Boundless Evolution: The Summoning Beast
Chapter 59: Map of Aegaryn

Chapter 59: Map of Aegaryn

’You’ve changed, Boy...’

Ash’s smirk faded instantly. He straightened, his amber eyes sharpening as they locked onto Zephiron’s, ’Ash.’

Zephiron raised a brow, intrigued by the sudden correction.

Ash’s voice was firm, ’I have a name now.’

Zephiron studied him, his golden eyes flickering with interest at the quiet confidence in his tone. But then, something else caught his attention. His gaze shifted slightly downward—to the faint crest imprinted on Ash’s chest. Recognition dawned.

’Ah... so you’ve signed a summoning contract,’ He exhaled through his nose, a slow smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, ’Congratulations. It seems you’ve taken your first true step into actually being a summon.’

Ash folded his arms, nodding, ’Yeah. The Valen family. Good people.’

Zephiron let out a low hum, his expression unreadable for a moment before his golden eyes narrowed with recognition, ’Wait... Valen. Isn’t that the family name of Darius, the warlord summoner?’

Ash nodded, ’Yeah, it is. He’s... different from what I expected a summoner to be. Wait... you know him?’

Zephiron’s smirk deepened slightly, ’Ash, I have also been summoned before. The fact that Eldoria has a contract with Baltyr? That’s because of me.’

He let out a low hum, his expression turning thoughtful, ’You’re luckier than you know. That boy had a good heart, a rare thing in the world of nobles. His family’s name carries weight—they aren’t the type to betray their own.’

Ash’s smirk returned, widening slightly as he confirmed, ’Indeed. They are good people.’

Zephiron tilted his head slightly, ’And how is he? Still as relentless as ever?’

But then, as the name Valen settled in his thoughts, his chest tightened. His gaze lowered momentarily, his mind flashing back to the battlefield where he had been summoned. The blood. The chaos. Darius’ final moments.

His voice was quieter this time, ’Darius is dead.’

Zephiron’s golden eyes sharpened for a split moment. His claws curled slightly against the war table, his expression unreadable, but the air between them grew heavy.

For the first time, an unexpected weight pressed into the conversation.

Ash met his gaze, unwavering, ’He gave his life protecting others.’

Zephiron’s jaw tightened.

There was a beat of silence before he exhaled slowly, ’A noble end. But a waste, nonetheless.’

’Such things happen in life, Ash. The dead are to be laid in peace...’ his golden eyes studied Ash for a long moment before he spoke with quiet certainty, ’But the living must decide what comes next. So tell me- what are you going to do with this?’

’’Darius didn’t just believe in me. His life and actions led to me changing the way I see the world. I used to think strength was everything, but I am learning that power means nothing without purpose,’ Ash’s paws clenched, ’He believed in me. That’s why I have to get stronger. To make sure his sacrifice wasn’t meaningless.’

Zephiron nodded, his smirk fading into something more serious. ’Then get stronger. Intentions won’t shield you from a blade, Ash. War doesn’t favor the sentimental. It favors the ones still standing when the battle is over.’

A pause. Then, Zephiron’s golden eyes scrutinized Ash closely, ’Is that why you returned?’

Ash didn’t let the conversation linger as he straight up admitted it, ’You promised me strength. I’m here to claim it.’

Zephiron’s smirk widened, but his gaze remained calculating, ’Good. You should.’

He turned, taking a few steps toward the chamber’s exit, gesturing for Ash to follow. As they walked, the flickering torchlight cast long shadows along the stone walls.

’We’ll start your training with the guardian summons here,’ Zephiron stated before Ash suddenly spoke up.

’I want to train somewhere with shadow affinity beasts,’ Ash said, his tone unwavering.

Zephiron paused, glancing at him with mild curiosity, ’Shadow affinity beasts, huh?’ He crossed his arms, considering, ’There’s a place—the Umbral Nest. A den of creatures born from darkness itself. If you want to test your strength against real shadow affinity summons, that’s where you’d go.’

Ash frowned slightly, ’The Umbral Nest... I’ve never heard of it.’

Zephiron stopped mid-step and turned back to him, an eyebrow raised, ’You’ve lived this long in Aegaryn, and you don’t know its major locations?’

Ash defended himself, immediately replied, ’There isn’t really anyone that communicates among the summons so you don’t actually learn that they have names.’

Zephiron shook his head, clicking his tongue and gesturing for Ash to follow, ’Come. This will be very helpful for you.’

Without another word, Zephiron led Ash through the corridor, pushing open a massive reinforced door.

Beyond it lay a vast chamber, its floor dominated by a grand, intricately carved map of Aegaryn. Illuminated by embedded aether lines, the terrain stretched out before them—mountains rising like jagged fangs, vast rivers winding like veins on an arm, and deep valleys carved into the land like ancient scars.

What Ash had once thought was a world of only forests and scattered summons was, in truth, something far more structured. His gaze swept across it, immediately taking in the sheer scale. There were not just forests.

There were strongholds, fortresses, nests- an entire world hidden beneath the surface of what he had believed was just wilderness.

’This,’ Zephiron said, stepping onto the map, ’is the true Aegaryn or at least the biggest map we have of it here in Baltyr.’

Ash’s eyes moved rapidly over the map, tracing the pathways and names of locations he had never heard before. His gaze hovered over certain points, trying to absorb the sheer magnitude of what lay before him.

Baltyr’s stronghold was marked at the western edge of the map, nestled between the Lushwood Expanse deep in the Lushwood expanse that stretched outwards from the middle of the map.

The surrounding lands varied greatly—frozen wastelands in the north, scorched volcanic ridges in the east, veiled swamps in the south, and shadowed ravines in the west.

As Ash’s gaze continued westward, following the flow of rivers and the dense spread of the Lushwood Expanse, he traced the terrain as it darkened. The rich greens of the forest gave way to jagged cliffs and deep, mist-veiled valleys, where the markings on the map grew fainter. Then, at the very border between the forest and the void beyond, his eyes caught a label etched in dark, faint lettering.

’The Umbral Nest...’ his lips parted slightly before he spoke, ’Zephiron, is this it? The Umbral Nest?’

Zephiron’s gaze shifted, following Ash’s paw which was pointing at a label, and a slow nod came, ’That’s it. And it’s as dangerous as it looks.’

Ash stared at the map, his mind locking onto a singular thought. So that’s where I have to go.

He exhaled, the realization settling in. The distance. The terrain. The unknown dangers. Reaching it wouldn’t be easy.

But before he could dwell on that thought for long, something else caught his attention.

Further along the map, past the known fortresses and deep within unfamiliar lands, something stood out. Not just another ruin or war camp. It was positioned on the eastern edge of the Lushwood Expanse, on the opposite side of the stronghold of Baltyr.

As Ash’s eyes roamed over the vast expanse of the map, he took in the mountain ranges, the rivers cutting through valleys, and the endless stretches of biomes that made up Aegaryn. Each region bore the scars of war and conflict, but this place—this city—was different.

Ash’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned in closer, ’Is that a city?’

Zephiron followed his gaze and nodded, ’Yes.’

’They exist?’ Ash asked curiously, his brain unable to comprehend how a city could exist in a realm that did not see humans, ’Who built this?’

Zephiron’s golden eyes flickered with something unreadable before he responded, ’I learned of it when I visited. It wasn’t built by humans, nor by a single ruler.’

He tapped the map near the city’s marking, ’A group of S-rank beasts—creatures strong enough to rival entire armies—banded together and decided they’d had enough. They were tired of being tools for war, tired of being summoned, used, and discarded. So they created this place.

Ash’s eyes remained on the map, ’A sanctuary...’

Zephiron nodded, ’A sanctuary, yes. But not just that. They made a decision—one that sets them apart from the rest of Aegaryn. Summons in that city don’t recklessly seek out contracts with humans. They govern themselves, make their own laws. They have their own order, their own peacekeepers. It’s a world away from everything else in Aegaryn.’

’So, while the wilds are a battlefield, this place is... untouchable?’

Zephiron exhaled, ’Untouchable? Nothing in Aegaryn truly is. But it’s as close as it gets. They don’t involve themselves in outside wars, and those who seek to disturb them are met with force. I can tell you this much—whatever lives within those walls, it’s strong enough to keep the chaos out.’

Ash exhaled sharply, his fingers stilling over the sigils. He had spent his entire existence believing Aegaryn was a battlefield, that survival meant endless war or servitude under a summoner. And yet, here was proof that something else had been built.

Something different.

His voice came out quieter than he expected, ’A city... in the middle of Aegaryn? How does it even survive?’

Zephiron let out a quiet hum, ’That was my question too when I first saw it. But when I visited, I learned the truth.’

Ash turned to him, intrigued, ’You’ve been there?’

Zephiron nodded, ’Briefly. Long ago. This city wasn’t built by humans or a single ruler—it was created by a coalition of S-rank beasts who had grown tired of being used as weapons. They gathered together, seeking something beyond war, beyond contracts, beyond the endless pull of Terranis. And so, they carved out this place, a sanctuary where summons could exist on their own terms.’

Ash’s brow furrowed, ’And they just let you in?’

Zephiron exhaled, crossing his arms, ’They have strict rules—only those who abide by them are allowed entry. A summon cannot simply walk in. They test those who seek refuge, and anyone wanting to pass through their gates must swear an oath—a binding one.’

Ash raised a brow, ’An oath?’

Zephiron nodded, ’Yes. To enter the city, you must swear not only to forsake violence within its walls, but also to never reveal its secrets to outsiders. Those who take the oath are marked by it—an enchantment woven into their very being. Break it, and the city will know. And the punishment...’ Zephiron’s voice lowered. ’Let’s just say no one has ever broken the oath and lived to tell the tale.’

Ash felt a chill creep down his spine, ’So, they control who enters and ensure no one can betray them.’

’Exactly,’ Zephiron’s golden eyes flickered with something unreadable, ’When I visited, I had to take the oath. I swore that I would not draw my blade, that I would not bring war into their domain. Only then did they allow me inside. Even then, I was watched—every step I took, every word I spoke. They do not trust easily.’

Ash let out a slow breath, his paw pressing against the edge of the map.

The weight of Zephiron’s words settled in his chest. Aegaryn had always seemed like a place where strength ruled, where survival was dictated by conflict, where power was gained only through war.

But here was proof that some had found another way. Another path entirely.

His eyes scanned the rest of the map, ’Are there more places like this?’

Zephiron leaned back slightly, arms still crossed, ’This is just a fraction of Aegaryn. The land extends far beyond what we’ve charted. What you see here is only what Baltyr has mapped. Beyond this, who knows what truly exists?’