Kael woke up choking.
Not from smoke.
Not from fear.
From pressure.
It pressed down on his chest like an invisible weight, making every breath feel thick and sluggish, as if the air itself had decided he wasn't welcome anymore.
He rolled to his side, coughing, one hand clawing at the ground.
"-Kael!"
Luna's voice cut through the haze.
He blinked hard, vision blurring before snapping into focus.
The camp was wrong.
The fire was out. Not smoldering—gone. Flattened into cold ash, as if something had pressed it into the ground. The trees around them leaned inward unnaturally, branches twisted, leaves trembling without wind.
And Cinder..
Cinder was standing.
Not pacing.
Not coiled.
Standing tall on all fours, body rigid, ember-lines blazing like molten cracks across obsidian stone. Heat rolled off it in waves, distorting the air.
The System screamed to life.
[WARNING.]
[WARNING.]
[Host entering high-risk zone.]
[Draconic pressure detected.]
[Source: unknown.]
Kael pushed himself up, heart hammering.
"What's happening?"
Nyx was already moving, eyes darting, knives in hand. "We're not alone."
Iris swallowed. "No kidding."
Then—
The forest moved.
Not branches.
Not shadows.
The ground shifted.
A shape rose slowly from between the trees, peeling itself out of the earth like a nightmare being remembered.
Humanoid.
Massive.
Its body looked carved from blackened stone and sinew, veins glowing dull red like cooling lava. Horns curved from its skull, broken at the tips. Its eyes burned with dim, hateful intelligence.
It breathed.
The sound alone made Kael's bones ache.
The System went silent.
Then—
[ERROR.]
[Entity exceeds evaluation limits.]
[Classification: Failed Dragonkin / Corrupted.]
[Threat level: EXTREME.]
Iris whispered, "We… we can't fight that."
Luna's scales shimmered fully now, her dragon-mark spreading instinctively. "It's drawn to something."
Nyx's gaze snapped to Cinder.
"…It's drawn to him."
The creature's eyes locked onto Cinder.
And it smiled.
The corrupted dragonkin took a step forward.
The ground cracked.
Kael staggered, barely keeping his footing as a wave of pressure slammed into him like a physical blow.
[Draconic dominance clash detected.]
[Host synchronization unstable.]
[Warning: Beast survival probability decreasing.]
Cinder roared.
The sound was raw. Incomplete. Furious.
The corrupted creature laughed.
A horrible, grinding sound.
"Still… unfinished," it rumbled, voice like stone grinding stone. "Still small."
Kael's heart pounded.
It can talk.
Nyx hissed, "That thing was a tamer once."
Luna's fists clenched. "Or something worse."
The creature sniffed the air.
"Dragon blood," it growled. "Thin. Weak. But… promising."
It took another step.
Cinder reacted instantly—lunging forward, slamming into the creature's leg with everything it had.
The impact echoed like a cannon.
The corrupted dragonkin didn't move.
It looked down.
Then backhanded Cinder.
Kael screamed.
Cinder flew.
It crashed through three trees before skidding across the ground, ember-lines flickering violently.
The System blared.
[Beast critical damage sustained.]
[Bond feedback detected.]
[Host pain transfer initiated.]
Kael dropped to his knees as agony ripped through his chest.
"No—!"
The corrupted creature turned its gaze to Kael.
"You," it said. "You don't know what you're holding."
Kael dragged himself upright, shaking.
"Get away from him."
The creature tilted its head. "Or what?"
Kael laughed weakly.
"…Or I die trying."
Luna grabbed Kael's arm. "We can't win. We run."
Nyx nodded. "Agreed."
Iris clenched her teeth. "I hate agreeing with smart people."
Kael looked at Cinder.
The beast struggled to rise, legs trembling, ember-lines dimming.
Something inside Kael snapped.
"No."
Luna stared at him. "Kael—"
"If we run," he said hoarsely, "it hunts us. It hunts him."
The corrupted dragonkin took another step forward.
Trees snapped like twigs.
The System chimed frantically.
[Survival probability if fleeing: 12%.]
[Survival probability if engaging: 6%.]
Kael smiled.
"…So it's bad either way."
He staggered forward, placing himself between the monster and Cinder.
Iris shouted, "YOU'RE INSANE!"
Kael didn't look back.
"Probably."
The corrupted creature loomed over him, heat and pressure crushing down.
"You're brave," it said. "Or stupid."
Kael wiped blood from his mouth.
"Been called worse."
The System spoke, quieter now.
[Bond resonance destabilizing.]
[Forced evolution possible.]
[Warning: Beast survival not guaranteed.]
Kael closed his eyes.
You trusted me, he thought. So I won't abandon you.
"Cinder," he whispered. "If you can hear me… don't hold back."
Cinder's eye snapped open.
The ember-lines across Cinder's body flared violently.
Not brighter—
Deeper.
The heat changed.
It wasn't wild anymore.
It was focused.
The System froze.
Then—
[EVOLUTION CONDITION MET.]
[Trigger: Extreme threat + Absolute resolve.]
[Warning: Evolution path unstable.]
The corrupted dragonkin recoiled slightly.
"…No," it growled. "Not yet."
Kael felt something tear open inside him.
Not pain.
Connection.
Memories that weren't his.
Fire that wasn't burning.
Wings that didn't exist—yet.
[Bond synchronization exceeding limits.]
[Host risk: catastrophic.]
[Override unavailable.]
Kael screamed.
Not in agony.
In defiance.
"I DON'T CARE!" he shouted. "LIVE!"
Cinder roared.
The world exploded into light.
Fire did not erupt outward.
It folded inward.
Compressed.
Condensed.
Cinder's body shattered—
Not broke.
Molted.
Obsidian scales peeled away like ash, revealing molten-red plates beneath, etched with glowing gold lines that pulsed in rhythm with Kael's heartbeat.
Its body elongated.
Limbs strengthened.
A ridge of crystalline spines erupted along its back.
And then—
Wings.
Not fully formed.
But there.
Real.
The System finally spoke, voice distorted.
[EVOLUTION COMPLETE.]
[Species: Ember Wyrmling.]
[Rank: ???]
[Warning: Classification impossible.]
The corrupted dragonkin staggered backward.
"…Impossible."
Cinder opened its eyes.
They were no longer ember-orange.
They were gold.
It inhaled.
The air screamed.
Then—
Fire.
Not a blast.
A beam.
Pure, focused draconic flame that punched through the corrupted creature's chest, vaporizing corrupted flesh and sending it crashing backward in a shower of molten fragments.
The forest burned.
The monster roared in agony.
Kael collapsed to one knee, vision spinning.
But he was smiling.
After the Fire
The corrupted dragonkin fled.
Not ran.
Escaped.
Its body melted into the earth, retreating into cracks it tore open itself.
Silence followed.
Broken only by crackling flames and Kael's ragged breathing.
The System chimed weakly.
[Host survival confirmed.]
[Bond stabilized.]
[Warning: world attention spike imminent.]
Cinder turned toward Kael.
Moved carefully.
Gently.
It lowered its massive head and pressed it against Kael's chest.
Warm.
Alive.
Kael laughed and cried at the same time.
"…You did it."
Cinder rumbled.
Proud.
Luna stared in awe.
Iris dropped onto her back. "I quit. I'm done. That's it. I'm retiring."
Nyx exhaled slowly. "…That was a dragon."
Kael looked at his hands, still trembling.
"No," he said softly. "That was a beginning."
The System delivered one final message before falling silent.
[Dragon path confirmed.]
[From this point forward… the world will respond.]
Kael looked toward the burning horizon.
"Let it."