CHAPTER 35: MASTERING DISCIPLINE

The Obsidian Division is always in demand for excellence, and the trio’s triumphs in the Shattered Veil and Crucible of Bonds only increased the expectations.

Every lecture, every drill, was a step towards proving they belong among the elite—or a chance to falter under the school’s merciless scrutiny.

After a night rest, in the morning Kelvin stood in the Obsidian Yard, Xerion, the End-Tyrant, prowled beside him, his obsidian scales were catching the light like a polished blade.

The gauntlet on Kelvin’s wrist, etched with Xerion’s sigil, amplifying their bond’s warmth. He stretched, his muscles still feeling pain from the previous day’s exertions, but his mind was sharp, disturbed by the need to stay ahead, build up himself for something that lies ahead of him and overcome all challenges.

"You are up early," Lyra said to Kelvin as she moved into the yard, Avian Salaris, her sleek beast with moonlight feathers, glided above her.

The raptor’s talons clicked together as she landed to the ground with her eyes scanning the surroundings with predatory look. Lyra’s runic amulet, a relic from the Shattered Veil that she got, glowed softly around her chest and that was a reminder of their hard-won victories.

Kelvin tossed a soulstone between his hands while he mentioned to Lyra. "I could not sleep because I have too much to do. Master Sylva’s seminar on predatory instincts is today, and I was not fully ready for the quiz, so I had to stay up to prepare."

While he was talking Darius walked in on them with his thick-armored panther, Rhoam, moving beside him, the beast’s iron-like plates was clinking with each step he made.

The runes on Rhoam’s hide wavered, reflecting Darius’s restless energy. He yawned, scratching his head. "Quiz? Man, I’m still recovering from Caelum’s rune-carving session. My hand is itching with pain from all those etchings."

Lyra shot him a look with her tone sharp but teasing. "Maybe if you spent less time making a careless sketch of Rhoam’s face in your notes, you would had been able to keep up."

Darius laughed, tossing a soulstone of his own. "Hey, my art’s legendary. Right, Rhoam?"

The panther growled, nudging Darius with a plated shoulder, and Kelvin chuckled. "Art won’t help you when Torren is drilling us later. He has got a new Convergence exercise, and you know he does not tolerate laziness."

Xerion’s wings flared, his voice a low rumble in Kelvin’s mind. "The Sanctum sharpens us and there is no time to slack, and we slack, we will be evicted."

Kelvin nodded his head in a firm resolve. "No slacking. Let’s hit the lecture hall, then later in the day we will move to the yard. We have got work to do."

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The morning began in Master Sylva’s greenhouse-like lecture hall, Sylva, a woman with sharp eyes, stood beside her vine-serpent, its coils in were weaving through the air as she lectured on predatory instincts.

Students filled the layered benches, their beasts—ranging from a flame hawk to a stone bear that were resting nearby, their eyes locked on their tamers.

"Predators are driven by instinct," Sylva said, her voice was clear and commanding. "But a tamer must channel that drive, not to be ruled by it. Today’s quiz tests is your ability to predict your beast’s reactions in high-stress scenarios."

Kelvin scribbled notes, his mind racing to connect Sylva’s words to Xerion’s fiery temperament. The End-Tyrant’s instincts which were raw, powerful, but Kelvin had learned to guide them with precision, as seen in the Veil.

He glanced at Lyra, whose notes were meticulous, her pen was moving in synchronization with Salaris’s soft chirps. Darius, predictably, fidgeted, his quill tapping on the desk as Rhoam’s tail flapped impatiently.

The quiz was brutal—a series of scenarios were requiring tamers to analyze their beast’s likely responses and to propose control strategies.

Kelvin tackled questions about redirecting a predator’s aggression, using Xerion’s flame bursts as a case study. Lyra’s answers focused on Salaris’s aerial agility, while Darius struggled, his responses were vague until Rhoam’s low growl seemed to jolt him into focus.

Sylva’s serpent slithered among the students, its hisses was silencing whispers, ensuring no one cheated.

As the quiz ended, Sylva collected their scrolls, her gaze lingered on Kelvin’s scroll. "Your bond with Xerion is strong, but instinct is only half the equation. Knowledge completes it."

Kelvin nodded, feeling the weight of her words. The Sanctum demandes mastery in every facet—mind as much as might.

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The trio moved to the Runic Workshop, where Master Caelum’s forge-like chamber glowed with the heat of molten soulstones.

The air was thick with a refreshing aroma of metal and enchanted crystal, and the walls rang with the hum of carving styluses. Caelum, guided them through inscribing runes of amplification, designed to enhance a beast’s natural abilities without destabilizing the bond.

Kelvin worked with a soulstone from the Veil which was etching a rune of flame to boost Xerion’s fire. The stylus trembled in his hand as the stone’s energy resisted, but he focused on his bond with Xerion as he steady his grip. The rune look was glowing fiercely, and Kelvin felt a surge of pride as Xerion’s approval rippled through their soulstream.

Lyra’s amulet pulsed as she carved a shadow rune, her movements was precise, Salaris was watching with an unblinking eyes. Darius, however, fumbled because his rune was not balanced until Caelum’s sharp correction made him get it. "Precision, Darius," Caelum yelled. "A flawed rune can shatter your bond in the middle of a battle."

Rhoam’s plates clinked, as if it is in agreement, and Darius redoubled his efforts, his next rune was cleaner. As they left the workshop, their hands ached, but their soulstones glowed with potential, a testament to their progress.

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The afternoon brought them to the Obsidian Yard, where Master Torren’s Convergence drills awaited for them. The yard was a chaos of motion: tamers were sparring with their beasts, soulstream energy were flaring everywhere as bonds were tested.

A frostwyrm’s icy breath clashed with a flamehawk’s fiery vortex, while a stonebear’s roar shook the ground. Torren’s obsidian tortoise loomed behind him with its shell glowing as he barked orders.

"Convergence is your lifeline," Torren said, with his voice like gravel. "Today, you will synchronize under pressure. Pair with your beasts and neutralize the runic constructs."

The constructs were humanoid figures of stone and light, their movements were swift and unpredictable as they were designed to mimic hostile beasts.

Kelvin and Xerion moved as one, their bond was like a seamless flow of fire and will. Kelvin’s gauntlet flared, channeling a soullight blade as Xerion’s flames engulfed a construct, reducing it to ash. Their synchrony was flawless one which earned a rare nod from Torren.

Lyra and Salaris wove through the constructs, the raptor’s talons were striking joints as Lyra’s shadow runes pinned their targets. A construct’s blade grazed Salaris’s wing, but Lyra’s bond healed the wound, and they pressed on to dismantling their foes with precision.

Darius and Rhoam charged, the panther’s armored hide was deflecting blows as Darius hurled a soulstone, its explosion staggered a construct.

His footwork was sloppy, drawing Torren’s scowl, but Rhoam’s strength compensated for that, his claws crushed the construct’s core. "Tighten your form, Darius!" Torren snapped. "Your bond is strong, but your discipline is lagging."

The drill left them breathless, with their muscles burning, but the yard’s energy was infectious. Kelvin felt Xerion’s fire surge, their bond was sharper with every strike. Lyra’s focus was unyielding, Salaris’s movements was a mirror of her resolve. Darius, despite his errors pushed harder, Rhoam’s loyalty was anchoring him.

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The evening brought them to Master Veyne’s advanced seminar on soulstream harmonics, which was held in a circular chamber where runes pulsed in time with her serpentine beast’s hisses.

The lecture delved into aligning a tamer’s essence with their beast’s, a skill crucial for high-stress battles. Veyne demonstrated her lectures while her serpent was weaving threads of light that danced in sync with her gestures, a display of harmony that left the students silent.

Kelvin took detailed notes as he linked Veyne’s techniques to his Convergence with Xerion.

Lyra’s diagrams show cased Salaris’s energy flow, while Darius was restless while he sketched Rhoam’s plates until Veyne’s serpent hissed, prompting him to take actual notes.

The seminar ended with a practical exercise: channeling a harmonic pulse to stabilize a mock soulstream rift.

Kelvin’s gauntlet amplified his pulse, syncing perfectly with Xerion’s fire. Lyra’s amulet enhanced her control, Salaris’s pulse was steady.

Darius struggled with his pulse erratic, but Rhoam’s steady presence guided him to success.

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As night fell, the trio collapsed in their dorm, their beasts sprawled across the stone floor.

The relics from their missions—Veil shard, amulet, soul stones—glowed on a table which were symbols of their journey. Kelvin leaned against Xerion while feeling the End-Tyrant’s warmth.

"The Sanctum is relentless," he said, his voice in a low tone. "But it is making us stronger." He added.

Lyra nodded in agreement to what Kelvin said while stroking Salaris’s feathers. "Studies and drills are not glamorous, but they are the foundation because without them, our bonds would crack."

Darius tossed a soulstone while he added. "Yeah, yeah, I understand it. Grind now and enjoy glory later. Rhoam has got my back."

Rhoam growled, nudging Darius, and the trio laughed, the tension eased at this time. Outside, the Sanctum the spires gleamed under the moon, a reminder of the legacy they were grooming.

The Inner Sanctum’s trials would come, but with knowledge, discipline, and their unbreakable bonds, Kelvin, Lyra, and Darius were ready to rise.