James didn't touch the chains.
Not out of fear. Out of respect.
Whatever had been sealed here—whatever the academy or the city or even the planet had tried to bury—was no longer fully dormant. He could feel it in the way the air vibrated gently against his skin, in how the lights flickered more now when he moved, and in how the heat inside him refused to cool.
His breath was steady. Not shallow. Not panicked.
Ready.
The system opened without him calling for it, bright and responsive.
[Solar Core System – Milestone Achieved]
> Core Sync – 30%
Phase One: Activated
Primary Bond: Sundrakar – Dormant (Hibernation Signal Weakening)
System Functionality Expanded
> Stat Display Unlocked
Realm Tier Assessment Unlocked
Internal Flame Gauge Tracking Initiated
Combat Efficiency Analysis Available
The screen expanded as the familiar transparent HUD shimmered into place, now more structured, more solid:
[User: James Solkaris]
Rank: Undefined
Core Realm: Awakening Stage – [Solar Root] (Initiated)
Bonded Entity: Sundrakar (Draconic Hatchling – Sealed)
Attributes:
Strength: 8
Endurance: 7
Reflex: 6
Willpower: 9
Flame Gauge: 23% (Stable)
Traits:
Core Link (Passive)
Draconic Resilience
Flame-Kissed Focus
Emberstate (Unlocked)
Next Sync Milestone: 40% – Hatchling Emergence
He stared at the screen, trying to memorize each line before it faded.
Hatchling Emergence.
So it really was growing with him. Sundrakar wasn't some static force to call upon like a spell. It was a being—a presence that mirrored his own development. The deeper James synchronized, the more the dragon would grow. He wasn't awakening to power.
They were awakening to each other.
The system shifted again.
[New Quest: Core Trial – Forge Recognition]
> Objective: Engage in real-world combat outside of simulation
Requirement: Threat Level – Hostile / Life-Risk Confirmed
Reward: Trait Evolution – Ember Core Stabilization
James closed the display with a breath and looked back toward the chains. He knew what the message meant—progress wouldn't come easy anymore. No more drills, no more simulated matches. The Core was demanding something real.
And something inside him agreed.
The next steps were clear now.
He would need to leave the academy's walls.
Not officially—not yet. But there were border patrols, expeditions, and… less regulated routes.
If he could find an excuse to leave the city's inner zones, even just briefly, he could trigger the next phase. And more than that—he wanted to feel it again. The energy of movement, of battle, of his body aligning with something that wasn't human, but wasn't foreign either.
He turned toward the exit.
The path back to the surface felt shorter this time.
Or maybe he just moved differently now.
---
Two hours later, he stood outside the auxiliary barracks near the eastern gates. Technicians worked around idle trams, their uniforms marked with expedition insignias—repair units, scout teams, cargo runners. Most were too busy to notice him.
One, however, did.
Instructor Varra.
She stepped out from a depot access door, slate in one hand, coat fluttering in the wind. Her eyes landed on him immediately.
"You're not assigned to field detail," she said.
"I'm requesting it," James replied.
"You're not authorized."
"Then let me observe. You're short-staffed. I can assist."
She stared at him. Something in her expression shifted—recognition, maybe. Or suspicion. She didn't respond right away.
Then she spoke, low. "You're not supposed to be here."
"You mean the city?"
"I mean this path," she said. "You think I don't know what you touched in the lower sectors? What's waking up in you?"
James met her gaze evenly. "Then you also know I need to move forward."
For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then she turned and gestured toward the loading platform.
"Suit up. You've got one hour. No direct engagement. Stay behind the forward line."
James bowed slightly.
Then he moved.
---
Far beyond the academy, past the shielded walls of Solaria and the line of distant mountains, a Rift pulsed.
Not violently.
But in response.
And deep beneath the city, the egg cracked again.
A sliver of golden flame danced along its surface.
The dragon was beginning to breathe.