were already sparring in a blur of claws and fangs. Veyra, Lyra's shadow-panther, darted around Arctos, Darius's thunder-wolf, whose fur crackled with static. The two tamers paused as Kelvin approached, their expressions was a mix of concern and excitement.
"You look like you didn't sleep," Lyra said, her silver hair was tied back, a faint sheen of sweat on her brow. Veyra padded to her side, purring softly.
"I didn't need to," Kelvin replied, cracking a grin. "Xerion is restless. So am I."
Darius laughed, tossing a training dagger into the air and catching it. "Restless? Man, you are a walking storm. The whole division's buzzing about your fight with Toren. They say Solrath is still licking his wounds."
Kelvin's grin faded slightly. "Toren was tough. But he wasn't the real test. The Inner Sanctum is playing a bigger game."
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "You think they are testing you more than your strength?"
"I know they are," Kelvin said, his voice low. "The Hall of Veils, the Crag—it's not just about winning fights. It's about who we are when the fight's over."
Darius raised an eyebrow, but before he could respond, a shadow passed overhead. A courier beast—a massive falcon with wings that shimmered like polished steel, swooped down, dropping a scroll at Kelvin's feet. Its runes glowed faintly, pulsing with a rhythm that matched his heartbeat.
He picked it up, breaking the seal. The words were stark, written in a script that seemed to burn into his mind:
Kelvin, the Hollow Crag has judged you worthy. Your next trial awaits in the Abyss Vault, where the Sanctum's oldest bonds are tested. Come alone, with Xerion, at midnight. The Vault does not forgive hesitation.
Lyra leaned over his shoulder, her breath catching. "The Abyss Vault? That is… it is not even in the Sanctum's main grounds. It is deep below, in the catacombs."
Darius muttered some words as low as possible. "You are in for something deep now, Kelvin. They say the Vault is where the first tamers forged their bonds and it is sacred and very dangerous only a few emerges strong."