The wind battered against my face as Kyoko soared through the skies, her massive wings cutting through the cold morning air with rhythmic force.
Wh-where am I…?
My eyes slowly opened to an endless orange horizon. Dawn painted the world beneath us in molten gold, the low sun barely peeking above the edge of the sea.
For a few moments, my mind felt blank.
Then the memories returned.
The drinking.
The laughter.
The crushing weight in my chest afterward.
And the quiet request I'd made before the girls noticed.
"Take me somewhere far away, Kyoko."
So that's how I ended up here.
I exhaled softly and leaned back against Kyoko's warm scales as the ocean stretched endlessly beneath us.
Ahead, hidden beneath layers of mist and violent sea currents, stood a solitary island off the coast of the Dralka Empire.
A forbidden land.
Dralka itself was monstrous in scale, controlling a continent larger than anything my old world had ever imagined. Entire kingdoms vanished beneath its military might. But even Dralka feared the oceans surrounding it.
Because the seas belonged to monsters.
Ancient leviathans.
Sea dragons.
Creatures large enough to shatter fleets like driftwood.
And this island…
This place was where dragons came to evolve… or die.
Wild mana saturated the air so heavily that even the trees radiated magical pressure. Ancient beasts roamed freely, endlessly adapting through survival against apex predators born from centuries of slaughter.
Kyoko, however, radiated something entirely different.
Authority.
The moment we crossed onto the island's airspace, every lesser dragon below immediately retreated into hiding.
Not from fear alone.
Instinct.
Submission.
Because among dragonkind, Kyoko stood second only to a single existence.
A name Shiro still didn't fully understand.
Lyius.
And though I remained completely unaware of that truth, every dragon on the island recognized it instantly.
As we landed upon the black shoreline, several young dragons burst from nearby cliffs, screeching aggressively.
They never reached us.
A burst of violet dragonfire erased them instantly.
Ash drifted quietly through the wind.
I stared blankly.
"…That was at least three diamonds worth of materials."
Kyoko's golden eyes narrowed.
"To challenge one above their bloodline is foolishness."
"They insulted the one I serve."
Her voice dropped colder.
"So they burned."
I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
"You're impossible."
"But technically," another voice interrupted lazily, "disobeying your master is also disrespect."
A shadow stretched unnaturally beside me.
Then Sangui emerged from it.
The massive black hound yawned as though casually appearing from darkness itself was completely normal.
Which… unfortunately, it was.
Over fourteen hundred years old, Sangui carried enough magical knowledge to rival entire kingdoms. Most of my dark magic training came directly from him.
Kyoko clicked her tongue.
"You always appear uninvited."
"And you always overreact," Sangui replied lazily.
I ignored both of them and started walking deeper into the forest.
The air here felt ancient.
Heavy.
Even breathing required slight mana resistance.
I suppressed my aura immediately. Fighting every monster on the island would get annoying fast.
Several hours passed before I found a peaceful clearing near a pristine canal of crystal-clear water.
Finally.
Quiet.
I stretched slightly before glancing down at my reflection.
My hair had darkened again.
The once-light purple color now leaned toward deep violet-black, almost mirroring the darkness I kept locked inside myself.
"…Huh."
Honestly, it suited the outfit.
I glanced down proudly at my new gear.
The sleeveless black trench coat flowed behind me smoothly, enchanted with layered speed buffs, magic resistance, stealth properties, and physical reinforcement. Combined with my reinforced boots and gloves, it finally felt like I was building a proper combat style.
I smirked faintly.
"I look like one of those edgy middle-school anime villains."
Kyoko tilted her head.
"I do not understand the reference."
"You're lucky."
Suddenly—
BOOOOM.
The forest shook violently.
Trees bent sideways as a roar thundered across the island.
I slowly turned toward the source.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
A massive chimera emerged from the trees.
Its lion-like body was grotesquely muscular, covered in black scales instead of fur. Massive dragon-like wings unfurled from its back while a gigantic serpent tail slithered behind it.
Then another appeared.
Then another.
More shadows emerged from the forest until nearly a dozen surrounded the clearing.
At the center stood the largest one.
The alpha.
Its crimson eyes locked onto me hungrily.
Sangui glanced over lazily.
"Well?"
I sighed dramatically while unsheathing my twin daggers.
"Guess peace was illegal today."
Dark purple mana surged through my weapons.
"Gun Dance," I muttered.
"First Form: Lightning."
The daggers twisted instantly.
Metal shifted and expanded before transforming into sleek black P90s glowing with crackling violet electricity.
The alpha chimera roared.
I vanished.
BOOM.
The ground exploded beneath my feet as I launched upward into the air, spinning horizontally while pulling both triggers.
Instead of bullets—
compressed lightning spheres erupted from the guns.
Each shot detonated on impact.
The entire forest flashed white.
The chimeras convulsed violently as electricity surged through their nervous systems, locking their bodies in place.
Paralyzed.
I landed lightly.
The guns reverted instantly back into daggers.
Then I moved.
Wind magic exploded around my legs.
The world blurred.
One slash.
Another.
Another.
Bodies collapsed before blood even reached the ground.
The alpha barely managed to turn before I appeared beside it.
My blade flashed once.
Its massive head slid from its shoulders.
Silence returned to the clearing.
I exhaled slowly while storing the corpses inside my spatial inventory.
"Still feels weird carrying infinite storage space around."
"Your combat flow improved," Sangui admitted casually.
"But you're still leaning too heavily on magic."
I rolled my eyes.
"Here we go."
"You rely on enhancement magic to compensate for inefficient movement," he continued mercilessly. "Your swordsmanship becomes sloppier the moment you gain distance."
"You really know how to ruin victory speeches."
"Good."
I stored the final corpse and stretched again.
Sangui sat beside the canal quietly.
"So what now?"
I stared at the water silently.
The island breeze felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
"I train," I answered finally.
"Until nobody can hurt the people beside me anymore."
Kyoko watched me carefully.
And for once…
neither she nor Sangui joked afterward.
Because they both understood.
The stronger I became—
the closer I moved toward the truth hidden inside me.
Far above the island, hidden behind layers of clouds, something ancient slowly opened its eyes.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somewhere deep within the island…
the dragons had already begun whispering my name.