The Sun Dragon's bright scales blazed in the sunlight, illuminating the clearing in the forest, as Reth knelt beside the young beast, placing his hand against its rough hide as its warm amber eyes glowed like hot coals focused on him.

Droplets of sweat followed the curve of his neck, not due to warmth, but due to the exertion of using his power:

[Energy Conversion: Solar Energy → Healing Transfer]

Golden light flooded from his fingers into the wound of the dragon, closing the dark, sticky blood. His arm trembled, a burning numbness crawling up as the system complained:

[Warning: Host vitality unstable. Efficiency: Very Low.]

Reth clenched his teeth, swallowing the pain. The dragon's growl gave way to a soothing purr, its snout thudding against his wrist.

"Easy now," he breathed harshly.

The dragon slowly blinked. For a moment, it was not a predator anymore—it looked like a lost cub, cowering against the only heat that it could avail itself of. The system beeped again:

[Healing Transfer Complete. Target stabilized. Mana channels improved: +8% efficiency.]

[New Passive Unlocked: Draconic Resonance Lv. 1]

[Effect: Sense basic emotions of bonded dragon. Range: 5 meters.]

[EXP Gained: 50. Energy Conversion Lv. 1: 112/200.]

Reth sighed, his eyes glazing over for a moment. The dragon thrust its head deeper into his hand, releasing a shrill, childlike whine. The wound was nothing more than a faint scar now.

"You'll have to be named," Reth whispered. "Something fierce… Sol, perhaps?"

The dragon's tail lashed back and forth, crunching a twig as if to experiment with the sound. The system flashed once more:

[Mission Unlocked: Tame the Sun Dragon]

[Task: Form a stable bond. Reward: 150 EXP, Draconic Bond Lv. 1.

Failure: Hostile response, surrounding dangers alerted.]

The quiet was broken by the abrupt crashing of loud footsteps and low oath.

"Accursed forest roots—perpetually intruding!?" Van's thunderous voice resounded through the underbrush, a wineskin hanging at his belt. He stopped short, his gaze settling on Reth. "What are you doing out here alone? Don't tell me you're talking to trees again."

Reth hardened. Sol's tail stopped, and the body of the dragon flashed like glass that had been kissed by sunlight. In a moment, it vanished. The ground still had claw marks on it, but the beast was nowhere to be found.

Only Reth could sense the heat so intense still at his side, as if the dragon hadn't budged. The system burst before his eyes:

[New Trait Discovered: Sun Veil]

[Effect: Dragon can bend light around itself to make itself invisible. Visibility: Only bonded host can see actual form.]

[Note: Power draws on solar reserves. Reserves now: 63%.]

Reth's jaw clenched. He held his hand low at his side, fingers tracing scales that no one else could see.

Van raised an eyebrow. "You look pale. Don't tell me you're passing out again. Should've stayed at the hut."

"I'm fine," Reth said quickly, attempting a smile. "Just needed some air."

Van glared at him and then shrugged, taking a swig of wine from his wineskin. "Whatever. But if Seris catches you wandering off again, she'll skin you alive. Let's get back before—

Reth and Van came back through the trees, cicadas buzzing again as if nothing had ever interrupted the forest. Van complained to himself already half-absent in his drink, but Reth's mind stayed with the unseen heaviness at his side. Sol's warmth pressed close until, on the edge of the hut appearing into sight, it vanished. The heat was gone as if the dragon had dissolved into the shadows, disappeared without an echo.

The system flickered once:

[Sun Veil Active: Host connection maintained. Location: Unspecified.]

Reth clenched his teeth. Sol had pulled back. Whether out of caution—or preference—he couldn't determine.

The dilapidated wooden shed loomed before him, tendrils of smoke drifting sluggishly from the chimney. Van pushed the door open, yelling half-heartedly, "Still living in here?"

Within, Seris leaned against the wall near the window, arms crossed, her sharp eye spotting Reth as he entered the room. "She's awake," she said flatly. "Don't disturb her."

Reth brought his pace to a halt. His hand hung against the doorframe for an instant before he finally entered the room.

Asthia sat up on her low bed, bandages encasing her ribs and shoulder. The firelight illuminated her pale face in warm gold. Her silver eyes regarded him the instant he entered.

Reth didn't know what to do for a moment. His throat was constricted, words catching. Finally, he asked, voice stiff and low, "Are you… better now?"

Asthia observed him for a while, then nodded. "Yes. Better. On account of Seris's stubborn nursing." Her voice was even, but she looked at him longer than she spoke.

The room filled with an uneasy, heavy silence. Van stepped back at the back, already digging into a pouch for dried fruit, but remained silent. Seris only stood with an eyebrow raised, watching the scene.

Asthia broke the silence first. Her lips formed a faint, almost-but-not-quite-a-smile shape, her lips less hard than before. "You can sit, you know. Standing there makes you look like a sneak thief."

Reth scratched the back of his neck, looking off, then finally moved forward and sat at the far end of a chair beside her cot.

Reth sat down in the creaky wooden chair, its legs swinging beneath him. The hut reeked of moonmint and damp wood, firelight casting jagged shadows on Asthia's bandaged body. Her silver eyes, sharp as knives despite the wounds, locked on him, as if looking for answers he didn't have.

The warmth of Sol's presence was a faint glow in his head through Draconic Resonance Lv. 1, but he ignored it. For now, this was all about Asthia.

"You're staring like I'm some enigma you can't solve," Asthia said, her voice weak but softer than it would have been otherwise. She shifted on the cot, wincing with her ribs aching under the bandages. "What happened that night, Reth? The watchtower. I don't recall properly. Just fire. Shouts. And then you pulling us out." Her brow knit, lines in her usual calm. "Tell me."

Reth's teeth clenched. He stroked the bandage on his arm, where the Mana Abomination's claws had ripped him apart. The evening shone brilliant in his memory: the fallen watchtower, the ruby crystal which pulsed like a heart, and robed men with voices speaking things that crawled over his skin.

He glanced at Seris, leaning against the wall with arms folded, her face unreadable. Van slumped in the corner, chewing dried fruit, laid-back—but Reth knew that he was listening.

"."

Reth shifted uncomfortably, the floorboards groaning beneath his boots. He finally sat on the stool beside Asthia's bed and sat down on it, his hands folded loosely on his knees.

Asthia's silver eyes lingered on him for an extra moment before flashing to Seris. The subtle upturn of her lips disappeared, replaced by the steel Reth was familiar with.

"I suppose I owe you thanks," Asthia said in a level tone.

Seris raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed. "You suppose?"

Van choked from behind, half-drowning on a dried fig. "Here we go…

Asthia's gaze narrowed, but she faced the window rather than snapping back, a weak wince creeping at her bandages.

Reth let out a slow breath, shattering the silence before it could coalesce again. "She kept you alive, Asthia. That's not something to consider in half-measures." His tone wasn't harsh, but it sliced cleanly across the room.

Both women gazed at him. He returned their glares in turn, unwavering though his veins pounded with heat.

"Recovery is not the problem," Seris said bluntly, still fixed on Asthia. "Discipline is."

Asthia's silver gaze flashed back, harsh as a sword. "And what would you know of discipline, Seris? Pacing walls brooding doesn't teach you wisdom.

The air grew tight. Van hesitated with fruit midway to his mouth, eyes darting back and forth between them like a witness to a duel.

"That's enough," Reth said, this time unyielding. No falter, no waver. His voice had the authority of someone who'd seen enough blood, fire, and close calls for one week. "Both of you."

The words sliced through the room like an axe into frozen wood.

Asthia's lips were pressed firmly together, her comeback bitten away. Seris's eyes stayed on him one heartbeat longer before drifting away, but her crossed arms never relaxed.

The fire crackled in the hearth. Van finally pushed the fig into his mouth and chewed with a mouthful of sound to fill the silence.

Asthia settled back against the cot, face impassive but tone biting now. "You sound like you've assumed control of the room, Reth. When did that start?"

"Since the night half of us came close to dying," he replied without blinking. His gaze never left hers. "And since the next one of us could, if we continue fighting each other rather than the enemy.

Seris moved, at last shattering her immobility. Her voice was steady, but there was steel underneath. "The boy is not wrong. Discipline is necessary—so is harmony. But I'll not endure pride in the hurt."

Asthia's silver eyes glittered, but Reth held up a hand before she could speak. "Enough. I said it once already.

The resulting silence wasn't pleasant, but it held. The gravity of his tone remained suspended there, challenging either of them to press the issue further. Neither one did.

Van leaned back in his chair with a soft groan. "Well, that's taken care of. Or at least settled until Seris comes up with a more pointed insult and Asthia remembers a meaner retort."

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