Chapter 14: Echoes of the Forgotten Pact
Elric couldn't sleep.
The silence in his room was deceptive. Every creak of wood, every groan of the wind against the thatched roof sounded like whispers clawing at the edges of his sanity. The summoning circle in the mine... it wasn't from any spell he'd studied. It had come from within. Instinct, yes—but deeper, older.
He rose quietly, careful not to wake Mira and Lysa curled up nearby. Rolo lifted his head with a questioning whine. Elric merely nodded, and the dog padded after him as they stepped out into the midnight chill.
His grandfather was already waiting by the firepit, as if expecting him.
"You saw something in the mine, didn't you?" the old man asked, tossing a twig into the flames. It hissed and popped.
Elric sat beside him. "More than that. I felt something. Like... something old was watching. And then my body moved on its own. I drew a circle I didn't even recognize."
The old man studied him for a long moment. "It's time you knew about the Pact."
Elric turned, puzzled. Grandpa never spoke of his past. Not really. Just vague tales, half-jokes about stolen treasures and wild escapes.
"Long before I settled here, I was part of a crew that wandered the broken world—back when the gates first opened. We crossed paths with gods, monsters, and... forgotten systems. Ones older than this age. One such system was tied to a class called Shepherd."
Elric's breath caught.
"They were rare even then," Grandpa continued. "A Shepherd doesn't just summon. They bind. Guide. Consume if needed. But they carry a burden: their very soul becomes a beacon. To the fallen. The broken. Even to the dead."
Elric stared into the fire. His class hadn't activated yet—not officially. But the signs were there.
"The gods... they chose you, didn't they?"
Elric nodded. "I died back on Earth. Weak. My heart gave out before I ever got to be anything. They gave me another chance. But they didn't mean to drop me here."
Grandpa chuckled darkly. "The gods rarely make mistakes that aren't on purpose."
---
The next day, the village council gathered once more. Elric stood before them—not as a child, but as the mine survivor. The Shepherd.
"I need access to the old temple," he said.
Gasps spread through the room. The temple had been sealed for decades. Said to be cursed. But he felt it calling.
"Why?" the chief asked.
"Because I think that's where the class will awaken."
---
The temple lay nestled between cliffs on the eastern ridge. Covered in vines, its doors marked by ancient carvings—goats, beasts, suns, and a crown of stars. Rolo refused to step past the threshold.
Inside, dust choked the air. Elric's footsteps echoed.
He followed the pull, deeper into the dark.
Then he found it.
A pedestal. Upon it, an orb. Cracked, pulsing faintly.
As he reached out, the orb shattered—and his vision turned white.
---
He stood on a battlefield. Countless fallen creatures lay scattered—beasts, men, monsters. A horned figure approached, cloaked in twilight. Its voice echoed in his mind.
"You bear the mark of the Forgotten Pact. Will you lead them again? Will you guide the lost back into battle?"
Elric didn't hesitate.
"I will."
The figure nodded. "Then rise, Shepherd of the Lost."
Light surged through him. His tattoos blazed. His mind expanded—he felt thousands of presences brush against his consciousness. Spirits of beasts he'd touched. Enemies he'd defeated. Even the fragment of the Revenant hound.
Legendary Class Activated: Shepherd
New Skill Gained: Soul Tether (Passive) Gain the ability to form pacts with fallen souls. Each soul bound grants stat bonuses and has a chance to be reborn in physical or spiritual form.
New Trait: Echo Memory Recall memories and techniques from bound souls.
---
Elric collapsed as the vision faded. When he awoke, the temple ceiling greeted him. Rolo was licking his face, growling softly.
He rose.
He felt... heavier. But stronger. A whisper followed him out of the temple:
"The Shepherd has returned. The war begins anew."
And far beyond the skies, across gates and stars, something opened its eyes.
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