The floating bench swayed gently beneath them like a boat drifting on calm water. Old Man Thorne sat with one elbow propped on the table, his scarred hand rubbing his chin as he stared at the torn-out page as though it had personally offended his entire bloodline.
"Who could have done this…?" he muttered, his voice rough as gravel.
Kael Voss couldn't sit still. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fingers tightly laced until his knuckles turned white.
"There has to be another way," he said, words rushing out. "Anything. I don't care how dangerous it is. I need to know what's inside me."
Thorne lifted his palm. A perfect sphere of golden-white flame bloomed above it, spinning slowly — soft and warm like the first light of sunrise.
"There is one method," he said quietly. "I could send this Dawn Lotus Flame directly into your heart. It would act like a mirror, letting you look inside yourself and come face-to-face with the dragon."
Kael's eyes brightened with hope.
"Do it!"
Thorne's grin turned wicked.
"Of course, the moment my flame touches the seal, the dragon will wake up furious. You'd be cooked from the inside in three seconds flat — eyeballs boiled, blood turned to steam. We'd be scraping what's left of you off the ceiling with a spoon."
Kael went pale.
"Okay… really bad plan. Terrible plan."
"Got a better idea, genius?"
Kael rubbed his temples.
"Yeah. All the sealed dragons have black flames, right? Like the smoke I saw on the pickaxe. Just list them. Describe what they look like. I'll know it when you say the right one."
Thorne raised an eyebrow.
"You sure? There are nine of them. And most make nightmares seem friendly."
"I'm sure. Go."
Thorne leaned back, folded his arms, and began counting on his fingers.
"First: Nyxara the Star-Eater. Void dragon. Scales like liquid night, eyes like dying galaxies. Her fire erases whatever it touches — people, memories, even time itself. She was sealed inside the old Shadow Empire's royal line. Funny thing… the empire vanished overnight."
Kael shook his head quickly.
"Not her. Mine feels hot. Angry-hot."
"Second: Glacira the Eternal Winter. Ice dragon. Scales white as moonlight on fresh snow. She once froze three entire cities solid when her seal cracked slightly."
"Nope. Definitely fire."
"Third: Terravox the Earth-Singer. Emerald and bronze, mountain-sized. His roar causes earthquakes that redraw maps."
"Impressive, but no."
"Fourth: Tempestus. Storm dragon. Wings like thunderclouds, eyes electric blue. His fire is pure lightning."
"Still not it."
"Fifth: Hemoria the Blood Moon. Crimson scales that drip liquid ruby. She drinks blood and spreads plague."
Kael wrinkled his nose.
"Gross. Pass."
"Sixth: Somnus the Dream-Weaver. Scales that shift color with every heartbeat. One look and you sleep forever in whatever dream — or nightmare — he chooses."
"Terrifying, but not the one."
"Seventh: Oblivion. No fixed color. Some say pure white, others pure black, some claim it has no color at all. Its fire erases names from history. You stop existing in every story ever told."
Kael swallowed hard.
"Close… but still not right."
"Eighth: Aurion the Golden Dawn. Father of light dragons. Scales like molten gold, wings that can blind entire armies. His fire is pure creation — life, healing, resurrection."
Kael frowned.
"That one sounds… nice?"
Thorne gave a short, humorless laugh.
"Nice doesn't even begin to describe it. Not your dragon."
He went very still.
Then he spoke so quietly that Kael had to lean in.
"Ninth…"
The air in the library suddenly felt heavier, as though the entire place was holding its breath.
"The one they tore out of every book. The Ash-Bringer. The End-Flame. Scales of black glass shot through with rivers of molten red. Six wings, not four. Horns curved forward like a crown of knives. Eyes like dying suns. Its fire is black at the edges, crimson at the core. When it wakes, the sky turns to ash and the ground forgets how to grow life."
Kael's heart slammed against his ribs. His mouth went dry.
"That…" he could barely speak. "That's it. That's exactly what I felt."
Before Thorne could respond, a massive bronze bell high above them boomed — once, twice, three times. The sound rolled through the library like a tidal wave.
A calm, amplified voice echoed from floating crystals throughout the hall.
"Attention all higher-class laborers and senior students. This is Headmaster Veyron speaking. One month from today, the annual Inter-Academy Flame Tournament will begin against White Crimson Academy. The winning academy claims the Eternal Flame Cup for the year. Laborers who place in the top sixteen will be granted full student status and immediate release from labor duties. Prepare yourselves. Glory to the Empire."
The announcement ended. The library erupted — cheers, gasps, and students high-fiving while floating mid-air.
Kael's eyes widened.
"The tournament… I used to watch it every year with my father on the big crystal screen. The battles, the flames, the crowds…"
Thorne was already on his feet, slinging the heavy dragon ledger under one arm as if it weighed nothing.
"Well, this year you won't be watching."
Kael blinked.
"What?"
"You're fighting."
Kael laughed — loud and nervous.
"Me? I don't have any flames! I'm not even a real student anymore. I'm just a laborer!"
Thorne started walking toward the massive doors, his boots clacking on the invisible floor.
"That's exactly why I'm here, boy. Starting tonight, I'm your master. I'll teach you how to hold the dragon's leash without letting it drag you straight into hell. You'll learn to wield fire that makes the sun look like a weak candle."
Kael scrambled after him, heart racing for an entirely new reason.
"You're serious? You'll really train me?"
Thorne glanced back. For the first time, Kael saw a real, fierce smile on the old man's face — no sarcasm, no bitterness, just pure fire.
"As serious as the end of the world, kid. Because if you step into that arena without control, the dragon won't just win the cup."
He pushed the huge doors open. Cold tunnel air rushed in.
"It'll burn the whole damn empire down with it."
The doors began to swing shut behind them.
Kael's shoulders curled inward, hands shoved deep into his pockets.
"I'm not ready. I'm not even strong. You said it yourself, old man."
Thorne turned slowly. The golden light from the library spilled across his scarred face. For once, there was no sarcasm, no eye-roll — just quiet, steady fire in his eyes.
"Listen to me, boy," he said, his voice low but firm. "I've seen cowards with perfect flames burn out in the first round. And I've seen terrified kids with nothing but guts in their bellies go further than anyone thought possible. Strength isn't the fire you're born with. It's the fire you choose to carry when everything tells you to drop it and run."
He stepped closer and placed one rough hand on Kael's shoulder — the same steady grip he had used when stopping the dragon from killing those two bullies earlier.
"You think I wasn't scared when I faced my first lava titan? I was so terrified I pissed myself. My squad called me 'Waterfall Thorne' for a whole year. But I kept swinging the hammer anyway. I didn't let their words break me. My mind stayed as hard as stone. And you know what I learned? The dragon inside you isn't waiting for you to feel ready. It's waiting for you to decide you're done letting other people write your story."
Kael stared at the floor, throat tight. Thorne's grip tightened.
"They laughed at you. Humiliated you. They now call you 'Kael the Flameless Voss.' They threw you away. Your girlfriend broke up with you right there and humiliated you in front of everyone. Let her go. Let them all go. Let the whole damn empire laugh. Then step into that arena and show them what happens when the trash they tossed aside decides to burn brighter than their flames."
A long silence stretched between them, broken only by the distant hum of the floating fire-rivers behind.
Kael lifted his head. His eyes were wet, but something hard and bright had kindled deep inside them.
"…Okay," he whispered. Then louder. "Okay. I'm in."
Thorne's smile was slow and proud.
"Good. Because the dragon has already chosen you, boy. Now it's time you chose it back."
He turned and started walking down the dark tunnel, boots echoing.
"So get ready, Kael Voss… because training starts tonight."