Hey, kid."
Kohler's hand landed on Chagrin's shoulder, firm enough to jolt him out of his thoughts.
"Sir—yes, sir!" Chagrin barked, voice a half-second too loud.
Kohler grimaced. "Easy. I'm not a firing squad. Sit. If you shout like that again, I'll demote you out of spite."
Chagrin obeyed, still blinking as if the world hadn't fully settled back into place.
"So," Kohler continued, lowering himself into his chair, "I'm here to decide whether you get promoted… or quietly buried under paperwork."
"What promotion, sir?" Chagrin asked honestly.
Kohler snorted. "Still foggy. Monica really scrambled you good." He tapped a button on his desk. "Coffee. Two cold. Actually just make it three."
Then he leaned forward, fingers steepled. "The Catharsis mission exposed you to information above your clearance. Secrets only a handful of people in this army are allowed to know. On top of that, Monica's report says you led ten men against twenty-five barbarians and lived."
Kohler tilted his head. "You lost most of your squad. I won't dress that up. But by military standards?"A thin smile. "That was extraordinary."
"What secrets, sir?" Chagrin asked carefully.
Kohler's gaze sharpened. "If you accept the promotion, you'll be initiated. Then you'll learn what you need to know, about this era… and the ones before it. Frankly, we don't understand all of it ourselves."
The door opened softly. A servant entered, placing three glasses of cold coffee on the desk.
Chagrin lifted one. The smell alone snapped something awake inside him. He took a sip, and froze. Vanilla. Bitter. Sharp. Alive.
By the time he realised what he was doing, half the glass was gone.
Monica watched him over the rim of her own cup, lips faintly curved. Not amused but relieved.
"Careful," she said gently. "First coffee hits hard."
Kohler chuckled. "Now then. Sergeant Chagrin."He slid an envelope across the desk. "How do you feel about changing branches? Army to Air Force. Rank promotion included. Benefits too."
Chagrin paused. "Sir… I was deemed unfit for the Air Force."
"You were," Kohler said easily. "To fly against certain… people and creatures, you either meet the requirements or you die. No middle ground."
Chagrin hesitated. "When you say 'those people,' sir… you mean things like the barbarian priestess."
Kohler nodded. "Among others. Don't worry. Professors at the Academy explain it better than I ever could. If I start now, you'll just leave more confused."
He leaned back. "So. Do you accept?"
Chagrin didn't answer immediately.
He thought of the panther.The altar.The gold blood.
"Yes, sir," he said finally. "I'd be honoured. Though… may I join the Academy after my vacation?"
Kohler laughed outright. "You really are something."
He opened the envelope, pulling out documents. "Sign. You'll be enrolled in the Academy for advanced training. Air tactics. Theory. History. And after that—"
His tone hardened just a little. "Your old identity is erased. New name. New records. As if Chagrin never existed."
Chagrin swallowed. Relief and unease tangled in his chest. "Sir… why all this? It's not like I'm joining special forces."
Kohler met his eyes. "The Air Force and Navy are special forces. You didn't qualify before. Now you do."
Chagrin pressed his thumbprint to the paper and handed it back.
Kohler took it—then set it on fire without ceremony.
Chagrin blinked. Why did I even sign—
"Formalities," Kohler said drily, as if reading his thoughts. "Enjoy your vacation. The Academy will fix whatever's wrong with you."
He laughed again, deep and knowing.
"Don't overthink what he said" she murmured. "Rest. You've earned it."
Chagrin hesitated. "Ma'am… can you tell me what really happened at Catharsis?"
She stopped.
"The more you learn" she said quietly, "the more unstable you'll become. Power doesn't awaken alone. Madness comes with it."
"Madness?"
"That's why Kohler wants you educated from the start" she replied. "Knowledge gives structure. Without it, people like you break."
Chagrin took a breath. "And right now?"
She studied him for a long moment.
"You already know part of the truth," she said. "The creature was a dragon. Ancient. And the ruins were old human technology, designed to merge dragon power with human bodies."
She met his eyes. "You survived the fusion with the Mad Dragon."
Something shifted inside him.
His pulse quickened. His body felt lighter and sharper. Permanent.
Monica's hand landed gently on his arm. "Don't chase that feeling. Strength feels intoxicating at first. Then it starts whispering."
He swallowed.
She opened the door marked INITIATION.
"And Chagrin?" she added softly. "Whatever happens next try not facing it alone."