The night in the dormitory was eerily still no wind stirred the curtains. No sound dared echo through the halls of the academy yet within Alex's small room, something pulsed with life.
On the pedestal at the center, the dragon egg glowed faintly it wasn't a steady light, but a rhythm a heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Alex sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at it, unable to sleep. Ever since the Dragon-Bonding Ceremony, rest had become a stranger to him. He could still feel the System's chilling notice replaying in his mind:
[Shadowflame Dragon (Unhatched)]
[Status: Dormant]
[Condition: Awaiting Catalyst]
Catalyst.
That word haunted him. He had poured everything into that ceremony his flame, his will, even fragments of his life energy and yet, the egg had remained lifeless.
Every other student had walked away proudly, their newly bonded dragons roaring in joy or curling up affectionately beside them.
He alone had stood in silence, holding an egg that refused to hatch.
Now, the thing on the pedestal trembled again. The crimson veins running along its surface flared, and Alex's breath caught.
"Again?" he muttered, sliding off the bed.
The moment his bare feet touched the floor, the air changed. A coldness sank into the room, followed by a sudden wave of heat as if the elements themselves were battling for dominance.
Sweat prickled down his spine while frost shimmered on the windowpane. It was chaos, yet it felt alive.
[System Notice: Dormant Bond Reactivation Detected.]
The text burned bright in his vision. Alex's heart began to race. He stepped closer, drawn as if by invisible threads.
The egg pulsed harder thud, thud, thud each beat echoing in his bones. Then came the first crack.
A hairline fracture split across the shell, glowing faintly red.
Alex's eyes widened. "No way… it's hatching?"
He held his breath as more cracks spider-webbed across the shell but unlike the radiant bursts of the other dragons' births, this was silent, heavy, and unsettling.
From those cracks seeped shadows, thick and fluid, curling along the pedestal and spilling onto the floor like smoke the light in the room dimmed, swallowed by the darkness.
Every instinct screamed for him to back away. But something stronger something deep inside kept him rooted. The shadows didn't frighten him. They called to him.
The egg shuddered violently, the air vibrating with power. Another crack appeared, larger this time. A piece of shell broke off and clattered onto the pedestal.
Then a claw emerged.
It was black as obsidian, gleaming faintly with crimson lines that pulsed like veins of molten fire.
The claw twitched, scraped against the stone, and tore through another section of the shell. A second claw followed, then a low growl reverberated through the air a sound that felt ancient, primal, alive.
The egg split apart with a resonant crack, releasing a gust of shadows and heat the hatchling tumbled out, small yet majestic. Its scales shimmered in deep black hues, absorbing every trace of light.
Beneath the darkness, faint streaks of red fire glowed like magma trapped under glass. Its wings, still damp from the egg, stretched halfway open translucent membranes rimmed with ember-light and shadowy mist.
And then, it opened its eyes.
Twin embers burned in that darkness, ancient and intelligent. The moment they met his gaze, the world around Alex vanished. There was no room, no academy only a vast expanse of fire and void, and those two eyes staring into his soul.
[System Notice: Dragon Bond Initiated.]
[Name: Shadowflame Dragon (Hatchling)]
[Bond Type: Absolute]
[Effect: Shared Flame / Shared Shadow]
Agony tore through Alex's chest he gasped, staggering backward, clutching his heart. His veins lit up with alternating streaks of black and red, power surging through every nerve. The floor beneath him cracked as the energy burst outward in waves.
[Bond Integration: 10%]
[Warning: Host Body Under Extreme Strain.]
"Argh !" Alex fell to his knees, choking on air the energy inside him was wild, raw, almost alive his hands trembled violently as shadows coiled around them, igniting faint tongues of crimson flame. The contrast was maddening cold and heat, destruction and creation fighting for balance within his very body.
The hatchling's cry echoed through the chamber it wasn't a roar; it was a harmonic clash of flame and shadow, vibrating through the air like the world's heartbeat. The windows rattled, and the lights flickered, yet Alex could only feel one thing connection.
His pulse synchronized with the creature's every breath he took mirrored its rhythm. He could sense its hunger, its curiosity, its confusion and beneath it all, an instinct older than time.
He lifted his head slowly, sweat dripping down his chin the hatchling was watching him, those ember-eyes unwavering for a moment, the world was still. Then, deep in his mind, a voice formed not in words, but in pure feeling.
You are mine.
Alex froze the voice wasn't external it came from within echoing inside his consciousness.
Mine… and I am yours.
A shiver ran through him. "You… you can hear me?"
The hatchling stepped down from the pedestal, claws clicking softly against the floor. Its shadow stretched unnaturally long, wrapping around Alex like a living cloak.
When it pressed its snout to his hand, the connection deepened. Warmth flooded his arm, mingling with the icy tingle of darkness.
[Bond Level 1 Achieved.]
[Abilities Unlocked: Shadowflame Resonance, Shared Vitality (Minor).]
Alex's trembling hand rested on the dragon's head its scales were sleek and warm beneath his touch shadows and flames pulsed beneath its surface in perfect harmony with his heartbeat.
A lump rose in his throat tears blurred his vision for the first time in years, the emptiness inside him felt… full.
He wasn't alone anymore.
"You're real," he whispered, voice breaking. "You're mine."
The hatchling blinked slowly, then nuzzled closer, letting out a low rumble that sounded like approval the air softened, warmth spreading through the room.
But the peace didn't last.
[Warning: Shadowflame Dragon is an Anomaly.]
[Power Exceeds Academy Safety Parameters.]
[Recommendation: Conceal Its Existence.]
The glowing text appeared cold and harsh, cutting through the warmth Alex's breath hitched conceal it? How was he supposed to hide something like this?
Before he could think, a sharp knock came at the door.
"Alex?"
The voice was low but urgent Mira's.
Panic surged he glanced at the dragon, who growled softly, eyes narrowing toward the door Shadows rose instinctively, cloaking the corners of the room.
"Alex, what was that noise?" Mira whispered through the wood. "Did something explode? The others are saying"
Alex pressed a finger to his lips and whispered to the dragon, "Quiet."
Then he forced his voice to stay calm. "It's nothing, Mira just… training sorry if it woke you."
A pause then, her tone softened, tinged with concern.
"…Don't push yourself too hard, okay? You look tired enough already."
He managed a small smile she couldn't see. "I'll be fine."
Her footsteps faded down the hall.
Alex slumped against the wall, exhaling a shaky breath the dragon tilted its head, studying him curiously, as if to ask why hide?
"Not yet," he murmured. "They wouldn't understand. Not until I'm strong enough to protect you."
The dragon blinked, then curled up beside the pedestal, its tail coiling neatly around itself the faint glow of its scales pulsed in time with Alex's heartbeat.
Silence returned to the room, but it wasn't empty this time the air was heavy with new life shadow and flame intertwining in invisible threads that bound them together.
Alex sat cross-legged beside the hatchling, staring at the faint marks now etched along his arm. Black flame sigils spiraled around his skin, glowing faintly before fading into nothing.
The pain from earlier had dulled to a strange warmth, a steady thrum of shared energy.
He reached out and brushed his fingers along the dragon's wing. The membrane shimmered faintly, like oil over fire. It was beautiful and terrifying.
A quiet laugh escaped him, weak but genuine. "You're not like the others… are you?"
The hatchling's eyes flickered open again, one red, one black. A tiny puff of mixed flame half shadow, half crimson escaped its mouth, curling lazily in the air before vanishing.
Alex smiled. "Yeah I'm not like them either."
He looked toward the window, where faint light from the moon broke through the clouds.
The academy towers stood tall and silent in the distance, unaware that somewhere within their walls, something extraordinary had just been born.
He didn't yet know what the bond truly meant he didn't know what "Shadowflame" even was or what kind of power slept beneath its scales but one truth burned deep within him now:
This dragon wasn't just a creature.
It was a reflection of himself.
The outcast the anomaly the one who didn't belong.
And together, they would change everything.
Alex reached out one last time, resting his palm on the hatchling's back. It stirred slightly, letting out a small rumble before drifting into sleep again.
The shadows receded, curling back into the corners of the room, leaving only a faint warmth in the air.
He closed his eyes, finally feeling peace not because the world was kind, but because he finally had a reason to face it.
Tomorrow, he would train tomorrow, he would learn what it meant to wield both fire and darkness.
But tonight just for a moment he allowed himself to rest beside the first true bond he had ever known.