The courtyard remained silent except for the rhythmic hum of the continental board. The crystals flickered in unstable patterns as if something enormous moved beneath the surface of the world. Lyriel stepped back staring at the spike carved in pure mana light across the board. The spike glowed brighter than anything Evan had ever seen no matter which dashboard he had built before.

Brumdir gripped his hammer. “Human this is not normal. This is not even dwarven abnormal. What kind of pulse hits every region at once”

Evan did not answer at first. He leaned closer to the board watching how the crystals responded. Each crystal represented a region. Each region reacted differently yet with the same unbroken rhythm. The spikes were synchronized. Not identical but synchronized in a way that made Evan’s analytical instincts scream.

“This is not a natural pulse,” Evan finally said. “Natural pulses vary. They wobble. They drift. They are affected by storms mountains forests behavior cycles. But this pattern overrides all that. Something is pushing a signal across the entire continent.”

Lyriel’s eyes widened. “A signal You speak as if someone or something is speaking through the mana.”

“Not speaking,” Evan said slowly. “Broadcasting.”

Brumdir glared at the crystals. “What kind of creature broadcasts through the world’s veins”

Evan shook his head. “Not a creature. Something bigger. Something old.”

He tapped the board lightly. The crystals trembled again. “Before this pulse the world’s mana was chaotic. But beneath the chaos there was rhythm. Like hidden steps. Now the rhythm is rising.”

Lyriel whispered, “You said something was awakening. What exactly”

Evan exhaled. “I do not know. But the data is clear. Whatever it is it has been dormant. Hidden in the fluctuations. Hiding behind thousands of minor patterns.”

Brumdir squinted. “Hidden from elves. Hidden from dwarves. But not from your dashboards.”

Evan rubbed his forehead. “Not exactly. My dashboards did not detect it before because we lacked wide coverage. But now with dwarven data elven data beast data all aligned the deeper pattern reveals itself.”

Lyriel approached the board and placed her hand over the largest crystal representing the central forests. “The pulse feels old. Cold. Like something that has not breathed in centuries.”

Evan looked around at the courtyard now dark under the late evening sky. The guild members were returning from their regional surveys their faces tense as they saw the glow of the board ahead.

One apprentice gasped. “Master Evan what happened The board is… alive.”

Another whispered, “The pulses feel like they are calling.”

The dwarven envoy behind Brumdir muttered, “We feel the vibration in the tunnels. Like a drum beating under the mountain.”

Evan raised his voice so all could hear. “Everyone remain calm. I will explain.”

He pointed to the board. “This spike means the continent’s mana core experienced a deep shift. Something profound is happening beneath the surface. We cannot panic. We must study it.”

Lyriel asked softly, “Can you predict what happens next”

Evan looked again at the lights. The pulses formed wave shapes he had never seen. Patterns that curved in spirals. Steady yet shifting. Too regular to be natural.

“I can guess,” he said. “But I need more data.”

Brumdir nodded. “Then gather it. We dwarves will send runners to every clan. They will track deep pulses from each major vein.”

Lyriel added, “The elves will track forest and sky mana. We will send mages to the far edges of the kingdom.”

Evan nodded. “Good. But this is not just an elf or dwarf issue. This is a world issue. If this pulse spreads more strongly it could change the way magic behaves.”

The apprentices whispered in fear.

One asked, “Change how”

Evan stared at the glowing crystals. “Spells might become unstable. Mana storms might grow stronger. Beast behavior might change. Worst case the core of the world might release more pulses and reshape mana entirely.”

Lyriel placed a hand on his arm. “Evan do you believe this is a warning”

Evan swallowed. “Maybe. Or maybe it is the beginning of a cycle we never measured before.”

Brumdir grunted. “Then measure it. Before it grows teeth.”

Evan nodded. “I will. But I need to upgrade the continental board. More crystals. More baselines. More calibration. This board must become the world’s first real time mana monitor.”

Lyriel straightened. “We will do it. Tonight.”

Brumdir slammed his fist into his palm. “And the dwarves will help.”

Evan looked at the gathered group. His Data Guild. Elves. Dwarves. Apprentices. Rangers. All waiting for direction.

“Then let us begin,” Evan said. “We are building a dashboard for the whole world.”

They worked through the night. Carving runes. Shaping crystals. Recording fluctuating pulses. For the first time elves and dwarves collaborated under the same roof on something other than war or trade.

By sunrise the upgraded board glowed brighter than anything Evan had ever created.

But as the first rays hit the courtyard the board pulsed again. Harder. Sharper. Like a heartbeat of stone.

Lyriel turned to Evan. “The awakening pulse… it is growing.”

Evan stared at the new spike forming.

He whispered, “This is only the beginning.”