Chapter 19 – Whispers of the Rift
The morning sun rose slow and gold, painting the clouds in hues of fire and frost.
The ruins of Verdant Veins lay silent now, their battle scars glowing faintly with residual qi.
Yin Jin stood at the edge of the ancient field, his coat fluttering in the mountain breeze.
The black-gold flame within him pulsed rhythmically — calm yet strangely restless.
Baifang yawned wide, scratching his head as he stood beside him.
> "Three days, one mission, and a mountain of beast cores. Not bad for new students, eh?"
> "Not bad," Yin Jin replied, his eyes distant. "But something feels off."
> "Off? Bro, the only thing off is how pretty that frost girl looked when she smiled last night."
Yin Jin gave him a sidelong glance. "You're hopeless."
> "I'm observant," Baifang corrected, grinning.
Behind them, Chaein knelt near a crystalized corpse of a Voidborn beast, her fingers tracing faint lines etched into the ground. Her expression was thoughtful — too calm.
> "This rune…" she murmured. "It's not of our realm."
> "What do you mean?" Yin Jin asked, stepping closer.
> "It's a Rift Seal — a fragment of a gate between planes." Her tone lowered, colder. "Something… or someone, tried to come through."
The words sent a chill through the air, even Baifang's lightning dimmed.
---
Back at Azure Sky Academy
When they returned to the academy, the courtyard buzzed with rumors.
Students whispered of the explosion seen from miles away — the surge of black-gold and frost energy that had shaken even the elders.
But none knew who caused it.
The head instructor, Elder Xu Liang, called for them the next day. His sharp eyes scanned the trio as they stood before him in the Hall of Stars.
> "You three… returned with unprecedented results. A mission ranked silver completed in two days."
> "We just did what was required," Yin Jin said plainly.
Xu Liang smiled faintly, but his gaze lingered on him — specifically, the faint flicker of gold and black qi radiating from his core.
> "Your fire… has changed again, hasn't it?"
Yin Jin looked down briefly. "It's evolving."
> "So I see. Keep it contained. The last thing we need is another crater in the training grounds."
Baifang snorted. "No promises."
Xu Liang ignored him and turned to Chaein.
> "And you, girl. You bear the Frost of the Twin Moons, don't you?"
Her expression stiffened. "That name is forbidden."
The Elder's eyes softened. "Then it is true."
Yin Jin frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Xu Liang turned away, pacing slowly.
> "Some bloodlines are gifts of heaven… others, echoes of things not born in this world. The Twin Moon Frost is both."
The room fell silent.
---
Nightfall – The Whisper
That night, Yin Jin lay in his dorm chamber, unable to sleep. The air felt heavy, and his body pulsed with heat — his black-gold flames flickering on instinct.
Then, a sound.
A whisper.
Soft, low, almost inside his head.
> "You burned the Rift's servant… and now, the Rift burns for you."
Yin Jin bolted upright, his eyes glowing faintly. The walls around him shimmered — just for a heartbeat — revealing faint black markings like ancient runes.
He clenched his fists, summoning his inner qi to dispel it. The runes faded, leaving only silence behind.
> "What… was that?" he whispered.
Outside, on the academy's highest spire, Chaein stood in the cold wind. Frost gathered beneath her feet, her gaze fixed on the moon.
> "It's begun," she said softly. "The Rift has noticed him."
---
The Coming Storm
By morning, the academy's bells rang. A new notice hung in the courtyard —
"Phase Two Missions Now Open – Ranking System Initiated."
Teams would now compete for merit, resources, and power.
Baifang grinned, spinning his spear.
> "Finally! I was getting bored!"
Yin Jin smirked faintly. "You call fighting Void beasts 'boring'?"
> "No, I call waiting boring."
Chaein approached, frost sparkling on her gloves.
> "We'll need to move carefully. Not every mission is what it seems."
Yin Jin nodded.
> "Then we'll face them one by one… until we find what's calling from the Rift."
---And so began th
e second phase of Azure Sky's trial — where power, fate, and hidden bloodlines would collide beneath the twin moons. The calm before the true storm had finally ended.