---
Marius turned slowly, his icy gaze locking onto Azel.
His voice was low—but beneath that calm surface, restrained fury seethed.
**Marius:** "What did you do, Azel?"
Azel paused for a moment, then glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
Indifference filled his stare; frost laced his tone.
**Azel:** "What did I do, you ask?"
**Marius:** "You teleported them somewhere. Where did you send the boy?"
A faint, emotionless smile curved Azel's lips.
**Azel:** "To the heart of the forest. Far from here. They won't survive on their own.
If luck favors them, they'll die slowly—in agony."
Marius took several steps forward. His footsteps echoed through the silent, mirror-like hall.
**Marius:** "Noa… he's completely broken—body and soul.
But we mustn't forget Rion D. Dragon of the D Clan.
Even as a half high-dragon, he stands among the strongest of his generation."
Azel spun sharply, his tone slicing through the air.
**Azel:** "What could a boy at the Fifth Stage of the Beginner Level possibly do to us, old man?
Could he even trick us?"
Marius drew a deep breath. His gaze remained calm—but a flicker of unease glinted within.
**Marius:** "Hmm… perhaps you're right.
Still, Noa possessed an aura unlike any I've seen—one that could alter the very air."
**Azel:** "Maybe it was just a false aura."
Marius shook his head slowly.
**Marius:** "Perhaps. But that aura was born from pure hatred… and the desire to kill.
Such a thing appears only once in a thousand years."
**Azel:** "How insignificant."
They walked down the marble corridor, their footsteps fading into the distance.
Behind them, Varzak stood in silence, eyes shimmering in the shadows—a strange blend of fury and respect burning within.
> "Noa S. Dragon… Even if no one acknowledges you as a son of the S Clan—I will," he thought silently.
> "That aura… that spirit… If guided properly, it could shake the throne itself."
Varzak stepped forward and bowed.
**Varzak:** "My lord, do you have any further orders?"
Marius didn't look back. He spoke as he continued walking.
**Marius:** "Not for now. Return to base. Rest."
**Varzak:** "As you command, my lord."
With that, Varzak and his shadow-born assassins vanished into the darkness—leaving behind only cold, empty silence.
---
### Riza Forest
The ground trembled.
Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from the sky—spreading like a dome and swallowing the trees below.
For a brief moment, everything fell silent. Then the light faded.
Two figures appeared in the center of the clearing—Noa and Rion.
Rion dropped to his knees, eyes wide with shock. His breathing was ragged, heart pounding wildly.
Beside him, Noa stood motionless, head bowed—blood dripping from his eyes onto the soil.
Rion turned toward him, panic rising inside.
> "This place… where are we?
> A teleportation…?"
He took a shaky breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
> "No—I can't lose focus now. I need to assess the area first."
Carefully, he stood.
The air was cold, and black mist-like mana rose from the soil beneath his feet.
Rion walked a few steps to Noa and knelt beside him, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder.
**Rion:** "Noa… can you hear me?
Noa, wake up!"
No answer.
Noa's lips did not move—his breathing was shallow, barely perceptible.
Rion's chest tightened.
He tore a strip from his sleeve and gently wrapped it over Noa's bleeding eyes.
> "At least that'll stop the bleeding… but in this condition, he won't last long."
He lifted Noa's wrist, checking for a pulse—weak, but still there.
Rion exhaled heavily.
**Rion:** "Right now, the priority is to find shelter.
This must be… a forest."
He listened—faint, distant screeches echoed through the darkness.
> "If this truly is a forest, then there must be low-tier creatures—goblins, draconoids, fox-beasts…
> If I'm lucky, I might find one of their villages.
> If not… at least I can use them for food or protection."
He carefully lifted Noa onto his shoulders.
Noa's body was cold, but his heart still beat faintly.
Leaves rustled beneath Rion's feet as he walked.
The forest seemed alive—whispering, watching.
Unseen eyes followed him through the fog, as if the woods themselves were breathing.
Rion pressed forward, whispering softly—a flicker of hope still burning within him.
> "Noa… I won't leave you behind.
> You still have to live… you must…"
His voice faded into the night.
Only the wind answered.
Rion looked down at Noa's pale face—the faint rhythm of breath barely audible. He exhaled slowly and shook his head.
**Rion:** "Not in this form… I can't carry you far."
He gently laid Noa down on the soft moss. Mist drifted between the trees, and the air pulsed faintly with mana.
Rion stepped back—one, two, three… ten paces away.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
> "There's only one way left… Transformation—my last resort."
Steam began to rise from his body—thin at first, then thick and glowing.
It wasn't ordinary steam—it shimmered gold, charged with mana so intense that the air itself trembled.
Leaves quivered as waves of power rippled outward.
Rion clenched his teeth, muscles tightening as his bones began to shift and grow.
A surge of burning energy roared through his veins—his back arched as two massive wings burst forth.
Each beat sent fiery shockwaves through the clearing.
His frame expanded, legs hardened, fingers curled into claws.
Crimson lines burned across his face as his jaw lengthened, eyes igniting in scarlet flame.
From the fog emerged a magnificent—yet terrifying—figure:
**A Crimson Flame Dragon**.
Its body shimmered with molten scales, radiating waves of heat.
The air howled with every movement.
It stood nearly three meters tall, wings spanning tens of meters wide.
**Rion** (in a low, resonant tone): "Transformation… complete."
He stood still for a moment, then carefully reached down with his massive claws and lifted Noa.
Noa's hair drifted in the wind—he remained unconscious.
Rion gazed at him—and the fire in his eyes softened.
**Rion:** "Rest easy now, Noa.
I won't stop until I find a safe place for you."
He spread his wings wide, mana rippling through the air and pushing the mist aside.
Then, with a single powerful beat, he soared upward.
The ground below vanished in a whirlwind of dust and fire.
Rion rose into the night sky, Ruya and Siamond glinting off his crimson scales—blazing like living flame.
Beneath him, Riza Forest seemed to awaken, its silent canopy shivering as if in awe.
The wind howled beside him; distant cries echoed from unseen creatures below.
But Rion didn't stop.
> "No matter what awaits us…
> I will protect you, Noa.
> Even if I must fight the heavens themselves.
> You're my only friend, Noa. They can't take you. Just hold on a little longer."
---
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