Lady Akane's voice broke the silence first.
"Ryouma…... what's troubling you this time?"
"Nothing," he replied quickly, his tone flat _ but the lie was obvious.
Even under the warm golden glow of the banquet hall, Akane could see it clearly.
That wasn't the face of calm. His jaw was tight, eyes burning with something far deeper than frustration _ an anger that had long been buried, now trembling to surface.
When he turned away, Akane sighed softly and walked toward Lord Hanzou, unease shadowing her gentle features.
She didn't need to say it aloud _ she felt it deep within her chest.
That emotion inside Ryouma wasn't a passing irritation. It was something darker..… a rage, a hatred, a murderous intent that had taken root long ago.
Hanzou noticed her troubled look. "What's wrong? Ryouma doesn't seem in the best mood," he murmured.
Akane shook her head slowly. "He says he's fine..… but you can see it in his eyes. I don't know what triggered it _ but it's not something small."
Across the hall, Ryouma sat in silence _ but his blood was already boiling.
From a nearby table, a few nobles whispered among themselves, their words slicing through the hum of laughter and music.
"Look at that _ Lady Akane, sitting beside Lord Hanzou like she belongs there."
"Lady Reina and Sayaka, fine _ they're noble-born. But Akane? A commoner, acting like she's one of us."
"She married into the royal bloodline and suddenly thinks she's above us."
Their laughter was quiet but cruel _ the kind of mockery meant to wound unseen.
Ryouma froze.
Each word hit like a blade twisting inside his chest.
His chair scraped sharply against the marble floor as he stood.
Before anyone could react, he was already in front of them _ his presence heavy, suffocating.
The nobles' smiles vanished.
Ryouma's eyes burned like molten gold beneath the hall's light _ cold, unblinking, merciless.
The room fell silent.
That aura _ raw, violent, suffused with killing intent _ pressed against the air like a storm waiting to break. Even without touching his weapon, the very air around him trembled.
One of the nobles tried to speak, but his voice died in his throat.
Their faces went pale, sweat sliding down their temples.
Ryouma's voice came low, controlled, and sharp enough to cut through stone.
"Not. A. Single. Word..… about my mother."
No one moved. No one breathed.
And in that suffocating silence, every noble in the hall finally understood _ beneath that calm, polite exterior was something far more terrifying than any title or power they held.
hall had collapsed into silence.
After his warning to the nobles, Ryouma had walked out without a word, his footsteps echoing against the marble as if each step carried the weight of a storm.
The corridors were still lit by lanterns, but the night felt darker than usual.
When he reached the balcony, the cold wind hit him sharply, carrying the scent of rain and steel. He gripped the stone railing, his breath uneven.
No matter how hard he tried, the fury wouldn't fade.
It pulsed under his skin, spreading through his veins like molten fire.
And beneath that fury _ something else was stirring.
That same strange energy..… the one that had haunted his dreams for years.
It had always been a whisper in the back of his mind.
But tonight, it roared.
"This is not enough, Ryouma..… Work harder….. You are still far from their level….. Go_ to the tower."
The voice sent a chill through his spine. He pressed his hand to his chest, as if trying to suppress the voice clawing its way out of his soul.
Just then, footsteps approached.
"Toshi," he muttered, without turning.
The loyal bodyguard stopped a few paces behind him, panting lightly. "Young master, are you alright? You've been restless since the banquet started."
Ryouma finally turned, his eyes faintly glowing under the moonlight.
"Do you remember the man from my dreams?"
Toshi hesitated, then nodded. "Yes..… the one who speaks in riddles?"
Ryouma's gaze shifted toward the distant jungle, dark and endless.
"I can feel him again," he said softly. "Stronger than before. It's like he's..… calling me."
Toshi's heart tightened. "No, young master. Don't even think about it. That voice_ it's not of this world. It's been luring you for years. You'll maybe die if you follow it."
Ryouma smiled faintly, but his tone was heavy.
"I know. But tonight, it feels different. He isn't just calling me….. he's commanding me."
He gave a dry laugh, glancing at Toshi.
"Don't worry. I'm not leaving tonight. Besides, if I do something stupid, you'll be blamed first, right?"
Toshi tried to smile, but the dread inside him grew deeper.
And behind that uneasy humor, he could sense it _ a faint violet aura flickering across Ryouma's body, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Far beyond the palace, in the depths of the forbidden jungle, two colossal eyes opened in the dark _ ancient, golden, and furious.
A low rumble shook the forest floor.
"So you've grown stubborn, haven't you? Ryouma.…"
The trees bent under invisible pressure. Beasts scattered, whimpering as the very air turned heavy with mana. The slumbering presence that had been silent for ages finally stirred.
Above the royal city, the night sky began to twist.
Black clouds churned violently, and lightning tore through them like the claws of a god.
It was the same unnatural storm that had appeared six years ago _ the omen of awakening.
The palace shook as thunder roared overhead. Guards shouted in panic. Servants fled.
From the balcony, Ryouma's chest burned. A violent pulse of energy burst through his veins.
"It's calling me again….." he whispered, gripping his heart as the violet aura erupted around him like fire.
Inside the great hall, nobles screamed as cracks spread across the marble.
Lord Hanzou's voice thundered through the chaos:
"Secure the royal wing! Protect the family!"
But amidst the panic, Ryouma stood still, trembling_ his eyes glowing brighter than lightning.
And then….. the voice returned, clearer than ever:
"You have grown strong, child of fate….. Now come_ to where it all began."
A crimson light exploded from Ryouma's body.
Energy surged through the hall, blowing away furniture, tearing through the pillars.
Lady Akane ran forward, her voice breaking. "Ryouma! Stop! Your energy_ it's going wild!"
But it was too late.
A massive divine sigil appeared above them, ancient runes spinning like planets around a sun.
The air howled, winds slashing like blades as Ryouma reached for his mother's hand.
"Ryouma!!!"
Her cry vanished into the blinding light.
Then _ silence.
The Unknown Land
When consciousness returned, Ryouma found himself lying on cold, damp stone.
The air was thick with mist and the faint glow of luminous fungi.
He slowly sat up, wincing. Nearby, Takeshi and Rika were unconscious, but breathing.
Before them stood an enormous stone gate, carved with ancient symbols.
At its center was the image of a dragon _ wings spread, fangs bared, tail coiled around divine runes that shimmered faintly in violet light.
"Where….. are we?" Ryouma murmured.
The jungle around them shimmered strangely, as if time itself was distorted.
Eyes _ golden, blue, and crimson _ watched from the shadows.
Figures stepped out from the mist _ humanoid, yet animal-like. Beastmen. Their presence radiated power and hostility.
An elder with fur as white as snow stepped forward, his staff glowing faintly.
"You humans….." he growled. "You dare trespass in the land of the Primordial One? Leave…. before your hearts are torn from your chests."
Ryouma didn't move.
The air trembled.
Then _ the ground shuddered violently.
A roar _ vast and ancient _ rolled through the jungle, bending trees and shaking the sky.
The elder froze mid-step.
His eyes widened as a deep whisper echoed in his mind.
He fell to his knees, trembling.
"You boy..… our god is calling you," he said, voice shaking. "Do not fear. Your companions are safe. The path is open."
The massive gate began to glow. Runes ignited like suns as the stone cracked open, revealing a darkness so deep it swallowed the light itself.
"Welcome…..child of fate."
A shadow moved within the blackness _ enormous, divine, suffused with ancient qi and natural mana.
As it emerged, the jungle itself knelt.
Scales glimmered like forged starlight.
Wings spread, blocking out the moon.
When its eyes opened _ twin orbs of gold and crimson _ the air turned heavy enough to crush bone.
The Primordial Dragon _ the ancient god of creation and destruction and the first dragon _ had awakened.
"At last," the dragon's voice thundered, both in the air and inside Ryouma's mind.
"My chosen has returned."
The light vanished as suddenly as it had come.
Silence devoured the grand hall.
Shattered glass and drifting embers hung in the air like the last traces of a dream.
Where laughter and music once filled the space, only the sound of crackling flames remained.
Lady Sayaka stood frozen _ eyes wide, breath caught in her throat. For the first time, words failed her completely.
Beside her, Lady Akane dropped to her knees, trembling violently.
Her voice broke as she screamed her son's name _ "Ryouma!"
The echo of it filled the ruins of the hall, fading into an unbearable stillness.
Tears streamed down her face, falling onto the marble floor that still pulsed faintly with the sigil's light.
Her hands shook as she clutched the air, as if still reaching for him _ as if she could pull him back from wherever he had gone.
Lord Hanzou stood unmoving for a long moment, eyes fixed on the place where his son had stood.
The mask of calm that he had worn all his life began to crack.
His fists clenched _ hard enough for his knuckles to bleed.
The air around him grew cold, thick with a pressure that made even the royal knights step back in fear.
Black mist began to seep from his shoulders, swirling like smoke _ the manifestation of a power he rarely allowed anyone to see.
Yet his voice, when it came, was gentle.
"Akane…..Sayaka " he said softly. "Don't cry. Our children will be fine."
He looked toward the shattered marble, where traces of crimson and violet still shimmered faintly.
"Ryouma….. will be fine. Takeshi and Rika are fine with him. They'll survive. I swear it."
He placed a trembling hand on Akane's shoulder _ firm, yet filled with warmth.
His eyes burned with fury, but deep within them..… a single tear escaped, tracing down his cheek.
"Hold on, my son," he whispered under his breath. "Wherever you are..… I'll find you."
Outside, thunder echoed again _ faint and distant _ as if the heavens themselves were listening.