Great! Here's **Chapter 14** of your stor.
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Wind whipped past Yuki's snout as he soared through the open canopy, his wings fully extended. Each beat sent shimmers of heat swirling behind him—**Flame Clad** seared the air around his frame like a second skin.
This was no idle flight.
He had flown before—erratic, uncontrolled, desperate—but now, with the enhancements brought by his recent evolution, the sky bent to him. His muscles no longer protested; his mana no longer sputtered. Each motion held precision.
Below, a scuttling mass of creatures—**Skyrend Shriekers**—crawled through the brush. Raptor-like quadrupeds with bone-thin bodies and organs visible beneath transparent flesh. Their names came from the high-frequency screech they emitted to disorient prey.
Yuki circled once, gauging their pack behavior with **Predator's Wisdom**.
> **Estimated count: 12. Target Type: Group aggressors. Behavioral tag: coordinated ambushers.**
Perfect training.
He folded his wings and dove, spiraling into a sharp descent. The wind howled past his ears, and then—
**BOOM!**
He landed in a burst of heat and force, **Flame Clad** igniting dry moss around him. Shriekers scattered but regrouped fast. Three lunged at once.
Yuki swung his claws outward, activating his new skill. **Scorching Tendril Lash** burst forth—two fiery whips coiled from his arms, blazing like serpents. They struck with explosive force, cracking bone and igniting flesh.
One shrieker was flung into a tree and didn't rise.
The remaining two tried to circle.
But Yuki had already flared his wings and launched upward—**Flight Mastery** letting him pivot mid-air with full control. He spun mid-ascent and unleashed his **Flame Sovereign's Breath** downward in a wide cone.
The forest glowed orange.
The blast engulfed several shriekers, scattering them in a spray of steam and screeches.
Two broke off from the pack, flanking left and right. Yuki rose higher and twisted in place, invoking a new instinctual movement. Flame swirled beneath his wings as he gathered speed in a tight corkscrew. The air grew thin—then he dove again, this time not for destruction, but speed.
His body blurred.
He slammed into one shrieker with a full-body spin, crushing it into the forest floor in a burst of force and fire.
The other raised its head to shriek—
But Yuki opened his jaws wide and released a short-range **burst** from his breath attack, vaporizing the head entirely.
He landed softly. The rest of the shriekers fled into the brush, howling and scorched.
> **Battle assessment: Success. Stamina: 76%. Mana: 58%. Adaptability: Increasing.**
He paused beneath a massive root, letting mana cool through his scales. Around him, the forest remained disturbed—animals had fled, the trees bore scorch marks. But it felt… *right*.
He had claimed this airspace as his own.
And with each battle, his instincts sharpened.
> **Skill Development Detected: Flame Clad → evolving path unlocked. Tracking compatibility…**
Yuki's eyes glowed faintly.
There would be more evolutions. He could feel the storm of potential brewing beneath his scales—just out of reach, but drawing closer.
For now, though, he turned his gaze northward. The air shimmered in that direction. A gentle, near invisible mist drifted between the trees. It smelled of ancient magic and wild spirits.
The **spirit-infused zones** were near.
And the deeper he went, the more this forest would test what kind of dragon he was becoming.
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