Kael didn't wake up.
He surfaced.
There was a difference.
Waking up implied rest, clarity, a clean break between before and after. This felt more like being dragged upward through thick water, lungs burning, mind lagging behind his body.
The first thing he noticed was heat.
Not the sharp, violent heat of fire—but a deep, steady warmth, like lying too close to a hearth after a long winter night.
The second thing he noticed was weight.
Something heavy was pressing gently against his chest.
Kael groaned.
"…Cinder," he croaked. "You're crushing me."
The weight shifted immediately.
Carefully.
Almost apologetically.
Kael's eyes fluttered open.
Gold.
That was the first thing he saw.
Not light—eyes.
Large, luminous, unblinking eyes staring down at him with an intensity that made his breath hitch.
Cinder had changed.
Not subtly.
Not gradually.
Completely.
Its body was longer now, thicker, layered in overlapping plates of deep crimson and molten gold. Faint heat rippled from between its scales, warping the air. The half-formed wings folded at its sides twitched instinctively as it leaned closer, nostrils flaring.
It looked… worried.
Kael swallowed.
"…You're big."
Cinder rumbled softly, lowering its head until its snout rested beside Kael's face.
Gentle.
Controlled.
Alive.
The System chimed faintly, like it was speaking through fog.
[Host consciousness restored.]
[Post-evolution stabilization ongoing.]
[Warning: residual bond feedback detected.]
Kael winced as a dull ache pulsed behind his eyes.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I feel that too."
"HE'S AWAKE!"
Iris's voice detonated like a grenade.
Kael flinched.
"Why are you shouting?"
"BECAUSE YOU WERE DEAD-ISH."
She barreled into his field of vision, soot-streaked, hair singed, eyes red-rimmed with exhaustion. She dropped to her knees beside him, grabbed his shoulders, then froze.
"…Wow," she whispered. "You smell like a forge."
Kael blinked. "Is that bad?"
"No," Nyx said calmly from behind her. "It's unsettling."
Luna knelt on Kael's other side, relief flooding her face so visibly it almost hurt to look at.
"You idiot," she said softly. "You absolute idiot."
Kael smiled weakly. "Missed you too."
She punched his arm.
Not hard.
Just enough.
Cinder tensed instantly, a low growl vibrating in its chest.
Luna froze.
"…Right," she said slowly. "Dragon."
Cinder leaned closer, eyes narrowing slightly.
Kael raised a trembling hand and rested it against Cinder's scales.
"It's okay," he murmured. "She's with us."
The growl faded.
The System chimed.
[Emotional regulation successful.]
[Beast obedience: voluntary, not enforced.]
Nyx raised an eyebrow. "That's new."
Kael tried to sit up.
The moment he did, pain exploded through his chest like lightning.
He gasped, collapsing back against the ground.
The System reacted instantly.
[Warning: bond feedback overload.]
[Host mana channels strained.]
[Recommendation: do not exert.]
Kael clenched his teeth. "So… I'm guessing I didn't walk away clean."
Iris snorted. "You walked away at all. That's the miracle."
Nyx crossed her arms. "You were unconscious for six hours."
Kael's eyes widened. "Six—?"
"We had to move camp twice," Luna added. "That thing didn't die. It fled."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"…I figured."
Cinder's eyes dimmed slightly.
The memory came back in fragments—pressure, fire, rage, the corrupted dragonkin's voice.
Still unfinished.
Kael swallowed.
The System chimed again.
[Traumatic memory resurfacing.]
[Recommendation: rest.]
"Later," Kael muttered.
Nyx crouched near Cinder, studying it like a scholar confronted with blasphemy.
"This isn't a normal evolution," she said finally.
Iris scoffed. "No kidding."
Nyx ignored her. "Your beast didn't follow a recorded path. It didn't branch—it converged."
Kael frowned. "In normal words?"
Nyx met his gaze. "Every beast evolves by specializing. Fire becomes hotter. Claws become sharper. Wings become faster."
She tapped Cinder's scales lightly with a dagger hilt.
"This did the opposite. It became more."
The System chimed quietly.
[Evolution classification unresolved.]
[Species traits incomplete.]
[Warning: future growth unpredictable.]
Luna's voice was tense. "That thing called it 'unfinished.'"
Kael nodded slowly.
"Which means it's seen dragons before," he said. "Real ones."
Silence fell.
Iris cleared her throat. "Okay. Not to ruin the mood, but if that was unfinished… what happens when it's done?"
Cinder lifted its head.
Its wings twitched.
Kael exhaled.
"…We survive that too."
They didn't notice the watcher at first.
That was the problem.
Kael was the one who felt it—not through sight or sound, but through a tightening in his chest, like the bond itself had gone taut.
The System reacted half a second later.
[Foreign observation detected.]
[Source: concealed.]
[Threat level: indeterminate.]
Nyx moved instantly, blades drawn. "We're being watched."
The forest shifted.
A figure stepped into view.
Old.
Scarred.
Wrapped in a cloak stitched with monster hide and faded sigils. His eyes were sharp, assessing, unafraid.
A hunter.
Not an assassin.
Not a noble pawn.
Something worse.
He stopped when he saw Cinder.
Really saw it.
"…Well," he said slowly. "That explains the firestorm."
Kael pushed himself up on one elbow. "Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"Someone who follows dragons."
The System blared.
[Designation detected.]
[Threat: Dragon Hunter.]
[Probability of hostility: high.]
Iris swore. "Of course."
The hunter's gaze never left Cinder. "That's a young one," he said thoughtfully. "Fresh evolution. Sloppy control."
Cinder bristled.
Kael's anger flared instantly.
"Careful," Kael said hoarsely. "You're talking about my partner."
The hunter laughed. "You're talking like it'll stay small."
His eyes flicked to Kael.
"…You won't."
"I'm not here to fight," the hunter said, raising his hands slightly. "If I wanted that, I wouldn't announce myself."
Nyx didn't lower her blades. "Then why are you here?"
"To confirm rumors."
Kael frowned. "What rumors?"
The hunter smiled thinly.
"That a dragon woke up in the Outer Wilds."
The System chimed urgently.
[Information leak confirmed.]
[World awareness escalating.]
Kael's blood ran cold.
"How long?" he asked.
The hunter shrugged. "Depends who you ask. Minutes. Hours. Dragons leave marks."
He glanced at the scorched forest behind them.
"Big ones."
Luna's jaw tightened. "Then more will come."
The hunter nodded. "Yes."
Iris threw her hands up. "Fantastic."
Kael met the hunter's gaze. "Are you going to tell them?"
The hunter studied him for a long moment.
Then smirked.
"Oh, they already know."
Silence crashed down.
The hunter turned away, already retreating into the trees.
"Grow fast," he called over his shoulder. "Or die young."
Then he was gone.
Kael lay back, staring at the sky.
"Well," he said weakly. "That's not ominous at all."
Iris laughed hysterically. "We're doomed."
Nyx sheathed her blades. "No. We're late."
Luna looked at Kael. "You can't stay here."
Kael nodded. "I know."
The System chimed.
[External pressure increasing.]
[Recommendation: relocation.]
[Warning: concealment difficulty rising.]
Kael turned his head toward Cinder.
"You hear that?" he whispered. "They're coming."
Cinder's eyes burned brighter.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
Kael laughed softly.
"…Of course you're excited."
They packed quickly.
No lingering.
No looking back.
Kael struggled to stand—but Cinder moved instantly, lowering its body so Kael could lean against its neck.
Support.
Trust.
The System chimed.
[Bond integration deepening.]
[Physical support shared.]
Luna watched them, something unreadable in her eyes.
"You know," she said quietly, "once the world labels you as a dragon tamer… there's no hiding."
Kael nodded.
"Good."
She blinked. "Good?"
Kael smiled, teeth sharp.
"I was tired of hiding."
The System spoke one final time as they moved.
[Warning.]
[From this point onward, encounters will escalate.]
[Dragon era variables activated.]
Kael didn't slow.
Didn't look back.
Cinder spread its half-formed wings slightly, catching the wind.
Somewhere far away, something ancient opened one eye.