The training grounds were quiet now, almost deceptively so.
Germaine stood in the center of the Awakening Circle, Solaryn coiled lightly around her shoulder like a living scarf of gold. Its small wings flickered with subtle light, sensing every shift in the air, every pulse of her mana.
She had spent the morning consolidating the exercises Elric assigned—synchronizing with Solaryn, letting her mana flow expand into controlled patterns, observing how the soulbound reacted independently to minor surges. Each movement, each pulse, strengthened the threads of their bond.
Her core hummed faintly. Adept-Novice, Elric had said. Another step. Another soul slot opening quietly within the depths of her pathways, waiting for what she did not yet know would come.
The wind shifted suddenly, brushing over her skin like fingers made of ice. Solaryn stiffened immediately, wings fluttering, pulse quickening.
Germaine's stomach tightened. She didn't need to look — she could feel it.
Something was approaching. Not slowly, not with intent to blend. But probing. Testing. Watching.
"Elric," she called softly. The faint golden glow of Solaryn flared as if echoing her alarm.
He appeared beside her instantly, staff raised. "Don't act yet. Let it show itself first. Your core — keep it anchored. The Shard will react instinctively, but I need control."
Her chest tightened. The Shard pulsed — faint, but deliberate. A heartbeat of awareness that mirrored the presence outside.
A ripple of air brushed the trees at the edge of the estate. The Watcher was probing.
The leaves quivered unnaturally. Shadows moved against the morning sun, curling toward them like black smoke. The distortion was subtle, a faint shimmer that bent light, not a physical form — but Germaine felt it.
It knew her.
It had recognized the Shard.
Her pulse quickened. Solaryn stirred, coiling, wings flickering as it extended a thin tether of golden energy outward. The soulbound was scanning, feeding information back to her core as naturally as a heartbeat.
"Elric," she whispered, "it's here. It knows I'm… here."
He narrowed his eyes, sensing it too. "Stay calm. Don't let your emotions spike. The Shard's pulse could give away more than you intend."
She swallowed, feeling the warmth of Solaryn against her shoulder. We are in this together. The soulbound pulsed, a gentle rhythm, coaxing her heartbeat into harmony with it.
"Elric," she said, voice barely above a whisper, "if it attacks… Solaryn can…"
"You know," he interrupted, voice tight, "how far your bond extends. But remember — the soulbound can only act within your cultivation limitations. This is a test of your control, not brute strength."
She nodded, drawing a slow, steadying breath. Solaryn lifted slightly, wings unfurling, its glow brightening — a subtle shield around her as it moved in tandem with her mana.
Her core pulsed in response. Adept- Novice wasn't just a number. It was a rhythm, a coordination between herself and Solaryn. Another slot had opened — the space was waiting, unclaimed, and she could feel the potential shimmer faintly in the back of her mind.
The distortion shifted. A ripple in the air, blacker than shadow, twisting light in impossible angles. Solaryn hissed softly — a warning pulse only she could feel.
Then the wind seemed to carry a sound. Not a voice, not language. Not even words. It was intent. Focus. Hunger.
Germaine's stomach churned. The pulse of the Shard in her chest quickened, matched in rhythm by Solaryn's wings. Together, they formed a signal — a beacon and a barrier at once.
Elric's voice was firm. "Brace yourself. It's probing your core directly."
The sensation hit her chest like a ripple through water. Not pain. Not cold. Not fire. But a weight, deep inside, pressing, testing, searching.
Germaine instinctively pressed her hand against her sternum. Solaryn responded immediately — the golden light flaring outward, an echo of her own core, shielding the Shard.
Her pulse hammered, matching Solaryn's rhythm. A harmony formed between them — not just bond, but extension. The soulbound was no longer just a companion. It was a defensive network woven into her mana, a sentinel that could react faster than thought.
The Watcher recoiled. The ripple in the wind shivered, then pulled back slightly, retreating beyond the tree line.
Elric exhaled, voice low but controlled. "Good. It's cautious. It knows you're protected — but it will not give up. It will return. And when it does, it will escalate."
Germaine sank to one knee, Solaryn coiling around her shoulder like a warm pulse of reassurance. Her hands trembled slightly. "I… I felt it. It touched my Shard. But it didn't… it didn't reach it fully. Solaryn — you stopped it."
The soulbound's wings brushed her cheek lightly. A subtle communication, more than gesture — approval, reassurance, and warning all at once.
Her chest hummed. Adept-Intial. Another soul slot ready. Another possibility waiting in the depths of her pathways. A future for another bond shimmering faintly like a distant star.
Elric's eyes softened, though his stance remained tense. "Today was not training. Today was reconnaissance. You held against the Watcher's first probe. That is no small feat for someone at your rank."
Germaine's gaze swept the southern edge of the grounds. The forest lay quiet again, but she could feel the pull of the anomaly, faint, insistent, waiting.
"I don't want to wait," she whispered. "I want to train. I want to grow. I want to—"
"Elric," a sharp voice cut through her thoughts. "You will."
He extended a hand, steady, firm. "Every day, every rank, every bond will be forged. You are no longer just an awakening. You are the anchor for what is coming. And Solaryn… Solaryn is only the beginning."
Germaine exhaled slowly, feeling the warmth of the soulbound echo through her chest. This is only the start. The Watcher won't stop, and neither will we.
Solaryn coiled closer, a living pulse of golden fire against her chest.
Her next rank, her next soul slot, her next bond — everything waited quietly, shimmering like distant lightning on the horizon.
And Germaine knew, deep in her bones, that the storm approaching would be unlike anything she had ever faced.
"But we will face it together."