The world did not return all at once.

It came back in pieces

like shards of a broken mirror dragging themselves together after a storm.

First came the wind.

Then the rain-smell.

Then the crackling remains of torn earth.

And then the silence.

Not peace.

Not calm.

Just… silence.

The kind that settles after an enemy leaves because killing you no longer matters.

The kind that means you survived by accident, not by victory.

Khael blinked, still kneeling, still in Ceyla's arms, the golden haze in his eyes pulsing brighter with every unsteady breath.

Azael's warmth settled in his chest, deep and ancient, coiled like a sleeping sun that refused to fully go out.

Master Vince exhaled a long, ragged breath and slumped back against a broken tree stump.

His vision swam, but he forced himself to keep his eyes on the boy.

Everyone else the remains of their small, battered group stood frozen.

No Voidborn.

No Hollow Nine.

No Lucere.

No K.

The enemy was gone.

But what they left behind was something far more terrifying.

Ceyla brushed her hands gently across Khael's cheek, trying to steady him.

"Khael… hey… breathe. With me. Slow, okay?"

He tried.

He truly tried.

But every inhale crackled with heat.

Every exhale shimmered like molten air.

Juno inched backward, eyes wide, throat tightening.

"W-What… what the hell is he turning into…?"

Andromeda Ban, usually loud and annoyingly confident, went dead quiet.

Even Junjun, his beast-pet, hid behind him in trembling fear.

"That's not normal," he muttered, voice cracking.

"That's not even Eclipse-level… that's something else entirely—"

Matthew Lomwel, still half-conscious, leaned heavily against Harmonae, the ribbon-like Echo Spirit hovering protectively around him.

He stared at Khael with wide, tired eyes that couldn't hide the awe or the fear.

"…He feels… warm," Matthew whispered, his words faint.

"Warm like… like the sun is sitting inside him…"

Ceyla's fingers dug into Khael's shoulders.

"Stay with me," she whispered.

Her voice trembled, not in fear but in desperation.

Khael blinked again.

His vision swayed, blurring the world into streaks of gray and orange.

Azael whispered gently through the haze:

"Do not fear, little flame. This vessel of yours… it has merely awakened to what it always was."

Khael's breath hitched.

"Azael…"

His voice cracked, golden smoke slipping from between his teeth.

Ceyla flinched.

Master Vince leaned forward, gripping broken roots to stay upright.

"…Khael… who is Azael?"

The boy swallowed.

His heart beat

once,

twice,

each pulse sending a ripple of golden heat across the ground beneath him.

The grass nearest him dried instantly.

The cracked earth steamed.

Ceyla's eyes widened in alarm.

"K-Khael, stop, your Shinrei…"

But Khael wasn't releasing anything.

His very existence was radiating power uncontrolled.

Azael's voice curled warmly through his ribs:

"Calm yourself. Breathe. Your body is new to me, but it will adjust."

Juno took a sharp step back.

"There's a voice inside him. I knew it. I knew something was wrong.."

"Juno," Master Vince snapped, wincing as pain shot through his ribs, "shut up."

Juno froze, but the fear in his eyes didn't fade.

Master Vince forced himself to kneel upright, wiping blood from his chin.

He looked at Khael not with fear.

But with the wary respect a veteran gives a wildfire.

"Kid," Vince said quietly.

"So talk to me. Who… or what…"

Khael opened his mouth

but Azael spoke first.

Not aloud.

But through him.

His voice thundered through Khael's soul, echoing into the world as a faint rumble of heat spreading across the ground.

"I am the heart he carries.

The fire that never died.

The dragon who bound my soul to his."

Ceyla gasped, eyes blowing wide.

Matthew stumbled back.

Andromeda whispered:

"D-Dragon…? DRAGON? Did he just—did he—"

Juno grabbed his head.

"There is a DRAGON inside him!? You've GOT to be kidding me—!"

Even Master Vince steady, hardened Vince went still.

Not blinking.

Not speaking.

Just staring.

Khael shook violently.

His hands trembled.

His breath stuttered.

He felt Azael's warmth, Azael's memory, Azael's entire existence coiled inside him like a second heartbeat.

And then

He remembered the moment of awakening.

The endless golden cave.

The warmth.

The voice calling him by name.

Azael

The being whose power was never meant for mortals.

The being who chose him.

Khael clutched Ceyla's shirt as the weight settled onto him.

"I… I don't know how… I…"

Ceyla put her hand over his.

"Then you're not alone in it," she whispered fiercely.

"Not anymore."

Khael met her eyes.

The golden haze flickered.

Azael purred approval deep inside him.

Master Vince dragged himself closer, gritting his teeth.

"Kid, listen to me," he said, voice low, firm.

"I don't care if you're carrying a dragon, a demon, or a damn cosmic chicken."

He jabbed a thumb into his chest.

"You're still Khael. Understand?"

Khael's breath broke.

A small, weak laugh escaped him.

"…Yes, Master."

The golden haze dimmed slightly, just enough that Ceyla's shoulders loosened in relief.

Juno exhaled in a single, shaky release.

"Thank god… he's still Khael…"

But then the wind shifted.

And everyone

everyone

felt the change.

The air grew hotter.

The ground trembled.

The sky dimmed, as if light bent around something.

Master Vince's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Everyone," he muttered, "brace yourselves… he's flaring again."

Andromeda cursed.

Matthew tensed.

Ceyla tightened her grip.

Khael felt it too.

The fire rising.

Azael humming.

His presence expanding.

The dragon whispered again

this time heavier.

Older.

"You survived your first death.

Now the world will answer."

Khael gasped.

Fire rushed through his limbs.

Golden light burst from his chest, rising in a pillar before he could stop it.

Ceyla shielded him with her body.

Juno covered his eyes.

Matthew ducked.

Even Master Vince squinted at the brightness.

The pillar cracked the sky.

A shockwave blasted outward

not destructive, but thick with pressure.

Like the heartbeat of something colossal.

When the light faded…

Khael remained kneeling.

Exhausted.

Covered in sweat.

Barely breathing.

But alive.

And his eyes…

still gold.

Ceyla cupped his face again.

"Khael," she whispered, tears filling her eyes once more.

"You're… glowing."

He swallowed.

"I can feel… him. Azael. Part of me, but… not me."

Vince ran a hand over his face.

"Great," he muttered, "a possessed Dragon Knight. Just what I needed today."

Juno's voice cracked:

"Master… is he dangerous?"

Vince looked at Khael for a long time.

Khael stared back, golden and shaking and scared.

Then Vince exhaled.

"Yeah," he admitted softly.

"He's dangerous."

Ceyla stiffened protectively.

But Vince wasn't finished.

"He's dangerous to our enemies."

Juno froze.

Matthew's eyes widened.

Ceyla let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Khael lowered his head, the golden glow softening as he whispered:

"…I don't want to hurt any of you."

Ceyla squeezed his hand.

"You won't."

Andromeda crossed his arms, still trembling.

"I'll trust you… but if you turn into some flaming lizard monster I'm hitting you with lightning."

Juno smacked him.

"Shut up, Andro!"

Despite everything, Khael almost smiled.

Almost.

But then

his gaze drifted to the direction Lucere vanished.

His chest tightened.

The warmth inside him stirred.

Azael murmured:

"He holds something."

Khael's fingers twitched.

Ceyla saw it instantly.

"Khael, don't. You're not ready to chase him."

Master Vince pointed a shaky finger, agreeing.

"Kid, I swear, if you stand up right now, I'll knock you unconscious myself."

Khael lowered his head.

But deep inside

fire smoldered.

Painful.

Beautiful.

Undeniable.

Lucere has the Shard.

And Khael felt its absence like a missing lung.

Azael whispered again:

"We will reclaim what he stole.

But not today."

Khael's breath steadied.

"I understand…" he whispered.

Ceyla leaned her forehead against his again.

"You're here," she whispered.

"That's enough for me."

Master Vince finally collapsed backward, flat on the ground.

"Someone…" he grunted, "please drag me somewhere soft. I think I died twice today."

Juno immediately ran to him.

And in the middle of the ruined battlefield…

with the ashes settling…

with the enemy gone…

and with golden fire still glowing faintly in the boy's eyes…

Khael Corzedar

the boy who should've died

took his first breath as something new.

Something reborn.

Something dangerous.

Something chosen.

The dragon's heir.

he warmth in Khael's chest never faded.

Even after Lucere vanished into the horizon with the stolen Shard…

Even after the battlefield quieted…

Even after the others caught their breath and began tending to the wounded…

That warmth remained.

Alive.

Breathing.

Watching.

Azael.

The golden dragon's presence curled around his ribs like a second heartbeat.

And when the world finally settled, when the screaming pain of broken bones faded and Ceyla finally allowed herself to unclench from him…

Khael felt it.

A pull.

A gentle tug within his soul, inviting him inward.

He exhaled shakily, sitting at the base of a shattered pillar while Juno and Arkai carried the unconscious Matthew away, while Andromeda helped the healers stabilize the others, while Master Vince stood nearby injured, exhausted, but keeping silent watch.

Ceyla sat beside him, hand on his.

"Khael… what's happening to you?"

He looked at her. Her face was so close. So scared.

He forced a small smile.

"I'll be okay."

He wasn't.

Not entirely.

Not yet.

The warmth in his chest flickered slow, molten heartbeat

and suddenly the world around him blurred.

Not in dizziness.

But in shifting.

Like a dream pulling him down.

Ceyla gasped and grabbed him, but her hand slipped through him like mist.

"K-Khael?!"

His body in the real world sagged forward, unconscious—

and his spirit fell inward.

Again.

Into the golden void.

To be continue

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