The morning sun had barely begun to filter through the brass-paneled windows of the dormitory when Kaison woke, sweat clinging to his brow. The memories of yesterday's fight—the chains, the assassins, the void agent—still played in fragments across his mind like jagged glass. He sat up, staring at his hand, the faint etch of the chain seal glowing just enough to remind him it was real.
*"Fusion… partners… the Sea Dragon Manor…"*
Rias' words still echoed. He wanted to believe he was strong, but the truth burned sharper: he had barely survived yesterday. If Rias hadn't appeared, he and Alice would have been torn apart by that agent's destructive seal.
Kaison dressed quickly and made his way to the Ironworks Arena, a place spoken of with reverence among recruits. Here, raw steel beams stretched into vaulted arches overhead. Gears churned somewhere in the walls, and streams of heat shimmered above molten canals that powered the machinery. It was less a training hall and more a cathedral of the age of iron.
Waiting for him was Alice. She was already standing at the center, her pale hair tied back, her uniform crisp despite the heat. There was no trace of fatigue in her expression—only calm focus, the kind of cold precision that made her seem more statue than human.
Benson was there too, pacing slowly with a thick manual tucked under one arm. His sharp eyes flicked between the two recruits.
"You're late, Kaison," Alice said flatly without looking at him.
"I'm here, aren't I?" he muttered.
Benson snapped the manual shut, the sound ringing like a gunshot. "Enough. Both of you will need sharper discipline if you hope to survive what's coming. Today, you begin something beyond chains or swords—something that binds both."
He turned, walking to a vast gear-driven dais at the center of the arena. As he placed the manual on it, etched runes came alive, filling the room with a pale, humming glow.
"This," Benson said, "is where you will attempt Seal Fusion."
Kaison's stomach twisted. He remembered Rias' explanation: *every seal bearer was destined for a partner. Together, they could fuse their powers into something far greater. But without harmony, the attempt could destroy them both.*
Alice didn't flinch. "Explain the procedure," she said.
Benson studied them both before answering. "Seals are fragments of the primordial forces—each shaped by imagination, will, and spirit. When two bearers attempt Fusion, their imaginations overlap. Their souls collide. The fusion is neither chain nor sword, but a creature born of both your thoughts. If you are aligned, it will obey. If not…"
The dais hummed louder, and a gust of steam burst upward. "…it will tear you apart."
Kaison swallowed. "So basically we're risking our necks just to test if we can cooperate?"
"Not just test," Benson said. His eyes sharpened. "Forge. Seal Fusion is not a trick—it is the difference between life and death when facing what dwells in the Sea Dragon Manor."
At the mention of the manor, the arena seemed to grow colder. Kaison remembered the nightmare image from last night: a creature sealed by seven powers, waiting.
Benson motioned. "Stand. Both of you. Place your seals into the core."
Kaison hesitated, but Alice had already extended her hand. The white sigil of the Dragon Emperor flared on her wrist like a radiant brand. Kaison slowly lifted his own, the black-silver chains unfurling faint light across his palm.
Together, they pressed their seals against the glowing dais.
Instantly, heat seared up Kaison's arm. The arena around him dissolved into a swirl of smoke and color. He gasped—he was no longer standing in the Ironworks. Instead, he was in a vast void where chains whipped through the air like serpents, colliding with streaks of shining swords.
He turned—and saw Alice, or rather a spectral image of her, floating nearby. Her eyes glowed with the same white flame as her seal.
"This is the fusion space," she said calmly, as if she had studied it in books. "Our imaginations are bleeding together. Focus."
Chains shot past Kaison, wrapping around sword-constructs. Every clash exploded in sparks, shaking the void.
"Focus?!" Kaison yelled, shielding his face. "This looks more like a warzone!"
"Because you're not in control," Alice snapped. She drew her sword of light, trying to cut through the chaotic chains. "Your fear is overriding balance."
Kaison gritted his teeth, trying to steady himself, but the chains seemed alive, thrashing, lashing at Alice's constructs. He thought of Rias' warning, of the beast in the manor, and suddenly all he could see was darkness, jaws, scales.
The void twisted.
From the swirl of chains and swords, something monstrous began to form—an abomination of steel and shadow. It had the body of a chained serpent, but blades jutted out of its spine, gleaming with murderous light. Its roar shook the fusion space.
Alice's expression faltered for the first time. "That… was not supposed to happen."
The monster lunged.
Alice slashed, but the fused construct's blade tail swatted her aside. Kaison instinctively raised his hand, chains erupting to block—but the monster *was* his chains, twisted with Alice's swords, and they did not obey. They shredded through his defense and hurled him into the void's abyss.
Pain shot through his body. He felt his seal burning against his skin. *We're losing control—*
"KAISON!" Alice's voice cut through, hard as steel. "Don't drown in your fear. Anchor your imagination!"
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to breathe. Anchor. His chains—what were they? Not monsters. Not just weapons. He imagined them differently: not to strangle, not to consume—but to *shield*. To *bind*.
Chains shifted. The monstrous form screeched as several links around its body hardened into a barrier, holding it still.
Alice seized the moment. Her sword's light brightened, splitting into dozens of blades. "Then I'll strike through your shield!"
She launched forward, her swords embedding themselves into the gaps between chains, locking the monster into place.
For a heartbeat, Kaison felt the resonance: his desire to protect, her drive to strike true. The two wills merged.
And the monster shattered, collapsing into fragments of chain and blade that rained into the void.
When Kaison blinked, he was back in the Ironworks Arena, his knees hitting the metal floor. He gasped for air, sweat pouring down his face. Alice stood nearby, pale but steady, lowering her glowing hand.
Benson's eyes were sharp, unreadable. "Not perfect. But not a failure either. You survived."
Kaison shook his head. "Survived? That thing nearly killed us!"
"That thing," Benson said evenly, "was you. Both of you. Your fears, your contradictions, your refusal to yield. Fusion exposes what you hide. Until you learn to trust each other, you will keep summoning abominations."
Alice exhaled slowly, brushing a strand of hair back. Her voice was cool but quieter now. "Then we will train until we stop creating monsters."
Benson gave a thin smile. "Good. Because monsters are exactly what await you beyond the Sea Dragon Manor's gates. And only through fusion will you survive them."
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