---
The bell's deep toll echoed over Lowmoor like a knell through stone and snow, vibrating through the bones of every student, instructor, and beast within its reach. It was not the standard meal chime or the twice-weekly gathering summons. This bell rang only for emergencies or royal-level announcements. It was the kind of sound that made people drop whatever they were doing and move.
Zephyr emerged from the shadows of the rookery just as the final reverberation faded. He didn't pause to rest. The fresh skill—the Dragonheart Resonance—still hummed beneath his skin, a soft current of warmth that connected him to the little beast nestled inside his hood. The dragon had gone quiet after the memory sync, as if it too had glimpsed something greater than words or thought. Its silver eyes remained open, alert, watching everything.
He crossed the training fields and slipped through the maintenance path beside the armory, then joined the flow of students moving toward the central courtyard. The crowd thickened as he approached, everyone murmuring and speculating. Even the upperclassmen looked uneasy. A rare tension gripped the air, as if the weather itself sensed something important was about to unfold.
By the time Zephyr reached the main plaza, every instructor and student had gathered. A wooden platform had been erected overnight in front of the academy's ceremonial hall, and standing upon it were two unfamiliar figures flanked by members of Lowmoor's staff. Wren stood to one side, arms folded, her face unreadable.
Zephyr edged closer, careful to stay behind taller students, using their bodies as cover. He recognized Grent near the back, grim-faced. Fenna stood among the healers' line, her eyes scanning the crowd.
Then the taller of the two strangers stepped forward and raised a hand.
[Name: Captain Reilas Marron – Age 38 – Rank A Beast Commander: Officer of the Northern Royal Watch, appointed by the Guild of Sovereign Beasts. Specializes in high-profile beast investigations.]
"Students, instructors, honored staff," he called, voice resonating without the aid of magic. "I stand before you today under the authority of the Guild and the blessing of Her Majesty's edict. We are here in pursuit of a relic-class beast anomaly. An egg was reported lost in transit during a classified operation. That egg carries a bloodline long thought extinct. Dragon-class. Potentially Sovereign-tier."
The crowd broke into shocked murmurs. Zephyr's heartbeat surged.
"A dragon?" someone whispered. "That's impossible."
Reilas continued, "Yesterday, multiple scrying spells identified a surge of draconic resonance magic within this academy's walls. Someone here triggered a soul awakening event."
Zephyr's throat tightened. He shifted his weight slightly, aware that the dragon inside his hood had curled tighter.
Reilas turned toward the instructors. "We will be conducting a full investigation. All students and staff will undergo a mana-signature inspection. No one is exempt. If the creature is found, it must be surrendered. For safety, and for order."
Wren stepped forward then. "You're assuming the beast is dangerous."
"I'm assuming nothing," Reilas replied calmly. "I am obeying my mandate. A Sovereign-tier draconic lifeform cannot go undocumented. If it were to bond to someone untrained—unworthy—it would destabilize the balance the Guild has worked centuries to protect."
Zephyr's hand clenched at his side. The dragon shifted again, sensing his anger.
The second stranger finally moved—a woman cloaked in a black hood, eyes veiled by silver-rimmed spectacles.
[Name: Ardent Seer Kalthis – Age Unknown – Rank S: One of the Guild's seven Sightkeepers. Possesses the ability to trace beast echoes and sealed bloodlines through vision threads.]
She raised one hand, and a ripple of soft white mana expanded across the courtyard like a spiderweb made of mist.
Zephyr felt it touch him. Cold. Searching. His heart stopped.
The system activated.
[Warning: External mana probe detected.]
[Activating Cloak Protocol – Synchronization Inversion in progress…]
He felt a sharp pull in his chest as the bond between him and the dragon temporarily dulled. His vision blurred. The probe passed over him—and continued on.
Kalthis lowered her hand. "The echo is here… but it is masked. Cloaked. Someone is using old magic."
Reilas's face hardened. "Then we'll search by hand."
The instructors exchanged glances. A few nodded reluctantly.
Wren didn't move.
Zephyr turned and began backing away through the crowd. He wasn't the only one trying to avoid inspection—several students near the outer ring whispered nervously and shifted toward the barracks. But Zephyr didn't run. That would only confirm guilt.
He needed a plan.
By the time the crowd began to disperse, students being divided into lines for inspection, Zephyr slipped through the eastern greenhouse gate and ducked into the overgrown storage cellar beneath the botany wing. It was cold, damp, and smelled like mold and soil—but it was isolated.
He pulled the dragon from his hood.
It chirped, confused, but not frightened.
He set it down on a cloth and crouched in front of it.
"They're searching for you."
The dragon blinked.
"They'll tear this place apart if they have to. The moment they find you, I lose everything."
The little creature tilted its head, watching him closely.
"But I'm not letting them take you. I don't care who they send."
The dragon chirped again, louder this time. It stepped forward and placed one clawed paw on his chest. Heat bloomed at the contact. The bond pulsed.
The system responded.
[Trust Milestone Achieved.]
[Dragonheart Resonance – Level 2 Unlocked]
[Effect: Host and Familiar may now share elemental energy threads. Initial element: Heat Resonance. Basic projection available.]
Zephyr gasped as warmth filled his chest, his limbs, his fingertips. The dragon's body shimmered faintly, and for a split second, a flicker of pink-gold flame danced in the air between them—no bigger than a candle's flame, but real. Born from nothing but their bond.
Then came another message.
[Hidden Quest Triggered: Outrun the Guild]
[Objective: Evade all inspections until moonrise.]
[Reward: Skill Unlock – Familiar Evolution Trait Preview]
Zephyr picked up the dragon and wrapped it in his scarf again.
"Alright," he whispered, standing. "Let's show them what a real bond looks like."
Outside, the snow began to fall harder.
The hunt had begun.