CHAPTER 40: A QUICK SUMMONING

Kelvin signaled his friends and they splited while their beasts ready.

Kelvin and Xerion faced the dragon with their flames clashing in a fiery storm. Kelvin’s gauntlet amplified their Convergence as his blade sliced the dragon’s wing.

Lyra and Salaris tackled the serpent, the shadow runes binded its coils as Salaris’s talons struck its core. Darius and Rhoam faced the titan, Rhoam’s armor deflected its blows as Darius’s soulstone cracked its hide.

The hawk dove, but their synergy rune which they crafted that morning linked their Convergences, countering its winds.

The beast true form emerged as a fusion of all elements, its core was pulsing.

The trio united and their bonds were a symphony. Kelvin’s gauntlet, Lyra’s amulet, and Darius’s soulstones flared, their Convergences merged into a blinding blast that shattered the core. Its essence flowed into a runic crystal which was claimed by Lyra.

The void faded, and the arena roared. Kaelus raised a hand and said. "You have mastered the Tides the Inner Sanctum awaits for your upcoming."

---

In the library, the trio sat around a worn oak table while they tried to have a heart to heart talk and study their books before they will retire to their rooms while their beasts sprawled nearby.

The pearl, heart stone, and crystal glowed, split evenly. Kelvin touched his gauntlet, feeling Xerion’s fire. "We are ready," he said with a steady voice.

The relics from the Tides of Challenge-the Surge’s pearl, the Storm Forged heartstone, and the Elemental Sovereign’s runic crystal - glowed softly on the table, their pulses where the testament to the trio’s latest triumph.

The Inner Sanctum’s call was no longer a distant promise but a looming reality, and the weight of it sharpened their focus.

Kelvin leaned back in his chair, his gauntlet warm against his wrist, its sigil vibrates as he reviewed a scroll on elemental resonance from Master Veyne’s lecture.

The victory in the Tidal Arena had been exhilarating, but the Sanctum’s relentless pace allowed me no time to bask.

"We are close," he said, with his voice very low and steady. "The Inner Sanctum is testing us continuously now, but it is also teaching us alot. We need to keep pushing."

Lyra looked up from a book on multi-beast synergy that she was reading with her amulet casting a soft glow and said,

"The Tides showed us that we can synchronize our Convergences, but it is still raw. Veyne’s resonance techniques could refine it and make us seamless."

Darius made an awkward movement with a soulstone in his hand and grinned as he tossed it lightly. "Seamless, huh? I’m just happy Rhoam and I didn’t blow anything up by accident this time.

" Rhoam growled softly, nudging Darius’s leg, and he chuckled. "Alright, big guy, I will get focused. But seriously, Kelvin, do you think the Inner Sanctum is gonna hit us with another trial this soon?"

Kelvin’s eyes flicked to the relics with their glow steady but insistent. "They don’t wait. We need to be ready at all times, every lecture, every drill counts."

Before Lyra could reply, a sharp gust rattled the library’s windows, and a courier beast, a sleek falcon with runes glowing gold along its wings, swooped in and dropped a scroll on the table.

The seal pulsed with a deep emerald light, and the air grew heavy, making Salaris chirp and Rhoam’s plates to shift. Kelvin broke the seal with his heart panting as he read aloud:

Kelvin, Lyra, Darius. The Inner Sanctum summons you to the Pulse of Ascendancy at dawn.

Face a gauntlet of trials within the Sanctum’s Verdant Crucible, where your bonds will be tested against the primal forces of life and instinct. Success will anoint you as true heirs; failure will humble you, so get prepared.

Lyra’s hand tightened on her amulet. "The Verdant Crucible? That’s deep within the Sanctum’s core, a place where the soulstream flows raw, it is tied to life itself. It is not just a trial; it is a reckoning."

Darius leaned forward and said. "Reckoning sounds fun, but I’m guessing that it is gonna hurt. Rhoam is ready, though."

Kelvin’s jaw tightened, Xerion’s growl vibrated in his soul. "It’s more than pain. It’s about proving we are one with our beasts. We will prepare tonight."

Salaris glided down from where she perched with her talons clicking together, and Lyra nodded. "Agreed. Let’s dig into primal resonance texts. We’ll need every edge."

Xerion’s voice rumbled in Kelvin’s mind: "The Crucible will test our core but we will burn through it."

---

As midnight approached, they moved to the Obsidian Yard for a late drill after their studies in the library. Under the starlit sky, they practiced synchronizing their Convergences, using their relics and new soulstones.

Kelvin and Xerion wove a spiral of flame and soullight, Lyra and Salaris countered with shadow runes that flowed like water, and Darius and Rhoam unleashed a soulstone blast bolstered by the panther’s armored charge.

Their synergy was tighter, their bonds intertwining with a spark of unity, but Kelvin felt the strain as perfection was still out of reach.

"Focus!" he called, dodging a mock construct as Xerion’s flames cleared a path. Lyra’s runes pinned another, Salaris’s talons striking true, while Darius’s soulstone staggered while Rhoam’s claws finished it.

---

After they drill they retired to their rooms for rest, as dawn broke the trio stood at the Verdant Crucible, a vast, domed arena that is deep within the Sanctum’s core. Its walls were alive with vines and glowing moss.

Pools of shining water reflected the dome’s crystal ceiling, and the soulstream pulsed like a heartbeat.

Students filled the stands, their murmurs was a tide of anticipation, while Masters Kaelus, Veyne and Torren stood at the arena’s center with their beasts, void panther, serpentine companion, and obsidian tortoise that were silent and imposing.

Kaelus’s voice echoed, deep and resonant. "The Pulse of Ascendancy tests your bond with the primal forces of life and instinct. Three trials await: Vitality, Instinct, and Harmony. Conquer them, and you will stand as heirs to the Inner Sanctum."

Veyne raised a hand with her serpent hissing as she said. "Begin."

A portal of emerald light opened, pulling the trio and their beasts into its depths.

******Trial of Vitality****

The portal spat them into a lush forest. The ground pulsed with soulstream energy, and vines writhed like living things. Kaelus’s voice resonated: "Prove your vitality. Defeat the Verdant Behemoth and claim its seed."

Kelvin felt Xerion’s fire surge, their bond was a blazing anchor. "Stay tight," he said, his gauntlet glowed. "This place is alive."

Lyra nodded, Salaris toke flight and her wings sliced through the vines. Darius gripped a soulstone, Rhoam’s plates clinked as he prowled.

A pack of Thorn vine Wolves emerged, their fur were woven with razor-sharp vines, their eyes glowed green. Kelvin and Xerion charged, their Convergence was a storm of flame and soullight.

Kelvin’s gauntlet formed a blade that sliced a wolf’s flank, while Xerion’s flames burned its vines. A wolf’s claw grazed Kelvin’s arm, drawing blood, but their bond dulled the pain.

Lyra and Salaris wove through the pack, the raptor’s talons striking eyes as Lyra’s shadow runes bound the wolves, slowing their charge. A vine grazed Salaris’s wing, but Lyra’s amulet pulsed, healing her, and they dispersed the pack.

Darius and Rhoam barreled through the panther’s armor and deflected it’s vines as Darius’s soulstone explosion scattered the wolves. Rhoam’s claws tore through a beast’s core, and the remaining retreated.

The Verdant Behemoth rose, a tall creature of bark and vine, its heart glowing with a radiant seed. The trio attacked as one. Xerion’s flames weakened its vines, Salaris’s talons struck its joints, and Rhoam’s charge cracked its bark.

Kelvin leaped with his soullight blade piercing the heart, and Lyra claimed the seed, its warmth pulsing in her hand.

The forest faded, and the arena returned, the crowd roaring. Kaelus nodded. "Vitality proven. Prepare for Instinct."

*****Trial of Instinct****

The portal opened into a jagged savanna, its grasses swaying under a sky of swirling storms. The air was thick with the scent of dust and blood, and distant roars signaled predators.

Kaelus’s voice echoed: "Trust your instincts. Hunt the Primal Stalker and claim its claw."

The stalker appeared, a panther-like beast with crystal claws, its movements was blur. Smaller Stormclaws, raptor-like creatures with electrified feathers.

Kelvin and Xerion faced the stalker, their Convergence was a shield against its claws. Kelvin’s gauntlet flared, his blade chipping the crystal, while Xerion’s flames countered its speed.

A stormclaw’s beak grazed Kelvin’s side, stinging it but their bond kept him steady.

Lyra and Salaris tackled the stormclaws, the raptor’s agility outmatched their strikes as Lyra’s shadow runes bound their wings. A claw nicked Salaris, but Lyra’s amulet healed her, and they dispersed the flock.

Darius and Rhoam charged the stalker’s flank, the panther’s armor deflected its claws as Darius’s soulstone cracked its hide.

Rhoam’s claws dug in, but the stalker’s tail knocked Darius back. He pushed on with their bond unyielding.

The stalker’s claw glowed, the exposed part scratched Kelvin.