Two years later.
The war continued to burn.
Not weaker. Not quieter.
But smarter, bloodier — and more ruthless.
On the Western and Northern Fronts, the name Minato Dalis was no longer spoken softly.
It was spoken with caution.
In two years of continuous fighting, Minato had destroyed enemy heroes,
smashed the armies of the Republic of Terradorn and later the Dominion of Voltaris,
broke down lines that had been considered impenetrable.
Wherever he appeared — the line would break.
Wherever he fought — the fire would linger for days after the battle.
The soldiers began to give him a name.
The Fire Dragon.
Not because he was the strongest.
But because he was unstoppable.
His fire was no longer youthful.
It did not explode — it devoured.
Silent, deep, precise.
________________________________________
At the same time, Nija grew alongside him.
From being a medical ninja, she became a mainstay of the entire front.
Her hands have saved hundreds of lives,
but they also learned to remain calm while people die around them.
She watched Minato change.
As his shoulders grow heavier.
As his smile appears less and lessAnd slowly…
without words, without recognition —
she developed emotions that the war could not extinguish.
Minato knew that.
He saw it in her look.
In silence while dressing his wounds.
In the way she looks at him before every battle — like she's counting every time he might not come back.
But Minato Dalis was a warrior.
And he made a decision.
Not now.
Not while the world burns.
Not while people are dying because of the orders he gives.
Not while he holds the title of Fire and not Man.
He decided that the emotions would return when the war stopped.
When it no longer has to be a weapon.
When he can come back as a brother. Like a son. Like a man.
He didn't know…
that war rarely permits such returns.
And the legend of the Fire Dragon was just beginning to take its toll
— not to enemies,
but to those who were closest to him.
Solinaris.
The city of red stone and eternal flame never slept.
The flaming towers cast a golden light over the streets, and the squares were full of voices—merchants, soldiers, messengers.
But that day…
only one name was talked about.
"They say he single-handedly burned three companies of Terradorn."
"No… you're lying. No one can do that."
"It is possible. They saw him. His fire moved like a living thing."
"He's called… Fire Dragon."
The name spread like wildfire.
________________________________________In the shadow of one of the Flame Temples, Arden Dalis stood alone.
He was twelve years old.
His hands were behind his back, his posture perfectly calm — as if that body was already used to discipline, not childhood.
His eyes, cold and silent, followed the people who passed by.
He wasn't laughing.
He didn't speak.
He just listened.
"The Fire Dragon is merciless," said one soldier as he passed by.
"They say that when he goes on the attack, even the country doesn't stay the same."
Arden's gaze shifted slightly.
"He's Dalis," added another.
"Same blood as Eugen Dalis. They say his son went to war at fifteen."
Those words lingered in the air.
________________________________________
Arden felt his chest tighten—not from sadness, not from fear.
Already from something he couldn't name.
Minato.
No one said the name.
But Arden knew him.
His brother.
The one who left when he was still a boy.
The one who once told him:
"If you ever hear about me becoming a monster… know that I did it so you don't have to."
________________________________________
Later that day, Arden stood on the balcony of the Dalis house.
Below him, Solinaris was ablaze with lights and voices.
Above him, the sky was red with the reflection of eternal fire.
He clenched his fist.Something shifted in his chest—soft, but real.
Not envy.
Not fear.
A call.
If Minato became a dragon to protect the Empire…
then one day Arden will become something else.
Not a symbol.
Not a legend.
Already a blade.
At that moment, far at the front, the Fire Dragon was burning through the enemy lines.
And in the heart of Solinaris...
a boy realized for the first time that the war was already calling his name.
The Grand Palace of Solinaris.
The red stone hall was silent as a tomb.
The flames in the wall torches burned quietly, but their light cast long, sharp shadows across the floor—as if the palace itself remembered the wars it had seen.
Eugen Dalis sat at the massive black stone table.
A man whose name carried the weight of history.
Warrior of the Second Elemental War.
A firebender who was known by one nickname that was not taken lightly:
Greedy.
Not for gold.
Not for fame.
Already for victory.
The reports lay in front of him—one on top of the other.
Burnt villages.
Destroyed companies.
The names of the dead written in small letters.
Eugene read without emotion.
His face was stony, but his eyes… his eyes said he remembered every war, every decision.
His gaze settled on one name.Minato Dalis.
Fire Dragon.
Eugene slowly closed his eyes.
________________________________________
In the silence of the palace, the memories came flooding back.
Thirty years ago.
Night.
Blood.
A flame that did not listen to reason.
His brother.
His hand.
One stroke.
That day he learned what it means to sacrifice blood for a vow.
This will be discussed later.
________________________________________
Eugen got up and went to the writing table.
He took a quill, dipped it in ink, and began to write a letter—slowly, thoughtfully.
Minato,
You're following in my footsteps, whether you like it or not.
I, too, was once young and believed that war can be ended with honor.
Now you know the truth.
If you want this war to ever stop — you must endure what others cannot.
That's why I'm sending you to where the blood is thickest.
The pen paused for a moment.
Eugene looked out of the palace window, towards the north.
Northern front.
Dominion Voltaris.
The bloodiest of the three great fronts.
Where lightning leaves no ashes—but devastation.
Finish the letter.
Return alive.
Not as a hero.
But as a warrior who understands the price of victory.
Signature:
Eugen Dalis.
________________________________________
As he sealed the letter with the wax of the Pyra Empire, Eugen lowered his hand for a moment.
He spoke silently, to himself:
"If you must become a monster... let the world remember you as a dragon."
The messenger entered, knelt, received the letter, and disappeared into the palace corridors.
Eugen was left alone.
On the wall behind him, a relief of ancient wars depicted flames devouring lightning.
Fate had already been written.
To the north—Minato Dalis would soon step into hell.
And in Solinaris...
his younger son was just beginning to hear the voice of war.