The narrow alleys of Emberfall Cross still hummed with residual tension from their arrival. Ash felt it pulsing in the air—thick with uneasy alliances, whispered deals, and a current of elemental energy that didn't quite settle.
He adjusted the straps on his gear, letting his gaze drift over the bustling market streets where rogue Tamers bartered beasts, forbidden tech, and secrets traded like currency. It was a city carved from iron and shadow, alive with danger yet bound by fragile order.
Kade and Vetra had split off as planned, each following threads that might unravel the mystery beneath Ironhold. Vetra was diving into Syndicate whispers and underground beast-trading circles, while Kade scouted for abnormal elemental fluctuations that might hint at hidden powers. Ash was left to chase a lead on the Riftborn Aqua-Drakes—a rare prize whispered about in hushed tones among the Syndicate's contacts.
Now, standing at the edge of a shadowed alcove, Ash's pulse quickened. The twin drakes were said to be tied not only by blood but by consciousness—a bond deeper than any beast and Tamer. He wasn't sure if it was a myth or the truth, but he had to see for himself.
Two sleek forms rested side by side on a slab of obsidian. Their scales shimmered with liquid hues—one glowing with vibrant teal like a shallow river, the other darker, shifting like rippling night water.
Ash's breath caught. "Morning Glory... Night Shade..."
He barely spoke aloud—the names felt like a silent song between them.
Before he could reach out, a harsh voice cut through the crowd. "Looking to buy, or just dreaming, kid?"
Ash turned. A lean man stepped forward—Kael, a Tamer known for muscle and sharp edges. His eyes gleamed with suspicion and greed. "Those drakes don't come cheap. And they don't like strangers."
Ash's fingers tightened on his gauntlet. "I'm not here to haggle."
Kael's smirk twisted cruelly. "Then you're here for a fight."
The fire wolf Kael summoned from his bond crystal snarled, its eyes blazing as it lunged.
Ash's heart jumped. "Specter, synchronize!"
Shadow and smoke blurred around him, Specter weaving like liquid darkness in perfect harmony with Ash's movements. The fire wolf snapped and snarled, but Ash dodged with practiced grace, closing the gap between him and the drakes.
Suddenly, the twin drakes stirred—scales brightening with an electric pulse. A rush of thought flooded Ash's mind, a voice shared between the two:
Morning Glory…Night Shade…
Their consciousness brushed against his own—a rare, powerful bond. Separate souls, yet one mind.
A soft chime sounded in Ash's ears—a clear, mechanical tone that cut through the noise of the market.
System Notification: Bond Synchronization Complete: Riftborn Aqua-Drakes "Morning Glory" and "Night Shade" linked. Shared consciousness established. Synchronization bonus active.
Ash's heart pounded as the drakes pulsed softly, their presence anchoring him amid the restless city.
"We're linked," Ash whispered, awe mingling with resolve. "I won't let you go."
Kael's snarl faded as he slipped back into the crowd, defeated for now.
Ash sank to one knee, the weight of his new bond settling deep inside. The Riftborn drakes shimmered with rift energy, their scales reflecting the dim light.
Later, under the flickering glow of a worn lantern in Emberfall Cross's dim library, Ash poured over ancient texts. Crumbling pages detailed colossal beasts buried beneath the cities—Hollow Root Beasts, elemental titans locked in slumber.
"These aren't just old stories," Ash muttered, tracing the jagged sketches. Each beast was tied to a city, a living pillar of elemental power.
His eyes widened at a final passage: "If awakened together, the Hollow Root Beasts could forge the Seventh Herald—a force that could reshape the world."
Ash slammed the book shut, heart pounding. The rumors from the Syndicate—about a slumbering beast beneath Ironhold—no longer felt like isolated threats. They were pieces of an ancient, terrifying puzzle.
Ash settled onto a cracked stone bench deep within the labyrinthine underbelly of Emberfall Cross, the twin drakes curled protectively beside him. The flickering glow of nearby neon and cracked elemental conduits cast shifting colors across their scaled forms—Morning Glory's teal hide shimmering faintly like sunlight filtered through shallow water, Night Shade's shadowy silhouette shifting like ripples on a moonlit pond.
He summoned the system status window into his line of sight—a translucent panel edged with faint azure runes, pulsing softly in sync with the drakes' steady breaths. The interface detailed their bond information and unique Riftborn traits, revealing how nascent and fragile this connection still was:
Bond Synchronization Status:
Beasts: Morning Glory (Riftborn Aqua-Drake, Primal Stage) / Night Shade (Riftborn Aqua-Drake, Primal Stage)
Bond Type: Shared Consciousness (Rare)
Sync Bonus: +5% Reflexes, +3% Elemental Affinity (Water/Rift), +4% Resistance to Elemental Corruption
Link Stability: 82% (Improving)
Special Traits: Dual-Element Riftborn Link (Emerging)
Current Health: Morning Glory 100%, Night Shade 100%
Current Stamina: Morning Glory 92%, Night Shade 90%
Ash's gaze lingered on the "Dual-Element Riftborn Link (Emerging)" line. Though their power was still raw, the rare shared consciousness between the two hinted at extraordinary potential if nurtured and trained. The "Synchronize Burst" ability—an advanced skill typically only unlocked by evolved Aspect or higher forms—was still out of reach for now, buried beneath layers of growth and experience.
He reached out, running a careful hand over Morning Glory's damp, supple scales. The drake responded with a soft, tentative nuzzle, warm and alive against his palm. Night Shade's smoky eyes locked onto his with quiet intelligence, wary but curious.
We're just beginning, the silent connection whispered between them—an unspoken promise of strength to come.
Ash let out a slow breath, feeling the weight of the moment settle in his chest. This was no simple acquisition from a black market—this was a beginning thread in the tapestry of power and peril woven beneath Ironhold. The primal forms of the Riftborn Aqua-Drakes were fragile, vulnerable, but filled with potential that the Syndicate's scholars barely understood.
Just as Ash exhaled, the shrill buzz of his comm unit snapped him back to the present.
He tapped the receiver, lifting it to his ear.
"Kade?" His voice was calm, but edged with tension.
"There's something wrong," Kade's voice crackled through, low and urgent. "Elemental readings near the eastern tunnels — pulsing, but unstable. It's like the city itself is breathing, but broken."
Ash's eyes flicked once more to the shimmering scales of Morning Glory and Night Shade, their rift energy faint but unmistakable—a fragile beacon amid the roiling shadows.
"We're deeper in than we thought," Ash murmured.
Vetra's voice cut through next, sharp and steady. "The Syndicate's grip runs deep in Emberfall Cross. That beast market? Just the surface. Whatever stirs beneath Ironhold—beast or otherwise—has chains reaching everywhere."
Ash's fingers clenched the edge of the cracked bench. The bond thrumming through him, the silent weight of unknown forces beneath the city—it all converged here and now.
"We face it all together," he said quietly.
The twin drakes shifted, their primal scales rippling softly as if responding to the resolve in his voice.
The scales had barely begun to shift.
The rift was quietly widening.
And Ash—Rai was ready to step through.