Lyra leaned over his shoulder and asked him. "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."
Kelvin rolled the scroll tightly, tucking it into his belt. " That is good because I don't want easy but I want to be the best that I could be."
Lyra grabbed his arm, her grip firm. "Kelvin, listen, the Vault is not like the Crag or the Hall. It is… alive, it will test your soul as much as your bond. People don't come back the same."
He met her gaze, seeing the worry in her eyes. For a moment, he felt the weight of her concern, the bond they had built through countless battles and late-night talks.
But he shook his head. "I have to do this, Lyra. Xerion and I, we're not stopping now and not in the future."
Xerion's wings flared, casting a shadow over the yard. "If the Vault calls us we will answer."
Darius tapped Kelvin on the back. "Go make history, man. We will be here when you get back."
Kelvin nodded, his resolve was hardened. "Keep the yard warm for me."
---------------
The Journey to the Abyss Vault began at the stroke of midnight. Kelvin followed a narrow, spiraling staircase carved into the Sanctum's underground, guided only by the faint glow of runes that etched into the walls.
Xerion's presence was a steady warmth in his soul, but the air grew heavier with each step he took, thick with the scent of earth and ancient magic. The staircase seemed endless, the darkness was pressing against him like a living thing.
At last, the stairs opened into a vast chamber. The Abyss Vault was an underground chamber of black stone, its ceiling decorated with crystals that pulsed like stars. At its center stood a circular platform that is surrounded by a moat of liquid shadow that rippled as if it is alive.
Three figures waited there: Headmaster Kaelus, Master Veyne, and a new figure—a man with a weathered face and eyes that burned with an inner fire. His beast was a massive tortoise with a shell of glowing obsidian that stood motionless beside him.
"Kelvin," Kaelus said, his voice was echoing in the vastness. "Welcome to the Abyss Vault. This is Master Torren, Keeper of the Vault. Your trial here is one of endurance and unity. The Vault will test the depths of your bond with Xerion."
Torren stepped forward with his tortoise moving by his side with a low, rumbling groan. "The Vault is not a place of combat alone," he said, his voice was like gravel. "It is a crucible. It will strip you bare and show you what lies at the core of your bond. If you waver, you will not leave."
Kelvin's jaw tightened, but he nodded and said. "I am ready."
Master Veyne's serpentine beast hissed, its scales were glinting. "Step onto the platform. The Vault will decide."
Kelvin glanced at Xerion, who growled softly, his wings were folding tight. "Whatever comes, we face it together."
They stepped onto the platform, and the moat of shadow surged, rising like a wave. It engulfed them, and the world dissolved into darkness.
-----------------------
When Kelvin's senses returned, he stood in a void. No ground, no sky—just an endless expanse of black, broken by faint threads of light that pulsed like veins. Xerion was beside him, but his form flickered, as if it was struggling to hold its shape.
"Where are we?" Kelvin asked, his voice was echoing strangely.
Xerion's eyes narrowed. "Inside the Vault, inside… us."
The threads of light began to move, weaving into shapes. Images were formed like memories, but not Kelvin's alone. He saw himself as a boy, standing in the ruins of his village, the day he first bonded with Xerion.
The End-Tyrant's roar had shaken the earth, but it was his eyes—fierce, yet trusting, that had drawn Kelvin in. He saw their first battles, their victories, their moments of doubt. And then, darker images: when Xerion was chained, his wings broken, his fire dim. Kelvin was standing alone, his soul was hollow, his hands were stained with blood.
"This is the Vault's truth," a voice echoed, neither Kaelus's nor Torren's, but something older, deeper. "Your bond is strong, but it is not unbreakable better face its limits."
The void shifted, and a new figure appeared—a mirror of Kelvin, but it was twisted, his eyes were glowing with a cold, unnatural light.
Beside him stood a shadowed Xerion, its scales were dull, its wings tattered. "Do you think that you are enough for him?" the mirrored Kelvin said with his voice dripping with venom. "You are a boy playing at power. You will fail him. You will fail everyone."
Kelvin's heart pounded, but he forced himself to stand tall. "You are not me."
The mirrored Kelvin laughed, and the shadowed Xerion moved forward. Kelvin dove to the side, rolling as claws raked the air where he had stood.
Xerion, the real Xerion—met the shadow-beast head-on, their flames were clashing in a burst of light and heat. Kelvin reached for their bond, but it felt like a distant, as if the Vault was pulling them apart.
"Focus!" Xerion roared, his voice was strained. "They are trying to break us!"
Kelvin gritted his teeth, diving into the soulstream. There, the thread of their bond was frayed, tangled with dark tendrils that pulsed with doubt.
He saw flashes of his fears—failing Xerion, losing Lyra and Darius, becoming a tamer without heart, consumed by power. The tendrils tightened, and he felt Xerion's presence as it flickered.
"No!" Kelvin shouted, pouring his will into the bond. He saw Xerion's fire, his strength, his unwavering loyalty. He saw their victories, their trust, the moments when they had been unstoppable. "You are my partner," he whispered, his voice was breaking. "I won't let you go."
The soulstream blazed, the tendrils were burning away. In the void, Kelvin's body glowed, and he charged the mirrored Kelvin, their Convergence were flaring like a star.
He struck with his fist passing through the shadow, and the mirrored Kelvin shattered, dissolving into mist. The shadowed Xerion collapsed, its form was crumbling.
The void faded, and Kelvin found himself back on the platform, gasping for breath. Xerion stood beside him, his scales scorched but his eyes were fierce. The moat of shadow was still and the three masters watched in silence.
Torren spoke first, his voice was heavy. "You faced the Vault's truth and held fast. Few can do that."
Kaelus's eyes gleamed. "Your bond with Xerion is more than strength. It is will, forged in trust. You have passed the Vault's test."
Veyne's beast coiled tighter around her arm. "But the path does not end here. The Inner Sanctum will call again."
Kelvin, still catching his breath, nodded and said. "I' will be ready."
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The return to the Obsidian Division was quieter this time. The students still whispered, but their awe had deepened into something like respect. Lyra and Darius were waiting in the dorm, their relief was obvious as Kelvin recounted the trial.
"You faced yourself?" Darius said, with his eyes wide. "That is… heavy."
Lyra's hand rested on Kelvin's back. "You came back stronger. I can see it."
Kelvin smiled, though fatigue weighed heavy on him. "I had to because Xerion will not let me quit."
That night, as the Sanctum slept, Kelvin stood at the balcony, the moon was casting silver light over the spires. Xerion's warmth was a steady pulse in his soul, a reminder of what they had overcome.
The Inner Sanctum's trials were far from over, but Kelvin felt no fear—only a burning in resolve to climb higher, to forge a bond that would shake the foundations of the Sanctum itself.
"We are not done," he murmured. Xerion's voice rumbled in his mind. "Never."