Rio's eyes opened slowly.
Cold wind brushed against his face.
Celestgrove.
The towering trees swayed gently while dense mana drifted through the forest like mist. For a moment Rio simply remained there on the ground breathing heavily, his entire body trembling as though every bone inside him had been shattered and reassembled.
"…What…"
His thoughts felt fragmented.
Broken.
Small pieces of memory surfaced one after another.
The endless sea of stars.
Astravax.
The dragon's breath capable of erasing worlds.
Then—
that golden light.
His head throbbed painfully.
Rio slowly pushed himself upward using the nearest tree for support.
And froze.
A massive shadow engulfed the forest behind him.
The surrounding cadets had all stepped back instinctively, fear and awe written across their faces as an ancient pressure swallowed the entire area.
Rio turned slowly.
And saw it.
A gigantic dragon stood behind him.
Its immense body towered above the trees themselves, black scales reflecting faint starlight while glowing purple runes pulsed across its body like ancient divine scriptures. Golden slit-like eyes gazed downward calmly while every breath escaping its jaws caused the surrounding mana to distort violently.
Yet—
despite the overwhelming pressure it emitted—
something felt strange.
Incomplete.
As though the creature standing before them was merely a fragment.
A shell.
The true Astravax Rio had witnessed within the endless sea of stars had felt immeasurable… almost divine. Compared to that existence, the dragon before him felt restrained, suppressed beneath countless invisible seals.
Even then—
its presence alone was enough to suffocate the forest.
And what happened next stunned everyone even further.
The spirits surrounding the cadets trembled violently.
Leon's griffin lowered its head instantly.
Samuel's massive lion knelt completely against the ground, purple flames flickering weakly.
Silver's Moonfang Monarch let out a low whimper before bowing without resistance.
Even Reinheart's Heavenly Tiger King lowered itself submissively.
The weaker spirits outright collapsed beneath the pressure.
It was instinct.
Absolute hierarchy.
Every spirit within Celestgrove had recognized one thing immediately.
The being before them stood far above Monarchs.
Far above Kings.
An existence they could not even comprehend.
Complete silence swallowed the forest.
Samuel Crimson's confident grin had completely vanished.
Silver Ryker stared silently at the dragon, genuine shock visible on his usually emotionless face.
Even Reinheart Verilian had lost that arrogant smile of his.
Darius Whitemere's hand remained tightly wrapped around the hilt of his rapier.
Yelena looked pale.
Clara was completely frozen.
Leon or Nick had his jaws open.
Professor Elise slowly stepped forward.
Even she looked shaken.
"R-Rio…"
Her voice carried disbelief.
"What exactly did you summon?"
Rio opened his mouth slightly before closing it again.
Because honestly—
he had absolutely no idea.
His eyes shifted toward the dragon again.
Why is it here?
Didn't it literally try to annihilate me?
Then—
a lazy voice echoed inside his mind.
[Tch. Stop staring at Me like a fool.]
Rio's pupils shrank instantly.
Astravax?!
The dragon's tone sounded deeply annoyed.
[You survived standing before Me. That alone is an honor few beings can claim.]
Rio nearly choked internally.
SURVIVED?! YOU WERE THE ONE TRYING TO KILL ME!
Astravax ignored him completely.
Rio swallowed dryly before awkwardly looking back toward Professor Elise.
"M-Ma'am… I think it's a Monarch Spirit…"
A pause.
"…Probably."
Silence.
Professor Elise stared at the dragon again.
Her instincts screamed at her that the creature before her was far beyond a normal Monarch Spirit. The pressure alone exceeded anything she had ever witnessed from spiritual beasts.
Yet—
she had never once seen this dragon recorded anywhere.
"…Haah…"
She pressed a hand against her forehead.
Four cadets manifesting Monarch-class spirits in a single generation was already absurd enough.
And now Rio had somehow summoned an unknown dragon capable of suppressing every spirit within Celestgrove through presence alone.
"…Fine," she muttered eventually. "We'll discuss this later."
The gigantic dragon behind Rio suddenly moved.
Several cadets flinched instantly.
Then the dragon's enormous body began shrinking rapidly.
Its colossal wings folded inward while black scales dissolved into shadows until finally—
a small black cat landed lightly on Rio's shoulder.
The cat lazily wrapped its tail around Rio's neck before yawning arrogantly.
Complete silence filled the forest.
Rio's body twitched.
Astravax… became a cat?
The black cat glanced at him sideways.
Its golden eyes narrowed.
[Do not question My methods.]
Rio stared blankly ahead.
His mind still struggled to process what had happened.
The Dragon of Eternal Stars—
the same creature that had nearly erased him from existence—
was now casually resting on his shoulder like some ordinary house cat.
And somehow…
that terrified him even more.
He was still completely confused why the Dragon of Eternal Stars had not annihilated him the moment it had the chance.
Soon afterward, Professor Elise dismissed the class, though the atmosphere within Celestgrove remained heavy long after the students began leaving. Whispers spread endlessly between the cadets while terrified glances continued falling toward Rio and the black cat resting on his shoulder.
Yet Astravax ignored all of them.
The ancient dragon simply stared at Rio quietly from atop his shoulder.
Confusion lingered within those golden eyes.
Not irritation.
Not arrogance.
Confusion.
Because even Astravax himself did not understand it.
Out of the endless beings scattered across existence—
why had He chosen this mortal?
__
Inside Rio's dorm room, silence lingered heavily in the air.
The faint moonlight pouring through the window illuminated the small black cat sleeping peacefully atop the sofa without a single care in the world. Its tail swayed lazily while soft purple runes occasionally flickered across its dark fur before fading again.
Rio stared at it blankly.
This tiny creature—
was supposedly the same Dragon of Eternal Stars that had nearly annihilated him inside the spirit realm.
Nothing about the current scene felt real.
"…Hey."
The cat ignored him completely.
Rio's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"Hey, oversized lizard."
One golden eye slowly opened.
Ancient.
Cold.
Filled with countless drifting stars.
The pressure radiating from that single gaze alone made the mana within the room tremble faintly.
Rio coughed awkwardly.
"…Right. Still terrifying."
Astravax closed its eye again lazily.
Rio sighed before dropping onto the chair nearby.
"So…" he began slowly, "wanna explain what exactly happened?"
No response.
Rio continued anyway.
"I remember entering that weird sea of stars…"
His expression stiffened slightly.
"Then you tried to erase me from existence."
Astravax flicked its tail once.
"I lost consciousness after that," Rio muttered. "And when I woke up, you were somehow my spirit."
A pause.
"…Why?"
The cat remained silent.
Rio placed a hand against his forehead tiredly.
He had far too many questions.
Why had Astravax suddenly surrendered?
And perhaps most importantly—
what exactly was wrong with him?
The black cat slowly opened its eyes fully this time.
Golden slit-like pupils stared directly into Rio.
Within those eyes, entire stars seemed to drift endlessly.
"You truly know nothing," Astravax muttered.
Its voice echoed directly inside Rio's mind, ancient and heavy beyond description.
"You possess no understanding of what you are."
Rio frowned.
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
Astravax's gaze deepened slightly.
"Nor do you understand what is protecting you."
Rio froze.
Protecting him?
"What are you talking about?"
The dragon remained silent for several seconds before lazily resting its head back onto the sofa.
"I choose silence, mortal."
Its voice became quieter.
Yet strangely more serious.
"I value survival."
Those words only confused Rio further.
"…Survival from what?"
Astravax glanced at him once more.
And for the first time—
Rio noticed something unsettling within those ancient eyes.
Wariness.
Fear.
Not toward him.
But toward something else.
The dragon closed its eyes again.
"Do not seek answers you are unworthy of carrying."
Rio stared silently at the black cat.
His confusion only deepened further.