First light bled across the horizon as Arin, Lireya, and Kalem crested the final rise before the Valley of Whispering Pines. The air was still, the only sound the distant rustle of wind through the ancient pines. Arin's heart thrummed with purpose—at last, they held the reunited Codex of the First Binding, and the map in his mind illuminated a hidden gate beyond the valley's wards.
Kalem paused, scanning the tree line with practiced caution. "We should rest before entering. This place demands sharp senses."
Arin nodded, easing the Codex into his satchel. Lireya set down their packs, drawing a small brazier to life with a surge of earth-core energy. Its glow warmed them as they shared a sparse breakfast of dried fruits and hard cheese.
Yet Kalem's gaze drifted repeatedly to the undergrowth, as though expecting someone else to emerge. When Arin met his eyes, the hunter offered only a terse smile.
At dawn's pale gold, they stood again, and Kalem led the way down a narrow deer path that Arin's vision confirmed as the map's hidden route. Mist curled around their boots; the pines above knit into a green twilight even as the sun rose.
Without warning, a high whistle split the air. In an instant, Kalem spun—and Arin realized with a jolt that the man before him was not the hunter who had guided them this far. Kalem's face twisted into a cruel smirk, bone-white beneath the hood.
"You're perceptive," the imposter sneered. "But not quick enough."
Arin's blood ran cold as Lireya's hand went to her earth gauntlet. "Kalem?" she whispered, stepping forward.
The shapeshifter laughed—a sound like leaves rustling over dry bones. With a flick of wind-core, it knocked Lireya off balance, then morphed fluidly, features shifting into Tavian's mocking guise. "Did you really think Drayven would send a simple hunter? No—he sends you into the jaws of death."
Arin tightened his grip on the wind blade. "Show yourself!"
Windscooped laughter swirled as the imposter's form dissolved into mist, reforming as Tavian once more—though eyes glowed with unnatural fervor. "I serve the Voice Unbound now. They promised me power beyond any Academy prize." He beckoned, and a circle of dancing shadows wove itself into being around them.
Lireya lunged, her earth gauntlet smashing toward Tavian, but the imposter vanished, reappearing behind her to strike with a jagged wind-dagger. Arin intervened, earth gaunt currents surging up to block the blade, sending Tavian stumbling.
"Arin, watch out!" Lireya cried as the ground beneath them shuddered. Roots erupted, grasping at their boots—an attempt to bind them in place.
Arin slashed his wind blade in a wide arc, cutting through the roots and freeing their feet. He spun, unleashing a focused gust that drove Tavian back against a pine trunk. With every clash of their currents, branches shattered overhead and needles rained like green sparks.
Just as Tavian summoned a vortex of shadowed wind to engulf Arin, a booming voice rang out:
"Enough!"
The storm of magic froze mid-air as Headmaster Drayven stepped between them, cloak fluttering in the charged breeze. His silver eyes blazed with authority. "Tavian, you betray not only the Academy but the very essence of magic."
Tavian's lip curled. "Drayven—always the savior. Too late. The Voice Unbound's ritual is complete."
Drayven's gaze flicked to Arin. "Did he harm you?"
Arin sheathed his wind blade. "He tried."
Drayven turned back to Tavian. Raising his staff, he spoke a single word of binding. A lattice of golden runes sprang from the staff and ensnared Tavian, locking his shifting form in a prison of light. Tavian thrashed and roared but could not break free.
Drayven's voice was low, tinged with sorrow. "Once you were my student. Now you are my cautionary tale." He nodded to Arin and Lireya. "Secure him in the Academy's dungeons. I will see to his fate personally."
Tavian spat defiance as two arriving guards clasped iron manacles over his wrists. Arin felt a weight lift—a threat ended before it had fully formed.
Drayven approached Arin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I owe you both an apology. I feared my guidance might endanger you, but never did I foresee a betrayal so close."
Arin met his gaze steadily. "I'm glad you arrived when you did."
Drayven inclined his head. "Now, you may enter the Valley's gate. But know this: the wyrm awakens with every moment we delay. May your Dual-Core harmony be the key to night's end."
As the guards led Tavian away, Arin and Lireya exchanged determined looks. The betrayal at dawn had tested their trust—and revealed the Voice Unbound's reach. Yet with Drayven's timely intervention, they could continue, their resolve sharpened.
Beyond the pines, the hidden seal stones awaited—and with them, the final confrontation that would decide the fate of the wyrm, the Academy, and all who dwelt under Dorothrel's sky.