Chapter 12 – Marks on the Stone

Unexpected Summons

Dawn had barely broken the sky when Ethan was already awake. He had slept little—not from insomnia, but from the unease caused by his encounter with the Night Mist Lynx. The image of the creature merging with the fog remained vivid in his mind, a memory too recent to fade.

As he prepared himself, a firm knock echoed at the door.

— Ethan Ward. Report to the Northern Hall. Immediately — a formal voice declared from the other side.

Ethan opened the door to find a young messenger in the blue uniform of the logistics division. Her eyes betrayed no emotion, only the urgency of someone carrying orders.

The Exploration Mission

Shortly thereafter, Ethan found himself before Instructor Vorn, flanked by two other students. One was Kael, tamer of a Celestial Shadow Ray, renowned as a silent genius; the other was Nira, a tracking specialist, whose Lunar Silver Owl was famous for its impressive sensory range.

— You have been selected to join a special patrol — Vorn's voice was low, yet laden with gravity. — Our mission is simple: investigate the area where the Night Mist Lynx was spotted. We seek no conflict, only answers.

— Understood — Ethan replied, casting a brief glance at Kael and Nira.

They all knew: their talents had not gone unnoticed, hence their presence together.

The Deep Forest

The journey along the eastern trail was slow and tense. The fog lingered in that part of the forest as if it refused to dissipate. The Lunar Silver Owl circled silently above the group, while the Celestial Shadow Ray hovered a few meters off the ground, emitting pulses of detection.

Ethan's Ancient Forest Stag, its antlers held high, remained alert, responding to the energy of the surroundings with subtle tremors in the vegetation.

Then Nira suddenly halted.

— There's something there… not a beast. A structure.

The Stone Circle

Pushing past twisted branches, the group reached a hidden clearing. At its center, stones arranged in a circle formed an ancient altar. Some were cloaked in moss, others cracked by time. But in the center was something that froze Ethan in place:

An engraved symbol on the central rock. Circular, composed of lines intersecting like roots or veins. In the middle, an eye. Familiar.

— I've seen this symbol before — Ethan murmured.

— Where? — asked Kael.

— In my father's notebooks — he replied, kneeling before the stone. — He wrote of an "ancient language of beasts," forgotten for centuries. He said it was a primitive form of communication between creatures and… tamers. But we never found any concrete evidence. Until now.

Ancient Echoes

The Ancient Forest Stag stepped closer to the stone. Its eyes glowed with an intense green light and its hooves touched the ground with delicacy. In that instant, a subtle energy coursed through the earth, activating hidden inscriptions on the other stones.

— This is an ancient harmonization chamber — Kael said, astonished. — A place where beasts and humans sealed pacts… long before the current system existed.

— How is it still active? — Nira murmured.

— Perhaps it never really stopped being active — Ethan replied.

Before they could examine further, the Lunar Silver Owl swooped down in a rapid flight, issuing a warning.

Approaching Presences

From within the fog, shadows began to stir. Three pairs of glowing eyes emerged from the bushes. They were beasts—but not wild ones.

New creatures appeared:

Black-Preyed Feline – muscular, with fangs that emitted a dark energy.

Flaming-Hide Runner – a swift quadruped with stripes of living embers.

Shadow Weaver – a giant spider, with strands of dark energy vibrating from its legs.

— Are they… guarding the circle? — Kael drew his crossbow back.

Ethan stood motionless, facing the three creatures.

— Or perhaps they are here because of us.

The three beasts did not attack. They merely observed, as if awaiting a decision… or an answer.

Conclusion

— Fall back — ordered Vorn, emerging from the fog. — This has already exceeded the bounds of a reconnaissance mission. The Council must be informed… and quickly.

As they retreated from the circle, Ethan glanced back one last time. The symbol still glowed, faintly, but persistently. A question took root in his mind:

How many other circles might be hidden in the world?