Chapter 33: The Crucible of Bonds
Kelvin’s gauntlet flared as he said. "I am enough."
Their clash was brutal, blades and soul light were clashing in a storm of sparks. Varn was fast, his strikes were fueled by rage, but Kelvin’s bond with Xerion gave him clarity.
He dodged and struck with his blade piercing Varn’s shoulder. The rogue tamer staggered, and Krynn faltered as their bond was weakening. Kelvin seized the moment and reinforced his Convergence with Xerion erupting in a final blaze, knocking Varn to the ground.
The horde dissolved and the spire’s glow faded. The trio stood amidst the wreckage, they were bloodied but victorious.
They looted the spire: soul stones pulsing with Veil essence, a runic amulet that hummed with power, and a shard of the Veil’s core, its light shifting like liquid starlight.
Kelvin took the shard, Lyra the amulet, and Darius a cluster of soul stones, their spoils split evenly as a testament to their unity.
The aftermath of the Shattered Veil mission had left the Obsidian Division in an intensed emotion, with Kelvin, Lyra, and Darius hailed as legends among their peers. The relics they had claimed—the Veil shard, runic amulet, and soulstones were now locked in the Sanctum’s vaults, but their triumph echoed through the halls. Yet Kelvin felt no time for rest.
Kelvin stood in the central courtyard at the heart of the Sanctum School and Xerion, the End-Tyrant, lounged beside him, his obsidian scales were shining as he stretched his wings, casting a shadow over the cobblestones.
The gauntlet on Kelvin’s wrist, etched with Xerion’s sigil and pulsed faintly, amplifying their bond’s warmth. Around them, students bustled, some were practicing Convergence techniques, others were tending to their beasts under the watchful eyes of masters.
The courtyard was a great place of activity: a young tamer was coaxing a flame from her emberfox while a senior student was sparring with a frostwyrm and its icy breath was frosting the ground.
"You are quiet," Xerion muttered with his voice a low vibration. "The Veil’s victory wasn’t enough?"