Chapter 286: We need to know more

Elion stands by the large map of the continent, his expression grave. The light from the enchanted lamps flickers softly across his face as Lira tells him everything the intruder said. He listens without interrupting, hands folded behind his back.

When she finishes, he finally exhales.

"I had hoped," he says slowly, "that this day would never come. But deep down, I always knew it was a matter of time. The old groups who once hunted multielement users... they were ruthless. They see people like you as a danger, not as hope."

Lira clenches her fists. "He said they’ll find all of us."

Elion nods. "Then we will make sure they do not succeed. First, we will strengthen the academy’s barriers. I will call the wardmasters and the elemental council. No one will enter our grounds without being noticed."

He steps closer to her, resting a steady hand on her shoulder. "Second, we’ll move all newly arrived multielement users to the inner halls. That way, they are always within the main protection layers. No one will be left alone."

"And third," his voice hardens, "we’ll train. Every student willing to fight will be taught defense and emergency escape routes. Especially you, Lira. You are one of their targets. But also one of our strongest."

Lira nods, determination rising in her chest. "Then let them come," she whispers. "We’ll be ready."

Elion smiles faintly. "That’s the spirit I hoped to see. This academy was built to protect and teach. Now... it will also stand guard."

A bell rings in the distance — the sound of the first defense meeting being called. Lira and Elion exchange a silent understanding before walking out of the office together.

The great council chamber was already filled when Lira and Grandmaster Elion stepped inside. Long tables arranged in a half-circle held professors, elemental masters, ward-keepers, and senior students. The atmosphere was tense — the usual warm chatter was replaced by low whispers and worried glances.

At the head of the room, the great map of the academy shimmered with protective layers, each line glowing faintly in different colors. Ward runes flickered, showing weak points and potential entry paths.

Elion raised his hand. Instantly, silence filled the hall.

"Everyone," his voice echoed, calm but firm, "the threat we spoke of for years has finally reached our doors. One of their hunters tried to breach our defenses tonight."

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"They’re still active...?" one of the ward-masters muttered.

Elion nodded. "Yes. And they have declared their intent to find and destroy multielement users."

Lira stood beside him, feeling the weight of every eye on her. But this time, she didn’t shrink back. She held her head high.

Elion continued, "Here is what we will do. First — Wardmaster Irin, strengthen the outer barrier. I want layers that would alert us before anyone even steps close. Second — all multielement students will be relocated to the inner sector. They’ll be protected by the Heartstone itself."

Irin bowed. "Consider it done, Grandmaster."

"Third," Elion turned to the professors, "we begin accelerated combat training. Not only for multielement users — for everyone willing. We do not raise helpless students. We raise protectors."

Patricia and Maelin, sitting among the students, exchanged a firm nod.

"And last," Elion said, his gaze sweeping the hall, "we will send ravens to the allied academies. If they come for one of us, they come for all. We stand united."

A strong murmur of agreement filled the room — not of fear, but of resolve.

Lira felt a warm pulse from her elemental core. She looked at her friends in the crowd — Renkai, Thalanir, Serelyth — each of them watching her, ready.

Elion turned slightly toward her. "Lira, you will lead a small group to scout the outer borders of academy. I trust your instincts. If they are already close, we will know before they strike."

She nodded. "We’ll find them."

The bell sounded once more, marking the end of the meeting. But no one rushed out. People were already moving into groups, forming defense lines, preparing spells.

The academy had stopped being just a school tonight.

It was becoming a fortress.

...

Lira stood in the cold night air, the moonlight casting silver lines across the academy grounds. The trees surrounding the walls whispered as the wind passed through them, but tonight those whispers carried tension. She had her satchel strapped across her shoulder, filled with wards and potions, ready for whatever they might face.

Behind her, her team gathered — Renkai with his sly grin hiding the unease in his golden eyes, Thalanir quiet but alert, Serelyth adjusting her bow, Maelin clutching a glowing crystal for sensing magic, and Patricia whispering a light protective spell under her breath. They moved as one, a circle of trust forged through shared danger.

"All right," Lira said softly, "we split into two groups. Renkai, Thalanir — take the east grove. Check the hidden paths. Serelyth, Maelin, Patricia — with me on the western border. No one goes alone. If anything moves, signal immediately."

"Got it," Renkai said, and in the moonlight, his fox ears twitched, already alert.

They disappeared into the trees, the ground crunching lightly beneath their boots.

Up in the watchtowers, elemental lights flickered — glowing red, blue, green, and gold — a silent network of wards being tested. Mages and guards were already moving under Elion’s command.

Farther away in the Grandmaster’s tower, Elion stood before the great crystal communicator. Its surface rippled like water as he spoke in a language older than the academy itself. On the other side, deep voices rumbled — the Dragon Council had answered.

"Lira Elion is a beacon," Elion said, his tone both proud and grave. "And a beacon attracts both hope and danger. They have found her. I will not let her or her kin fall."

The dragon lord’s golden eyes gleamed through the magical shimmer."We owe her our respect. She found more multielement users where no one else dared to look. If darkness rises again, the skies will answer. Dragons will guard the borders if the hunters strike."

Elion bowed his head slightly. "Then we stand together."

Outside, Lira’s group reached the forest’s outer rings. Serelyth scanned the tree line while Maelin pressed her glowing stone to the soil.

"No movement yet," Maelin whispered. "But the earth remembers steps. There were strangers here yesterday."

Lira crouched, her hand brushing the grass. Her multielement energy hummed softly — a ripple of water, a spark of fire, a whisper of wind, a pull of earth. She felt something faint — a trace of magic, foreign and cold.

"They’re watching," she whispered.

Renkai’s voice came softly through the crystal link in her ear. "Lira, east side’s clear for now. But... there’s a strange mark on one of the stones. Not natural."

Lira’s eyes narrowed. "Mark it. Don’t touch it. We’ll regroup."

Thalanir’s deeper voice followed, calm but firm. "We’ll meet at the western border in ten."

They moved silently, but the air itself seemed to grow heavier. This was no random shadow lurking — this was preparation from the enemy too.

When they regrouped under the old guardian tree near the academy wall, Elion himself joined them, the folds of his robe catching faint magical light.

"I’ve spoken to the dragons," he announced. "They’ve agreed. If we send a single flame into the sky, their wings will rise."

Renkai exhaled sharply. "Dragons at our back? Well, if anyone dares to attack us now, they’re either foolish or doomed."

Serelyth smirked. "Or both."

Elion’s expression softened slightly as he looked at them — young, but fierce. "We will fortify every inch of these grounds. But you six — you will be my eyes beyond the walls. If they come, I want to know before they reach the gate."

Lira met his gaze and nodded. "They won’t get close without us knowing."

And above them, in the distant night, a low, deep roar rolled through the clouds — a dragon’s promise, faint but strong.

The grove was quiet that evening — too quiet. The trees, normally alive with the soft rustle of life, stood still as if listening. Lira stood beneath the old giant tree, the heart of the grove, and watched her friends gather one by one. The glow of the lanterns along the pathways painted their faces in warm gold, but tension sat in the air like a heavy mist.

Renkai leaned against a root, his tail flicking slowly — a restless sign. Serelyth perched on a low branch with her usual warrior grace, Thalanir stood straight as a sentinel, and fluffy curled at Lira’s feet, ears twitching.

Lira looked around at them, exhaling deeply. "Does any of you know more about this group?" she asked, her voice low but firm. "The one that hunts multielement users. If we want to defeat them... we need everything we can get."

Silence stretched out between them. Even the night birds had gone quiet.

Renkai’s ears tilted back as his gaze dropped to the ground. "You know I do," he said finally, his usual light tone replaced by something deeper, sadder. "Your past self... she died because of them."

The words hit like cold water. Lira reached out, taking his hand gently. "I know," she whispered. "But I need more than just fragments. If we’re going to protect everyone here, I need the truth."

Renkai swallowed hard, his fingers tightening slightly around hers. "They’re called theShadow Covenant. That’s what we called them, at least. Old bloodlines. Old hatred. They believed multielement users were abominations — things that disrupt the ’natural balance.’ They hunted you once... and they won."

Lira’s heart clenched, but she stayed silent, listening.

Renkai’s golden eyes lifted to meet hers. "I watched you fall. I couldn’t protect you. I swore if you ever returned, I wouldn’t let them take you again."

Serelyth jumped down from the branch, landing softly. "I don’t remember much from that time," she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "Back then, I was mostly in my stone form. We statues can feel and hear, but not act. All I knew was that the land shook. Magic burned. And then... silence."

Thalanir stepped forward, his hands folded in front of him. His usual calm had a sorrowful edge. "My village was far away. I didn’t even know such hunters existed until I came here. We heard stories — whispers of ’cleansings’ and night fires — but I thought they were just old fear tales."

Lira closed her eyes for a moment, letting their words settle like roots into her. Shadow Covenant. Old hatred. And they were coming again.

Fluffy nuzzled against her leg, letting out a soft chirping sound.

When she opened her eyes again, they gleamed with quiet determination. "Then we’ll do what they never expected," she said. "We’ll stand together. This time, they won’t win."

Renkai straightened, ears flicking forward. "That’s more like the Lira I remember."

Serelyth smirked, arms crossing. "Let them try. They’ll find this grove isn’t undefended anymore."

Thalanir placed his hand on his heart and nodded solemnly. "We protect what grows."

Above them, the old giant tree gave a slow, rumbling sound — almost like an ancient laugh or blessing — its branches moving gently though there was no wind.

The grove would stand with them.

And so would they, together.