The sun had barely risen when Kaito and Aria rode out from Castle Umbra, Ryuu flying close above. The sky was a soft gradient of gold and rose, but the air was tense, thick with anticipation. Kaito's sword glimmered faintly, its edges humming with the energy of the dungeon cores he had absorbed. Aria rode beside him, her cloak flickering with ethereal shimmer, a silent promise that she would not be left behind.
"We're heading north," Kaito said, voice low, eyes scanning the horizon. "Reports of a rogue mage summoning a source dragon. Nothing too fancy—just a creature that eats kingdoms for breakfast."
Aria chuckled softly, but there was a gleam in her eyes. "Then I hope you're ready. I've been itching to use some of this power."
Kaito smirked. "I like it when you talk like that."
The Dragon Appears
The forest at the northern cliffs had been reduced to ash and splintered stone. A low, reverberating roar shook the ground beneath them. Then it appeared: a colossal dragon, its scales a deep obsidian streaked with crimson veins, eyes blazing with raw, untamed energy.
Kaito drew the Sword of the Voidborn. "You first."
Aria's hands glowed as her power coiled like liquid silver around her arms. "I'm right behind you."
The dragon struck first, claws slashing through the treetops like scythes. Kaito leapt, slicing through the air with a strike that barely grazed the creature's leg. Aria released a wave of energy that twisted the trajectory of falling debris, shielding both of them.
The Battle Escalates
They fought in unison, Kaito cutting and dodging, Aria warping reality around them to create openings. Yet the dragon's attacks were relentless. Every strike they parried seemed to be met with a stronger one, each maneuver outpaced by instinct honed over centuries.
Kaito's focus sharpened, and he remembered Victor's lessons: "The darkness is not just power—it's a partner. Harmony, not brute force."
As the dragon swung a tail infused with molten energy, Aria was caught in the backlash. She fell, hitting the ground hard, a line of blood trailing from her shoulder. Kaito's breath caught. Rage, fear, and determination coursed through him all at once.
The Awakening
Kaito's chest burned with a mixture of fury and focus. He extended his hand, murmuring the words he had not dared before. Shadows and flame spiraled around him, coalescing into a form both terrifying and beautiful. The world seemed to pause—the air thick, charged with his will.
With a roar, he surged forward. Every blow now carried the weight of darkness controlled, refined, and amplified by Victor's teachings. His sword struck true, driving the dragon backward through the mountains with a force that bent the very ground.
The dragon shrieked, massive wings beating against the air, but for the first time, it faltered.
Merlyn Appears
Then, a voice rang out across the battlefield, deep and unyielding:
"Enough."
Light and shadow bent together as a figure descended. Kaito froze, instinctively kneeling as if a primal command had taken hold of him. Before him stood a man he recognized from countless texts in the library: Merlyn, the Mage of Origin, the most powerful sorcerer ever known. His robes shimmered with colors that seemed impossible, his staff glowing with an energy that dwarfed even the dragon's.
"I… I know you," Kaito whispered, voice trembling. "From the books…"
Merlyn nodded. "And now, you know the truth. This dragon was my final trial. Its purpose was to test your ability to wield inherited power responsibly—and to fight alongside one who shares your blood of origin."
The dragon, sensing its master's command, faltered. Its form began to waver, energy spilling outward in streams of raw essence.
The Transfer of Power
Merlyn raised his staff. Light cascaded over Kaito, filling every nerve, every cell, every shadow of his being. Kaito felt knowledge and strength pour into him, lessons of spells, history, and combat beyond mortal comprehension.
The dragon's form dissolved, its power raining into Ryuu in a flood of essence. Kaito's sword pulsed as the dungeon core embedded within it absorbed the remaining residue. Flames, shadows, and draconic energy intertwined until he felt unstoppable.
Aria staggered forward, her hand glowing suddenly. A mark had appeared on her right hand, a sigil of impossible complexity, radiating reality-bending energy. Merlyn's voice echoed in her mind:
"Use it wisely. Warp reality, time, and the world itself—but only with purpose. You are the balance to him, the co-author of fate."
Revelations
Kaito stared at Aria's hand, then back at the fading figure of Merlyn. "All of this… for us?"
Merlyn's final words were soft but commanding:
"Your bond, your shared origin, your power—they are the legacy. Guard it. Shape it. And remember: strength without restraint is ruin."
With that, he vanished, leaving only the echoes of his presence and the blazing residue in their veins.
The dragon was gone, Ryuu now thrumming with new might. The battlefield was quiet, the air tingling with the aftermath of god-tier energy.
Kaito looked at Aria. She was trembling slightly, awed, her eyes reflecting the mark glowing on her hand.
"You're… incredible," he said quietly. "All this time, I didn't even know how much you could do."
Aria's lips curved in a small, shy smile. "You've never let me try. You've always protected me."
Kaito shook his head, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes. "I'm going to need you to keep up from now on."
Her grin widened. "Try me."
The two of them stood amidst the ashes and ruined cliffs, hands almost brushing. Kaito's heart thudded—not from power or rage, but from recognition: they were truly from the same world, abandoned together, and finally, neither alone.
A New Beginning
The sun dipped low as Kaito sheathed the Sword of the Voidborn. Ryuu flapped his wings above, roaring with newfound strength.
"Leveling up doesn't get old," Kaito said, smirking at the dragonling. Then he glanced at Aria. "And training with you… seems like it's going to be more dangerous than I thought."
Aria laughed softly, light as the wind. "Good. I wouldn't want it any other way."
In that moment, the bond between warrior, dragon, and mage felt unbreakable. They were no longer just survivors of betrayal—they were inheritors of a power beyond reckoning, a force that could reshape kingdoms, realities, and even time itself.
And together, Kaito and Aria were ready for whatever the world would throw at them next.