Chapter 36: Great Trial
After the days stress and gisting the trio retired to sleep, after a while when everyone had slept off Kelvin sat on the floor with his legs crossed.
Lyra and Darius sprawled nearby with their notes and soul stones scattered across the table and the remnants of the day’s relentless study and training.
The Sanctum’s grind had left them drained, but the fire in Kelvin’s chest burned brighter than ever, fueled by the Inner Sanctum’s looming presence.
"Still awake?" Lyra’s asked with her voice very low, her eyes was half-closed as she leaned against Salaris, the raptor’s head tucked under her wing. "You are going to burn out if you keep staring at that shard."
Kelvin’s fingers tightened around the relic as its warmth pulsed in synchronization with his bond with Xerion. "I can not help it. The Sanctum is pushing us harder every day. I feel it that something is coming our."
Darius snorted, tossing a soulstone into the air and catching it without looking. "Yeah, probably another brutal quiz from Sylva or one of Torren’s ’that will break your bones as you engage in the drills. Relax, man. We are going to killing it."
Rhoam growled low, nudging Darius, and Kelvin managed a half-smile. "Killing it or not, we can not afford to slip. The Inner Sanctum does not care about yesterday’s wins but that you won now."
Before Lyra could reply, a sharp wind rattled through the window. A courier beast, a sleek, silver hawk with runes glowing along its wings, it flowed into the dorm, dropping a scroll onto the table. Its seal pulsed with a deep crimson light, and the air grew heavy, as if the room itself held its breath.
Kelvin grabbed the scroll, breaking the seal, and read aloud with his voice steady despite the quickening of his pulse:
Kelvin, Lyra and Darius. The Inner Sanctum summons you to the Proving Grounds at dawn. Face the Trials of Ascendancy, a gauntlet of challenges designed to test your mastery of bond, mind, and skill.
Success will elevate you and failure will cast you back. Prepare your beasts and your souls.