At dawn, Ian returned—red cord tied around his wrist, grief steady in his will. The koi surfaced, heart pounding. For a moment he feared the thread of Mari he had sensed yesterday had been only a dream.
But Ian crouched at the bank, calm eyes on the water. Through Sense, the koi felt it clearly: grief sharpened into iron resolve.
"You're still here," Ian murmured.
The System stirred inside the koi's mind.
[Bond Protocol: Initiating]
[Candidate: Ian — Human Tamer]
[Proceed?]
Yes, the koi thought.
Something locked into place—heavy as chains, binding them together. Sense wrapped tighter around Ian. Ian inhaled sharply, surprised by the sudden weight, then steadied himself.
"So it's real," he said. "You chose me."
[Bond established]
[Shared growth enabled]
The koi trembled. Mari had loved him as family. Ian was different—he carried a blade, a will, and the same fire that had burned Mari's last smile into memory. That was why the bond had found him. Ian's thoughts carried the vow: revenge. Revenge for his sister. For their family. For the village turned to ash.
The koi shared that vow.
—
A low rumble shook the ground. Heavy steps drew near. The koi braced, but Ian lifted a hand.
A tiger-like beast padded into view, stripes flickering with black flame. Shoulders broad as stone, golden eyes steady. Its breath steamed fire.
"This is Rakkel," Ian said, resting his hand on its head. "He's been with me since I was a boy. If you're my partner, you're his too."
Rakkel lowered his head toward the river, predator eyes gleaming—not challenge, but acceptance.
The koi flicked his fins nervously, then bowed his head back.
—
Training began at once.
Ian hurled stones into the water. They struck like hammer blows, and the koi Bounced through the splashes, sharper, faster each day. He wedged willow branches underwater, and the koi tore them apart with Bite until bark splintered in his teeth.
Rakkel sparred with Ian on the bank, claws meeting blade in fierce arcs. Their rhythm was a dance of fire and steel, one the koi studied from the river, watching what partnership meant.
At night, Ian tied the red cord so it trailed into the river. The koi pressed against it, feeling the bond hum through his scales.
"You're not a pet," Ian told him one evening, voice hard with conviction. "You're my partner. We fight together."
The koi pressed tighter to the cord. For Mari. For Ian. For himself—he believed it.
[Bounce: proficiency +3]
[Bite: proficiency +2]
[Sense: tether stabilized]
Each message struck like a drumbeat. Proof he was growing.
—
They trained for one purpose.
"The Dark Fire Dragon," Ian said one night, staring into the campfire. His hand closed on the red cord. "It killed Mari. Our family. It burned everything. I swore I'd find it, no matter how long it took. And now… I know where it hides."
The koi's heart thudded. Through Sense, he felt Ian's oath—grief carved into iron, vengeance unbending. That was why their bond had formed. They carried the same flame.
Ian looked down, eyes grim but steady. "We'll face it together. You, me, and Rakkel. For Mari."
The koi flicked his tail. Terrified—but he agreed.
—
Two days later, they stood at Ember Lake.
The collapsed caldera hissed, water boiling and spitting. Steam rose in suffocating sheets. Sulfur clogged the air. The ground trembled with each low growl from beneath.
Ian studied the basin. "We draw it into the lake. Rakkel will hold its eyes. You strike when you can. If we're separated, regroup at the east vent—the one that whistles."
The koi listened. A faint high note sang through the steam. He etched it into memory.
They waited.
The ground's tremors deepened. The lake rippled once, twice.
The Dark Fire Dragon rose.
It climbed from the molten ledge, wings scraping cavern walls. Its scales glowed with magma cracks, wings black and sharp as glass. When it breathed, fire didn't stream outward—it bloomed wherever its will demanded, conjured from nothing.
Ian's grip tightened on his sword. His will pulsed through the bond like fire. For Mari.
Rakkel growled, fire leaking between his fangs.
The koi plunged into the scalding water. Pain seared his scales immediately.
The battle began.
—
Rakkel struck first. His claws tore across the dragon's foreleg, sparks and magma bursting. The dragon snapped its head, but Rakkel ducked, countering with a blur of flame-striped muscle.
The koi darted through boiling waves. Bounce flung him past sheets of scalding spray. He bit at the dragon's jaw seam, tearing away a sliver—small, but real.
Ian's blade cut low at the knee joint, finding seams where the heat weakened the plates. Strike after strike, small wounds opened.
For a breath, it seemed they could win.
—
Then the dragon inhaled.
Black fire spread across the lake. Steam curled into flame. Bounce saved the koi once, twice, but the fire curved with him, blooming wherever he moved.
His body burned. He screamed silently in his mind.
Through the haze, he glimpsed Ian rushing forward, cord blazing, shouting his name. Rakkel leapt beside him, roaring into the fire.
The koi never saw what became of them.
[System Notice: Host terminated. Entering long sleep. Revival in progress…]
Darkness closed over him.
When he woke, the river would be cool, his body whole. But Ian and Rakkel? He didn't know if they had survived or fallen.
Not knowing carved him deeper than fire. And the truth coiled in his chest like a hook:
Still too weak.