The air was colder now.
After the terrifying encounter with the Shadow Wraiths and the faint whispers of their threat still echoing in his mind, Jade knew he didn't have much time. Something bigger was coming.
But somewhere far from the academy, in a hidden dimension between realms, another figure was already moving.
The Human Sage.
Restless after his secret meeting with the Heavenly Emperor and the Demon Emperor, the sage couldn't shake the conviction burning inside him: the power of the Jade Dragon had returned and it had taken form inside a boy. Inside Jade.
But the sage wasn't stupid. If he moved too openly, he risked war with the other emperors, or worse attracting the wrath of powers even older than his own. So, he stayed hidden, quietly manipulating things from afar.
He summoned one of his most trusted subordinates Leo.
Smart. Strategic. And ruthless.
Leo didn't ask questions. When ordered to find and capture the boy with the Jade Dragon's power, he obeyed. Quietly, he slipped into the world, assuming the identity of a second-year student at Infernal Star Academy.
Leo made it look easy.
He became the student everyone liked. The teachers respected him. The staff trusted him. He played his role well—until he found the boy.
Jade.
It took weeks of quiet observation, discreet questions, and silent tracking. But Leo knew. He could feel the energy that lingered around Jade. He saw it in the way the others looked at him—with awe, with curiosity, with fear.
Leo was just about to move when everything fell apart.
The Demon Emperor's minions launched an attack on the academy, tearing through its outer walls like paper. Students screamed. Spells lit the night sky. Blood hit the stone floor.
Leo had to fall back. He wasn't here to play hero. He was here for one thing.
Later, regrouping with other agents loyal to the Human Sage, Leo refined his approach. Now he had a target, a plan, and backup. They moved like shadows through the cracks of the academy's defenses, waiting for their moment.
And they found it.
Late one evening, when most students had gone to sleep, Leo and his small team cornered Jade in the depths of the academy's outer training fields. No teachers. No interference.
Just them.
Jade sensed the ambush too late. By the time he reached for his sword, Leo had already unleashed a binding spell.
Jade fought. Hard.
The ground cracked. Wind howled. His power flared with the Jade Dragon's fury. He shifted in ways even he didn't understand—flashes of green scales, dragon-like roars erupting from his throat, fire lacing his magic.
But Leo had prepared for this. Traps, suppressors, ancient relics designed to neutralize even divine essence.
And then, in a moment of brutal silence, Leo struck. A clean, deadly blow right to Jade's chest—not meant to kill, but to sever the connection.
And it worked.
Jade's power collapsed.
His body convulsed, eyes dulling, breath slowing. The dragon was gone.
Leo stood over him, victorious. "It's done," he said, calling through the void to the Human Sage. "We have it."
They vanished without a trace.
Back at the academy, Jade was found unconscious—barely breathing. The healers couldn't explain it. No wounds. No poison. Just… emptiness. His core was dark. His soul fractured.
Word spread fast.
But it was Elara—Jade's mother—who arrived before anyone else.
She had come to surprise her son with a visit, only to find his cold body lying in a hospital wing, his eyes vacant, his spirit hollow.
She didn't speak. She didn't scream. She just sat beside him, holding his hand, her eyes filled with quiet devastation.
She could feel it—her son's lifeforce was slipping away. The Jade Dragon's power was gone. And without it, so was he.
Elara didn't hesitate.
She reached deep into herself—into the bloodline she had once sworn to keep hidden. A forbidden ritual. One taught only to the ancient guardians of the dragon line.
A life-for-life offering.
Her essence for his.
She set the room in silence. Seals drawn in light. Her heart steady. No fear. Just the fierce love of a mother.
The ritual began.
Soft, glowing threads of golden energy rose from her chest, flowing into Jade's body. His skin began to glow faintly. His breathing steadied. His pulse returned.
But Elara's strength was fading fast.
She slumped forward, her lips whispering the final incantation, her voice barely a whisper. Her life poured into him, drop by drop, until the glow overwhelmed them both.
Then it was done.
Jade gasped—his body jolting upright.
He felt it. The Jade Dragon's power had returned—but different. Calmer. Sharper. Anchored in something more than just blood.
Anchored in love.
And then he looked down.
"Elara…" he whispered.
His mother lay limp in his arms, her face peaceful. Her body warm, but fading fast.
"No," Jade said, shaking. "No, no, no stay with me Mom please."
She opened her eyes one last time. Her fingers reached up and brushed his cheek.
"I'm proud of you," she whispered, her voice weak but full of love.
And then, she was gone.
Jade's scream echoed across the academy. A roar. Not human. Not dragon. Just pure, unfiltered pain.
The next day, they found the training field obliterated.
No one saw what happened. But they heard it.
A monster, some said. A green beast of fury with glowing eyes and fire in its breath. Others claimed it was the spirit of the Jade Dragon, enraged by loss.
The truth was somewhere in between.
Jade had transformed.
His grief, his fury, his power it merged into something unstoppable. Leo's men were torn apart. The ground burned where they stood. Trees vaporized. Stones melted. The academy itself trembled.
By the time Jade came back to himself, the field was empty. Blood. Ash. Silence.
He stood in the center, panting, hands clenched, clothes torn, his body still glowing faintly green.
He dropped to his knees beside what remained of the battlefield, eyes red with tears.
"I'll make this right," he whispered. "I don't care what it takes."
And far beyond the wreckage, hidden in a crumbling watchtower cloaked in shadow, someone watched.
Not Leo.
Not the Human Sage.
Someone older.
Darker.
Waiting.
Smiling.
The game had just begun.