I remained sitting on the bed for a few seconds while trying to calm my breathing.
The room was still immersed in the darkness of dawn, illuminated only by the faint moonlight coming through the window. The silence felt heavy after that dream.
Scarlet was the first to move closer.
"Was it the same dream again?"
I slowly ran a hand over my face before answering.
"Similar... but this time it was different."
Liriel sat down beside me.
"The demonic presence?"
"Yes."
Elara had also awakened. She watched my face in silence, as if trying to understand what I was thinking.
Lyannis was the first to notice the change in the mana around me.
"Your energy is unstable."
I looked at my hand.
Small sparks of fire appeared involuntarily between my fingers before disappearing.
I took a deep breath and tried to control it.
The flames slowly vanished.
"Sorry."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms near the wall.
"So the First General appeared again."
I nodded.
Vespera slowly opened her eyes shortly afterward.
She did not seem sleepy like the others. Only serious.
"What did he say?"
"The same thing as always. That peace won't last."
The room fell silent.
No one there was naive enough to ignore that.
After everything we had faced so far, it was already clear that the war against the demons had not truly ended.
It had only stopped for a while.
I slowly got out of bed.
"It's still early."
Scarlet looked out the window.
"Are you going to train now?"
"I can't sleep."
Lyannis let out a small sigh.
"Your body needs rest."
"My mind doesn't."
I picked up the sword resting near the wall and walked toward the bedroom door.
Before leaving, I looked at them.
"Go back to sleep."
Scarlet immediately stood up.
"No way."
Liriel agreed right afterward.
"We're coming too."
In the end, all of them came with me.
We descended to the mansion's outer grounds while the dawn still covered Vailor with that strange silence that existed before sunrise.
The cold air hit my face as soon as we stepped outside.
The city was still asleep.
The streets were empty.
Only a few distant lights remained lit.
I walked to the training area behind the mansion and stopped in the center of the field.
I slowly closed my eyes.
The First General's voice still echoed inside my head.
"Enjoy your peace while you can."
I tightened my grip on the sword.
Then I took a deep breath.
Mana began to circulate slowly through my body.
The girls watched in silence.
Over the last few months, I had improved greatly in controlling the Dragon's Breath, but I still felt that I had not fully mastered that power.
There was still something hidden within it.
Something greater.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Flames began to appear around my right arm.
This time, the fire emerged far more steadily than before.
There were no uncontrolled explosions.
No absurd mana loss.
The fire simply remained there.
Calm.
Controlled.
Lyannis observed carefully.
"Your control improved again."
"I noticed."
Rai'kanna gave a small smile.
"Now that finally looks like true draconic power."
I slowly increased the circulation of mana.
The flames grew.
The fire began to envelop part of my body.
Scarlet watched attentively.
"How long can you maintain it like that?"
"Longer than before."
The flames continued increasing slowly.
The heat began spreading through the training area, but this time I could perfectly control the temperature.
It was strange.
The fire felt lighter now.
As if it were finally beginning to accept my body.
I clenched my right hand.
The flames slowly concentrated in the palm of my hand.
Then I fired the flames forward.
A blast of fire crossed the field and struck a stone target in the distance.
The impact instantly destroyed half the structure.
Silence remained for a few seconds.
Scarlet let out a low whistle.
"That's much stronger."
I looked at my hand again.
Even after using that amount of mana, I wasn't exhausted.
Before, that would have consumed almost all my energy.
Now it was different.
Very different.
Lyannis seemed thoughtful.
"The book really helped."
"More than I imagined."
She slowly approached.
"The problem was never the amount of mana."
"Then what was it?"
"Control."
She pointed at my arm.
"Before, you released too much power without stabilizing the internal flow."
I looked at the flames again.
Now I could clearly feel the difference.
My mana was circulating in a much more organized way.
Much more efficiently.
Liriel smiled faintly.
"You're becoming scary."
"Was that a compliment?"
"Maybe."
The others began laughing softly.
The atmosphere became lighter once again.
After a few minutes, I slowly dispelled the flames.
The sky was beginning to brighten on the horizon.
Dawn was arriving.
I stood watching the sunrise in silence.
Golden light slowly began illuminating the rooftops of Vailor as the darkness of dawn faded away.
For some reason, that moment felt important.
As if that peace were slowly coming to an end.
Scarlet approached and stood beside me.
"You're thinking too much."
"Maybe."
"The dream is still bothering you."
I didn't answer immediately.
Because she was right.
The problem wasn't just the dream.
It was the feeling.
The presence of the First General had felt far too real.
And the Spirit of the Sword never spoke like that without a reason.
"The danger is really coming."
Scarlet kept her eyes on the horizon.
"Then we'll defeat him too."
I looked at her.
The confidence in her voice was absolute.
Liriel approached shortly afterward.
"And you won't be fighting alone."
Elara crossed her arms.
"We've faced worse things."
Vespera remained near the wall watching everything in silence before speaking.
"If they come... we'll kill them all."
Rai'kanna laughed softly.
"Now that sounds like our group."
Even Lyannis smiled slightly.
I looked at all of them for a few seconds.
For a long time, I fought thinking only about becoming stronger.
But now it was different.
I had important people by my side.
Lands to protect.
Responsibilities.
People who trusted me.
Perhaps that was exactly what the demons wanted to destroy.
Peace.
Stability.
The future that was beginning to emerge.
I slowly closed my eyes.
Mana began circulating through my body once again.
When I opened my eyes, small draconic flames slowly appeared in my right hand.
The fire danced calmly before me.
Controlled.
Stable.
Very different from the beginning.
I watched those flames for a few seconds as the sun continued rising on the horizon.
Then I spoke softly.
"No matter what comes..."
I slowly clenched my hand.
The flames grew stronger.
"...I will win."