"Impale... Yaiba."
Kael's voice rang through the air, sharp and unwavering. A violent gust of wind howled around him, spiraling into a vortex of deadly precision. His sword, now enveloped in the raging storm, gleamed ominously as he lunged at Arthur with a speed that was almost inhuman.
Arthur barely managed to dodge, feeling the sharp pressure of Kael's blade cutting through the space just beside his cheek. A thin trail of blood appeared—a single, stinging reminder of how close he had been to losing his head.
"What the hell is going on?!" Arthur shouted, trying to put some distance between them. His breathing was uneven, his heart hammering against his ribs. "If this is another one of your tricks, it's not funny, you know—"
Before he could finish, Kael's blade came swinging again.
Arthur barely twisted his body in time, but a sudden burning sensation on his left arm made his eyes widen. He staggered back, clutching his bleeding arm, crimson liquid slipping between his fingers. His pulse pounded in his ears. This wasn't a joke. Kael was serious.
Arthur's gaze snapped forward, searching for Kael—only for his mentor to vanish into thin air.
A split second later—
Whoosh!
A chilling gust blew past Arthur's neck. His body screamed at him to move, but before he could react—SLASH!
A sharp pain bloomed on his forehead as another cut formed, a warm trickle of blood rolling down between his brows.
Kael's voice echoed behind him, smooth yet merciless.
"Even if you dodge my blade, you can't dodge the wind itself," he said, his eyes glinting like a predator toying with its prey. "The wind is my blade."
Arthur collapsed onto one knee, panting. His vision blurred slightly from the blood running into his eye. He clutched his wounded arm tightly, trying to suppress the pain, but his body was already weakening. His muscles trembled. His breath came out in ragged pants.
"Kael… what's wrong with you?" he rasped.
No answer.
Kael simply took a step forward, raised his sword—
BAM!
The sheath of Kael's blade slammed into Arthur's stomach with brutal force.
Arthur's breath hitched. His body seized up as the impact sent a violent shockwave through his ribs. His vision darkened. He barely had time to process the pain before his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
Kael stood over him, breathing steadily. He sheathed his sword and grabbed Arthur's collar, dragging him across the forest floor without a hint of hesitation.
A World of Ice and Light
Arthur's eyelids fluttered. His body felt weightless. Cold.
He opened his eyes.
The world around him was… unfamiliar.
Water. Endless water stretched out beneath him, reflecting the sky like a massive mirror. The surface was perfectly still, yet somehow, Arthur's feet didn't sink. He stood upon it as if the water itself was solid.
"…A dream?"
Arthur turned, scanning the horizon, but there was no one. Only an endless expanse of sky and water, blending together in an eerie, serene silence. Then, from the distance—
A light.
Arthur narrowed his eyes. He raised a hand, shielding himself from the brightness as he stepped forward, drawn to it. His footsteps made no sound. The closer he got, the stronger the glow became, until—
A voice.
"Arthur."
Arthur's breath hitched. His body stiffened. He spun around, eyes darting frantically. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"
The light in front of him twisted, shifting, taking shape—
And then—
A massive ice dragon emerged.
Arthur's entire body went rigid. His heart pounded against his chest. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to move.
"You—" Arthur breathed. "I thought you were always asleep."
The dragon's glowing eyes locked onto his. "That is not my true self," it rumbled. "This form you see before was my spiritual form."
Arthur swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "Spiritual form…?"
"We sword spirits, Zeraphim, cannot manifest in the real world," the dragon continued. "We exist only in our spiritual domain. In the world of the living, our strength is but a fraction of our true power."
Arthur exhaled, glancing around. "So… where are we?"
The dragon's gaze remained steady. "This is my domain. A world woven from your mana and mine."
Arthur repeated the name to himself. "Zeraphim…"
The dragon regarded him silently before asking, "Tell me, Arthur—why do you seek power?"
Arthur didn't hesitate. "To protect my loved ones. My friends."
The dragon's cold laughter echoed through the space. "Friends? What friends?"
Arthur flinched.
"The only friend you have is the boy from the preliminary academy." The dragon paused, tilting its head slightly. "What was his name again…? Ah. Felix."
Arthur clenched his fists.
"And as for family…" The dragon's voice grew sharper. "Are you speaking of the ones who abandoned you without remorse? Or the ones whose house you're freeloading in?"
Arthur inhaled deeply, then smiled. "Felix might be my only friend now, but I know he has friends of his own. And his friends… are my friends too. When I get to Sage Academy, I'll make even more.
"As for my family…" Arthur looked up, his gaze unwavering. "I choose both. My birth family may have forsaken me, but not all of them. My mother, my younger sister, and Elizabeth… they still love me. And even Kael, Liana, Luca, Maria—if I hadn't been cast out, I would have never met them.
"For that, I'm grateful to my father for what he did."
The dragon studied him for a long moment. Then, it asked, "Are you confident in yourself? Confident that you can protect them?"
Arthur hesitated.
"…Not yet," he admitted, lowering his gaze. "With the strength I have now, I can't. But that's why I'm training. That's why I want to bond with you." He clenched his fists. "Together, we can protect them."
The dragon's eyes glowed faintly. "I care little for the world of the living," it muttered.
Suddenly—
The world trembled.
Cracks formed in the sky, the shimmering water beneath them rippling violently. The air vibrated as everything around them began to crumble.
Arthur staggered. "What's happening?!"
"You're running low on mana," the dragon said.
The world around them shattered, chunks of it breaking apart like glass.
As Arthur's body began to fall into the abyss below, the dragon's voice called out one last time—
"Arthur. Form a pact with me."
The dragon surged forward, its massive tail reaching for Arthur.
"GRAB ON!"
Arthur stretched out his hand, grasping its tail just as a bright, blinding light engulfed them both—
Return to the Living World
Kael dragged Arthur's unconscious body toward the edge of a towering cliff. He sighed, shaking his head. "Looks like this is the end for you."
Without hesitation, he kicked Arthur's body over the edge.
Arthur's limp form tumbled down.
Kael turned, ready to leave—
But then.
A pulse of mana surged from below.
Kael froze. His eyes widened as an eerie, chilling presence flooded the air. He slowly turned back.
From beneath the cliff, a cold blue aura rose like a winter storm. Frost crackled along the ground, spreading outward in jagged veins. The air turned bitterly cold.
And then—
A figure emerged.
Arthur stood at the base of the cliff, his body surrounded by an ethereal blue glow. Ice coiled around him like mist, his presence radiating an overwhelming, chilling pressure. His eyes burned with new power.
Kael's lips curled into a smirk. "Well, well… look who's back."
Arthur lifted his gaze. A frosty breath escaped his lips.
"Where do you think you're going… old perv?"