The night had barely cooled when I woke up to an insistent knock on the bedroom door. I opened my eyes slowly, still half lost, and heard the voice.
"Takumi! Open up! It's urgent!"
It was Rai'kanna.
Or… no. The voice was similar, but sharper. Younger.
Vespera lifted her head from the bed beside mine, blinking sleepily. "Who the hell is yelling at this hour? I can't get a full night of sleep even in a dragon castle…"
Elara already had her bow in hand, always ready for chaos.
And Liriel… well, Liriel got up as if she had slept for only two minutes — which was probably true.
I got up, quickly tied my cloak, and opened the door.
On the other side was Princess Lyannis, Rai'kanna's younger sister.
Her braided red hair fell to her hips like a trail of flames, and the small light-blue scales around her eyes gleamed with excitement. She carried a spear bigger than she was.
"Good morning, Takumi!" she said, smiling as if it weren't still dawn. "You need to come with me!"
I blinked a few times. "Right now?"
"Right now!"
Vespera called from inside, "If it's to kidnap him, wait until he has breakfast…"
Lyannis tilted her head, curious. "Kidnap? No, no! I just want to show something before sunrise!"
Elara sighed. "I feel like this is going to be a problem."
Liriel adjusted the grimoire in her arm. "Everything involving too much enthusiasm becomes a problem."
Lyannis smiled even wider — which didn't comfort me at all.
We followed the princess through the castle corridors to a huge balcony overlooking the open field. The morning wind was cool, but carried a distant scent of ash.
"Look!"
Lyannis pointed to the field, where a group of young demi-dragon warriors trained with flaming spears and swords. The ground was marked with cracks of heat.
"Today is the Spear Trial," she said. "The young warriors must demonstrate their control over their inner fire."
"Interesting," said Elara. "But why did you call us?"
"Because I'm going to participate!"
Rai'kanna appeared out of nowhere behind us.
"You're going to take part in the trial. They'll watch. And then they'll help me drag you out of whatever trouble you get into."
Lyannis huffed. "I don't need help!"
"You do."
"I don't!"
"You need it more than you think."
"Father said I can."
"Father doesn't know anything."
The two of them glared at each other as if shooting flames from their eyes.
I let out a sigh.
"Are you two always like this?" I asked.
"No," Rai'kanna replied.
"Always," Lyannis said at the same time.
They glanced at each other again.
"See?" Liriel whispered. "Genetics."
We went down to the training grounds. The circular arena was surrounded by blue flames that didn't burn, only illuminated. Each competitor carried a weapon — spears, swords, flame nets.
Lyannis positioned herself at the center.
Her spear had three curved tips that resembled dragon claws. The shaft was made of dark wood with red veins, and some runes glowed softly as she breathed.
Rai'kanna crossed her arms. "Stay alert, Takumi. This trial is more serious than it looks."
"What's the objective?" I asked.
"Each warrior must face manifestations of fire and spirit," she explained. "It's a test of control, courage, and… persistence."
"Sounds dangerous," Vespera murmured.
"It is dangerous."
"Great," Vespera sighed.
The drums sounded.
The arena lit up, and a circle of embers opened at Lyannis's feet.
She raised her spear. A red aura spiraled upward around her, and small scales appeared on her arms.
"First stage!" the weapons master called. "The flame echoes!"
The ground burst with small fire figures — creatures the size of dogs, made of living embers. They surrounded Lyannis, growling with dancing flames.
She stepped forward, spun the spear, and sliced the air in a bright arc. The creatures crumbled into luminous ash.
"Good form," Rai'kanna murmured. "But she's holding back."
"Holding back? Why?" I asked.
"Because my father is watching," Rai'kanna replied. "And she wants to impress you too."
"Impress…? Why?"
Vespera smacked my shoulder. "You're so slow."
Elara nodded. "Very much."
Liriel didn't even comment — she just looked at me like someone saying study life better.
The weapons master called again.
"Second stage! The inner flame!"
The ground trembled.
Lyannis drove the spear into the soil.
A pillar of fire rose around her, forming a serpent of flames that roared loudly.
The entire arena lit up.
She took a deep breath.
The scales on her arms became sharper.
And then—with a swift movement—she carved her way through the serpent, as if cutting the very essence of fire itself.
The serpent slowly dissolved.
The audience applauded.
"Impressive," said Elara.
"She's strong," Liriel admitted.
Rai'kanna closed her eyes for a moment. "Yes. Strong enough not to lose control."
Before I could ask what she meant by that, the drums thundered once more.
"Third and final stage!"
The weapons master raised a scepter of flames.
"The Trial of the Ancient Breath!"
Rai'kanna's eyes widened.
"But this is too soon!"
"Too soon?" I asked.
"It's an advanced stage! She shouldn't be—"
An explosion of light cut her off.
A figure made of fire took shape in the air—a large, imposing draconic silhouette. Its eyes were two white embers. Its wings spread across the arena.
Lyannis stepped back.
"This shouldn't be happening so early," Liriel murmured.
Vespera grabbed my cloak. "Takumi… that thing does NOT look normal!"
The draconic spirit rose and roared—a roar that made the ground tremble.
Lyannis steadied her spear.
"I can do this!" she shouted.
And she charged toward the creature.
The fight lasted only a few seconds.
The draconic spirit struck with a flaming wing, unleashing a wave of intense heat. Lyannis tried to block with her spear, but the force sent her flying backward.
She fell to her knees.
The creature advanced.
Without thinking, I leapt from the stands.
"Takumi!" the three shouted at once.
I rolled across the ground, grabbed Lyannis by the arm, and dragged her back at the exact moment the creature struck again.
The impact blasted the arena's sand into the air.
Lyannis coughed, startled.
"You—why—?"
"Because you were about to become barbecue!"
She turned red. "I… I was doing fine!"
"What part of 'being crushed' do you call fine?"
The creature roared again.
Rai'kanna finally jumped in too, her wings spreading like blades.
"You two get out!" she shouted. "I can contain this!"
"No," I replied. "I'm here, so I'm helping!"
Lyannis smiled—a nervous but radiant smile.
"Takumi… you're incredible."
"This is NOT the time for compliments!"
The creature attacked again. Rai'kanna raised a flaming barrier that burst into sparks.
"This spirit is corrupted," she yelled. "Someone tampered with it!"
"Tampered?" Liriel muttered at the edge of the arena. "So it wasn't a natural manifestation."
Elara raised her bow. "We can help from here."
Vespera opened a wind portal. "Just say when!"
The creature lunged at us.
I took a deep breath.
The flame inside me answered.
My hand burned with red light.
"Takumi!" Rai'kanna shouted. "Careful!"
"I've got this!"
I stepped forward and struck the air with the condensed flame in my hand.
The impact smashed into the spirit's chest.
It roared—and cracks formed across its flaming body, like overheated glass about to shatter.
Lyannis raised her spear, the scales shining.
"Now!" she shouted.
Rai'kanna shot upward with a burst of wind.
The three at the edge attacked together—arrows, spells, and blades of wind.
And I charged once more.
Our final strike crashed into the creature.
The spirit exploded in white light—and disintegrated, scattering sparks across the arena.
Silence.
Then applause.
A lot of applause.
Lyannis fell to the ground, sitting and laughing nervously.
"I… I did it!"
Rai'kanna landed beside her. "No. We did it. And you almost died."
"But it was amazing!"
"It was incredibly reckless!"
The two started arguing—again.
I looked at the audience, the weapons master, the arena still glowing.
And I thought about the stone, the visions, the corrupted creature, and how that spirit had clearly lost control.
"Takumi," Liriel whispered, stepping beside me. "This… isn't a coincidence."
"I know."
Vespera crossed her arms. "First the rift. Now the spirit. Someone is REALLY trying to bring this kingdom down."
Elara glanced at Lyannis smiling at me—in a way that made all three of them narrow their eyes.
"The problem," Elara said, "is that we're gonna have to deal with that… and with her."
I let out a deep sigh.
Apparently, monsters weren't the only problem around here.