Darkness.
A void deeper than the vacuum of space swallowed Kai Karuizawa's senses. His mind floated between shattered memories and the piercing pain of reality. When he opened his eyes, the golden sun of Vandorra—the Victorian human land—shone above him. Smoke billowed from the wreckage of the spacecraft Terra-A23, now reduced to burning steel and twisted metal.
But that wasn't the worst of it.
His comrades—Viola, Esper, Shinsui… and Judal.
Gone.
Kai's body was broken. Cuts lined his arms, blood stained his uniform, and his vibrant brunette hair stuck to his face with sweat and ash. He crawled from the debris, each movement screaming with agony.
As he lay on the forest floor of this foreign land, something inside him cracked.
Kai (whispering): "Why… why them? Why not me?"
He gritted his teeth, rage welling within. He remembered Viola's laughter, Esper's confident smirk, Shinsui's stern wisdom… and Judal' smile. That same Judal who had betrayed them.
The pain wasn't just physical. It was betrayal that stabbed deepest.
His bright red eyes, once playful and full of dreams, darkened. A venomous storm swirled behind them. He grabbed a handful of dirt, slamming it into the ground as if trying to ground himself in something—anything.
Then—
A shadow.
A wind that howled like death.
Something enormous descended from the sky, wings blotting out the sun.
A dragon.
Its presence defied logic, physics, reason. It was a being too large, too graceful, too divine to belong in this world.
Its scales shimmered with hues of obsidian and amethyst. Eyes glowed with a light that had seen millennia. Blood dripped from deep wounds on its body, and yet its aura could crush mountains.
Dragon: "How dare a mere mortal like you not bow in the presence of me, the great one of the Seven Dragon Monarchs—Adnyess, Soul Dragon of the Eternal Cycle."
Kai stared in awe. He should've been terrified, but the anger in his heart burned too brightly to allow fear.
He noticed something strange—Adnyess was barely holding on. The dragon's breaths were shallow, and his wings trembled.
Kai: "You look like you're the one on the verge of death. What makes you think you can kill me?"
Adnyess growled but managed a smirk.
Adnyess: "You have courage for an insect… perhaps too much. Listen well, human. I have used the last of my divine Zyre to escape… and I cannot survive. So I offer you a vow—a bond. Break it, and you will be erased. Your soul devoured. But honor it, and I shall lend you the strength of a dragon."
A pulse of energy surged. The four-leaf clover necklace around Kai's neck glowed faintly.
Adnyess: "I cannot grant you my Zyre Authority… but the petals of that necklace shall house my essence—Defense, Attack, Dexterity, and Speed. One petal for each. Use them well."
Kai's breath caught. That necklace… Viola had given it to him. A symbol of their promise beneath the stars. His gaze drifted upward. Night had fallen, and the heavens twinkled like shattered glass.
He remembered her voice.
Viola (memory): "One day, we'll stand on a united Earth… and watch the stars together."
Adnyess's voice rumbled again.
Adnyess: "Make no mistake. My power is a curse as much as a gift. To carry it is to draw the eyes of gods and monsters. You will be hunted. Entangled in destinies not meant for mortals."
Kai looked at the stars. At the four-leaf clover. At the wreckage. Then back at Adnyess.
Kai: "Then so be it. I'll take your power. I'll take the curse. Because if I want to bring peace—if I want to fulfill our promise—then I have to walk this path. No matter the price."
Adnyess nodded slowly.
Adnyess: "So it is done… our fates entwined by oath and fire."
The four-leaf clover flared with light. Kai felt it—raw strength coursing through his veins. His wounds began to close. His muscles tightened. His senses expanded.
And in that moment, a vow was made to the heavens.
Kai Karuizawa, last son of Terra, would rise.
To find the truth. To avenge the fallen. To unite the shattered Earth.
No matter what stood in his way.
End of Chapter Two