Sovereign of Forbidden Spirits

CHAPTER 5 THE EYES IN THE DARK

Someone powerful had started watching Jesse, and that was far more dangerous than mockery.

The realization settled over him the morning after the duel.

Ashveil Beast Academy no longer looked at him with simple disgust or fear. Now, people watched him carefully. Students stopped talking whenever he passed. Instructors whispered behind closed doors.

Even the academy guards stationed near the dormitory halls seemed unusually tense whenever Noxaris walked nearby. Fear had changed shape.

Before, they wanted Jesse gone because he embarrassed them. Now, they feared what he might become

Jesse noticed it immediately while crossing the academy courtyard. Conversations died around him. Several noble students stepped aside instinctively when Noxaris limped beside him, its golden eye half-open beneath the morning light. Though the creature still looked weak, something about it had changed after the duel.

Its cracked scales no longer looked as dull. Faint black-gold patterns now flickered beneath the surface whenever spirit energy lingered nearby, and its presence felt… heavier, not stronger exactly. Older.

Kael Draven certainly noticed.

The noble heir stood near the central fountain, surrounded by several academy healers examining the deep scars across Ironfang’s armored chest. The massive wolf remained unusually restless, growling low the moment Noxaris entered the courtyard.

Kael’s expression darkened instantly. “You,” he snapped. Students immediately turned toward the tension.

Jesse kept walking.

Kael stepped forward aggressively. “What did that thing do to my beast?”

Jesse stopped slowly. “It defended itself.”

Kael nearly laughed in disbelief. “Defended itself?” he repeated coldly. “That creature bit through spirit armor.”

“You tried killing it.”

“And I should’ve finished the job,” Noxaris growled softly. The sound barely rose above a whisper, yet Ironfang immediately backed away behind Kael with visible panic. Several nearby students stumbled backward as well.

Kael noticed, and for the first time since Jesse met him…Real unease entered the noble’s eyes.

Before the confrontation could escalate further, a calm voice interrupted from nearby.“That will be enough.”

Everyone turned immediately. An elderly man stood near the academy stairs dressed in simple dark robes. He carried no visible beast contract marks, no noble insignias, and no ceremonial weapons. Yet the moment instructors noticed him, they straightened instinctively.

Even Kael stepped backward.

Jesse frowned slightly. Who was he?

The old man’s sharp gray eyes briefly settled on Noxaris. The creature froze instantly, then lowered its head. Not in fear Recognition.

The old man noticed that reaction too. Interesting, his expression seemed to say.

“Kael Draven,” the elder said calmly, “unless your family has suddenly acquired authority over academy duels, I suggest you stop embarrassing yourself.”

Kael’s face tightened. “Yes, Elder Mordane.” The surrounding students visibly stiffened at the name.

Silas Mordane

Jesse recognized it immediately. Every child in Ashveil knew that name. The former Beast Monarch was one of the legendary tamers who helped defend the eastern kingdoms during the Calamity Wars decades ago.

Stories claimed Silas once commanded nine high-ranking war beasts simultaneously. Other rumors claimed he killed an entire mountain dragon alone. Nobody knew which stories were true anymore, but everyone feared him.

Kael quickly retreated without another word. The courtyard remained tense long after he disappeared.

Silas approached Jesse slowly. Up close, the old man looked surprisingly ordinary. His hair had turned completely silver with age, and faint scars lined his weathered hands. Only his eyes felt dangerous. They carried the gaze of someone who had witnessed too much.

Silas stopped directly before Noxaris. The creature watched him carefully. Then the old man spoke quietly.

“You don’t understand what you’ve awakened.” The words immediately tightened Jesse’s chest.

“Then teach me.” Silas’s expression shifted slightly. For a moment, something almost like pity crossed his face.

“No one can teach something the gods tried to erase.” The courtyard fell silent.

Several nearby students exchanged nervous glances before quickly leaving. Nobody wanted to overhear that conversation. Jesse frowned deeply. “What does that mean?”

Silas ignored the question. Instead, his attention shifted toward the shattered chains embedded around Noxaris’s body. The old man’s eyes narrowed.

“Interesting,” he murmured. Without warning, he extended two fingers toward the creature’s neck.

Black spirit energy flared instantly. Noxaris snarled and stepped protectively in front of Jesse, despite clearly lacking the strength for a fight. The reaction surprised Silas.

The old man slowly lowered his hand. “It protects you already.”

Jesse looked down at Noxaris quietly. The creature remained tense, positioning itself between him and the former Beast Monarch, even injured and exhausted…It still chose to stand in front of him. Something about that loyalty unsettled Jesse more than the fear surrounding them.

Because the stronger their bond became…The harder it would hurt if the world eventually forced him to kill it.

Silas studied Jesse carefully. “You fear your own power,” the old man observed.

Jesse hesitated before answering honestly.“I fear becoming the kind of person who only understands strength.”

Silas gave a humorless chuckle. “That fear means you still have a chance.”

Before Jesse could ask what that meant, the elder turned away. “Meet me tonight at the lower eastern ruins,” Silas said calmly. “Come alone.” Then he disappeared into the academy halls without another word.

The rest of the day passed beneath heavy tension. Whispers followed Jesse through every corridor. Some students believed Silas intended to eliminate him personally. Others claimed the former Beast Monarch wanted to dissect Noxaris for research.

Jesse trusted neither possibility. Still…He went.

Night covered Ashveil beneath heavy rain by the time Jesse reached the abandoned eastern ruins beneath the academy cliffs. Ancient broken pillars surrounded the area while old training grounds crumbled beneath layers of moss and erosion.

Silas stood waiting near the center platform. “You came,” the old man said without turning.

“You asked.” Silas finally faced him.

“Noxaris has changed already.” Jesse looked down instinctively. The difference was subtle but undeniable.

The creature’s movements seemed steadier tonight. Its cracked scales reflected faint golden streaks beneath the darkness, and the chains around its body no longer dragged as heavily against the ground.

Silas noticed his confusion. “It consumed battle remnants after the duel,” the elder said.

Jesse stiffened slightly. “You saw that?”

“I saw enough.” Silas walked slowly around Noxaris while studying it carefully.

“Normal beasts absorb spirit energy through evolution cores or contract refinement,” he explained. “Your beast absorbs residual combat essence directly.”

“That’s bad?” Silas looked toward him sharply.

“That is impossible.” The tension in his voice made Jesse uneasy. Noxaris suddenly moved closer beside Jesse’s leg. Protective, Silas noticed that too.

“The bond is deepening faster than it should,” the elder muttered.

Jesse frowned. “Why does everyone act like this thing is some ancient nightmare?”

Silas remained silent for several seconds.

Then, finally, “Because I’ve seen symbols like that before.”

Jesse’s pulse quickened immediately. “The symbol in its eye?”

Silas nodded slowly.

“Thousands of years ago, before the Beast Dominion existed, ancient records spoke of forbidden sovereign beasts.” The rain intensified around them.

“Creatures powerful enough to dominate entire species through instinct alone,” Silas continued quietly.

“Most historians believe the records were myths.” Noxaris lowered its head slightly.

Silas’s eyes darkened. “I no longer believe that.”

Jesse stared at him. “You think Noxaris is one of those creatures?”

“I think your beast should not exist in this era.” The words settled heavily between them.

Jesse looked down at Noxaris again. The creature looked back silently. Not monstrous, not evil, just tired alone, and somehow that made everything worse.

Silas suddenly extended his hand. “Give me your contract mark.”

Jesse hesitated before revealing the black-gold symbol glowing faintly along his wrist.

The moment Silas touched it, the ruins exploded with energy. A violent shockwave erupted outward as black chains materialized briefly around Jesse’s arm. Ancient runes ignited across the ground while Noxaris snarled violently.

Silas stepped backward immediately.

Shock flashed across his face for the first time. “That’s impossible…”

Jesse grabbed his wrist. “What happened?”

Silas stared at the contract mark intensely. Then he spoke very quietly.“Your pact cannot be broken.”

Cold silence followed.

Jesse frowned. “What does that mean?”

“A normal beast contract can be severed by force, ritual, or death suppression,” Silas explained grimly. “Yours rejected all three automatically.” Even the old man sounded disturbed now.

Jesse’s heartbeat quickened. “So if something happens to Noxaris.”

“It survives through you,” Silas interrupted.

“And if something happens to me?” Silas did not answer immediately.

That silence terrified Jesse more than words. Far above them, thunder rolled across the heavens. Noxaris suddenly lifted its head sharply toward the sky. Its golden eye narrowed.

Silas noticed immediately. “What is it sensing?” Then it happened.

Far away beyond Ashveil, deep within the sacred capital of the Holy Beast Council, ancient bells suddenly began ringing beneath the divine sanctuary, once, twice, then continuously.

The sound echoed through chambers untouched for centuries.

Priests froze.

Council elders stood abruptly from their thrones because only one thing could activate the Divine Alarm.

A forbidden sovereign presence had awakened somewhere in the world.