Arin didn't sleep.
He couldn't sleep.
The whole city felt wrong—charged, pulsing, unstable—as if something huge was about to burst through the surface of the world. The air itself carried pressure. Not the usual, physical kind. Something deeper. Something that felt like it was vibrating against his bones.
And the strangest part?
It didn't feel entirely foreign.
Some part of him recognized it.
Kairon paced the small rooftop of the Bureau safehouse, silent and tense. Every footstep left a faint ripple of blue aura across the ground, quickly fading.
Arin forced himself to breathe.
"What's happening now?" he asked.
Kairon didn't look back. His eyes were fixed on the distant skyline where a red glow flickered between the towers.
"A dragon," he said softly.
Arin felt his stomach drop. "Another one?"
"Yes."
The word had weight. Fear. Memory.
He stepped closer to Arin. "This is bad."
Arin swallowed. "How bad?"
Kairon's fingers tightened into a fist. "There shouldn't be another awakened dragon. Not now. Not this soon."
Arin frowned. "You said dragons usually sleep for thousands of years."
"They do," Kairon murmured. "Unless something wakes them."
Arin felt cold. "Something like… the clans?"
Kairon didn't answer at first.
Because he didn't need to.
Down below, alarms wailed. Police sirens howled in the distance. A few buildings lost power—lights flickering, windows dimming.
A wave of red aura burst across the skyline, visible even to Arin.
He sucked in a breath.
"I can see that," he whispered. "Why can I see that?"
Kairon glanced at him, worry clear in his expression. "Your awakening is moving faster because another dragon is near. Our auras react to each other."
Arin touched his chest. Heat radiated from under his ribcage.
"My heart's burning again."
Kairon stepped close and grabbed his wrist.
"Focus on my voice. Don't try to suppress it—just don't let it overflow."
Arin tried, but his aura surged, making the air shimmer around him.
Kairon's expression darkened. "It's too strong. The other dragon's aura is calling to you."
"Calling what?!"
"Recognition," Kairon said. "Dragons sense potential rivals. Or potential kin."
Arin shook his head, panicked. "I'm not a dragon!"
"Not yet," Kairon said quietly. "But the bond makes you close enough for your aura to react."
Arin staggered back, gripping the railing. "This is insane."
"It will stabilize," Kairon said. "But not until the new dragon stops flaring its aura."
"Which means… what?" Arin asked.
Kairon took a breath.
"It means the two dragons must clash."
Before Arin could respond—
A flash of red lightning exploded across the distant skyscrapers.
The second dragon roared.
It wasn't sound.
It was pressure—like thunder inside Arin's skull.
He gasped and dropped to his knees.
Kairon immediately knelt beside him.
"Arin. Stay with me. Listen to my voice."
But Arin wasn't hearing him.
The world faded.
replaced by—
Fire.
Chains.
Sky tearing open.
A red dragon screaming against its bonds.
A voice echoed inside his head.
"FIND ME."
Arin jolted, eyes snapping open.
Kairon steadied him by the shoulders. "Arin!"
"I— I saw something," Arin whispered. "Memories. Or… someone else's memories?"
"Not yours," Kairon said. "You connected to the other dragon for a moment."
Arin's breath shuddered.
"That wasn't human. It was… monstrous."
"Yes," Kairon said quietly. "And it's coming."
A shockwave ripped through the city, rattling windows even this far away.
Arin looked up.
A streak of crimson tore through the night sky. Then it dropped, fast—too fast—straight toward them.
Arin's heart seized. "It's coming here?!"
Kairon's aura ignited like blue flame.
"Yes. It senses me. It senses us."
The air rippled violently as a massive shape descended toward the Bureau safehouse. Before impact, the shape blurred—shrinking, folding, twisting—into a humanoid silhouette.
A young man landed on the rooftop in a burst of red sparks.
Tall. Barefoot. Wearing a torn maroon cloak. His hair was short and dark red, almost black, with streaks of glowing ember-like strands. His eyes burned as bright as furnace coals.
And he was smiling.
Not friendly.
Not sane.
More like a predator who finally found a worthy opponent.
Kairon stepped in front of Arin instantly, aura flaring.
The stranger tilted his head. "Found you."
Kairon's jaw tightened. "Crimson Gale."
Arin blinked. "You… know him?"
Kairon didn't answer.
But Crimson Gale did.
"In the old age, I devoured dragon hearts for sport," he said, voice smooth and unsettling. "Kairon was always the runt. But look at you now—awake, bonded, reckless."
Kairon's voice was low. "You shouldn't be awake."
"Oh, I should," Crimson Gale said, stepping closer. "Because the seal is breaking. And because something even worse is coming."
He glanced at Arin.
And his smile widened.
"So this is your bonded human."
Arin's pulse spiked. He stepped back instinctively.
Crimson Gale inhaled deeply.
"Aura freshly awakened. Untamed. Fragrant."
"That's creepy as hell," Arin muttered.
Crimson Gale ignored him.
"Interesting choice, Kairon. You bonded early."
"It wasn't intentional," Kairon growled.
"Of course it wasn't," Crimson Gale said softly. "Your kind never chooses."
Kairon's aura flared dangerously.
Red and blue lightning crackled through the air as the two dragons' auras collided.
Arin clutched his head. "Stop—! That pressure—!"
Kairon gritted his teeth. "Arin, stay behind me."
Crimson Gale laughed. "He feels dragon aura for the first time. Beautiful, isn't it?"
His eyes burned brighter, stepping close enough that heat radiated from his body.
"Let me guess," he said. "Your bond triggered by accident. Maybe a heartstone? Maybe a dying roar? Or—"
He inhaled once more.
"Touch."
Kairon didn't respond.
Crimson Gale's smile sharpened. "Thought so."
Suddenly—
He moved.
A blur of red.
Kairon blocked instantly, blue aura slamming into red.
The rooftop shook violently under the impact.
Arin stumbled backward, gripping the railing to keep from falling.
Kairon shouted without turning his head, "Arin! Go inside!"
"No!" Arin yelled. "I can't— I can't just leave you—!"
Crimson Gale sneered. "Good. I want him to watch."
He swung a fist.
Kairon crossed his arms in front of his face as the blow connected.
BOOM.
The roof cracked beneath Kairon's feet. Dust and debris burst outward.
Kairon slid back, boots carving lines in the concrete.
Crimson Gale grinned. "You've gotten stronger."
Kairon exhaled blue sparks. "And you're still reckless."
They clashed again, faster than human eyes should track. Arin could barely see flickers of light—blue and red—exploding against each other.
But even from a distance, Arin felt it:
The pressure.
The aura.
It hammered against him, squeezing his chest, burning under his skin, driving into his bones like molten iron.
"Kairon—" Arin gasped, collapsing.
Kairon turned instantly, eyes widening. "Arin!"
Crimson Gale struck him across the jaw mid-distraction.
The blow sent Kairon flying into a ventilation unit, metal shattering.
"Kairon!" Arin shouted.
His aura burst outward—gold-blue light erupting uncontrollably.
The shockwave blasted outward in all directions.
Crimson Gale froze mid-step.
"…well," he whispered. "That's interesting."
Arin shook uncontrollably. His vision blurred. His heartbeat pounded too loud, too fast.
Kairon stood, wiping blood from his lip. "Arin, stop—don't let it take over!"
"I can't—" Arin choked. "It's too much—!"
Crimson Gale stepped forward slowly. "He doesn't know how to suppress it. He's going to burn himself alive at this rate."
Kairon moved in front of Arin again. "Stay away from him."
Crimson Gale looked genuinely amused. "Protective, aren't we?"
The two dragons collided again—this time with far more force.
Arin watched, barely conscious, as they exchanged blow after blow, aura ripping across the rooftop.
A final clash—blue and red flaring bright—
And the shockwave threw all three of them apart.
Kairon skidded across the concrete.
Crimson Gale landed smoothly.
Arin hit the ground hard, vision swimming.
Crimson Gale glanced between them.
"This was fun," he said casually. "But I didn't come to kill you."
Kairon spat blood. "Then why?"
Crimson Gale stepped backward, aura folding around him.
"Because something old is waking beneath this city. Something worse than me. And when it rises… the dragons will be needed again."
He smirked.
"Well. Most dragons."
Kairon glared. "What do you mean?"
Crimson Gale pointed at Arin.
"He's the key."
Arin's heart dropped. "Me?"
Crimson Gale nodded.
"And every clan, every hunter, every creature that survived the old era will want him."
He stepped onto the edge of the rooftop.
"See you soon, runt."
He leapt off—and vanished in a streak of crimson light.
Silence fell.
Arin lay on the ground shaking, vision flickering.
"Kairon…" he whispered.
Kairon crawled toward him, battered, bruised, and barely steady.
He placed a hand on Arin's shoulder.
"Arin. Look at me."
Arin forced his eyes open.
Kairon's voice trembled—not with fear, but with urgency.
"You must learn to control your aura. Because Crimson Gale is right."
Arin swallowed. "Right about what…?"
Kairon's expression tightened.
"You are the key to everything that's coming."