Life at Dawn Crest Academy never slowed.

Even after his induction into Shadow Operations, Aston's outward routine remained steady.

Each week flowed like clockwork—academic days were filled with theory and drills, while free hours were claimed by group exercises or quick missions with his team. The Shadow Ops strand hadn't interfered with his regular schedule… yet.

But Sundays were different.

While most students took the day to rest or visit the markets below the terraces, Aston took solo assignments—short, tactical jobs scattered across the academy's surrounding zones. Recon support, information gathering, delivery of specialized packages under time-sensitive conditions. Nothing overt, but each task honed the skills Shadow Ops cared about.

He returned late each evening, his uniform worn but clean, his steps silent, his spirit beasts close at hand.

Gray had grown sharper—his ears twitching at even the slightest sound—and Mirage adapted quickly to low-altitude gliding, conserving energy in long runs. They'd stopped needing commands.

They simply moved with him.

—

It was during one of their biweekly meetups in the east gardens—a quiet terrace ringed by high crystal-bloom hedges—that Seria arrived with something new.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, brushing a few flecks of pollen from her uniform.

Rowan glanced up from the spiritlight board game he was half-playing with Kai. "Rare for you."

Seria didn't respond immediately. She raised one hand. A soft chime rippled in the air.

From behind her hair—almost as if it had been nestled there the whole time—a small bird emerged.

Except it wasn't normal. Its feathers shimmered faintly in translucent prismatic tones, almost mirroring her butterfly. The bird hovered for a moment before landing gently on her wrist.

Lyra blinked. "That's new."

"It is," Seria said. "He's called Oriel."

Unbeknownst to them, Aston's eyes started to flash with texts.

—

[Spirit Beast: Skythread Oriole]

[Type: Avian]

[Attribute: Wind]

[Genus: Icterus]

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

[Rank: 3-star]

[Potential: 9-star]

[Description: A rare spirit beast with prismatic feathers that refract ambient light, the Skythread Oriole is born above the Aetherveil Skies, where sky currents are thinnest and perception is paramount. It is known for its wide-area scanning abilities, lightweight maneuverability, and seamless aerial synergy with support-class spirit beasts.]

[Skills:]

[Skyfield Echo: Emits a pulse of wind-threaded light that maps the surrounding environment in real-time, revealing hidden units, cloaked enemies, and spatial anomalies within a wide radius. Enhances the user's spatial awareness.]

[Threadfeather Burst: Rapidly unfurls its tail feathers, launching thin wind-light filaments at multiple targets. The threads cause minor damage but mark affected targets for follow-up effects by partnered beasts.]

[Next skill will be unlocked at 5-star]

[Passive Skills:]

[Light Drift: The Skythread Oriole's movements generate almost no air resistance, allowing it to hover silently, glide across turbulent wind pockets, and reposition with uncanny speed. Slightly boosts partner beast maneuverability when nearby.]

[Innate Skills:]

[Prismatic Weave: The Skythread Oriole's body creates subtle threads of light that link with bonded beasts, enabling synchronized perception sharing. When chained with a compatible spirit beast, it allows short-range resonance loops—momentarily increasing support skill speed and field awareness.]

[Next skill will be unlocked at 5-star]

—

Kai leaned forward. "Second spirit beast?"

She nodded. "I bonded with him earlier this week. His affinity is with lightweight maneuvering and field-wide perception. He syncs well with Lumine. They've already started resonance chaining."

"Two flying types," Aston murmured, impressed. "You're specializing in control aerials?"

Seria gave a small smile. "More like battlefield awareness. Oriel scouts, Lumine manipulates. Together, they cover wide sectors."

Rowan gave a low whistle. "Not bad. Didn't think you'd be the first among us to bond with a second spirit beast—well, aside from Mr. Freako here."

Seria shrugged. "I don't like waiting."

Then Rowan stood, brushing off his palms. "Well, I won't be far behind."

Aston raised an eyebrow. "Already?"

Rowan nodded. "Broke into elite tier last week. Been scouting for a second partner since." He tapped his chest lightly, where Verdy—his moss lemur—peeked out from a side pouch, blinking sleepily. "Verdy's stable. We've both grown. It's time."

Kai groaned. "Man, I'm not even halfway through my core compression for elite. You guys are ridiculous."

"You'll catch up," Lyra said with a grin. "You just need to stop spending half your time tweaking gadget mods. Also, don't let your red potential limit you."

"They're not just mods," Kai muttered. "They're combat augmentations."

"Combat-ish," Rowan teased.

They laughed, easy and warm. It was one of the few spaces where Aston could relax fully.

He leaned back on his elbows, Mirage resting nearby under the low-hanging branches. Gray had curled beside him, eyes half-closed but always alert.

The sparrow Oriel flitted from Seria's wrist to a branch above, feathers catching light as if dipped in soft rainbows.

Two bonded already. One breaking through. One close. And him?

Aston said nothing, but inwardly, he was tracking every step.

He wasn't rushing. But he wasn't idle, either.

The others didn't know about the missions. The hallway beneath the northeast ruin. The trials. The codename: Kynee.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.