The Rebirth Of The Beast Tamer-Chapter 97: Unmasking The Rogue Tamer 1

The trio were summoned into the Sanctum’s Council Chamber which was filled with tension, its stone walls were glowing with runes that pulsed like heartbeats, casting a golden sheen across the polished oak table.

Kelvin stood firm, his chest were still tender from the Shattered Peaks’ battles and his staff was gripped tightly in his hand.

The fire runes was etched into its wood which flickered faintly and their glow was dimmed by the weight of exhaustion.

The flame-carved pendant around his neck which swung heavily was a reminder of their victories at Shadowfen, Crags, Wastes, Hollow, and the Peaks’ brutal trials but the cloaked figure’s sighting last night, their runes flashing briefly in the moonlight, gnawed at him.

Zack’s taunts before the Peaks mission—"You will fail, just like a breeze," echoed in his mind, fueling suspicion that the bully was the rogue tamer from their last battle, the one who had wielded a corrupted wyrm and vanished into the storm.

Xerion, the End-Tyrant, coiled at his side with his twenty-foot serpentine form which was a cascade of crimson and gold scales that shimmered in the chamber’s light.

The ancient Level 8 Legendary, a relic of the Great Rift War, exuded a predatory calm, his amber eyes scanning the room, a low hiss vibrating the air.

Their 82% sync ratio burned like a furnace in Kelvin’s chest, a lifeline against the dread that clawed at him. He rested a hand on Xerion’s scales with their heat grounding him as Master Torin’s voice cut through the silence.

"The Verdant Hollow," Torin said, as he leaned forward, his stormhawk Veyra perched on his shoulder and its crackling feathers were sparking.

"A new Veil rift has opened there, pulsing with the same dark energy as the Peaks. We believe the rogue tamer you faced is behind it, possibly a Sanctum defector.

Your mission is to track them, seal the rift, and uncover their identity. We suspect ties to the cloaked figure." His blue eyes locked onto Kelvin, sharp and unyielding as he said this things. "You are Adepts now. Prove it."

Lyra moved to Kelvin’s left, shifted, her silver braid neatly but frayed at the ends, her shadow-etched gauntlet glowed faintly with dark runes from the Peaks.

Salaris with her shadow-cloaked raptor, crouched nearby, her iridescent feathers blended with the chamber’s shadows, her talons clicked on the stone.

Lyra’s green eyes flashed with defiance, though pain lingered from her bandaged chest and side wounds. "It is Zack," she said, her voice low but firm.

"He knew our fears before the Peaks—my sister, Kelvin’s father, Darius’s village. He has been taunting us for months."

Darius, on Kelvin’s right, clenched a soulstone and its green glow were enhanced by the Peaks’ soulstream gems and his hazel eyes were narrowing.

Rhoam, his iron-plated panther, sprawled behind him with his massive paws scratching the floor and his plates were reinforced with Peaks ore.

Darius’s arm, leg, and chest wounds were ached under fresh bandages, but his grin was sharp. "Zack’s got the ego for it," he said, tossing the soulstone. "Always said we had fail and it sounds like a Veil traitor to me."

Kelvin nodded with his jaw tight. "He is too smug to just be a bully. We will find him." The monitoring device in his pack hummed, its runes flickering.....

"Veil rift detected in Verdant Hollow. Track with caution. Signal unstable." The Sanctum’s guidance was a faint comfort, but the signal’s flicker echoed the Peaks’ interference, a sign of the rogue tamer’s influence.

Torin’s stormhawk screeched, sparks flying. "Find proof this time," Torin said. "If Zack is the tamer, bring him to justice. If not, uncover the truth. The Veil’s network is growing. Go."

*******************

The trio left the chamber, with their beasts trailing, the Sanctum’s spires were looming against a gray dawn. They crossed misty plains, the Verdant Hollow’s dark canopy were rising like a bruise on the horizon.

Kelvin’s ribs throbbed with each step, but Xerion’s warmth steadied him. Lyra’s limp was slight, her gauntlet pulsed as she scanned for Veil energy.

Darius’s stride faltered, his wounds were slowing him, but Rhoam’s steady presence kept him grounded. The air grew heavy, thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, the forest’s edge pulsed with violet light.

"Zack is out there," Kelvin said, gripping his staff. "He has been playing us." Lyra’s eyes narrowed, as her gauntlet was glowing. "If it’s him, he will regret it."

Darius tossed his soulstone, catching it with a smirk. "Let’s make him eat his words."

The forest’s edge loomed with its trees twisted and their bark veined with violet energy and their branches swaying without wind.

The air was thick with sap, rot, and ozone, the ground were carpeted with glowing moss that pulsed like a heartbeat. Xerion’s scales bristled, his hiss sharp, sensing the rogue tamer’s energy.

Salaris darted ahead.and her feathers blended with the shadows, scouting for threats. Rhoam growled, his iron plates clinked, ready to charge.

The monitoring device were buzzed and its runes flickered: "Gloomstalker activity detected. Prepare for engagement."

Before Kelvin could respond, a low howl split the air, and the trees erupted with movement. Gloomstalkers, wolf-like beasts with thorned fur and glowing red eyes. They burst from the undergrowth and their bodies were pulsed with the rogue tamer’s dark runes.

Their psychic howls hit like a shockwave, conjuring visions of Zack’s sneering face in the Sanctum’s yard and his voice echoed: "You will fail, Kelvin. You are nothing."

"Form up!" Kelvin shouted, Xerion rearing, as his flames ignited a blazing arc that lit the forest. He channeled a fire Convergence through the dark gauntlet with a searing wave of flame erupting from his staff, burning the gloomstalkers’ thorned fur.

The beasts snarled and their claws raked the ground, their howls were amplifying the visions and Kelvin saw his father’s death, flames consuming him while blaming Kelvin’s weakness. novelbuddy-cσ๓

His heart pounded with doubt clawing at him, but Xerion’s warmth surged, grounding him.

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