Location: Starroot Academy – Rogue Quarters, Level C Dormitory #7
The room was dim, lit only by the flickering glow of system runes drifting across the walls like ghost-fire. Wind whispered through the half-open window, and moonlight poured in soft, silver, silent.
Nyx stood at the center of a rune circle. His body quivered, veins of void-light crawling along his frame. His tails twitched, his claws vibrated, and his fangs glowed with the faint hue of spectral flame.
[Beast Evolution Eligible]
Current Beast: Nyx – Voidfang Alpha (Stage 1)
Codex Path: Specter-Type Mutation Branch
Required Conditions Met:
– Sync Level ≥ 70%
– Specter Fragment Infusion: Complete
– Trial Achievement: Echo of the Voidgate
Proceed with Evolution?
Y / N
Ren didn't hesitate.
"Do it."
[Evolution Commencing – Please Stand Clear]
Estimated Duration: 4 Minutes
Mutation Type: Specterbound – Blood Phase I
Warning: Beast will enter cocoon stasis. External interruptions may cause regression or corruption.
Suddenly, light exploded.
A dome of shadow and flame erupted around Nyx, swallowing the room in a cyclone of spectral wind. His body contorted, bones crackled, limbs lengthened. Two of his tails split at the base, forming four ghostly extensions. His fur darkened, shifting into a semi-liquid sheen, and glowing silver sigils burned into his forehead and chest.
[Mutation Triggered – New Form Manifesting]
The pressure grew suffocating.
Even Ren, standing just outside the barrier, staggered back.
It wasn't just evolution.
It was rebirth.
[New Beast Form: Unlocked]
Beast Name: Nyx – Specterfang Sovereign Cub
Rank: Tier 2 (Mutated)
Class: Shadow / Spirit / Sovereign-Type
Traits:
– Ghostblood Frame (Passive): Gains resistance to mental attacks, +10% speed in low-light environments.
– Sovereign Instinct (Passive): All base stats increase slightly when fighting alone or outnumbered.
Skills:
– Voidstep Fang (Upgraded): Adds bleed effect
– Shadow Veil II (Illusion Doppelgänger – Now generates two phantoms)
– NEW: Soulbind Roar – Weakens enemy resolve, reduces skill efficiency in enemies with weaker beast bonds.
Fusion Sync Rate: 73%
Evolution Path: Sovereign Alpha Lineage (Dormant)
Nyx opened his eyes.
They were no longer violet.
They were silver, ringed with vertical slits of obsidian.
And when he moved, the air itself flinched.
Later That Night – Beast Grove, Restricted Sector
Ren walked alone, the night wind brushing his cloak, the heavy silence of the evolving Nyx still hanging on him.
In his hands, he carried the mysterious beast egg recovered from the Echo Trial.
It pulsed with unstable energy, white cracks running along its surface like lightning veins.
[Beast Egg: Type – ???]
Status: Dormant
Core Signature: Fragmented
Warning: Beast aura cannot be identified
Options:
– Incubate using Soulheat Chamber
– Inject Partial Sync using Sovereign Bond
Note: This egg appears to be… reacting to your presence.
Ren frowned. The core inside it was swirling.
Alive. Watching.
Before he could decide, a chime rang in his system.
[System Message – Urgent Broadcast from Starroot Faculty]
A glowing panel appeared mid-air.
Instructor Sela's voice played:
"All Bronze-ranked Tamers of Core Division are to report to the Arena Hall by morning.
Due to a breach in dimensional stability caused by recent unauthorized activity
The Gate of Realms has shifted.
A Beast Tide may occur within 72 hours."
The message ended.
Ren blinked.
Then exhaled slowly.
"So the war begins early…"
Elsewhere – Deep Core Council Hall, Moonveil Division
The Grand Scholar stood before a wall of glowing Codex tablets, watching as a single name began to pulse brighter than the others.
Kazuki Ren – Rogue Tier
Behind her, shadows moved.
"His beast has evolved," one of the cloaked figures said. "And he survived the Echo."
Another voice added, "Then the Sovereign code has awakened once more. We must prepare the vault. The Codex Tree must be unlocked."
The Grand Scholar's eyes narrowed.
"No," she said. "We wait."
"Why?"
"Because if he truly bears the Eternal Code… then he will come to us."
Back in the Rogue Quarters – Midnight
Nyx curled up beside the glowing beast egg, his new silver eyes staring calmly at the swirling core within it.
Ren placed one hand gently on the egg's surface.
It responded, pulsing, almost like a heartbeat.
And the system whispered:
[Codex Lineage Reactivation: Sovereign Kin Detected]
The path to reclaim the lost beasts of the Eternal Sovereign…
Has begun.
Location: Starroot Academy – Central Dome, Inner Assembly Hall
The wide marble hall buzzed with tension.
More than two hundred tamers stood ranked in rows, split by faction: Codex Scholars, Wyrmfang Combatants, Moonveil Researchers… and far off, separated by black banners and silence, stood the smallest division
The Rogues.
Ren stood at the front of them, arms folded, Nyx at his side.
Behind him, just nine other tamers shared the same quiet defiance. Misfits. Dropouts. Wild-contractors. One was meditating in a circle of dried blood. Another sharpened his blade-like beast's fang with a steel file.
They weren't a squad.
They were a problem.
And Ren had just been made their leader.
[System Update: Squad Assignment – "Rogue Team 07: Blackline"]
Squad Leader: Kazuki Ren
Objective: Lead survival and disruption operations during the pending Beast Tide.
Rewards: Tactical Merit Points, Beast Core Fragments, Codex Rank Acceleration
Warning: Squad death penalty active. Failure will result in Codex Rank Lock and possible Beast Sync Recoil.
Across the stage, Head Instructor Ryo of the Wyrmfang Division stepped forward, his voice amplified by the arena's crystal spire.
"The Gate of Realms has pulsed. Dimensional distortion is confirmed. A Tier-B Beast Tide will breach the Rift Zone within seventy-two hours."
A giant illusion shimmered into view, showing a rippling hole in space. A rift, deep purple, bleeding energy.
From within it… movement.
Dozens of monstrous outlines pacing beyond the veil.
[Rift Tier: B-Prime]
Expected Invasion Type: Ferals, Aberrant Pack Beasts, Gateborn Parasites
Approximate Beast Count: 120–150
Boss-Rank: Probable
"The Vanguard Division will hold the frontlines. Codex researchers will monitor anomaly pulses. The rest of you…"
Ryo's eyes fell on the Rogue squad.
"...Will sweep the battlefield's black zones. Dead space. Unmapped terrain. Collapse zones. Places normal tamers don't return from."
Murmurs spread.
Ren's jaw tightened.
"So we're the expendables."
Nyx growled in agreement.
Later – Rogue Quarters, Tactical Room 07
Ren paced in front of a flickering rune-map on the wall. Black zones were marked with red crosses and jagged hazard warnings. Most were unstable, overrun with mist and corrupted terrain.
A girl leaned against the far wall, arms crossed.
She had one eye covered with a crimson eyepatch and a silent beast curled around her neck like a serpent scarf.
"You're Kazuki Ren," she said without preamble. "The one who fought Instructor Zhen and lived through the Voidgate Echo."
Ren didn't stop pacing. "And you are?"
"Sana. Beast: Spinewhisper Levi. Rank D+, Poison-Adapted Hybrid. Codex broken twice. I fight dirty. I follow orders when they make sense."
Ren glanced at her.
"Then follow this one: we don't die. Not a single one of us. Not even the weird blood-chanting guy in the corner."
From the corner, the said "weird guy" cackled in delight. "The sovereign speaks with claws! I accept your command, Overlord~"
Ren groaned. "What's his name again?"
Sana shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Just call him 'Graveboy.' Everyone does."
Squad Briefing Complete
[Squad Members – Rogue Team 07: Blackline]
① Kazuki Ren (Leader) – Nyx (Specterfang Sovereign Cub)
② Sana Vail – Spinewhisper Levi
③ Graveboy – Bloodchant Wyrm
④ Dro – Winddrake Gutterling
⑤ Lin Ya – Silentthread Spider
⑥ Bronn – Feralscale Cub
⑦ Meko Twins – Void Foxlings (x2)
⑧ Gura – Rockhide Bearkin (Mutated)
⑨ Riven – Unbonded Tamer (???)
Status: Squad Sync – Low
Morale – Moderate
Formation Rank: Unrated
Suggested Actions:
– Conduct Trial Match
– Boost Team Bond
– Assign Tactics Before Beast Tide Deployment
Night Before the Storm
Ren stood on the balcony outside the Rogue barracks.
The moon was full. The wind was heavy with mana.
Nyx sat beside him, tail swishing slowly.
"You ready for war?" Ren asked, not expecting an answer.
Nyx growled softly.
Then… he turned to face the courtyard, where the rest of the squad had gathered in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, their own fears.
Ren followed his gaze.
[System Alert – Optional Squad Trial Available]
Mission: Rogue Unity Trial
Location: Shadow Arena – Mirror Combat Zone
Objective: Beat reflection versions of your squad to trigger team-link bonus.
Reward: Temporary +10% Stat Sync during Beast Tide event.
Risk Level: Moderate
Would you like to initiate now?
Ren's eyes narrowed.
He clenched his fists.
"Yeah. Let's get it done."
Because when the storm came
He wouldn't just survive.
He'd lead.
End of Chapter 8