Two months flew by as if they had never been. Every day, Sai woke up with muscle pain, tight shoulders, and a dull hum of fatigue in his head—and he still got up, because he knew: training with Aella wouldn't wait. Those sixty days had become something like a separate life within his life. Mornings were for lectures, afternoons for practice, evenings for grueling sparring, and nights for meditation with Nox and learning how to stabilize the shadow flows.
Those two months had changed him more than all the previous years combined.
---
He stood in the center of the training field. In the evenings, it was almost empty: just the hum of the lanterns, a cool blowing wind, and the distant sounds of the busy academy. Aella stood opposite him, arms crossed, watching him finish the last sequence of strikes.
Sai executed a series of movements—now completely different from the awkward, jerky ones from the beginning. His body moved smoothly, as if he was executing the strikes not with his arms, but with his entire being. Nox, now significantly larger than before, bounded beside him, synchronizing its energy with its master's movements. It was no longer a little dragonet that could fit in his palm; it was now almost up to Sai's waist, with a longer neck, sturdy forelegs, and unfolding, semi-transparent shadow wings.
The dragon's black eyes shone like molten obsidian. It watched every strike, vibrating, raising the flow of shadow to amplify Sai's movements.
The final blow—and Sai stopped sharply, slightly out of breath.
Aella nodded slowly.
"That's it," she said. "This concludes our two-month course."
Sai froze. He had been waiting for these words, but when he heard them, his heart faltered.
"You did well," she continued, stepping closer. "On the first day, you were..." she raised an eyebrow, "...well, very mediocre. To put it mildly."
Sai grimaced but listened in silence.
"But now... You haven't just improved. You've become different."
She walked around him, assessing every movement, every scratch, every line of tense muscle that had appeared over the months.
"You've grown stronger physically. Stronger mentally. And most importantly—you've started to feel Nox not as a tool, but as a part of yourself."
At that moment, the dragonet raised its head and let out a low, proud rumble, as if confirming the trainer's words.
Aella smirked.
"See? You're truly connected now."
Sai looked at Nox. It had truly grown. Not just in body—its aura had become deeper, heavier. Before, it emitted a soft, almost tickling flow of shadow. Now it was dense, confident, powerful. Sometimes he even had to suppress it so the shadow waves wouldn't spill out across the room.
"You've done tremendous work," Aella said, taking a step back. "And now you can actually do something. At least a little something."
She sighed, but her eyes were warm.
"I rarely say this, but... well done, Sai."
It took him a moment to understand what he was feeling—relief? Pride? Fatigue? A mix of everything. He just exhaled and said quietly:
"Thank you."
"Rest for a couple of days," said Aella. "Then we'll start a new stage. A harder one."
"Harder?" he asked.
"Oh yes. Much."
She turned and left, leaving him standing in the middle of the quiet, empty field.
---
Sai walked down the corridor towards the dormitory. Nox walked beside him, limping slightly—not from pain, but from exhaustion. These two months had been hard on him, too. The dragonet hadn't just grown; it had constantly been processing vast amounts of energy, helping Sai stabilize his power.
Sai opened the door to his room, turned on the light, then sat on the bed and let out a deep, long, heavy sigh.
I need to call Grandad.
The thought appeared suddenly, but clearly. Grandad always wanted to know how he was doing. And for the first time in a long while, Sai felt he could say: I've gotten stronger.
He took out his communicator and dialed the number.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Silence.
The subscriber is unavailable.
Sai frowned.
"That's strange... Grandad always answers quickly."
He tried again.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Nothing again.
Nox lifted its head, sensing its master's anxiety.
"It's fine," Sai said, stroking its neck. "He's probably just busy. Maybe he's asleep or working."
Although... Grandad was rarely so busy that he wouldn't pick up.
Sai put the communicator down. After a few minutes, he picked it up again.
"Okay... one more time."
He pressed the call button.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Silence again.
Now his heart gave an unpleasant squeeze.
"Maybe the connection is down..." he muttered. "Or he stepped out."
But the thought sounded unconvincing.
He decided to wait. Grandad might call back.
The minutes dragged by slowly.
Half an hour passed.
An hour passed.
An hour and a half.
Nox shifted restlessly beside him. It felt Sai's emotions—worry, anxiety.
"It's fine," Sai repeated, though he was now talking more to himself. "He's... just busy."
He opened a textbook, tried to read. But his eyes scanned the lines without grasping the meaning.
Another half hour passed.
Two hours.
Three.
The room grew darker, the shadow from the lamp lengthened, and the silence pressed down harder.
Sai dialed the number again.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
"The subscriber is out of coverage area..."
Sai slowly lowered his hand.
"What's going on..." he whispered quietly.
Nox lay down next to him, nudging his leg with its snout.
Sai sat motionless. His heart beat quietly, but painfully.
Grandad always answered. Even if he was in another room. Even if he was busy. He always called back.
But now... nothing.
"Maybe..." he swallowed, "maybe he's sick? Asleep? Or..."
The thought, "or something happened," became a heavy weight in his chest.
Sai stood up and began pacing the room. The shadows trembled slightly around him—not from magic, but from emotion. Nox raised its head, watching its master.
"He... should have answered... at least once..." Sai whispered.
He dialed the number again.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Silence.
Now his breathing became uneven. He sat down, pressing his palms to his face.
"Alright... I'll wait some more. Maybe until morning..."
But inside, a feeling he hated was taking root: fear.
Fear for the only person he had left in this world.
And the night grew longer than usual....