The afternoon mist thickened as Edward, Liora, and Zeco emerged from the mouth of the Eastern Cave. The small forest surrounding it appeared darker, as if nature itself were holding its breath. The wind stopped. The birds were silent. And the air felt like thin glass, ready to shatter at any moment.
Zeco was still biting the Chronite Seed in his mouth. The green gem pulsed—slow but powerful—like the heart of something awakened from a long slumber.
Edward looked up. "Something has changed… the air is too heavy."
Liora gripped her timepiece. The silver glow beneath its glass surface trembled unstably.
"The Chronite Seed's energy… it's surging. It's flowing outward, not inward. As if it's calling something."
Zeco went pale.
"Please don't tell me the 'something' answered the call."
Unfortunately…
The sky answered first.
BRAAKK!!
The dark clouds above them tore open like rotting cloth. Blue light burst from the裂—no lightning, but a spiraling pillar of light, crashing down into the forest at terrifying speed.
The ground shook. Trees were torn from the earth. The mist was ripped apart by overwhelming pressure.
Edward stepped back. "Liora…"
Liora froze.
"…Impossible. Sky-blue resonance. Level… legendary."
Zeco screamed in panic,
"WHAT LEVEL?! I ONLY HAVE THE 'TRY TO SURVIVE' LEVEL!!"
The pillar of light landed.
The ground surged like a wave. All vegetation within dozens of meters blackened, dried, and vanished into dust. Stone shattered. The air burned—not from heat, but from raw energy tearing apart the structure of space itself.
The light condensed…
…forming a colossal silhouette.
A long head with curved horns.
Dark scales reflecting blue flames.
Massive wings slowly unfurled, casting shadows that devoured the light.
Then two enormous blue eyes opened.
And with a roar that shook the forest—
ROAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!
The dragon Vonix had awakened.
The Blue Time Dragon
The creature stood as tall as a five-story building. Its scales were obsidian-black, streaked with glowing electric-blue fractures. Even its breath caused the leaves beneath it to melt. Its wings were vast, their edges glowing like heated metal.
Vonix tilted its head, sniffing the air.
"Chronit… Seed…"
Liora went rigid.
"It's reacting to the artifact. Of course… the Chronite Seed is a fragment of the ancient core of time. Vonix is a natural guardian… not an artificial monster."
Zeco clutched the artifact tighter.
"NATURAL GUARDIAN?! WHY DOES THE GUARDIAN LOOK LIKE A FINAL BOSS WITH ANGER ISSUES?!"
Edward stepped in front of Liora and Zeco.
"We need to retreat first—"
Vonix lowered its head.
Its gaze locked directly onto Zeco.
Then—
The scales on its chest ignited BLUE.
Liora screamed,
"IT'S GOING TO BREATHE—EDWARD—!!"
Vonix's Blue Flame
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!
A torrent of blue fire surged forward like a shockwave. It was not ordinary flame—brilliant blue at its core, with pitch-black edges, as if it were burning shadows themselves. The air expanded violently. The ground burned like paper.
Edward hurled Zeco aside and formed a wall of time shards.
White fragments spun rapidly, compressing the oncoming flames.
But Vonix's power… was overwhelming.
The time wall CRACKED.
Then shattered.
Edward was thrown backward, crashing through two tree trunks at once.
Zeco rolled violently until he slammed into a boulder.
Liora summoned a time barrier from her watch—but the blue fire destroyed it in three seconds.
The glow of her timepiece dimmed instantly.
"AHH—!"
Liora was flung aside, blood streaking from her temple.
The forest behind them was gone—literally gone—burned into blackened glass hardened by unnatural heat.
Vonix lifted its head, releasing a low, rumbling exhale.
"Chronite… return… to me…"
Zeco whimpered, tears forming.
"No… you can't! This belongs to our team! We got it first!"
Vonix swept its wings.
A storm wind erupted, uprooting dozens of trees and hurling them like matchsticks.
Vonix Moves Toward the City
Vonix turned its gaze toward the distance—toward the peaceful 1920s city.
The glow of the Chronite Seed in Zeco's grasp reflected into the sky. Its energy trembled.
Vonix spread its wings.
"Time… returns… to its origin."
It TOOK FLIGHT.
With a single wingbeat, the resulting gale shattered the cave cliff. Massive stones crumbled into sand. Trees were sucked into the air, lifted meters off the ground.
Liora screamed,
"THE CITY!! If Vonix reaches the city—"
Edward rose, his knees shaking.
"…Half the city could vanish."
Zeco stared at them, frozen in terror.
"W-we have to chase it! We can't let it destroy—"
BOOOM!
An explosion echoed from the city's direction.
And a pillar of blue light rose into the sky.
The City in Catastrophe
When they arrived, chaos had already consumed the city.
Vonix hovered low among the old buildings. Every beat of its wings made structures tremble. Cars overturned. Civilians ran in blind panic.
Then Vonix drew in a deep breath.
Its scales turned RED.
Liora screamed,
"RED FIRE ELEMENT!! CORE TYPE!! ITS BREATH IS FAR MORE POWERFUL!!"
The blue flames had already devastated the forest.
Red fire… would annihilate an entire district.
FWWOOOOOOOOM!!
A blast of red flame erupted.
An entire city block exploded into a colossal fireball.
Old buildings were lifted before shattering into fragments. Streets melted. Streetlights burst one by one. The heat felt like thousands of industrial furnaces fused together.
Zeco screamed in terror and shut his eyes.
"I-I-I DON'T WANT TO TURN INTO CHARCOAL BEFORE DINNER!!"
Vonix turned again—and its scales shifted to YELLOW.
Edward muttered,
"Lightning…"
ZZZZZZTTTT—CRAAAAACK!!
A thunderstorm erupted from the dragon's body, striking the ground, tearing apart power lines, and collapsing the city's clock tower. Lightning danced chaotically through the air, striking without pattern.
20% of the city was destroyed.
30%.
40%.
Vonix raised its head once more.
Its blue eyes shone like stars.
First Phase
Edward stood.
The only one still standing.
His body trembled, but his resolve did not break.
He stared at Vonix.
"If you want the Chronite Seed… you'll have to go through me."
Time shards emerged around him—hundreds, then thousands. The air vibrated. Time itself seemed on the verge of tearing apart.
Liora tried to rise despite her damaged timepiece.
"Edward… don't—this is a legendary dragon—"
Edward did not move.
Vonix considered him.
Two beings—different, yet both wielding time.
The wind stopped.
The flames faded.
The lightning receded.
As if the world itself stepped back—
giving space to three fragile lives standing against a legendary dragon.
To be continued…