The river carried him, but grief made every stroke heavier. His fins trembled, tail flicking harder than ever, yet the image of Mari burning with him in her arms seared deeper than dragon fire.
He had lost her. Forever.
And in that moment, something inside him changed.
"I need to be stronger," he thought, teeth grinding. "Strong enough to kill dragons. Strong enough so no one else dies like Mari did."
—
[System online. Listening.]
"Tell me," he demanded. "How do I get stronger? There must be a way."
[Directive: Endure. Adapt. Continue.]
"That's not an answer! Don't give me vague garbage. I want revenge. I want power. How?"
[Host is weakest existence. Level -100. Skills: Bounce, Bite. Growth is possible, but gradual.]
"Gradual?!" His tail lashed the current. "Mari doesn't have time for gradual. She's gone! The Dark Fire Dragon is still out there. I can't wait years—I need power now!"
He screamed the same demand day after day. Every revival, every endless swim through silence, he hurled the same words. How? Why? When?
The System, unbothered, gave the same cold lines.
Until finally, the voice shifted.
[Fastest growth path detected.]
His fins froze. "Say it again."
[To grow quickly, Host must form a bond with a Human Tamer. Through shared will, training, and combat, Host may evolve abilities at accelerated rates.]
He blinked, stunned. Then spat in disbelief, "A tamer? You're saying I need a human to train me?!"
[Correct.]
He almost laughed. Almost wept. "Who would want me?! I'm a koi fish! A useless fish that only bounces and nibbles worms! What kind of tamer would waste their time?"
[That is not System's concern. Requirement remains: Find a Tamer. Form bond. Train.]
He thrashed in frustration, bubbles swirling from his mouth. "This is insane. Even Mari… she kept me as a pet, not a partner. I can't ask anyone else to risk their life with me."
[Correction. Mari was more than a pet owner. Mari's bond with Host unlocked a new ability.]
His fins stilled. "What do you mean?"
[Skill unlocked: Sense]
The words pulsed bright in his mind.
[Skill: Sense]
Type: Passive
Description: Detects the will and emotions of nearby beings.
Range: Extremely limited due to current weakness.
Effect: Allows Host to perceive intent and emotional state.
"Sense…" he whispered.
[Yes. This skill was born the moment Mari died protecting you. Her final will etched itself into you, leaving behind a fragment you now carry.]
He drifted in silence, ache rising in his chest. "So… Mari gave me this?"
[Affirmative.]
The world blurred in his vision, though no human tears remained.
"Then I'll use it," he vowed. "Even if it's weak, even if it barely works. I'll use it for her."
—
That night, as he floated near the shallows, he felt it—a flicker. A pulse not of river, not of moon, but of intent.
Children laughed on the bank, tossing pebbles. Their joy brushed his mind like sunlight on water.
Farther off, an old fisherman crouched, will heavy with hunger. The koi felt it like the drag of a net across his chest.
The range was tiny, fragile. But real.
Sense.
Proof.
Proof Mari hadn't left him empty.
—
Yet one question gnawed at him, sharper than hunger.
"System," he whispered, "how did I kill the White Dragon?"
[Clarify.]
"The first time I woke here. The White Dragon attacked. I bounced into the sky, fell like a meteor, and killed it. How? Why? I was just a fish."
Silence.
Then:
[Miracle.]
The word struck like frost.
[It was anomaly. Chance. Irreplicable. Probability of repetition: 0.0000001%. Do not expect it again.]
He froze. "You mean… it wasn't strength. It was luck."
[Correct. Do not think too much about it.]
His fins sagged. That moment—the one proof he had clung to, the one story of impossible triumph—was nothing but a cosmic joke.
Bounce. Bite. Sense. That was all he had.
And yet, he refused to let go.
Even if luck had slain the White Dragon, he would forge his own strength. For Mari. For the village. For every life burned by dragons.
—
The river whispered, calm and endless.
[Directive updated: Seek Human Tamer. Form bond. Train. Survive.]
He flicked his tail, determination burning brighter than despair.
"Fine. If a Tamer is what I need, I'll find one. Even if I have to crawl through mud, flop at their feet, beg until they notice me—I'll bounce, I'll bite, I'll sense. I'll do whatever it takes."
The koi turned downstream, swimming harder than ever.
And somewhere in the deep, faint but clear, Mari's laughter swam with him.