Lucian left his quarters.
Kaelis rested coiled around his shoulders, scaled body shrunk down to fit like a mantle. The dragon’s weight wasn’t heavy—it was presence, molten eyes glowing faintly with pride as they moved.
The hall stretched ahead, dim lights humming in rhythm with the Nova Sanctum’s core.
Lucian passed the detention wing. The sealed door shimmered, and behind it Karl sat cross-legged, his wrists still bound by glowing restraints. He looked up at the sound of steps. His grin was instant—mocking, sharp. But then his eyes landed on Kaelis.
The dragon turned its head, gaze locking with his.
Karl’s breath caught. His grin faltered. For the first time since Lucian had known him, Karl’s head lowered instinctively, as though the weight of Kaelis’s stare pressed his neck down.
Lucian didn’t slow. He only spoke as he passed. "Don’t test him."
Kaelis rumbled, amused. Karl said nothing.
Lucian reached the control room. The wide chamber lit as he entered, screens blooming to life. Alfred’s calm voice filled the air.
Lucian’s eyes lifted to the map drawn across the main display. "Where are we?"
[Outer March, Sector Four.] Alfred’s tone was steady, almost clinical. [Hostile activity detected within range. The abandoned camp you observed earlier belongs to a higher-order detachment. Records indicate commanders cycle through such grounds. Their absence suggests redeployment—or preparation.]
Lucian’s jaw tightened. "Noted."
The door hissed open, and Lucy walked in. Her silver hair caught the blue glow of the panels, her eyes tired but burning steady. She tilted her head at him. "What now?"
Lucian turned, and without ceremony, reached into his inventory. Several cores—shards that pulsed with fractured light—appeared in his palm. They weren’t like the lesser ones she had seen before. These bled pressure, their glow harsh, demanding attention.
He extended them toward her. "Absorb these. Push yourself to XXX."
Lucy blinked once, stunned. Her crimson eyes narrowed faintly. "...You serious?"
He nodded. "You’ll need it. What’s coming won’t spare you."
Her lips pressed thin. She took the cores silently, their glow reflecting in her fingers.
Lucian wasn’t finished. He drew another item from the air. A crystal. Small, flawless, but its glow cut sharper than any blade. The system’s description whispered as he held it:
[Item: Ability Evolution Crystal]
[Effect: Evolves a chosen ability beyond its current ceiling. Capable of elevating abilities from mortal limits (S Rank → SSS Rank → X Rank → Above XXX). Each crystal binds permanently to the chosen skill, rewriting its foundation.]
[Restriction: Cannot be undone. Evolution is final. Once used, the ability will alter form to match the user’s essence.]
Lucian closed the panel without a word.
He held the crystal out. "Take this too. Absorb it. It’ll push your ability past SSS. Maybe all the way to X. You’ll need all the strength you can get."
Lucy hesitated, brows knitting. She looked at the crystal, then at him. "Where the hell did you get this?"
Lucian’s gaze stayed steady. "Doesn’t matter. Just use it."
Her eyes softened, just slightly. She folded her arms. "You’re not telling me. Which means you don’t want me worrying."
She sighed, lips curving into the faintest smile. "Fine. But don’t forget—you’re not the only one fighting. You keep brooding , and you’ll be older than me before long. Try being fun, for once."
Lucian almost smiled. "Not my style."
"Yeah," she muttered, turning for the door, cores and crystal in hand. "Figures." She stopped just at the frame, glancing back. "Whatever you’re planning, little brother, don’t carry it all alone. We’re not kids anymore."
She left for the training room.
The door hissed shut. Silence lingered.
Lucian exhaled and looked down at Kaelis. The dragon shifted, tail curling tighter around his arm. "You too," Lucian said quietly. "You need to grow. You’re part of this. We’ll need everything we can get."
Kaelis’s molten eyes narrowed. Then, to Lucian’s surprise, the dragon spoke—his voice deep, arrogant, and rich with fire.
"What do you take me for? A puny dragon?" His words vibrated through the air like thunder. "I am the ancestor of the dragon race. That brat Karl knows it. He lowered his head because his blood remembers. I shrank to fit in this little ship. Do not mistake me for weak."
Lucian’s brows rose faintly. "So you can talk."
Kaelis’s head jerked back, insulted. "Of course I can talk. You just never asked."
Lucian chuckled. The sound was rare, dry, but real. "Last I checked, this ’little ship’ can house anything. You just like sitting on my shoulders, don’t you?"
Kaelis’s tail flicked, molten eyes glowing brighter. "You."
Lucian laughed once under his breath, shaking his head. "Fine. Then stay there. But don’t slack. We’ll need your strength, ancestor or not."
Kaelis huffed, smoke curling from his nostrils. "You’ll see soon enough."
Lucian turned back to the control panel. His golden eyes hardened, the glow of the map burning against his reflection.
He hadn’t come here to gather intel. He hadn’t come to scout or sneak.
He had come to return the fight.
And now, with Lucy rising to XXX and Kaelis revealing his true weight, the storm was only beginning.
The Nova Sanctum hummed louder, as though even the ship understood what was about to come.
Lucian’s lips curved faintly, cold and sharp. "...Then let’s start."
Reia’s eyes narrowed as the screen pulsed red across the Citadel Zero control room. The readings spiked, one after the other, each marker flaring before vanishing.
She tapped the console hard, her voice low. "Your uncle has gone mad. He’s tearing through sector after sector just to get to us."
Vyn stood beside her, silent for a long moment, watching the rising numbers. She exhaled sharply, almost a sigh. "Fine. I’ll deal with it."
Reia turned, her gaze steady. "Good. But you won’t go alone. Silas will join you. I don’t trust Eron, not one bit."
The room fell quiet again, the hum of the monitors the only sound.
Reia’s tone dropped lower. "The Hunter Association is already on its last legs. With the Oblivion Gates still popping out, we can’t afford to lose anyone else. Not now."
Vyn’s eyes flickered, the faintest trace of annoyance mixing with her calm. "That’s true," she said, her voice quiet but firm.
She turned and walked out, her cloak brushing against the steel floor. Her steps echoed as she headed for the hangar.
Halfway there, she lifted her voice without looking back. "Reia—tell your brother to meet me there."
The door hissed open in front of her, light spilling from the corridor beyond.
And then she was gone.