CHAPTER 68: RESOLVE PROVEN

The Sanctum’s morning unfolded with a restless hum and the corridors pulsed with tamers chasing their destinies, a rhythm that stirred Kelvin’s soul as he stood in the male dormitory’s courtyard, Xerion’s fiery aura was a blazing warmth beside him.

His arm which is now healed from the Veilspawn mission is flexed with a newfound strength, but the echo of the outpost is gratitude and the third-years’ hard-won allegiance to the Tide’s Crest which carried a weight of expectation.

Lyra and Darius joined him with their beasts, Avian Salaris soaring with moonlight grace and Rhoam stalking with iron-clad resolve while lending a steady presence.

The Crest had grown into a Sanctum-wide movement, but whispers of a looming Veil rift stirred unease, and a new challenge loomed in Master Torren’s combat seminar.

Kelvin’s Adept Rank 5, with a 78% sync ratio and a very high stability bond with Xerion, the Level 8 Legendary End-Tyrant, was a foundation he leaned into, yet doubt crept in with a fear that one misstep could fracture the Crest’s fragile unity.

The day began with Master Torren’s combat seminar in the Obsidian Yard, where the sharp scent of scorched stone and sweat cut through the morning chill.

Master Torren, with a towering pillar of authority, stood before a massive Level 9 construct, a hulking rune that etched golem that radiated a chaotic soulstream energy.

His voice boomed across the yard. "Today, you will face a construct which is designed to break your bond. Strategic Convergences are your weapon so anticipate, adapt, or fall. Pair up and destroy it."

Kelvin teamed with Veyra, the third-year whose Nightserpent had once faltered but now coiled with shadow-sharp precision.

The construct’s aura pulsed, a chaotic wave that rattled Xerion’s flames and made Kelvin’s gauntlet tremble.

He dove into his bond, feeling Xerion’s fierce loyalty clash with the construct’s discord.

Kelvin unleashed a tactical Convergence with a spiral of fire and soullight which is meant to pierce the golem’s core, but the construct countered, its rune-etched it’s fist and slammed the ground, sending a shockwave that staggered him.

His pulse faltered, the Convergence collapsed and doubt gripped him, at this point his bond wasn’t enough.

Torren’s gaze burned into him. Kelvin’s combat grades which was usually top-tier had teetered and the failure was a bitter sting.

Lyra, paired with Riven and wove a shadow Convergence with Salaris as her talons sliced through the construct’s defenses with surgical grace and weakened its aura.

Torren nodded. "Your foresight is a blade, Lyra. Sharpen others with it." Her grades soared and her shadow veil rune became a defensive cornerstone.

Darius, with Taryn, struggled and Rhoam’s blunt charges clashed with the construct’s chaos, but he synchronized a soulstone blast and cracked its armor and this earned him a passing grade. "You are finding your edge, Darius," Torren said with his approval a spark.

As the seminar ended, Kelvin lingered so as to meet with Master Torren, his chest was tight with frustration. He approached Torren and said. Master Torren, I failed.

The construct overwhelmed me, and I am scared that it will shake the Crest. I need to be stronger."

This time, Torren’s eyes was softened as he spoke with a low voice. "I once led a squad against a Level 10 Veilspawn and lost half of my team.

Defeat taught me foresight, to see the battle before it begins. Meet me this afternoon and we will refine your tactics." His story was heavy with loss and it hit Kelvin like a spark which was a path to overcome his doubt and anchor the Crest.

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The next class was Master Sylva’s beast intuition seminar which was held in a courtyard where vines pulsed with soulstream energy, their glow was a soft backdrop.

Sylva with her Verdant Lynx that lounged nearby, focused on predicting beast reactions in chaos. "Your bond is a dance," she said. "Today, you will anticipate your beast’s instincts against a chaotic pulse from a construct."

Kelvin paired with Lia, whose Glimmerhare trembled under the construct’s discordant hum and a crystalline orb mimicked Veilspawn chaos.

Kelvin reached for Xerion’s fire and sensed its restless drive to dominate, but the construct’s pulse disrupted his focus and his anticipation was faltered.

He steadied himself and synchronized a flame pulse to counter the chaos and predicted Xerion’s flare before it surged.

The orb dimmed, and Sylva’s smile was gentle. "You are listening deeper, Kelvin," she said. His empathy grades climbed, but the construct battle’s failure gnawed at him.

Lyra’s anticipation with Salaris was flawless, her shadow instincts aligned seamlessly which earned her Sylva’s praise. "You are a model, Lyra," she said.

Darius improved, sensing Rhoam’s blunt resolve with his bond been steadied. "You are growing, Darius," Sylva noted and her nod was a boost for Darius.

In the corridor, Kelvin spotted Mira, the first-year student with a Level 3 Flameviper, her eyes were downcasted as Riven and Tor whispered with a sharp voice.

Mira’s voice cracked as she spoke to Kelvin. "The Crest is too much, Kelvin. My viper is weak, and I am dragging everyone down." Her doubt was raw and heavy which sparked a morale crisis and the Crest’s unity frayed.

Kelvin’s heart sank, his gauntlet glowed as he crouched beside her. "Mira, you are stronger than you think. Come to the session tonight and we will work together."

Immediately she accepted to come but the rift lingered among the crest and this is a test of his leadership.

After class Lyra headed to the female dormitory to test her shadow veil rune, her courtyard was alive with laughter and beasts.

Her bunk were lined up with journals as usual which glowed under an orb as she cloaked Salaris in a defensive shadow and the rune’s stability earned him cheers.

"You are rewriting defense, Lyra," her roommate Mara said, as she prepared to calm Mira’s Flameviper.

Kelvin and Darius trained in the male dormitory’s courtyard, a gritty space for drills and soulstone bets. Their room were cluttered with gear and scorched leather which was a chaotic haven.

Darius worked with Rhoam on a soulstone barrier. Kelvin prepared to meet with Master Torren for training as kept meditating with Xerion, his bond was a blazing anchor despite his doubt.

Over lunch in the common room, Kelvin shared his struggle with Darius which has become a deep worry. "The construct crushed me, and Mira’s doubt is spreading. I am meeting with Master Torren, but I am scared that I will lose the Crest."

Darius looked at Kelvin intentionally and said. "You faced a Veilspawn, Kelvin and you will face and overcome this."

Darius tossed a soulstone and grinned. "Rhoam and I will rally the group and Mira is coming back." Darius’s support warmed and encouraged Kelvin.

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The afternoon brought Kelvin to Master Torren’s training ground, a rocky arena that is scarred by battles. Torren guided him through a tactical Convergence and instructed him to anticipate the construct’s chaos.

"See it moves before they land," Torren said. Kelvin channeled a flame-soullight Convergence, synchronized Xerion’s fire with foresight, but it wavered and his doubt disrupted it.

Torren’s voice was firm. "Trust your scars, Kelvin." He tried again, this time he envisioned the construct’s strikes and the Convergence pierced its core with precision.

"That is it," Torren said, with a firm nod. Kelvin’s bond surged and his tactical mastery grew.

Master Caelum’s runic seminar followed, where Kelvin’s fire soullight rune glowed steadily which earned him high marks.

"Your focus is back," Caelum grunted. Lyra’s shadow-wind rune boosted Salaris’s defense and earned Veyne’s praise in a prior session with her grades soaring. Darius’s earth soullight rune improved and his boost was a spark.

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The evening brought the Tide’s Crest to the Obsidian Yard but the air was thick with tension. Mira stood apart, her Flameviper hissing nervously, while Riven and Tor’s whispers fueled the crisis.

Kelvin stepped forward with his gauntlet glowing and his voice was raw but steady. "We are a tide, not a storm. Mira, let’s start with your viper, so show us its fire."

Mira hesitated as her bond flickered, but Kelvin crouched beside her, with a soft voice he echoed Torren’s resilience. "I failed today, Mira. But Xerion’s fire carried me. Your viper is the same, so you must learn to trust it."

Lyra wove a shadow rune and calmed the Flameviper’s aura, its flames stabilized. Darius rallied the group, his soulstone drills and Rhoam’s charge shocked the yard, sparking cheers. "We are one!" he roared and silenced doubts.

Mira’s viper flared, a controlled burst that lit the yard, her eyes were bright with resolve. "I am staying," she said with a firm voice. The Crest’s morale surged and Kelvin’s synchronizing ratio reached 79%, a triumph born of leadership.

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In the male dorm, Kelvin sat with Darius, soulstone dust was thick in the air, his heart was lighter despite the day’s weight.

"Mira is back, and the Crest is whole again," he said, with a low voice and relief. Darius grinned and tossed a stone. "You are unstoppable, man. Let’s keep it blazing." Their bonds were deepened through shared victory.

In the female dorm, Lyra sat on her bunk with her journal open and refined her shadow veil rune. Her roommates’ laughter warmed the air and her bond with Salaris was radiant pulse as her ambition mirrored Kelvin’s resolve.