ch 26

Chapter 27: The Whispering Grave and the Village Beast Fair

System Sync: Ongoing

Shepherd's Territory Growth: Passive Influence Detected — Ancestral Zone Expansion (Phase 1)

New Skill Seed Hidden: [Bone-Echo: ???] — Locked.

The village was bustling.

Every spring, the valley folk hosted the "Beast Fair." What started as a small celebration to share animal food and stories had turned into a loud, chaotic event filled with summoned creatures, young tamers, and more pies than anyone could count.

Elric stood with his arms crossed, squinting like a judge.

Across from him, a chubby kid tried to get a slime to stack apples. The slime ate every single one. The boy burst into tears.

"Judges say… 4 out of 10," Elric announced. "For effort."

Yui clapped politely while Feli offered the slime another apple.

Boneclaw stood like a monument behind them, still and imposing. The other kids gave it a wide berth.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the village, near the old well, strange things stirred.

Elric's grandfather, Riven, walked with his usual slow, thoughtful pace. But today, something in the wind made his brows furrow.

A soft humming — like old voices under water — tickled his ear.

The Shepherd grows. The soil remembers. The bones are listening again...

He paused. Kneeling near the old stone circle beyond the fields, he pressed his hand to the dirt.

There, buried deep, was something that had not stirred in decades.

That night, Elric couldn't sleep.

The System pulsed softly in his head.

Notification: Passive Echo Detected.

A hidden grave tied to Shepherd Lineage has responded to your presence.

Do you wish to investigate?

"Yes," Elric whispered, heart thumping.

He snuck out with Boneclaw in tow. The moonlight spilled over the hills, casting silver light on the half-forgotten trail.

When they reached the circle, something was waiting.

Not alive. But not truly dead.

System Activation: Hidden Class Fragment Located

Binding Soul Thread... Sync Failed.

Essence Too Ancient. Alternative Approach Suggested.

Skill Tree Branch Detected: Necro-Shepherd (???)

Status: Dormant

Elric blinked. "Necro-what now?"

He stepped into the circle. The grass inside had withered. Boneclaw growled low.

From the ground, something rose — a faint shimmer, like smoke and memory.

A shape formed — cloaked in tattered robes, skull half-silver, eyes flickering with ghostlight.

It didn't attack.

It bowed.

"Elric… of the Broken Thread," it rasped. "You wear the blood of the Gate Watcher. You bear the scent of old summoning magic. You are not ready."

Elric gulped. "I never am, honestly."

The figure laughed — or coughed, it was hard to tell.

System Message: You have awakened the First Echo.

Passive Summoning Path: [Bone-Echo] Unlocked (Dormant)

Memory Seeds absorbed: 1/100

The figure faded, leaving behind a small black stone in the shape of a fang.

Elric picked it up. Boneclaw tilted his head.

"What just happened?" he asked.

System Message: A new path unfolds. One tread by few. One feared by many. One that will not follow tamers or kings. You are not a necromancer.

You are something older.

The next morning, Elric yawned as he joined his family at the breakfast table.

"Where were you?" Kain asked.

"Fighting ghost monks who want to turn me into a death shepherd," Elric muttered.

Everyone ignored him.

Even Boneclaw, who just started