Chapter 8 – Whispers Among the Trees

The morning mist still hung over the forest as the students of the Green Class gathered along the outer trails of the Valmere Academy. It was the first supervised expedition for terrain reconnaissance and beast tracking practice. The anticipation drifted among the young tamers like a silent current.

Ethan walked among his peers, but his focus was beyond the trail. He sensed the aromas, listened to the crackling of leaves, and noted the light steps of hidden animals. The Forest Ancestor Deer walked at his side, its antlers glimmering in shades of green whenever the sunlight pierced through the tall canopies.

The instructor in charge, a stern-faced woman named Mistress Vaela, stopped before a moss-covered fallen log.

— Today's objective is to identify tracks and signs of the beasts that inhabit this region. Remember: do not stray too far from the group. Some creatures roaming these forests are not recorded in the academy's annals.

The warning seemed exaggerated to some. But not to Ethan.

While the students split into pairs and small groups, Ethan ventured away with Klaus, combing through the vegetation near a crystal-clear brook. There, they discovered elongated tracks, in the shape of three claws, partially obscured by leaves.

— This doesn't look like any of the common beasts in the region… — Klaus remarked, frowning.

Ethan touched the soil, attempting to feel the energy left behind. A subtle chill ran down his spine.

— Something's not right.

The Forest Ancestor Deer suddenly lifted its head, its eyes fixed on a denser part of the woods. Ethan followed the creature's gaze. Amid the shadows of the trees, something moved. Quick. Silent. Yet it had not escaped the tamer's notice.

— Someone is watching us.

Klaus swallowed hard.

— A beast?

— No. It was… humanoid.

Ethan took a step forward, then hesitated. The sensation was not of immediate threat, but rather of… evaluation. As if something there was judging his actions.

— Let's report this to Mistress Vaela. — Klaus suggested.

But Ethan's gaze remained fixed on the darkness between the trunks.

Upon rejoining the group, a sudden movement caught his attention. A student, Theo, trembled as he pointed toward the forest behind him.

— I saw… I saw a strange creature. It had silvery eyes… and no face.

A murmur of excitement and fear rippled through the group.

Vaela immediately advanced, her eyes sharp and alert.

— Everyone: form pairs and return to the academy. Now. The guard patrol will be sent to investigate. No one is to remain here.

But Ethan already knew. What they had seen... was not just an ordinary beast.

He mentally noted the description and vowed to search the records. "Silvery eyes, faceless." It resonated with an old, nearly forgotten rumor: that of a creature called the Whispering Void, a legendary entity that roamed forests in search of unstable spiritual energy.

It was just a legend… or so it should have been.

That night, when silence reigned in the dormitories and only the wind whispered outside, Ethan returned to the forest in secret.

The Forest Ancestor Deer hesitated at first but then followed him. They reached the same clearing where they had sensed the presence.

There, under the faint glow of the moon, he saw it.

Among the trees, a tall figure, cloaked in pulsating shadows, watched intently. Faceless, yet with eyes like liquid silver.

It did not move. It did not attack. It simply… observed.

Ethan felt the energy around him ripple, as if the very forest were holding its breath.

Then, as silently as it had appeared, the figure vanished into the mist.

The tamer stood frozen for several long seconds. The Deer beside him emitted a deep sound—a mixture of warning and reverence.

In that moment, Ethan realized that this was no mere beast. It was something far older. Something that should not have been awakened.

And, in some way, it had noticed him.