The crack didn't sound like something breaking. It sounded like the world itself splitting open from within. The stone floor of the lower hall shook violently, and from the widening gap at its center, black mist burst out like blood from an open wound. The blue glow of the protection runes dimmed, drawn into the swirling darkness above the seal.
The magi of the Arcanis Order stepped back. Some raised their staves, chanting spells to contain the Resonance, but the power within that rift no longer followed the laws of this world.
Something moved in the mist. It wasn't a creature in the usual sense. Its form churned and twisted, half smoke, half shadow, black as the roots of a dead tree. Beneath its skin, lines of deep blue pulsed like inverted veins of Resonance. Two points of light flared in the dark, cold and sharp as a blade.
"Varyn…" Seren whispered. "Hold your ground!"
Varyn — ancient beings of darkness, not merely flesh and form, but born from fear itself and the imbalance of the world's Resonance. Lyra had read about them in forbidden tomes, and this wasn't her first encounter, though this one looked different from the creature she had seen in the Sylvanian woods.
The thing hissed, its voice echoing like metal cracking in frost. One became two, then five, then nine, until an entire wall of shadow stood before them.
Lyra froze. The world fell silent, leaving only the thrum of her heartbeat. The shapes didn't seem entirely real. Their shadows stretched across the floor, yet didn't touch the light. Wherever they passed, the air grew dry, as if life itself was being drawn away.
"First line, activate the sigil barrier! Now!" Seren shouted.
Dozens of magi lifted their staves. Blue light erupted from their tips, forming a layered dome of protection that wrapped around the ritual chamber. The air trembled as Resonance surged against the widening tear in the Veil.
Lyra bit her lip. Her hands trembled. She could feel the vibration down to her bones. The rift wasn't just a tear—it was a wound ripped open at the world's core. And with every pulse of black mist, whispers crawled into her head.
"Veynhart…"
"Blood of the Gatekeeper…"
"You… belong to us…"
Lyra stumbled back, pressing her hands over her ears, though the voices came from within. Seren's eyes flicked toward her.
"Focus, Lyra!" he barked. "They're trying to breach your Resonance! Keep your mind closed!"
"I'm— I'm trying!" she gasped. "But they know my name!"
"Then fight harder!" Seren swung his staff toward the rift. "ASTRA FULGERE!"
A burst of white light filled the chamber. The rune he drew burned in the air, releasing a surge of sacred energy that struck the Varyn head-on. The shadows shrieked, splitting apart for a moment before reforming, swallowing the light again.
"Our attacks aren't holding them!" one of the young magi shouted.
"Use the binding chains! Target their cores!" Seren commanded.
Silver chains of light shot through the air, coiling around the shadows. Some held, but melted away the next second, sizzling like frost on iron.
Then one of the Varyn lunged forward, breaching the first barrier. A nearby magus froze as the shadow passed through him. His body stiffened, eyes wide and empty, thin trails of black smoke seeping from his skin. He collapsed without a sound.
Lyra stared, horrified. "He's… dead?"
Seren's jaw tightened. "No. His Resonance was drained. But that's close enough."
Lyra clenched her pendant and stepped forward.
"Lyra!" Seren shouted. "Get back to the circle!"
"I can't just stand here!" Her voice trembled, but her eyes were sharp. She lifted her silver pendant, drawing a deep breath.
"Lyra, no!"
"Luxa spirare…"
The air rippled. Silver light spiraled from her pendant, forming a small whirling sphere in her hand. It was a basic ward spell—weak, unstable—but in that suffocating darkness, it glowed like the first star piercing the night.
The nearest Varyn turned toward her, its cold blue gaze fixed on her. Lyra stepped back, then raised her pendant higher.
"If it's me you want," she said softly, her voice shaking but steady, "then come and face me."
Seren turned, his eyes wide—not with anger, but with pride and fear mingled as one. The Varyn advanced. Shadows stretched, circling her like vultures. The air grew colder until her breath turned to mist. Lyra closed her eyes, feeling the hum of Resonance inside her chest.
She remembered Seren's lessons—focus the current, control the flow, anchor the light.
But something felt different this time. The Resonance pulsed heavier, like a second heartbeat. Beneath it, she heard a voice.
"Don't let them take your light, Lyra…" Her mother's voice.
The silver light flared, exploding outward. The wave of energy struck the nearest Varyn, driving it back. Shock rippled through the hall.
"She pushed it back!" someone gasped.
"But the energy—it's unstable!" Seren shouted, rushing forward. He raised a wall of magic just as Resonance began to whirl violently around her.
The light shifted—silver to blue, to violet, then almost black. Resonance whipped through the air, lifting Lyra's hair as if caught in a storm.
"Release it, Lyra! Now!"
"I can't—!"
The explosion hit like thunder. A shockwave blasted across the chamber, hurling magi against the walls. The floor cracked, the runes splintered, and when the dust cleared, Lyra knelt in the center, gasping for breath.
Seren ran to her, gripping her shoulder. "You're reckless," he said, his voice trembling, "but gods, you're brave."
Lyra smiled faintly, blood at the corner of her lip. "I just… didn't want to run anymore, Master."
Before he could answer, the ground shook again. The rift split wider. From within, something vast began to rise. It was no longer mist. It had shape.
Tall, almost human. Torn black wings stretched behind its back. Its face was smooth, hollow—without eyes. Black Resonance dripped from its skin like living tar.
Seren's breath caught. "That's no ordinary Varyn…"
Lyra forced herself to stand. "What is it?"
"Varyn Primaris," he whispered. "The first of them. If it crosses the threshold, the entire valley will collapse."
The creature opened its mouth, and a thousand voices spoke as one.
"Seren of Arcanis… betrayer of the Covenant. And you, blood of Veynhart… the Gate has chosen to open."
Seren raised his staff. "Not while I still draw breath."
"Master—!"
"Go, Lyra. That's an order."
"But—"
"Go!"
The word rang like a spell, filled with power. Around him, the other magi reinforced the barrier, forming a circle of light. Lyra hesitated, torn between obedience and despair.
"Trust me," Seren said softly, without turning. "Your time to stand will come. But not tonight."
He drove his staff into the floor.
"SIGILLUM ASTRA, ANIMA VINCULA!"
A colossal rune flared in the air, spinning like a wheel of stars. Blue light seared through the chamber, devouring shadow and sound alike. The last thing Lyra saw before the world turned white—was Seren, standing alone before the darkness.
꧁𓆩༺✧༻𓆪꧂