The forest was no longer silent.
What had once been a place of peaceful winds and rustling leaves now hummed with something ancient—something alive.
Rayne stumbled back as the black egg pulsed again, threads of crimson light etching themselves into its obsidian surface like veins catching fire. His breath caught. It wasn't just hatching—it was resonating with him.
"I didn't do anything," Rayne whispered. "Why are you—?"
Then came the crack.
Hairline fractures split across the shell, glowing red from within like lava under pressure. Each one sizzled with power. The air turned hot, stifling, like the breath of a dragon brushing against his skin. His heart pounded in rhythm with the thing—no, the creature—inside.
Snap.
A shard of shell broke off, tumbling to the dirt. Another pulse surged into Rayne's chest, and this time, it didn't stop. Power flooded his veins, burning and alive, awakening something primal that had long slept beneath the surface of his soul.
A voice echoed—not through the air, but directly into his mind.
"Tamer. You are mine."
Rayne fell to one knee, gasping. His vision blurred as memories not his own flooded in—images of skies torn by lightning, of fire devouring mountains, of a beast so massive its wings darkened the sun. He screamed.
And then everything went silent.
The glow from the egg faded. The fractures stilled. But it was no longer whole.
From the jagged opening stepped a creature no larger than a cat—yet even in its small form, it radiated awe and fear. Gleaming crimson scales shimmered like rubies, eyes molten gold, horns curling back like obsidian blades. A long, slender tail whipped the ground, kicking up sparks.
It was not just a dragon.
It was a Wyrmling of the Eternal Flame.
SSS-Rank.
The highest possible tier. Thought extinct for over five hundred years.
And it was looking at him.
Rayne swallowed. "You… chose me?"
The creature stepped closer, then nudged its head against his hand like a feline demanding affection. A searing pain shot through his palm—he jerked back to see a glowing red sigil forming on his skin: a dragon coiled around a flame.
A bond.
A Beast Pact.
Rayne stared. "But I'm a reject. I have no affinity. No strength. Why would you—"
"Because you are empty," the dragon's voice echoed in his mind, calm and ancient. "And only the empty can be filled."
Hours Later…
He sat under the shade of the broken temple, the dragon—whom he hesitantly named Ember—curled in his lap, dozing. A thousand questions flooded his mind, but they drowned under the rush of raw power coursing through him.
His Beast Core had been weak—almost nonexistent. Now it blazed with radiant energy. Ember wasn't just bonded to him—he was rebuilding Rayne's entire being.
From the ground up.
"Status," Rayne muttered, unsure what he expected.
A semi-transparent screen blinked open before his eyes.
[Tamer Status - Rayne Vareth]
Rank: E → C (Provisional)
Beast Affinity: —
Bonded Beast: Ember [SSS-Rank Wyrmling – Flame Type]
Pact Level: 1
Flame Synchronization: 4%
Skills Unlocked:
• Flame Sight
• Pact Link
• Ember Spark
His hand trembled. C-Rank… already? And that was only with 4% synchronization? What would happen when it reached 10%? Or 50?
"I can't let anyone know yet," he muttered. "They'll try to take you. Kill you. Or worse…"
Ember opened one eye, a flicker of gold, and snorted a puff of harmless smoke.
A sudden rustle in the trees snapped Rayne's head around. Footsteps—quick and deliberate. A figure in black leather emerged from the foliage, a crossbow slung across her back and a bronze fox at her side.
"A tracker," Rayne muttered. He stood, holding Ember protectively.
The woman raised a brow. "Didn't expect to find anyone this deep. This temple's off-grid."
Rayne forced a calm tone. "I was just… exploring."
She eyed Ember, narrowing her gaze. "You shouldn't be here, kid. Dangerous things sleep in old places."
He tried to nod and walk past, but the woman blocked his way.
"I'm Alira. Shadow Guild," she said, then flicked a medallion from her pouch—black and silver. "This is fox territory. Trespassers get fined. Or worse."
Rayne's pulse quickened. Shadow Guilds were freelance hunters—ruthless, unaffiliated, and deadly. If she found out what he'd bonded with—
Her fox growled.
"Strange… I sense flame residue," Alira muttered. "What beast is that?"
Rayne tightened his grip. "A salamander."
The fox barked in alarm.
"A salamander with ancient dragon magic?" Alira's eyes sharpened. "You're lying."
Rayne turned to run.
She moved faster.
He dashed through the trees, Ember clinging to his shirt, branches slashing his skin. Alira's fox howled behind him, and seconds later, crossbow bolts zipped past his head.
"Just great!" Rayne cursed. "Why can't I have one peaceful day?!"
Then a voice echoed again.
"Let me protect you."
Rayne's vision shifted—the world turned red, veins of heat threading the trees. He could see through the forest, every heartbeat, every trap, every bolt.
Flame Sight activated.
He leapt, dodging an arrow. Then rolled, spun, and ducked into a crevice just wide enough to hide. Ember leapt from his shoulder, flaring with tiny wings that didn't flap—but lifted him nonetheless.
From above, Ember opened his maw.
And exhaled fire.
A spiral of crimson flame blasted downward, scorching the path and forcing Alira to retreat.
Rayne stared. "You… already know magic?"
Ember landed beside him. "I am magic."
Nightfall
Rayne made camp in the highlands, deep within the hidden ridge caves. Ember perched near the fire, tail flicking curiously. Despite everything, Rayne felt a strange calm—like the world had tilted slightly in his favor for once.
"Tomorrow, I need to figure out what this all means," he said softly. "Who you are… what you are. And why me."
Ember tilted his head.
But before Rayne could rest, a noise rose from the cave entrance.
Footsteps again—but this time slower. He stood, Ember growling beside him.
From the shadows emerged not Alira, but someone worse.
A man cloaked in priestly robes, silver and red, bearing the seal of the Sanctum of Order—one of the most powerful beast-regulation factions in the kingdom.
His eyes glowed faintly. And he smiled like a man who had already won.
"There you are," he said calmly. "The boy who broke the old pact."
Rayne's breath caught. "You know about Ember?"
The priest nodded. "And now… so does the Sanctum. You'll come with me."
Rayne stepped back, pulse racing. "I won't let you take him."
"Oh, child," the man chuckled darkly. "I'm not here to take him. I'm here to destroy him—before he awakens the others."
Rayne froze.
"Others…?"
The priest raised a hand, and light gathered around his fingertips. "There were seven. Seven beasts bound by ancient flame. Yours is only the first."
Rayne glanced at Ember—who stood, eyes glowing gold, tiny wings flaring like twin infernos.
He turned back to the priest, heart hammering.
"Then I guess you'll have to go through me first."
The light exploded.
TO BE CONTINUED…