SANCTUARY [Nobledark | Progression | Apocalypse]

The unsettling tranquility that had settled over East Aerion following the deployment of the Royal Guard lasted only a few days. While the immediate threat of widespread cultist attacks seemed contained, the underlying tension remained, a low hum beneath the surface of daily life.

For Henry and Squad 18, the return to routine patrols and minor reconnaissance tasks felt almost anticlimactic after the recent revelations, yet also undeniably welcome.

Henry continued his rigorous training, pushed himself on patrols, found solace in the quiet rituals of the Estath Cathedral, and spent every spare moment probing the boundaries of his Mystic Sense, increasingly drawn to the enigmatic emerald light that pulsed beneath his awareness.

Then, one morning, the routine shattered. A summons arrived via garrison messenger: Captain Jacobs required the entire squad's presence immediately at the East Gate briefing point. There was an urgency in the terse message that set Henry's nerves on edge.

They gathered quickly, the familiar faces looking questioning, expectant. Jacobs arrived moments later, devoid of his usual easygoing humour. In its place was a focused gravity that instantly commanded their attention. He unrolled a regional map on a nearby crate.

"New assignment," Jacobs began without preamble. "Priority dispatch from Sector Command. We're heading out immediately." He tapped a location on the map, a small marking beside a body of water some distance south of Aerion. "Loknezt Lake. There's a village on its shores - fishermen, mostly. They sent a frantic request for aid yesterday evening."

He straightened and surveyed them all. "Reports indicate the village is being terrorized by a large, aggressive aquatic creature. Emerged from the lake within the last week or so. Descriptions are unsettling." He relayed the villagers' terrified accounts: a colossal beast with a long, serpentine body, a towering neck that broke the water's surface unexpectedly, and a cavernous maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. It had apparently been attacking boats, livestock that strayed too close to the shore, and generally inciting panic.

"Furthermore," Jacobs continued, "the villagers claim they can no longer catch any fish. The lake, their primary source of sustenance, has gone dead silent. Rumors are spreading like wildfire that the monster has simply devoured every living thing beneath the surface."

A ripple of unease went through the squad. This sounded far beyond a typical beast control mission.

"Our objective," Jacobs stated firmly, "is reconnaissance and threat neutralization. Get to Loknezt, assess the situation, verify the creature's existence and nature, determine the threat level, and, if possible, resolve the issue to ensure the villagers' safety. Questions?"

There were none. The orders were clear, if daunting. Within the hour, they were mounted and riding south once more, leaving the relative security of Aerion behind.

Loknezt Lake village was smaller, more isolated than Lykuzt had been, nestled precariously between the dark edge of another stretch of ancient forest and the surprisingly large expanse of the lake itself.

The water stretched out before them, deceptively calm and blue under the midday sun, its surface placid, giving no hint of the terror lurking beneath.

The village itself, in contrast, radiated fear. Cottages were shuttered tight, the small fishing docks deserted, an unnatural silence blanketing the place. Anxious faces peered out from behind cracked doors as the squad rode in.

After a brief, tense exchange with the village headman - who essentially confirmed Jacobs's briefing, his hands trembling as he spoke - the squad proceeded cautiously towards the lake shore to investigate the site of the most recent reported attack, where a cow had allegedly been dragged into the water.

The evidence was immediate. A massive groove, nearly three meters wide, was carved into the earth. It started at the water's edge and cut far up the grassy bank, as if something immense had hauled itself ashore before retreating.

Patches of dark, drying blood stained the grass surrounding the groove, accompanied by strange, deep indentations in the softer soil - not footprints, but irregular impressions, suggesting the pressure of a massive, uniquely shaped body.

Sophia knelt beside the bizarre markings, examining every minute detail as she traced the edges of the groove and studied the strange indentations. The others waited silently, trusting her knowledge, which often surpassed their own in matters of lore and natural history gleaned from her extensive reading in the Cathedral archives.

After a long moment of contemplation, she rose, brushing dirt from her gloves. "Dino Serpent," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Lumos swallowed hard. "A what? Are you sure?"

Sophia nodded, pointing at the tracks. "The bestiaries at Estath had illustrations. These marks... they match. And based on the size of this drag mark... it's big. Easily over ten meters long."

"They are quite real," Sophia affirmed, with the quiet confidence of an expert, "though rarely seen in inland waters. I recognized the descriptions from illustrations I studied in the ancient bestiaries at the Estath library. Seeing these tracks confirms it. I'm ninety percent certain."

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Daniel frowned, processing the information. "But these creatures usually live and hunt in large packs, don't they? Why would a single one be here, terrorizing a small village?"

"Perhaps this one became separated from its pod," Sophia offered, thinking aloud. "Storms, unusual currents, it might have gotten lost, seeking refuge or a new territory."

Henry scratched his head, voicing the question nagging at him. "But even solo, they typically inhabit vast lakes or deep ocean trenches. Loknezt Lake is large for this region, but hardly vast. How could something that size even get here?"

A thoughtful tone marked Captain Jacobs's words; he had been silently observing the tracks and listening to the exchange. "There's one possibility, though it's seldom discussed." He looked around at the squad. "It's highly possible this creature was caught in a powerful ocean current, perhaps injured or disoriented, and inadvertently navigated through the network of subterranean waterways that honeycomb this entire region."

The squad stared at him. "Underground waterways?" Torsan echoed, bewildered. "Large enough for that?"

Jacobs confirmed. "Most people don't realize it, but we're standing on top of a whole network of underground rivers and flooded caverns. They're remnants from older eras. Aerion itself is built over them."

An inexplicable unease washed over Henry. Vast underground tunnels beneath Aerion? "Sir, does that mean the capital could be vulnerable? To attack from below?"

Jacobs shook his head, anticipating the concern. "Command is aware of the systems, Henry. They are factored into our defensive strategy. Most of these caverns are dozens, if not hundreds, of meters below the surface, and completely flooded. Aerion itself sits on bedrock nearly five hundred meters deep above the known major conduits. Furthermore, powerful sensory wards blanket the entire capital region; any significant subterranean disturbance, magical or physical, would trigger alarms instantly."

He offered a reassuring look. "It's not a viable infiltration route."

Melly frowned. "But why build cities over such things in the first place, Captain?"

"Ah," Sophia interjected softly before Jacobs could answer. "It's not the caves or the roundwater itself that determined the location, Melly. It's what flows through those subterranean networks. We don't build above caves; we build above the Lifestream."

The word landed, and a strange resonance pulsed through him, connecting instantly to the emerald light of his Sense. "The Lifestream?" he pressed, his curiosity suddenly intense, overriding the immediate danger of the Dino Serpent. "What exactly is that?"

Sophia glanced at Jacobs, who gave a slight agreed, permitting the brief explanation. "It's the planet's lifeblood, Henry," she explained, choosing her words carefully. "An immense, flowing current of pure, raw aether that interconnects all of Tehra, deep beneath the surface. All major settlements - villages, towns, cities - aren't built randomly. They are strategically situated above concentrations or flows of the Lifestream."

"And it serves a purpose?" Henry prompted, captivated.

"Yes," Sophia confirmed. "Humanity, through centuries of arcane research, learned to tap into it, just slightly. We utilize complex magical formations, usually built into the foundations of settlements, to draw a minuscule fraction of the Lifestream's potent aether. This aether is unique; it can't be wielded directly by individuals, but it can power large-scale protective enchantments. City-wide defensive shields, monster-warding barriers around smaller villages. These formations are why we can survive and build stable communities in a world filled with monstrous threats."

Henry absorbed this, his mind racing. The emerald light he saw, could it be the Lifestream itself, perceived through his unique Sense? The pull he felt. "So, what does it look like? How do nations even find it?"

Jacobs clapped a hand on Henry's shoulder, pulling him back to the present. "That's a discussion for the library, kid. Right now, we've got a monster to deal with."

Henry flushed slightly, realizing how sidetracked he'd become. But the revelation resonated deeply, feeling less like abstract lore and more like a crucial piece of a puzzle he hadn't known he was assembling.

"So," Lumos asked, unable to stay still as he nervously scanned the placid lake surface, "our mission is to eliminate this, Dino Serpent?"

"Eliminate a creature approaching Rank 4 power, with a massive advantage in its native aquatic environment?" Daniel stated dryly, adjusting his spectacles. "That seems optimistic for our current capabilities, Captain."

"Daniel's right," Jacobs confirmed, quashing any thoughts of a direct assault. "Our primary mission is to ensure the village's safety. Neutralize the immediate threat. Killing the beast is a secondary objective, likely unachievable with our resources. Capturing and relocating something that size," he added wryly, "is exponentially more difficult."

Sophia spoke then, her focus seeming to drift beyond the far shore of the lake. "If it came from the ocean via underground waterways, Captain perhaps the simplest solution is to encourage it to return the way it came?" She looked at Jacobs. "We don't need to kill or capture it. We just need to strongly persuade it to leave Loknezt Lake."

Henry immediately grasped her implication. "Which means finding the entrance to that underground waterway it used. And having a way to compel it towards the exit." His mind flashed back to the emerald light. Was the Lifestream flowing through that specific cave system? "We'll need detailed maps of this area, sir. Including any documented subterranean features."

Jacobs agreed, a plan forming. "My thoughts exactly. I'll dispatch an immediate priority request back to Aerion Sector Command via courier bird. Requesting geological surveys, any known cavern maps for this region, and potentially specific tools for persuasion, as Sophia suggests." He looked around at the squad. "We'll make camp here, maintain watch on the lake. Reconvene tomorrow morning when the intel arrives. Get some rest, stay alert."

As the others began setting up a temporary, defensible camp near the anxious village, Henry walked back towards the lake shore alone for a moment. He closed his eyes, extending his Mystic Sense outwards, pushing it to its fifty-meter limit. Instantly, beneath his feet, deeper than the lakebed, the familiar, vibrant emerald light bloomed in his mind's eye.

It was clearer here, sharper, more persistent than it had ever been within Aerion's walls. It pulsed with a silent, compelling energy, the strange tether pulling at his awareness, stronger than ever before. It was ancient and alive, a pulse that was undeniably connected to this place, to the lake, and perhaps even to the creature lurking in its depths.

A certainty grew within him, his presence here was no coincidence. Ever since that day with the Dark Reaper, had some unseen thread of destiny been guiding his steps?