The Grand Plaza of Drakenshire Academy glittered beneath the banners of a dozen noble houses, each bearing their crest proudly in the summer wind.
Thousands of eyes watched from ivory stands as young heirs and prodigies stepped forward one by one to claim their destinies.
Today was the Grand Taming Ceremony, the rite of passage where aspiring beast tamers forged their first bond; a moment that would mark them for life.
Noble bloodlines flourished here.
Children of dukes and warlords stepped onto the taming altar, summoning wolves wreathed in lightning, griffins with wings like golden flame, and stone bears whose roars shook the arena.
Every success was met with roaring applause, proud cheers from families seated in the gilded balconies.
And then… it was his turn.
"Ryujin Jormungandr!" The announcer's voice carried through the plaza.
All eyes turned toward a young man with silver hair and storm-gray eyes. Ryujin moved like coiled steel; disciplined, tense. Whispers followed him as he ascended the altar.
Some in awe, others in contempt.
"Third son of the Jormungandr house," one student sneered from the crowd. "Bet he gets a wyvern or a chimera. Their family bloodline has never failed".
"Pity about his brother," another murmured. "The heir bonded with a Frostfang Drake last year. Hard act to follow".
Ryujin ignored them.
This was his chance to silence doubters, to prove himself not just another noble shadowing his brother's legacy.
His heart hammered as he extended his palm toward the glowing beast-summoning crystal. The academy master, robed in black and gold, gave a single nod.
Then, it started…
BZZZ!
The crystal pulsed.
Arcane lines swirled across the altar, forming a shimmering gateway.
From it emerged a magnificent Skyfang Wolf, its fur streaked with silver lightning, its gaze feral and intelligent.
A powerful, rare beast; every tamer's dream for a first bond.
The crowd gasped.
Ryujin drew in a steady breath, stepping closer. His voice rang out with practiced confidence.
"By the pact of spirit and blood, I, Ryujin Jormungandr, seek your bond!"
The altar's runes flared.
The wolf's eyes burned brighter as it stalked toward him. Ryujin knelt, extending his hand for the final step, the soul connection. A heartbeat of silence hung heavy in the air.
Then, everything went wrong.
The Skyfang Wolf snarled viciously all of a sudden, arcs of lightning cracking around its body. Instead of submitting, it lunged, jaws snapping inches from Ryujin's face.
The bond shattered violently.
Pain lanced through his chest as the crystal darkened and the altar's glow flickered out entirely.
Gasps and cruel laughter erupted from the stands.
The academy master's voice cut like a blade. "Failure. The beast has rejected him".
"Impossible… he's a Jormungandr," someone whispered.
"He's not even F-Rank!" A voice gasped, shocked.
"He has no beast affinity at all!" another jeered. "He's Unranked. He's… beastless trash!"
High in the noble balcony, Ryujin's father, Lord Halveth Jormungandr, watched in cold silence, an impassive look on his face.
Beside him, Ryujin's older brother leaned forward with visible disgust.
When Ryujin looked up, seeking a glimmer of support, his father turned away, face like stone.
"Ryujin Jormungandr," the academy master announced to the crowd, voice booming with finality. "By decree of Drakenshire Academy and your failed taming attempt, you are hereby stripped of your crest and declared Unranked. Beneath even F-tier".
"You may no longer bear the name of beast tamer. Leave and do not return".
Gasps rippled. The crest sigil burned off Ryujin's cloak, leaving only scorched fabric. Murmurs of shame swirled around him like smoke.
From above, his father's voice thundered for all to hear.
"You are no son of mine. Leave this place and never return to Jormungandr lands".
That… hurt more than anything.
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Ryujin's knees threatened to buckle, but he refused to collapse before them. Not here. Not now.
Without a word, he descended the altar as laughter and whispers followed him like vultures circling carrion.
…
Later that night…
The moon hung pale over the wild forests beyond Drakenshire.
Once escorted by guards and servants, Ryujin now walked alone, bloodied and bruised from beasts and robbers who sought to rob an exiled noble.
His once-pristine coat was torn, boots caked in mud.
Exhausted, he stumbled through thorns until a strange whispering wind beckoned him off the trial. Half delirious, he followed it into an ancient clearing.
What he found stopped him cold.
Massive dragon bones jutted from the earth like ivory towers, blackened by time. Obsidian scales littered the ground like shattered glass.
At the center of the clearing stood a titanic dragon statue, its wings half-furled, carved from midnight stone. Unlike any ruin he had seen, it pulsed faintly with draconic power.
Legends told of such places; dragon graveyards that devoured the unworthy. Even seasoned tamers dared not tread here.
But Ryujin… he had nothing left to lose.
Drawn by instinct and despair, he approached.
As Ryujin laid a trembling hand on the cold stone, a voice thundered in his mind; not spoken, but felt, like molten steel pouring through his veins.
"Mortal of broken chains… bearer of shattered pride…"
"…I have awaited you".
A spectral form materialized before him; a colossal dragon made of starlight and shadow, eyes burning like twin suns.
Its aura was suffocating. Its aura should have crushed him, yet… it didn't.
"Who… are you?" Ryujin whispered.
"I am Drakarys, Sovereign of Wyrms, last of the Eternal Dragons".
"I offer you my Legacy".
"Accept, and wield power no tamer has dreamed of. All Dragons shall kneel before you…"
The voice grew darker, reverberating like a distant storm.
"…but know this curse:"
"You shall command no beast but Dragonkind".
"Wolves, lions, griffins, they will forever reject you".
"And more… your mortal vessel is frail".
"Even hatchlings will rend your soul unless you forge it in blood and fire".
"Seek strength… or be devoured by your own bonds".
Ryujin's fists clenched. "Everyone abandoned me".
"Even my own blood cast me out. If the world denies me, then let it. I'll carve my name with fire and dragonsteel. I accept your pact!"
The dragon's spectral maw curled into something like a smile.
"Then… burn".
BZZZ!
Flames of black and crimson erupted from the statue, engulfing Ryujin.
His body convulsed as dragon sigils seared into his flesh, branding his arms, his chest, even his very soul.
Agony unlike anything he had ever known ripped through him, as if molten chains were fusing his blood to draconic essence.
A roar, not his own, shook the forest.
His scream joined it, echoing like a dying star.
Then, system glyphs flared in his mind.
~----~
[SSS-Ranked Legacy Acquired: Eternal Dragon Legacy]
[Curse: Beast Bonds Limited to Dragonblood Species]
[Current Tamer Rank: Unranked – No Beast Bonds Detected]
[Warning: Mortal Vessel Weak – Dragon Bond Limit: 1 Lesser Drake]
~----~
The final surge of power slammed into his chest like a meteor.
His vision tunneled, flames licking his skin without leaving burns. With a last, ragged breath, Ryujin collapsed onto the obsidian ground.
The last thing he heard was the whisper of the dragon's voice.
"Sleep now, heir of dragons".
"When you wake… the world shall tremble… if you can survive it".
Darkness swallowed him whole.