James woke before the bell.
Not to light, or sound, or the usual distant hum of Aether trams outside the dorms. This time, it was warmth that stirred him—a slow, pulsing heat radiating outward from his chest like a second heartbeat. Not painful. Not dangerous. Just… alive.
He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. His room was still dark, the synthetic moonlight filtering through the thin curtain above his desk. For a moment, he thought he was imagining it. The pulse. The faint, rhythmic thrum beneath his sternum. But when he placed a hand against his chest, he felt it again. Deeper. Stronger.
The Solar Core System's interface blinked into view, clearer than it had ever been.
[Core Sync – 10% Achieved]
> Bond Status: Active Phase 1
Linked Entity: Crimson Egg (Pulse Signature Detected)
Trait Unlocked: Draconic Resilience (Passive – Minor Damage Reduction)
Note: Bond connection is emotional-reactive. Growth mirrors user's exertion and conviction.
He exhaled slowly.
A dragon egg. Still sealed, still somewhere far beneath the academy, but connected to him through something that defied explanation. Or maybe not—maybe it made more sense than anything else. His strength, the heat in his chest, the way his body responded under pressure... it all came from that connection.
He stood and dressed silently, the academy coat feeling lighter across his shoulders than it had days ago. Not just physically—mentally, too. For the first time, he wasn't walking into a new day hoping to survive it.
He was ready to test it.
The moment he stepped outside, the air felt charged. Not just the early morning chill or the faint hum of ambient Aether. Something was different.
He noticed it first in the way students glanced his way—not in ridicule or mockery this time, but in quick, confused passes. Some recognized him from the group combat match. Others had clearly heard whispers. Kael had been quiet the day before, but he'd nodded at James in passing like a soldier acknowledging another on the battlefield.
James didn't feel stronger. But he felt steady. Present. Awake.
Today's schedule listed a field trip for Class D-9.
"Aether Topography – Ruins and Rift Tectonics."
They were taking the tram to the edge of the Citadel, to one of the outer sector ruins—the ones built atop ancient Aetheric faults that pulsed with ambient energy. Most were stable, but a few still registered as "live zones"—too dangerous to cultivate, but not dangerous enough to fully quarantine.
James stood with the others at the tram station, his mind turning.
There was something about ruins. About stone. About being underground.
The warmth in his chest always deepened when he was near the older parts of Solaria.
Maybe today, he'd find out why.
---
The ruin was quiet.
Old stone arches rose from cracked tile floors, half-swallowed by moss and creeping roots. Aether-light flickered along fractured glyphs etched into the walls, glowing blue and gold at irregular intervals. The class instructor, a stout man named Tavros, explained the history of the site with the enthusiasm of a man who loved rocks more than people.
James only half-listened.
His feet moved without instruction.
The warmth had returned.
Not the soft pulse from before—this time, it drew him. Downward.
He trailed behind the class as Tavros led them deeper into the outer ring of the ruin. When they reached a central chamber, most students were too busy sketching glyphs or tapping at their slates to notice James slipping through a collapsed archway near the back.
It wasn't hidden. Just… forgotten.
A staircase led downward, wrapped in roots and dust.
Each step felt like diving deeper into his own breath.
The warmth became pressure. The pressure became sound.
Not noise. Not wind.
A voice.
> "…James…"
It echoed without echo. Whispered through his thoughts like a memory that didn't belong to him.
He paused, one hand against the stone wall.
Then kept going.
The air grew thick. The glyphs here were older—less refined, deeper cut, glowing faintly red. This wasn't standard architecture. This was pre-Riftfall. Maybe older.
The staircase ended in a vault.
Circular. Empty, except for the pedestal at its center.
And atop it—
The egg.
It was massive. Crimson shell veined with golden cracks, pulsing softly with light. Not artificial. Not machine-born. This was something alive. Sacred. And it pulsed in time with his own breath.
He stepped closer.
The warmth exploded into heat, not painful, but overwhelming. The system flared to life again, unprompted.
[Solar Core Bond – Synchronization Confirmed]
> Draconic Entity: Sundrakar (Flame Sovereign – Dormant)
Core Fusion Tier 1 Achieved
Combat Bonus Activated: +3 Strength, +2 Resilience (Proximity Boost)
Warning: Entity still hibernating. Emotional spike required for next trigger event.
James reached out—barely touching the edge of the pedestal.
The egg pulsed.
And in his mind—
A flash.
A mountain swallowed in fire.
Wings of crimson flame.
Eyes older than oceans.
And a voice, clearer now.
> "We are bound. Rise… and burn."
James staggered back, heart racing. The connection broke like a wire cut too soon, but the imprint remained.
Sundrakar.
A name.
A presence.
Not just power. Not just system mechanics or buffs.
A being.
A mind.
And it had chosen him.
He turned slowly, heart still thudding in his throat.
Above, the ruin groaned faintly.
Below, the egg pulsed again.
He didn't know what came next. But whatever it was—
He was no longer facing it alone.