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Chapter 2 - The Dragon’s Echo

The echo of the dragon's voice still trembled in Rayzen's chest long after the light had faded.

Every breath burned like molten metal, every heartbeat roared like thunder behind his ribs.

The summoning grounds were silent.

The other students had already fled when the Contract Stone exploded, leaving behind only dust, shards… and him.

Or perhaps—

them.

Because he could still feel it.

That presence.

Watching. Waiting.

[System Integration Complete.]

New Bond Registered: Primordial Entity – Kael'Thyrax, The Void-Eater.]

Warning: User body synchronization at 7%. Survival threshold unstable.

Rayzen staggered forward, gripping his chest. "Survival… threshold?"

His voice cracked. He felt something pulse beneath his skin—like a second heartbeat, ancient and heavy.

"Your mortal form resists me," the voice inside him murmured. "You are too fragile… too human."

"Then why choose me?" Rayzen hissed. "There were thousands stronger—why me?"

A low rumble answered him, not in his ears, but in his bones.

"Because strength blinds them. You were the only one… desperate enough to break."

The words cut deep.

Because they were true.

He'd spent his entire life watching others tame divine beasts, wield lightning wolves and celestial tigers—while he could barely maintain a spark spell. His mother died believing he'd never summon anything. His father stopped calling him son.

And yet now—

The oldest dragon in existence had chosen him.

A wind swept through the ruins, carrying the faint scent of burning ozone. When Rayzen opened his hand, black scales flickered briefly over his skin, then dissolved into mist.

[System Unlock: Soul Domain – 1% awakened.]

[Ability: Draconic Resonance acquired.]

Before he could ask what that meant, the ground beneath him shuddered.

A fissure tore through the summoning circle, glowing with molten light. From its depths, something emerged—

—a fragment of the dragon, perhaps a shadow or memory. Massive horns. Ethereal wings. Eyes like twin storms of amethyst fire.

The apparition bowed slightly.

"You carry my fragment now. Use it well, mortal."

Then it vanished, leaving a seared mark on the ground where it stood. A symbol that pulsed once, then sank into Rayzen's shadow.

The Academy Alarm

Far above the ruins, the bells of Astralis Academy screamed to life.

From the watchtowers, the instructors saw only one thing on their surveillance crystals:

a single student standing amid a Class-7 summoning collapse, alive.

That was impossible.

Even elite tamers died instantly in those explosions.

Inside the Headmaster's chamber, Elder Varik crushed the armrest of his chair.

"He survived a complete mana implosion? That's— that's forbidden magic!"

"His name?" another instructor asked.

Varik's eyes narrowed. "Rayzen Kairn. The defective one."

The room fell silent.

Rayzen's Awakening

Back in the ruins, Rayzen stumbled to the edge of the broken circle. His veins glowed faintly gold, carrying the dragon's mana through him. Every step felt lighter, every sound sharper. He could see motes of energy floating in the air—tiny fragments of mana he'd never perceived before.

[Draconic Resonance active. Ambient mana conversion increased by 300%.]

He clenched his fist. "So this is… power."

He lifted his hand and focused on a fragment of stone.

For the first time, mana obeyed him. The rock rose gently into the air—no chants, no sigils. Just will.

He smiled weakly. "So that's what it feels like to be alive."

But before he could savor the moment, a squad of armored guards stormed the ruins. Their leader, Captain Rhaen, pointed a spear toward him.

"By order of Astralis Academy, Rayzen Kairn, you are under arrest for practicing forbidden taming arts!"

Rayzen froze. "Forbidden? I didn't even—"

"Save your lies," the captain barked. "No human can survive a Class-7 collapse without demonic aid!"

The soldiers raised their spears.

"Would you like me to intervene?" the dragon's voice hummed in his mind. "They draw weapons against their new god."

Rayzen swallowed hard. "No—don't. I can handle—"

Too late.

The ground rippled.

Black fire erupted around him, forming spectral claws that swatted the soldiers aside like leaves. Armor melted. The air shimmered with draconic heat.

Rayzen's heart raced. "Stop! I said stop!"

The flames froze midair. Then—

slowly—vanished.

Silence.

Only the smell of ash and fear remained.

He dropped to his knees, trembling.

He hadn't meant to hurt anyone. He'd just… reacted.

"Your fear shapes my strength," Kael'Thyrax whispered. "Learn control, or you will burn your world to ash."

The Decision

Moments later, the academy guards retreated in panic, carrying the wounded. Rayzen stood alone, the setting sun staining the sky blood-red.

He looked at his reflection in a pool of molten water. His eyes weren't human anymore—

they shimmered faintly with violet light.

He remembered the whispers from his childhood:

"He's cursed."

"He'll never summon even a rat."

"Waste of resources."

Now the world would whisper something else.

"He's the one who tamed a god."

But that power came with a price.

If the academy labeled him a heretic, the entire empire would hunt him. He had to disappear—before they realized what he'd become.

[System Prompt: Path Selection – Choose your Fate.]

[1: Return to the Academy and prove your power.]

[2: Escape into the Outer Wilds to forge new pacts.]

[3: Submit to Kael'Thyrax and awaken full Draconic Form.]

Rayzen hesitated.

Each choice would change his destiny forever.

But deep inside, he already knew the answer.

"I won't submit," he whispered. "Not to them. Not even to you, Kael'Thyrax.

I'll make my own path."

The system pulsed.

[Choice Accepted: Path of the Defiant.]

[Hidden Evolution Tree Unlocked.]

The Dragon's Laughter

Somewhere beyond the stars, a rumble of laughter echoed.

"Good," the dragon murmured. "Break your chains, mortal. Break them all."

And then—

A surge of light enveloped him. The mark on his shadow blazed brighter than ever before. When the glow faded, strange runes covered his right arm—an incomplete tattoo of scales and sigils.

[New Skill: Shadow Hatchling Summon – Level 1]

He raised his hand instinctively—and from his shadow, a tiny draconic creature crawled out. Barely the size of a cat, with molten eyes and wings made of smoke.

It looked up at him… and purred.

Rayzen smiled despite everything.

"So, you're my first real summon."

The hatchling tilted its head, then climbed onto his shoulder, wrapping its tail around his neck. Warmth spread through him. For the first time in years, he didn't feel alone.

Meanwhile, in the Empire

Far away, deep within the Imperial Spire of Elys, a council of Grand Tamers gathered around a glowing crystal orb. Inside it shimmered the image of Rayzen and his draconic summon.

"That boy…" murmured the High Chancellor. "His mana signature doesn't match any recorded beast core. It's… ancient."

Another elder spoke, voice trembling. "Could it be—Kael'Thyrax?"

The chamber fell deathly silent.

If that was true, then the world's oldest terror had just found a host.

End of Chapter 2

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