They left the fracture zone in silence, their boots crunching softly against frost-covered roots. The light had dimmed unnaturally fast—sunset bleeding into something that felt more like suffocation than nightfall.
Juno was the first to notice it.
"Too quiet," she said.
Lyle nodded. "Even the wind's holding its breath."
That's when they heard it.
Not a sound, exactly.
Not a voice.
But the absence of both—a rip in the air behind them.
They spun around in sync.
The path was empty.
But not still.
The trees leaned away from something invisible.
The dirt near the fracture pulsed.
The air crackled.
Lyle whispered, "We were followed."
---
The Codex flared suddenly:
> [High-Risk Entity Detected – Rift-Class Aberration]
[Type: Shroud Stalker]
Predatory. Drawn to bond-link mana. Observes before striking. High resistance to static glyphs. Weakness: Dual-source destabilization.
Juno read it over his shoulder.
"Rift-class? We weren't warned about that."
"We weren't supposed to survive the sync," Lyle said grimly.
---
The forest erupted.
A blur of black mist slammed into them from above—only reflex saved them.
Juno rolled left, casting a barrier rune mid-air. Lyle ducked low, arms sweeping wide as he whispered a false pattern—projecting his mana signature outward like bait.
The creature landed silently.
Wrong shape. Wrong angles.
Not a beast. Not a spell.
Something between idea and flesh—its form constantly shifting, like it hadn't yet chosen what it wanted to become.
Two white voids where eyes should've been.
And its gaze locked onto Lyle.
"Back off," Juno shouted, casting a pin-light glyph to expose the Stalker's edges.
It helped.
Briefly.
But then it shifted again, turning ethereal—immune to static targeting.
> Normal magic won't work, Lyle realized.
It needs dynamic pattern disruption.
The Codex chimed softly:
> [Dual-Cast Option Available]
"Juno!" he called. "Combine with me—don't think, just act!"
She didn't hesitate.
They both raised their hands, casting glyphs toward each other—not the creature.
The runes clashed mid-air.
Merged.
Exploded into a pulse of vibrating gray light that washed over the creature like acid.
The Shroud Stalker screamed—not out loud, but through their bones.
It writhed.
Flickered.
Then fled—tearing a line through the forest and vanishing into the night as quickly as it came.
---
For a moment, all they heard was their own breathing.
Juno dropped to a knee.
Lyle crouched beside her.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I will be. That thing… it wanted us."
"No," Lyle said quietly. "It wanted our connection."
The Codex pulsed again.
> [Bond Reinforced – Tier 2 Synchronization Confirmed]
Dual-cast unlocked: Arcai Pulse Type – Chaos Bind
Enemies targeting one partner suffer recursive feedback for 6 seconds.
Link strength is now visible to outside observers.
Juno groaned. "Great. Now everyone will know."
He smirked. "You worried?"
She looked at him—sweat-streaked, pale, shaken.
Then smiled faintly.
"Not if you keep casting like that."
---
They made it back to the Academy gates just before full dark.
No instructors waited.
No medics.
No questions.
But everyone knew.
Eyes followed them back to their dorms.
The whispers had started.
And not just about Lyle anymore.
Now, they were saying their names together.