The wind had grown colder as I descended into the valley. Shadows lengthened over jagged cliffs, and every sound echoed with an intensity I had learned to interpret. The mage from before—or perhaps her allies—were close. I could sense their mana signatures, disciplined and lethal, like a sharpened blade cutting through the air.
I crouched behind a boulder, wings tensed. My claws dug into stone. Every instinct screamed: fight or flight. But flight alone would not suffice this time. They were experienced. Strategic. Predictive.
Then I saw them.
Three figures emerging from the mist, moving in coordinated rhythm. Armor glinting faintly, staffs glowing with faint mana. Elite hunters, not like the ragged humans from before. Their presence alone warped the air, a weight of authority and experience that made even my dragon core pulse faster.
I stepped into the open.
"Finally," the one in the center said. Her voice was calm, sharp, commanding. "The weak dragon dares to step into our domain again."
Her eyes met mine. I could feel the scrutiny, the assessment. Not just of strength, but of potential, of growth, of the dangerous spark hidden beneath scales.
I flared my wings, testing my new abilities. Smoke curled from my nostrils, embers faint but tangible. A warning.
She smiled, almost amused. "Warning? I was hoping for a proper fight."
The two at her sides moved instantly, encircling. One with a sword, the other with a staff charged with compressed mana. I inhaled sharply. My first instinct: dodge.
---
The duel began.
The mage in the center chanted, throwing arcs of mana that ignited the rocks around me. Flames, compressed air, and pulses of energy. I leapt and rolled, wings flaring slightly to stabilize jumps, claws leaving marks on stone.
One of the side hunters lunged with a spear, aiming for my chest. I twisted mid-air, my tail whipping and knocking the weapon aside. The other fired a compressed mana bolt, narrowly missing. Each strike pushed me, tested me, revealed my weaknesses.
Pain, yes. But also knowledge.
I realized something crucial: humans did not fight like monsters. They anticipated, learned, adapted. And I had to do the same.
I landed on a boulder, inhaled, and focused. Dragon core pulsed violently. Fire ignited within my lungs—not a massive blaze, but enough to force the nearest hunter to retreat a step.
The mage's expression didn't change. Calm. Focused. Calculating.
"You've improved," she said softly. "But strength alone will not save you."
---
A moment of opportunity.
I leapt, wings flaring fully, feeling the energy in my muscles and mana synchronizing. My body reacted faster than thought. I dodged a spear, rolled under a spell, and struck a boulder, sending shards toward the mage. Not to kill, but to test. Observe.
And then it happened.
For the first time, I felt a pull within my body—a subtle, strange sensation. Scales shifted slightly. Limbs elongated. My form wavered for a split second, human traits bleeding through my dragon frame. Reflexes sharpened, awareness heightened. I was glimpsing my first human form—not complete, unstable, but functional.
The mage noticed. Her eyes widened slightly. Not surprise, not fear… curiosity.
"You are not fully one… or the other," she murmured. "Interesting."
I felt it too. Power. Potential. But instability. I could not rely solely on dragon instincts; I had to learn to merge human and dragon faculties.
The battle continued, each attack, each dodge, each feint, teaching me. My body adjusted, senses heightened, awareness sharpened. I was no longer just surviving—I was evolving.
Finally, after minutes that felt like hours, the mage stepped back. Her companions followed, leaving a gap in formation.
"Enough for now," she said. "You live, but only because you intrigued me. Next time, there will be no hesitation."
She vanished into the mist, leaving me on the rocky plateau, chest heaving, tail lashing the ground.
I lowered my head, examining the subtle changes in my form. My dragon body had gained new reflexes, but glimpses of human agility, perception, and coordination had awakened.
The first duel had not been a victory in the traditional sense. But it was a lesson. And I had learned: to survive, I had to master both forms, to anticipate enemies far stronger than me, and to evolve faster than the world demanded.
The mountains were silent once more. For now.
But I knew one thing: the mage, elite hunters, and the entire hierarchy of human threats would come again. And next time, I would be ready.
Step by step. Breath by breath. Evolution by evolution.
I was no longer just a weak dragon.
I was becoming something dangerous.
Something apex.
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