POV: Eshe & Amani
ESHE – Glyph Rank: D | Resonance Tier: 1 – Spark]
The sun was setting — or something like it.
On Planet Apex, even the sky bled weird colors.
Eshe crouched low in the canyon, hand glowing faintly as she healed a nasty cut on her thigh.
[GLYPH: Radiant Mend – Minor Heal]
Her light pulsed gently across the wound. It stitched shut with a soft golden flicker.
She winced. "Still learning that one."
Something shifted in the wind.
She froze.
Listened.
Wrongness.
That was the only way to describe it.
It was like the air forgot how to carry sound. Like the world was trying to scream but couldn't find a mouth.
Then—
A distant snap of bones. Wet. Organic.
She turned. Eyes wide.
It stood over 10 feet tall. Its body was a mess of fused limbs, beast skulls, glowing glyphs, and writhing tendrils of corrupted divine energy.
Its glyph was cracked. Mangled. Unreadable.
Not a trial beast.
Not… from here.
[AMANI – Glyph Rank: C | Resonance Tier: 2 – Pulse]
She saw the thing from across the cliffs.
It moved like smoke and hunger.
Her eyes locked in instantly.
[GLYPH: Solar Tag – Marked]
The beast's head glowed with a golden target. Tagged.
But something strange happened.
The glyph began to burn away. Like it was being overwritten.
"…That's not possible," she muttered.
It turned toward her. Roared.
And then vanished.
No wind. No jump. Just—gone.
Amani's heart kicked into overdrive.
She activated her second glyph.
[GLYPH: Hawk Eye – Active]
The world slowed.
Colors sharpened.
Everything brightened.
She saw it—mid-blink—phasing through the environment like a corrupted specter.
And it was heading for Eshe.
[ESHE]
She ran.
Light glyphs burst at her heels, launching her upward.
[GLYPH: Gleamstep – Emergency Dash]
The monster crashed behind her, cratered the canyon floor, screaming in distorted sound.
Eshe flipped midair, panic clear in her eyes.
She wasn't strong enough for this.
But she could buy time.
She extended her arms.
A radiant glyph snapped to life, forming a barrier of light between her and the monster.
[GLYPH: Solar Guard – Active]
The beast slammed into it, shrieked as its corrupt magic clashed with her divine glyph.
Her arms shook.
Cracks spidered across the shield.
"Hold—please hold—"
An arrow sliced past her shoulder.
The moment it struck the beast's core, it exploded with sunlight.
Amani landed beside her, bow already drawn for a second shot.
"Fall back."
"I've got it—"
"Now, Eshe."
Eshe leapt away.
Amani's eyes burned golden.
She let three arrows fly in a single breath.
[GLYPH COMBO: Solar Tag + Rapid Draw]
The arrows hit in perfect sync.
The beast staggered, screamed, and erupted in black-gold fire.
It writhed…
…then dropped.
Twitching.
Melting.
Not dying.
Just folding into itself.
[Both POVs Converge]
Eshe dropped beside Amani, breathing hard.
"That wasn't part of the trial."
"No. It was infected."
"Infected?"
Amani stared at the smoldering crater.
"Something's wrong with the glyph field."
"You mean the planet?"
A long pause.
Then Amani said:
"No… I mean the Academy."
Far above them, in the Celestial Tribunal…
Even the gods had gone silent.
Set leaned forward.
"You let them see it this early?"
Anubis tilted his head.
"I didn't summon that thing."
Ma'at frowned.
"Then who did?"
Ra stood slowly.
And did not answer.