The night was thick with salt and static. Clouds blanketed the stars, and the sea pulsed like a beast sleeping just beneath the surface.
Kael stood alone in the Circle of Ash, a ritual ground carved atop an abandoned isle. The Void Ring pulsed coldly on his finger, and the Codex of Calling floated in the air before him, pages flipping by themselves.
One page tore itself free and hovered before him:
"_To summon what sleeps beyond the mist, offer memory, blood, and name._"
Kael sliced his palm, let the blood drip into the runes, and whispered:
"I call thee… from fog, from fear, from forgotten time…"
The wind stopped.
The sea stilled.
Then came the scream.
Not of pain—but existence.
---
🐙 The First Summon – "Nocth, the Fogborne Maw"
From the center of the circle, mist poured upward, swirling like a cyclone.
A shadow emerged.
Eyes—too many to count—blinked open in the air. Tentacles formed of smoke and sorrow coiled into shape.
"I have heard your name, child of ash," the voice said from nowhere. "And I have chosen to come."
Kael trembled, not in fear, but in awe. "Will you serve?"
"For now," it replied. "But serve is such a loose word."
---
🧠 First Pact Formed:
Nocth — A creature of mist that can scout, devour thoughts, and obscure entire areas in illusionary fog. Not fully loyal. Requires emotional control to bind completely.
---
Kael's vision blurred.
Memories flickered.
His sister's laughter.
His father's sword.
His home, burning.
Then silence.
He awoke minutes later, Nocth looming over him like a loyal dog made of storm and shadow.
---
🌫️ A New Power
Kael returned to the Whispering Isles, and Lirien felt it instantly.
"You called something," she said quietly.
Kael nodded. "And it came."
"Was it wise?"
He didn't answer. Just walked past her.
Nocth followed, vanishing into his shadow.
---
🛠️ New Ability: "Veil of the Fog Maw"
Allows Kael to become nearly undetectable in areas of heavy mist. Illusions intensify based on his intent.
---
🧊 A Change Within
Later that night, Kael stood before a mirror in his chamber.
His reflection blinked… a moment after he did.
He stared.
Then smiled.
Not the smile of a boy learning magic.
But the smile of someone who understood what it meant to wield fear like a blade.
---
🌁 End of Chapter Nine
The fog isn't just cover.
It's a door.
And Kael… just opened it.