From the crowd, three young figures pushed their way forward faces sun-kissed from days spent diving in the reefs, eyes bright with the hunger of youth.

Kiro, the eldest, froze first, his breath caught halfway in his chest. Toren grabbed his sleeve, tugging him closer with wide-eyed urgency.

"Kiro—they say he's the Dragon Knight! The Dragon Knight, from the legends!"

Kiro's lips parted, his voice barely a whisper.

"…The Dragon Knight."

Lys clung to the hem of Kiro's tunic, peeking from behind him with shy curiosity. Her eyes shimmered like the tide-pools she loved to explore.

Khael felt their gazes. Slowly, he turned and when his eyes met theirs, he didn't raise his chin like a king or steel his face like a soldier.

He only smiled.

That same quiet smile warm as a hearth fire after a storm.

Kiro's heart lurched in his chest. His mouth worked, but no words came out. For the first time, the boy who dreamed of being a Pearl Guardian couldn't speak.

Behind him, Toren's awe burst out in a tumble of words.

"He's real, Kiro! Not just some story the old divers tell—he's standing right here!"

Khael's smile deepened, and though the square still thrummed with whispers, for that brief heartbeat it felt like only the four of them existed hero and children, legend and dreamers.

Then, as if unable to stop himself, Kiro whispered almost a vow.

"…One day, I'll stand like that too."

Khael's gaze softened. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. His smile was answer enough.

…

After that The sea wind howled stronger at the edge of Pearlbay, carrying with it the brine of salt and the distant, guttural cries of beasts churning beneath the waves.

Team 3 and Team 9 stood side by side, their boots planted firmly on the worn stone ramparts that overlooked the black horizon. Lanterns lined the battlements, their flames flickering like fragile stars against the night.

There, waiting for them, was a squadron of armored figures broad-shouldered, weather-worn, the salt of the sea carved into their very skin. The Pearl Guardians. Veterans who had bled to defend the coasts long before the students had ever drawn their first breath.

At their front stood a man whose presence was carved of iron and tide. His armor bore the deep blues and silvers of the sea, weathered but immaculately kept, and his cloak, frayed at the edges, fluttered in the saltwind like a banner. His beard was streaked with white, his shoulders scarred with stories unspoken, and his eyes gray, steady, unyielding were the kind that had stared into storms and refused to bow.

Elder Neria, walking beside him, lifted her staff and raised her voice.

"Young ones stand tall. This is Captain Roan, Commander of Pearlbay's Guardians. The shield that has kept these waters safe for decades."

Roan's gaze swept over the six of them, Kaen, Rael, Lira, Khael, Ceyla, Juno. Not with contempt, not with doubt, but with the weight of a man measuring those who would stand on the line beside him.

For a moment, he said nothing, the crashing waves filling the silence. Then his voice came, rough and deep like the sea itself.

"So you're the ones sent to aid us. The students who walk into a Class S storm without their masters. Hmph."

Kaen bristled at the tone, but Lira steadied him with a hand.

Captain Roan stepped closer, the lanternlight cutting across his scarred features.

"I'll not waste words. Here in Pearlbay, your names, your legacies, your rivalries mean nothing. Out there—" he pointed to the black horizon where the water boiled with distant movement, "—is only death, unless we stand as one."

His eyes lingered last on Khael, and though the veteran's face did not soften, the faintest nod of recognition passed between them. A soldier to a soldier.

(This shinrei…. He is the rumored Dragon knight…)

"Dragon Knight or not… all of you will fight under my watch tonight. If you falter, we fall. Remember that."

The Guardians behind him slammed their weapons against their shields, a low thunder that rolled across the ramparts. For the first time, Team 3 and Team 9 felt the full weight of what it meant to stand at the frontline.

Khael stepped forward, his scaled arm catching the lanternlight, the faint green glow pulsing like a heartbeat beneath his skin. He extended his hand not with arrogance, but with the calm certainty of someone who had already bled for the world.

"I am Khael."

For a breath, the ramparts fell silent again. The name carried weight whispers rippled among the Guardians behind Roan, some exchanging glances, others straightening their posture as though they had just realized who stood before them.

Captain Roan's weathered eyes locked with his, searching. Testing. Measuring the boy against the title the world whispered: Dragon Knight.

Then, without hesitation, Roan clasped Khael's hand, his grip firm, calloused with decades of battle. The veteran gave a single, decisive nod.

"Tonight, you're one of us."

The words settled over both teams like steel cutting through fear, rivalry, and pride. The Pearl Guardians exhaled as one, their shields lowering slightly in acknowledgment.

Behind Khael, Kaen muttered under his breath, almost in awe, "Damn… even Roan respects him…"

Rael only folded his arms, expression unreadable, though his eyes flickered toward Khael with something sharp curiosity, maybe even challenge.

Ceyla grinned, lightning faintly buzzing at her fingertips. "Well… guess that settles it. Huh.."

Then the ground trembled.

From the shoreline came a deafening roar as the sea itself seemed to split. Dark tide beasts, their scales slick with abyssal light, lunged out of the surf and crashed against the wooden docks, splintering planks and sending salt spray high into the night.

Lanterns swayed violently, shadows breaking apart as chaos surged forward.

Without hesitation, Rael moved. His platinum hair snapped like silver fire in the wind as his hand brushed the scabbard at his hip. A flare of emerald light surged outward, and in the blink of an eye his Lumen Blade manifested.

With a single, fluid motion, he cut through the first two tide beasts, his strike cleaving them clean in half. The spray of corrupted seawater hissed as it hit the docks, evaporating under the radiance of his blade.

Rael turned toward Captain Roan, emerald eyes burning not with arrogance, but with the calm of someone who knew his strength. His voice cut through the clash of waves and beasts.

"I am Rael."

Captain Roan's scarred face remained unshaken, but his hand tightened around his own weapon. He gave Rael the faintest smirk, a soldier's acknowledgment of a blade worth trusting.

Behind him, Kaen scoffed, fire already flickering along his fists. "Show-off. Guess I'll just burn more of 'em to prove who's better."

Ceyla only laughed, sparks crackling at her fingertips. "Boys and their measuring contests…"

But Khael's eyes didn't leave the sea. His smile faded, replaced by the quiet steel of a man who had seen this storm before.

"(So it begins.)"

The night roared again as more tide beasts surged forward. The frontline battle had begun.

To be continue

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