It was subtle at first—barely a ripple across the academy grounds—but Zane felt it like a punch to the chest. The sky above trembled, shadows thickening unnaturally as if recoiling from something monstrous.
Then, like a blade through silence, the System spoke again:
[New Quest Issued: Survive the Voidborne.]
[Difficulty: Lethal.]
Zane's heart dropped.
Unknown? That had never happened before. "Nyx?" he whispered, eyes darting around for the flicker of shadow and violet flame that always accompanied her.
"Nyx?" he said louder this time, desperation bleeding into his voice.
The world went silent—just before it roared.
A thunderclap of wings cracked through the air as the Phoenix dove—black feathers tearing across the sky, eyes burning with cosmic fire. It wasn't flying. It was hunting.
Zane barely had time to react.
"Sera—MOVE!" he shouted, shoving her aside with a burst of strength just as the Voidborne creature came crashing down like a meteor of shadow.
Sera hit the ground with a sharp gasp, rolling to her feet—and then she saw it.
The massive, night-wrapped beast hovered above the cracked courtyard. For a second, her voice caught in her throat. "What... what is that—?!"
But there was no time for answers.
The Phoenix shrieked—an unearthly cry that shattered glass and tore banners from their poles—and in the blink of an eye, its talons closed around Zane.
Before anyone could scream, he was gone.
Carried high above the academy, beyond the realm of safety. Into the clouds. Into darkness.
And the sky swallowed him whole.