Chapter 11 – Mists that Whisper

Training Under the Stars

The night fell serenely over the surroundings of Valmere Academy, with the full moon hanging like a silent sentinel. A small group of students advanced along the eastern forest trail, guided by enchanted torches that floated ahead, emitting a soft, golden light. Among them was Ethan.

Beside his Ancient Forest Stag, the young man maintained controlled breathing, alert to every nuance of the environment. The trees whispered to each other with the touch of the wind, and the mist crept among the roots as if searching for long-buried secrets.

"Pay attention to the sounds of the forest," said the instructor Vorn, a robust man with a braided beard and a calculating gaze. "This part of the training is meant to test your perception. Not all threats come with roars or clamor. Sometimes, danger... just watches."

Ethan felt a shiver run down his spine—not out of fear, but out of recognition. That which hid beyond the trees had already been watching them before the group had even arrived.

It happened suddenly.

The magical torches flickered. The temperature dropped slightly, and the fog thickened as if it were breathing with the forest. A low sound, almost like a distorted purr, emerged from the darkness.

"Defensive formation," ordered Vorn, raising his hand.

The students quickly gathered, their beasts taking up guard positions. The Ancient Forest Stag raised its antlers, which glowed with a faint light.

Then, it appeared.

Emerging from between the trees with slow, calculated movements, the Night Mist Lynx stepped into view.

Its body was slender and cloaked in a fur as dark as liquid shadows. Every step was silent, as if the ground accepted its presence without question. Its amber eyes shone with an unsettling intensity—not with anger, but with awareness.

"Do not approach," Vorn said, frowning. "This beast... is not registered."

"It's watching," murmured Ethan. "It's studying us."

The other students' beasts instinctively recoiled. A Lesser Crystal Serpent began to hiss, and a Crimson Canine growled aggressively. But the Lynx did not react. It simply walked around the group, maintaining a safe distance, as if delineating an invisible circle.

Then, it stopped.

It fixed its gaze on Ethan.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Ethan felt his connection with the Stag vibrate out of sync. It was as if the Lynx was... trying to establish a bond? Not exactly with him, but with the energy surrounding him.

"It didn't come to attack," said Ethan, stepping forward. "It came to warn us."

"Warn us?" Vorn looked at him in surprise.

Ethan nodded, his eyes still locked on the creature. "It's warning us about something. It's not hostility... it's desperation."

The Lynx tilted its head slightly and then, without a sound, turned and vanished among the trees, merging once again with the mist.

The group remained silent for several long seconds. When the atmosphere returned to normal, Vorn let out a heavy sigh.

"An intelligent beast... possibly of mystical origin. This complicates matters. The Council will need to know about this."

Then he turned to Ethan.

"Ward, the way you interacted with it... was as if you had already been trained for this. Yet, you haven't been formally trained in this type of contact."

"Not all training comes from books," Ethan replied calmly.

Vorn said nothing, but his eyes made it clear that he was beginning to see the young man in a new light.

Back at the academy, in his room, Ethan made detailed notes about the Lynx. He sketched its form and recorded the energetic sensation he had felt. He knew that the creature would return—and that, next time, it might not be alone.

As he wrote, a breeze drifted through the open window. For a brief moment, Ethan sensed that someone—or something—was watching him there as well.

But there was no one.

Only the whisper of the mists.