The docks of Pearlbay groaned beneath the weight of sea winds and whispered rumors. Lanterns swayed with their pale-blue glow, pearl dust shimmering faintly in the mist. Fishermen kept their heads low. Children stayed inside. Even the waves seemed restless, clawing against the stilts of the village like caged beasts.

Two groups walked side by side, the salt air brushing against them Team 3 and Team 9. No teachers, no safety nets, no guiding hands. Their sensei had said the words clearly before sending them off:

"You're sixteen now. This mission is yours to carry."

And so they carried it.

Team 3

Kaen Suro walked at the front, his black, spiky hair thrashing in the wind like a banner of defiance. His red jacket gleamed under the pearl-light, flame patterns licking at his sleeves. His eyes, sharp and burning, carried no hesitation. For Kaen, every step was another chance to prove his fire.

Beside him moved Rael Eluron, platinum hair tied back with a ribbon that spoke of old nobility. His white uniform was spotless despite the sea air, embroidery glinting gold. On his hip rested a sealed scabbard, humming faintly with the power of a Shinrei blade. His gaze was steady, cold, certain. Legacy itself walked with him. Above him, faint and ghostlike, Seraphis the verdant mirror floated like a halo of emerald light.

Trailing behind them, with a quiet, watchful poise, was Lira Valenne. Silver-white hair fluttered in the ocean breeze, lavender eyes steady but soft. Where Kaen was fire and Rael was steel, Lira was balance. The calm tide between two storms.

Team 9

Then there was Khael Corzedar.

Three years of absence had sculpted him into something more than human and not yet dragon. His hair, long and dark, framed a face carved by hardship and time. The smile he wore was the same as ever light, approachable, warm but his eyes told another story.

Depth. Wisdom. A storm endured and survived. His robe shimmered faintly, green runes alive at its trim, while scales coiled up his arms in refined, glowing patterns—a dragon's inheritance, tamed, yet waiting.

At his side strode Ceyla Nox, hood drawn, storm-gray eyes lit with an electric glow. A lightning sigil burned faintly on her chest, the robe she wore etched with whirling lines of energy. Her grin was restless, reckless. She was the storm that never stopped pacing the cage.

Juno Arkai walked last, composed and steady. His shirt and dark trousers seemed simple, but there was something unshakable in the way he carried himself. Bandages wrapped around his wrists and hands marks of countless hours sharpening his control. He is sometimes talkative sometimes not, but his eyes said everything: he was always watching, always weighing.

The villagers whispered as the six entered together, their presence undeniable.

Two teams. Six sixteen-year-olds. No sensei.

Kaen cracked his knuckles with a grin.

"Finally… time to show Pearlbay what we can do."

Rael shot him a cold glance.

"Don't embarrass us."

"Wha—?!" Kaen's voice rose, but Lira sighed, brushing silver hair from her eyes.

"Focus. This village… it's already drowning in fear. Don't add to it."

Ceyla's grin widened, faint sparks crackling along her sleeves.

"Heh. She's right. But still… kind of exciting, isn't it?"

Khael chuckled softly, calm against the tension, his eyes scanning the stilted homes, the glowing docks, the distant caves where shadows stirred.

"Exciting, dangerous, same thing."

Juno finally spoke, voice low, hands tightening inside his bandages.

"Let's not waste time. The people here are waiting. The tide won't hold forever."

The six of them stopped at the center of Pearlbay, the sea wind whipping through their hair. Lanterns above swayed, their pearl-lit glow casting long, wavering shadows, shadows that stretched toward the restless ocean where the dark tide beasts stirred.

The villagers had gathered in hushed circles, pearl dust still clinging to their clothes, eyes darting nervously from Kaen's wild fire to Rael's pristine blade, from Ceyla's storm-lit grin to Lira's calm lavender gaze. But most of all… their eyes landed on him.

On Khael Corzedar.

The weight of three years pressed into the air the moment he stood there, his scaled arms catching the faint blue glow of the pearl lanterns, his calm smile at odds with the storm carved behind his eyes. The rumors had traveled across continents, across oceans. The battle against Sloth, the strongest of the Sins, was etched into history as both tragedy and miracle. Many still whispered it as legend, some as rumor, some as propaganda. But the elders… the elders knew better. They had seen echoes of that power before.

And when Elder Neria stepped forward, the murmurs died.

Her hair was dark as the tide, her face ageless despite her years, her eyes sharpened by memory and wisdom. She looked not at Kaen, nor Rael, nor the storm-touched Ceyla. She looked only at Khael.

"I believe you are Khael… the Dragon Knight."

The square froze. Even the wind seemed to pause.

Ceyla tilted her hooded head, lips twitching with the hint of a smirk.

"Heh. Guess the old woman has sharper eyes than most."

Khael blinked once, then gave the faintest nod. His voice was soft, but it carried, like steady flame in the wind.

"How did you know… that I am Khael?"

Elder Neria's expression did not waver.

"Your Shinrei. The aura of scales and stormfire cannot be mistaken. I fought beside the last of your kind in the Eclipse Vanguard… long before even you were born. The essence is the same."

A quiet breath left Khael. He scratched the back of his head, the weight of her words pressing against the simplicity of his nature.

"Oh… I see. So my Shinrei gave me away, huh? Guess there's no point denying it anymore. And… it seems like I've become a little too popular around the world. People call me the Dragon Knight." He gave a small, lopsided grin. "It's… kinda overwhelming sometimes."

The villagers gasped, some whispering prayers, others clutching the pearl charms around their necks.

Elder Neria's lips curved, not quite into a smile, but into the stern acknowledgment of truth.

"What can you do? You are the first Dragon Knight in this era. Since the last vanished, an entire age has passed. To us, you are not simply Khael Corzedar… you are history returned."

Khael's eyes softened, but he did not bask in the reverence. Instead, he turned not to the villagers, not to the elder, but to the six who stood beside him. His voice was calm, steady, yet filled with something deeper.

"Yeah… but I'm not standing here alone."

He lifted a hand toward them Kaen with fire in his eyes, Rael with silent certainty, Lira with gentle strength, Ceyla sparking with storm, and Juno silent but unshakable.

"This is my team."

The words weren't loud. They weren't boastful. But they struck like thunder.

Ceyla blinked, her storm-lit grin faltering for just a moment. Lira's lavender eyes softened, a quiet smile tugging at her lips. Juno exhaled faintly, a ghost of approval crossing his sharp features.

And Kaen, Kaen's chest swelled with fire, his grin breaking wide.

"Heh… damn right we are."

Even Rael, aloof and distant, turned his gaze away, muttering low enough only Khael could hear.

"…Don't think this makes you untouchable. Dragon Knight or not… I'll still surpass you."

The silence broke, not with cheers, but with whispers.

Low at first barely audible beneath the sea wind.

"Dragon Knight… did she say Dragon Knight?"

"It's him. The boy from the story… the one who fought Sloth."

"No… that was just a rumor. A tale blown out of proportion."

"Look at his arms. Look at the scales. Tell me that's a rumor."

The words spread like ripples across water, faster than the villagers could contain them.

Mothers clutched their children closer, not from fear, but as though they stood in the presence of something sacred. Fishermen, rough and weathered from years of tides,

lowered their heads, pearl charms slipping through their fingers as they whispered quick prayers of gratitude to the Serene Current. The younger divers stared wide-eyed, faces glowing with awe, their dreams of Shinrei glory suddenly no longer bound to myth but made flesh before them.

One old man fell to his knees, trembling, his voice breaking as he rasped,

"The scales return… just as the legends said they would. Balance answers with its champion."

Kaen scratched the back of his neck, grinning nervously as villagers' gazes shifted toward him as well.

"Heh… hey, don't forget about us too. We're not just background props, y'know."

That drew a ripple of laughter from some of the younger villagers, but their eyes inevitably returned to Khael.

Ceyla tilted her head, the faintest blush creeping onto her cheeks as she muttered under her breath.

"…Tch. Show-off."

Lira caught it and covered her lips with her hand, quietly stifling a laugh. Kaya, less subtle, leaned in and whispered, "Looks like somebody's flustered."

Ceyla snapped, sparks flickering across her robe.

"Shut it!"

But even then, her storm-gray eyes never left Khael.

Elder Neria lifted her hand, silencing the crowd with a single gesture. Her voice rang clear, firm as crashing waves.

"Listen well, people of Pearlbay! This boy is not myth, nor rumor. He is Khael Corzedar—the Dragon Knight, returned to our world after an age. But he is no savior alone. He walks with comrades who carry their own fire, storm, and steel. Respect them, for together they are the shield standing between us and the dark tide."

The villagers bowed as one, heads lowered, voices murmuring prayers and blessings. Hope surged like the rising tide, thick in the air, undeniable.

And in the middle of it, Khael simply stood there with that same calm, kind smile. Not basking. Not boasting. Just being.

Because to him… he was still only Khael.

To be continue

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