The road ahead was no longer a vague horizon—it was a line etched in fire, blood, and destiny.
With Kael's Shadowfang leading the path, Alden's Bloodfang flanking closely, and Lyra's silent vigilance wrapping them like an invisible shield, the trio finally crossed the stone archway marking the outer boundary of the Grand Beast Trial Grounds.
Ancient trees curved inwards as if bowing to the weight of history. Moss clung to cracked statues of tamers from long-forgotten eras. Vines wrapped around carvings of beasts mid-roar, mid-flight, mid-defiance.
And the air—thick, humming with power—buzzed against Alden's skin.
He felt it instantly.
"This place is... alive," he murmured.
Kael nodded, eyes narrowed. "Welcome to the Grave and Glory of Tamers."
Lyra stopped near an old pedestal, brushing moss aside to reveal engraved words.
"Only those whose spirits walk with beasts may tread the sacred path."
A chill ran through them.
Alden stepped forward, hand lightly resting on Bloodfang's shoulder. "Well then. Let's walk it."
The Three Trials
As they ventured deeper, the landscape twisted. Grass turned to glowing fungi. Trees grew gnarled and whispered with the voices of distant beasts. They weren't alone—eyes watched them, breaths rumbled, but no one attacked.
Not yet.
Soon, they came upon a massive stone tablet, freshly lit with blue flame. Three runes pulsed on its surface.
Vaelen's voice echoed in Alden's memory: "Follow the moon's path. The truth lies within."
Kael traced the runes with his blade.
"Three trials," he muttered. "Classic structure. Prove your worth, and gain access to the inner sanctum."
Lyra leaned in. "This one reads 'Bond'. The second 'Will'. And the third… 'Sacrifice'."
Alden swallowed. That last one felt heavy, even unread.
"So we go one at a time?" he asked.
"No," Lyra said. "We go together. That's the only way the system won't separate us."
Kael smirked. "Good. I'm not babysitting from afar."
They stepped forward—and the world exploded into blinding white light.
Trial of the Bond
The light faded.
Alden stood in a wide, glowing arena, surrounded by shallow pools of silver water and floating crystal platforms. Bloodfang was beside him—but Lyra and Kael were gone.
Or rather, not here.
"Where are they?" Alden asked, voice echoing.
Then the voice answered—not Vaelen, not a tamer, but something other.
"This is the first trial. Here, your bond will be tested not in words, but in spirit."
Suddenly, the silver water surged—forming a towering beast.
A colossal, elemental version of Bloodfang.
Eyes aflame. Claws forged from obsidian. Fangs like jagged swords.
Bloodfang growled low, stepping forward instinctively, but the voice thundered again.
"Will you fight beside your beast? Or will you command it from safety?"
Alden felt it then: a tug at his chest, like a thread pulling between his heart and Bloodfang's. The sigil on his palm blazed with silver light.
And for the first time, he heard it.
Not a growl. Not a bark.
But a thought. Clear and raw.
"Together."
Alden nodded, stepping beside his partner.
"Then let's win this."
What followed was not a fight—it was a dance.
The enemy was relentless, swiping with molten claws and roaring waves of energy. But Alden didn't order Bloodfang from the sidelines. He moved with him, dodging, striking, sharing breath and instinct.
Their minds intertwined.
One feinted, the other struck. One dodged, the other leapt. At one moment, Alden called out a bluff, and Bloodfang answered it with a blinding flash of light from his mouth.
It wasn't about control. It was about trust.
And when the final blow came, Alden didn't even see it happen—his arm moved as Bloodfang's claws did, in perfect sync. A slash of silver light tore across the enemy.
The elemental shattered into mist.
And the voice whispered:
"Bond—True."
A path of light opened beneath their feet.
Reunited
Alden blinked, and the world reformed.
He found himself standing beside Lyra and Kael again, both panting, their beasts beside them.
"Did you guys—" Alden started.
"Fight a trial version of our beasts? Yup," Kael said, wiping blood from his lip. "And I think mine insulted me halfway through."
Lyra chuckled, though her eyes were serious. "It wasn't a fight. It was... a revelation."
A stone platform ahead lit up. A new rune.
The second trial.
Kael stared. "Ready for 'Will'?"
Alden looked at Bloodfang, still glowing faintly. "Let's find out what we're made of."
Meanwhile… Far Beyond
High above the trees, nestled in the skeletal remains of a sky temple, the man with golden eyes watched through a shimmering mirror.
Behind him, shadows moved—cloaked figures whispering, claws clicking against stone.
"Is it him?" one asked.
The golden-eyed man smiled.
"Oh yes. He bears the Concord Sigil. He moves with beasts like flame with wind."
A pause.
"Do we move?"
The golden man leaned back.
"Not yet. Let him pass the trials. Let him grow stronger. Then… we'll break him."
The mirror darkened.