The grove of Branthollow fell silent behind them.
Draven stood at the edge of the fields, Mira at his side, Feyra brushing against his leg, and Stonehide's steady rumble behind him. The beasts of the sanctuary lingered at the village's outskirts, Servitors now glowing faint with the resonance still clinging to them. None would follow farther; they belonged to Branthollow.
But a smaller group would walk with him. His group.
Draven breathed deep, the lotus mark burning faintly on his chest. No turning back now.
The Codex flickered in his mind, words etching in green fire:
"Paths bind stronger when chosen."
By dusk, the wind carried more than ash.
The bent-winged birds circled back, cawing sharp warnings. Dominion scouts — not random wanderers, but hunting parties. Mira crouched by a ridge, eyes tracing faint cuts in bark, symbols left like coded trails.
"They're not just passing," she whispered. "They're sweeping. Tightening the circle."
Draven's jaw hardened. The Chainkeepers' shadow stretched even here.
That night, firelight danced in a hollow sheltered by crumbling stones. Feyra curled close, her tail wrapped around her paws, while Stonehide stood like a silent wall behind them. Mira's eyes glowed faint in the embers.
"What happened in those Ruins, Draven?" she asked softly.
He stared into the flames. "Something older than chains gave me strength. It chose me. Not with marks… with choice."
Mira studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Then it will hunt you too. Dominion, League, all of them. They'll fear it."
Draven's hand tightened around his halberd. "Good."
At dawn, the storm came.
Not clouds — wings.
A cry split the sky, thunder rolling behind it. From a jagged cliff above, a vast shadow dropped, feathers rimmed in violet arcs. A raven, larger than oxen, its eyes burning amethyst, wings scattering sparks with every beat.
Mira stiffened, bow half-drawn. "A Noble. And wounded."
Scars marred its wings, charred feathers shedding violet sparks. Each screech carried not just power but anguish, a ragged note that made even Servitors cower.
Draven felt it before he saw it — a storm inside the beast's mind, fractured, unstable. And the Codex pulsed, whispering truths into his skull:
"This one felt fire. Overlord's cry. Mind shaken. Dominion cut the wound deeper."
The Magma Drake's awakening — its roar of wrath — had shattered countless lesser beasts, forcing them to bow or break. This raven had stood too close, its will scorched by that infernal presence. And Dominion had been there to exploit it, chains burning across its feathers, blades scoring its wings. The beast had escaped, but not unscarred.
Now it hung in the air, fury and fear warring inside it.
The Codex flared in Draven's mind:
"Third bond forms a milestone. Do not chain. Offer. But offer strength."
Draven lowered his halberd, lotus burning so hot his skin seared. He did not command. He did not beg. He reached through the storm.
"Your storm was stolen. I'll give it back."
The Raven shrieked, arcs scattering, but its eyes widened. The lotus mark blazed brighter, emerald light surging outward. The Codex roared in tandem, pages igniting:
"Milestone Reached. Three Nobles bound.
Storage-Summon feature unlocked.
Bond surge: Noble+ threshold."
Emerald light slammed into violet storm. For an instant, the clearing vanished in a storm of color — lightning and vines, feathers and runes.
The Raven screamed, its body arching as arcs intensified. Scars sealed faintly, wings spreading wider. It was not King, not Overlord — but more than Noble now. A Noble pushed beyond its threshold.
And it was not alone. Feyra's paws glowed brighter, blossoms of green bursting with every step. Stonehide's plates split and re-formed, runes flaring molten emerald.
Through the surge, Draven felt the Raven's mind at last — raw thunder given thought.
Freedom… strength… not leash.
Draven nodded, breath harsh but steady. "Then take both. With me."
The Thunder Raven bowed its head, sparks dimming in submission.
The bond snapped into place — and the world ignited.
The Codex's voice echoed in his skull:
"Three Nobles. Nine bonds. Shared Vitality rising."
Draven gasped, but when he straightened, he felt more than human — every breath deeper, every step stronger, every strike heavier.
That was when the Dominion struck.
Branches snapped, chains rattled. Soldiers spilled from the treeline, faces painted with zeal and cruelty, slave-marks etched across their arms. Chains dragged snarling Servitors behind them. And from deeper shadows came their pride — a marked Noble, its body shaking under shackles of phantom light, dragged into war by force alone.
"Target sighted!" a commander barked. "The Chainbreaker lives!"
The Lotus flared in answer.
Feyra leapt first, trails of blooming vines erupting beneath her steps. Blossoms burst open in the air, their light cutting through shadow. Stonehide charged like a living fortress, runes blazing as his plates locked tight, shrugging off arrows and blades alike.
And above them, the Raven descended in a storm of violet arcs.
Its feathers scattered like razors, each bolt lancing into soldiers, armor sparking as men convulsed and dropped screaming. Weapons clattered to the dirt. Some twitched before falling silent, stunned into unconsciousness.
Then the Raven blurred, dissolving into haze — Shadow Glide. Dominion soldiers screamed, pointing wildly at empty sky. A moment later, it reappeared above the chained Noble, wings spread wide like a stormcloud split by lightning.
The screech that followed was no mere cry — it was a Storm Cry, thunder given voice. Lightning poured down, arcs dancing across the phantom shackles wrapped around the enslaved beast. For a heartbeat, the chains flickered, weakened, unstable. The Noble roared, half in pain, half in desperate freedom, staggering as its Dominion handlers shouted in panic.
Mira's arrows flew sharp and true, striking the handlers before they could stabilize the bond.
The battle ended in minutes. Scouts sprawled across the ground, twitching and silent. Servitors cowered, shackles flickering faint. Only one scout remained — crawling back on torn knees, his face pale with terror.
His voice cracked the silence.
"He bonds Nobles without chains… he strengthens them… The Chainbreaker walks!"
He vanished into the trees, carrying the name like a plague.
When quiet returned, Draven rested a hand on the Raven's feathered neck, sparks humming under his palm. The Codex flickered new words:
"Wings carry not only bodies, but vows. Spread them."
Above, the dawn sky glowed faint purple, stormlight cutting through ash. Mira stood beside him, eyes wide but steady.
"With this… you can reach others. Villages, camps, even cities. You can help before Dominion takes everything."
Draven's grip on his halberd tightened, the lotus blazing faintly. He looked at his group — Feyra's blossoms, Stonehide's runes, the Raven's storming wings, Mira's steady eyes.
"Then that's what we'll do," he said.