The ancient chamber shuddered as another tremor ran through the Academy foundations. Outside their sanctuary, the battle continued—but for how long?
"Master Damian—" Saguna began.
"Is beyond our help now," Professor Nyala finished, her voice heavy with grief. "The warning came too late. The breach was already wider than we anticipated."
"You knew this was coming," Radji said. It wasn't a question.
Professor Nyala's shoulders sagged slightly. "We suspected. The signs have been clear for months, temperature fluctuations, strange phenomena, the whispers growing stronger. But we hoped to have more time to prepare you." She looked at each of them in turn, her gaze lingering longest on Saguna. "Much more time."
"For what?" Saguna demanded. "What exactly is happening?"
Professor Nyala placed her hands on the crystal atop the pedestal. Silver light flowed from her fingers into the stone, which began to glow with a soft radiance.
"The Veil between worlds is failing," she said simply. "What you just witnessed was merely the first major breach. There will be others. Many others. And they will grow worse." She looked up at them, her expression grave. "The Soul Drainers are merely the scouts, the first to find the weaknesses. Behind them waits something far worse."
The crystal's light expanded, projecting an image in the air above it: a map of Zendirah, with points of light scattered across its surface. As they watched, several of those lights flickered and went dark.
"Each light represents a sealed breach, maintained by the Academy's wardens," Professor Nyala explained. "Those going dark are seals breaking, failing under increasing pressure from the other side."
"The other side of what?" Osa asked, though his tone suggested he already feared the answer.
"The Veil. The barrier between our world and the spirit realm." Professor Nyala's gaze moved to Saguna. "The realm where your sister has been trapped for twelve years. The realm that hungers for our world's life and warmth."
The image above the crystal shifted, zooming in on a particular point on the coast, a small fishing village where a light pulsed weakly, flickering between stability and failure.
"Teluk Jati," Saguna whispered, recognizing his childhood home.
"The first breach," Professor Nyala confirmed. "Never fully healed, merely contained. And now, the most vulnerable point in all of Zendirah."
The crystal's light changed again, displaying three distinct symbols—a spiral of flame, a flowing wave, and a mountain peak. Each pulsed in sequence, forming a triangle of light.
"The Triumvirate has awakened for a reason," Professor Nyala said, her voice gaining strength. "You three are not here by chance. Your meeting was not coincidence. The marks you bear are the Trifold Seal — the key to repairing the Veil itself."
"But we barely know how to use these abilities," Radji protested. "We're students, not... whatever this requires."
"You are more than students," Professor Nyala replied firmly. "You are the Triumvirate. Fire, Water, Earth, the three pillars of balance. And whether you're ready or not, your time has come." She looked directly at Saguna. "If you truly wish to save your sister, Mr. Taksa, then you must first save the world she was taken from."
The crystal's light pulsed one final time, then settled into a steady glow. Professor Nyala straightened, her expression hardening with resolve.
"The Academy is no longer safe," she said. "What breached the Sorrow Well was merely the vanguard. Others will follow, drawn to the Triumvirate's awakening power."
As if confirming her words, a tremor shook the chamber, dust sifting down from the ancient ceiling. The silver barrier Professor Nyala had placed across the entrance flickered momentarily.
"Is there no way to fight it?" Saguna asked. "We managed to hold it back, at least for a while."
"What you faced was but a fraction of its true form," Professor Nyala replied grimly. "And you are untrained, unprepared. To face it directly now would be suicide."
"So we're just going to hide down here?" Osa demanded, disbelief evident in his voice.
"No." Professor Nyala gestured toward the crystal, where the map of Zendirah still glowed. The light at Teluk Jati pulsed more urgently now. "We need to address the source, not merely the symptoms. The Academy's defenses will hold for a time—Damian's sacrifice ensured that."
"Sacrifice?" Radji's voice was quiet.
Professor Nyala's face softened slightly. "He knew the risks. Master Damian... Damian was part of the previous Triumvirate. He understood what was at stake better than anyone."
Saguna felt a cold realization wash over him. "You were too. Part of the previous Triumvirate."
Professor Nyala's eyes met his, and in them he saw centuries of pain and knowledge.
"And my sister? Can we find her?" Saguna couldn't keep the desperate hope from his voice.
"It's possible." Professor Nyala's tone was measured, careful. "The Veil is thinnest there. With proper training, a Walker might be able to cross over and return. But first, we must ensure there is a world for her to return to."
Another tremor, stronger this time. A crack appeared in the ceiling, and a fine stream of dust poured down.
"But how do we leave?" Radji asked, practical as always. "If that thing is still up there..."
Professor Nyala moved to one of the alcoves—the one corresponding to the earth point of the triangle. She pressed her hand against the wall, and a section of stone slid aside, revealing a narrow tunnel.
"The Triumvirate must always have a way out," she said. "This passage leads beyond the Academy walls, emerging near the eastern docks. A boat awaits us there—preparations have been in place for generations for this exact circumstance."
"And the Academy? The other students?" Osa asked.
"The faculty knows the protocols. Students will be evacuated to safe locations throughout Meridian City." Professor Nyala's voice turned harder. "But we have a different duty. The three of you represent the last, best hope for Zendirah. We cannot risk you in a battle we cannot win—not yet."
Saguna felt the weight of her words settle on his shoulders. He thought of his mother, waiting at home for him to return from his first day at the Academy. Of the life he'd imagined building in Meridian City, safe from the whispers and memories of Teluk Jati.
"We need supplies," he said finally. "And I need to warn my mother."
"There is no time," Professor Nyala said, though her expression showed sympathy. "The boat is already provisioned, and messages will be sent to your families once we are safely away." She gestured to the tunnel. "The Soul Drainer will sense your marks if you remain in Meridian City. It will hunt you relentlessly. Our only advantage now is speed and secrecy."
The chamber shook again, more violently this time. A larger crack spread across the ceiling, and chunks of stone broke free, crashing to the floor near the entrance. The silver barrier flickered more persistently.
"Decide now," Professor Nyala said urgently. "That barrier will not hold much longer."
Saguna looked at his companions—Radji's analytical expression betraying his fear, Osa's usual carefree demeanor replaced by grim determination. Both looked to him, waiting for his decision.
The whispers returned then, faint but clear:
Go home, little brother. Where it began. Where I wait.
Sahara. After twelve years of believing her dead, of doubting his own memories, he had a chance to find her. To save her.
"Teluk Jati," he said, his voice finding strength. "We go to Teluk Jati."
Radji and Osa nodded in unison, requiring no further explanation. They would follow him—not because they'd been thrown together by chance or Academy assignment, but because the Trifold Seal had chosen them as one.
"Then we move now," Professor Nyala said, already striding toward the open tunnel. "Stay close. The path is narrow and dark."
As they entered the passage, Saguna ignited a small flame in his palm, illuminating their way. Behind them, the sounds of cracking stone and the hissing of shadow filled the Conclave Chamber as the barrier finally failed.
Whatever waited in Teluk Jati—whatever dangers they would face as the untrained, unprepared Triumvirate—Saguna knew one thing with certainty. He is going home. And this time, he wouldn't leave without his sister.
The journey had begun.