Boundless Evolution: The Summoning Beast
Chapter 76: Threat

Chapter 76: Threat

The head of House Valtair was pacing the length of the table in the stone hall, fury practically steaming from his shoulders.

"Those darn cultists!" he shouted in anger, his aether sparking with each burst of his voice, "They were supposed to take out the Valens and yet they could not even manage to take out the heir!"

"We gave them a golden opportunity, resources!" he barked, his voice echoing against the aged granite that ran along the walls, "There was supposed to be no way for them to fail; even lesser to fail completely!"

He slammed a fist onto the table, rattling scrolls and goblets.

Lord Cazir, the sharp-eyed strategist responsible for coordinating with the cultist network, averted his gaze. Lady Rhess, the diplomat of the house whose influence ensured plausible deniability, stiffened. And across from them sat Varn, a stoic beastmaster in ceremonial armor who was the House Guardian, his arms folded, unmoved.

"Well?" the head demanded, his voice icy, "Will no one speak to the disgrace we have suffered? All this time and resources?"

His gaze turned to Lord Cazir and Lady Rhess, "You two were there in my place! And yet you were still not able to keep the situation in our favour!"

"Lord Darren," Lord Cazir rose from his chair, his head down as he faced the Valtair Head, "A Sovereign had made his appearance from the moment Vivian was defeated. We were to charge and finish off the heir but killing a member under the royal family would bring us more trouble than good."

"Then why did you not attack the heir before?"

A silence permeated as Cazir and Rhess seemed to be conflicted, unable to answer.

"ANSWER ME!"

Before anyone could respond, the heavy doors creaked open. Silence blanketed the hall as an older figure stepped in, staff in hand, robes dragging with regal weight.

The Grand Elder- his father.

The firelight in the room seemed to dim in reverence as the old man opened his mouth.

"Still shouting, are we?" the old man said quietly, voice lined with both judgment and disappointment, "I was also there too, Darren. If you are angry at them then shouldn’t your anger also turn to me too?"

At this, the head of House Valtair stood speechless, unable to come up with a direct release for his frustration.

The Grand Elder continued, gaze unwavering, "Your rage and screaming right now does not erase the failure of what happened, neither does it help us at all right now."

The head turned, jaw clenched, his voice tightening with obsession, "Do you understand what we witnessed, father?"

"That boy unlocked Synergy Veil- at his age! That is supposed to be beyond his generation! No one has been recorded to have unlocked Synergy Veil within half an hour of gaining their first summon!" Darren emphasised, trying to get that fact across as he felt that his father was not understanding the weight of what a feat they had just witnessed.

"He is an anomaly. A convergence of talent, instinct, and willpower!" Darren shouted, pounding the side of the table again, "Father, can you not see that? Do you not grasp the magnitude of what he is becoming?"

The Grand Elder’s gaze, one calm, snapped toward his son- and in that moment, the firelight surged.

"Enough!" he bellowed, the weight of generations lacing his voice.

The room went still.

"Do you truly believe I don’t understand what we saw? Lucas’s potential eclipses not just Bennet- but Daryl. And even Daryl’s father, the man who held our kingdom at bay for a decade."

He stepped forward, each stride heavy with fury restrained, "Do not speak to me as if I am blind. I have lived the era you all worship."

He then turned to the table, as he made his way to his chair, "Lucas Valen is the greatest threat House Valen has ever produced. And yet you’re so consumed by the heir that you got to notice the actors that Bennet has brought in to guide his growth."

He turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as his gaze shifted across the table until it landed on a lean figure wrapped in grey travel leathers- Nareth, the House’s scoutmaster and overseer of House Valtair’s city logistics.

"Tell me, Nareth," he spoke, his voice low but laced with gravity, "Tell me about the hyena that was accompanying the Valens today. I want everything that you have."

The fire crackled.

Nareth adjusted his gloves and leaned slightly forward, voice calm but clear, "Grand Elder, there is very little official on record about the hyena. It appears to be a Shadow Hyena, its appearance fits with its adolescent counterpart found in the Almanac of Summoning Beasts. These beasts are known to evolve upon reaching C-Rank towards the Werewolf bloodline. It reportedly responds to the name Ash."

Nareth, then brought up a book, and began flipping through multiple pages before stopping and reading out once again, "It is stated to be the new House Summon of the Valens."

Hearing this, the Grand Elder eyes grew distant in contemplation as a small smile of intrigue appeared on his face, "I would normally question the decision of making a Shadow Hyena the new House summon when there are far better options but after seeing it perform, I would be forced to eat my own words."

Then, his face turned sharp once again as he then asked Nareth, "What do you know of that hyena’s specific background."

Nareth gave a slow nod as he flipped back some pages, his expression tightening, "The hyena was said to have entered Westreach with the news party sent by Whitehold to report on the death of Commander Valen. I have accounts that said that the captain of the city gate said that the hyena came directly from the battlefield and was carrying Daryl’s cape and insignia."

At those words, a hush fell over the table. This was definitely news that made the background of the hyena far more interesting and mysterious.

The Grand Elder slowly turned away, his expression unreadable.

"So," he muttered, voice low, "it was chosen. There would be no other reason for the Valens to have a hyena as their House Summon unless it was chosen by Daryl. He sent it."

His eyes narrowed, sharp now with renewed fire, "Find out everything. Every thread, every encounter, every ripple this ’Ash’ has made in Eldoria. I want to know everything from the start on the battlefield until now."

Hearing this, Nareth nodded hurriedly as he immediately got up and began rushing away from the stone hall.

Silence permeated the stone hall once again. Darren leaned forward, his voice low as the rage drained into uncertainty, "Why would Daryl choose a Shadow Hyena? An adolescent hyena is known to have a strength level of only a low E rank summon."

The Grand Elder did not respond immediately. Instead, his eyes narrowed as his voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"It’s not why a Shadow Hyena... it’s why that Shadow Hyena."

Darren turned towards him, brows furrowed, "What do you mean, father?"

The Grand Elder didn’t answer immediately and instead turned to Lord Cazir and Lady Rhess.

"Ask them."

Rhess looked away and Cazir flinched.

"You saw it, did you not? It wasn’t just a summon. It moved like a seasoned warrior. Its awareness of its surroundings are impeccable. It was able to sense the explosion and save the Valen heir. Without hesitation, took a blow meant for him without hesitation and continued fighting."

"Still... I don’t believe that gives it enough to influence Daryl to make it a House Summon," Darren chimed in despite being slightly caught off-guard at the senses of the hyena. It had definitely seen its share of battles.

"Darren, do you know why I told you not to concentrate on simply Lucas Valen but also the other actors on his side?" the Grand Elder questioned, his tone turning serious, implying a grand revelation, "The rune, the explosion rune that we were given from Zavareth. In the span of the battle, the hyena was able to reverse mechanise it and turn it against the cultists to make it explode upon its contact with them."

"WHAT!" Darren exploded, his voice cracking like thunder through the hall. Several attendants near the walls flinched visibly.

"No runemaster below C-Class is supposed to be able to decode and redirect a rune of that complexity mid-battle!" Darren shouted, turning to face the Grand Elder again, "We were assured by Zavareth that the rune would be impossible to reverse!"

The Grand Elder simply stared at him, lips tight, letting the silence speak.

At this point, Lady Rhess whispered, "The odds of Zavareth giving us a fraudulent rune is practically impossible. They have too much to lose by sending these to us."

"That would mean that the hyena not only has excellent senses for its species but also a level of intelligence that is found only in the top potential summons," Lord Cazir added.

"A summon with a top potential of C-rank with senses rivalling stealth species with an intelligence level that is only seen in A-rank summons..." Varn joined in the conversation, his eyes gleaming with excitement and surprise as he considered how much of an anomaly this newly found summon is.

The Grand Elder nodded slowly as he turned to Darren, "You are right to fear the heir, my son. But I will tell you now... it’s not the heir we should be watching out for. It’s the summon that will walk with him in the shadows."

...

The Valen Estate lay quiet under a heavy morning sky. The halls were still, as if holding their breath.

In one of the private recovery chambers, Bennet Valen stirred.

The rhythm of his breathing shifted. His fingers twitched. Then, slowly, his eyes blinked open—hazy, unfocused, but awake.

A maid folding linens near the door gasped, nearly dropping the cloth in her hands. She rushed to his side, bending low with barely concealed emotion.

"Lord Bennet... you’re awake," she whispered.

He didn’t respond, only blinked slowly and turned his head toward the window where sunlight was beginning to filter through the curtains.