The colossal water serpent rose from the crystal lake.
Its body shimmered like liquid sapphire beneath the moonlight.
Every movement sent gentle waves across the valley, yet not a single drop spilled over the shore.
Lyra instinctively stepped back.
Umbra stood protectively before her.
The Codex opened.
Guardian Trial
Guardian:
Nereus
Trial:
The Trial of the Tides
Success Condition:
Understand the heart of the water.
Failure Condition:
Rejection by the Guardian.
Nereus looked at Lyra.
"Tell me."
"What is water?"
Lyra answered without hesitation.
"It gives life."
Nereus smiled.
"Only half the answer."
She waved her hand.
The lake transformed.
The crystal waters became a raging sea.
Towering waves crashed against black cliffs.
Ships were torn apart.
Storm clouds swallowed the sky.
The roar of the ocean drowned every sound.
Water that had once appeared gentle had become terrifying.
"What is water now?"
Nereus asked.
Lyra watched in silence.
"It destroys."
Again, Nereus shook her head.
"Still incomplete."
The Guardian pointed toward the sea.
"Walk."
Lyra stared.
"There isn't any land."
"There doesn't need to be."
Trusting her words, Lyra stepped onto the raging ocean.
Instead of sinking...
The water held her weight.
Each step created glowing ripples.
Umbra followed close behind.
Suddenly, cries for help echoed through the storm.
Three boats struggled against enormous waves.
On one boat were frightened villagers.
On another were hunters carrying cages filled with captured beasts.
On the third sailed masked members of the Cult of the Empty Heart.
All three were moments away from sinking.
The Codex displayed a new challenge.
Decision
You possess enough power to save only one.
Choose wisely.
Lyra frowned.
"No."
She looked around carefully.
Then her eyes fell upon a towering rock hidden beneath the waves.
"If I can't save one..."
"...I'll save everyone."
She turned to Umbra.
"Trust me."
Through Shared Instinct, Umbra understood instantly.
He raced toward the hidden rock.
At the same moment, Lyra climbed onto its highest point and raised the wooden whistle.
The Song of First Bonds echoed across the storm.
The waves hesitated.
Even the wind seemed to listen.
Then Umbra struck the rock with all his strength.
Cracks spread through the stone.
A deep underwater current changed direction.
The enormous waves split apart.
Instead of crashing into the ships...
They carried all three safely toward the shore.
The illusion faded.
Nereus smiled.
"You looked beyond the question."
"You changed the current instead of fighting the waves."
She touched the lake.
It became perfectly still.
"Now answer me once more."
"What is water?"
Lyra gazed into the calm surface.
She saw her own reflection beside Umbra's.
Then she smiled.
"Water doesn't choose whether to give life or take it."
"It simply follows the path before it."
"It is the heart that guides the current."
For the first time, Nereus bowed.
"A perfect answer."
The water serpent lowered its immense head before Lyra.
A single shimmering blue scale floated into her hands.
The Codex glowed brilliantly.
Guardian Trial Complete
Reward Obtained
Tidal Scale of Nereus
Rank:
Legendary
Effect:
Allows the user to purify poisoned rivers, lakes, and seas while strengthening Beast Bonds with aquatic creatures.
Synchronization:
63%
Pyron laughed proudly.
"Two Guardians have acknowledged you."
Nereus placed a gentle hand on Lyra's shoulder.
"The road ahead will only become harder."
"Yet remember this..."
"A river reaches the sea not because it is the strongest..."
"...but because it never stops flowing."
As dawn painted the Valley of Echoes in gold, a messenger hawk descended from the sky.
It landed before Lyra with a scroll tied to its leg.
The seal bore the crest of the Kingdom of Asteria.
Inside was a single desperate message.
«To anyone who can hear this...
The northern fortress has fallen.
The Cult marches toward the capital.
We have three days before the kingdom is lost.»
Lyra rolled up the scroll and looked toward the distant mountains.
"Then we can't waste another moment."
Together, Lyra, Umbra, Pyron, and Nereus began their journey toward Asteria, unaware that Lord Kael was already waiting for them beyond the kingdom's gates.