The underground chamber pulsed faintly with light.
Milly stood at the center of the ancient training platform, her bare feet touching glowing runes that reacted to her energy. The air was heavy, dense with mana every breath she took felt alive.
The Sage stood near the edge of the platform, his staff grounded into the stone. "Focus your energy inward first," he said, voice calm but firm. "Let it settle… like still water."
Milly nodded slightly. Her silver hair fluttered as faint streams of golden light began tracing her arms. "Still water… right."
Her mana flowed evenly at first, a controlled rhythm she'd practiced for weeks.
But as her focus deepened, she felt something stir within her deep, ancient, restless.
A familiar warmth coiled in her chest, and then
a voice.
"My Queen… You called again."
Milly's eyes widened slightly. "Arthianos…?"
The Sage's brow furrowed. "Who are you speaking to?"
She didn't answer. The air around her shifted. A faint red aura licked the ground like tongues of fire, clashing with the blue glow of the chamber.
The Sage's eyes widened. "Wait Mila, stop. That energy!"
But she couldn't. It wasn't anger. It wasn't fear.
It was instinct.
Her voice dropped low, echoing through the hall.
"Arthianos!"
The moment the name left her lips, the runes beneath her exploded in color.
A massive spectral dragon head burst from the ground behind her black-scaled, wreathed in crimson flame, its eyes burning with molten gold. The entire cavern shook as energy surged outward in waves.
The Sage stumbled back, shielding himself from the sheer force. "By the heavens…"
Milly's disguise shimmered, flickering faintly her silver hair flashing with streaks of red and black for an instant, her blue eyes briefly turning gold. Her power roared through the chamber, wild and alive.
Then, from above
the earth trembled.
And in the skies far beyond the academy, light pierced the clouds.
A meteor streaked across the heavens bright, burning, and real.
The Sage looked up through the cracks of the ceiling, his jaw tightening. "You're pulling something through the atmosphere stop it!"
Milly clenched her teeth, sweat dripping from her face. "I'm trying!"
The dragon's roar thundered one last time before fading, the aura collapsing inward in a massive shockwave that extinguished every torch in the chamber. Silence followed broken only by Milly's uneven breathing.
The Sage rushed forward, gripping her shoulders before she could fall.
"Mila, look at me. Are you still with me?"
Her eyes flickered faintly gold before returning to blue. She nodded weakly. "…I didn't mean to. It just… reacted."
He frowned, his expression shifting from concern to realization. "Arthianos… that name again. It's not just a spell, is it?"
Milly shook her head slowly. "No… He's a dragon. Or he was. Someone who gave his power to me… a long time ago."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then the Sage glanced toward the trembling ceiling, where faint dust still fell. "You're far beyond this chamber's limit. Even the runes can't hold what's inside you."
"…Then what do I do?" she asked softly.
He looked at her seriously. "You learn to channel it. To guide it. Before the next meteor isn't just a coincidence."
Milly's gaze drifted upward, her silver hair dim in the flickering rune light.
The image of the falling meteor burned in her mind, the echo of Arthianos's roar still lingering deep in her soul.
She exhaled slowly, steadying her heartbeat.
"Then teach me," she said.
The Sage gave a faint smile, though his eyes carried quiet dread. "Very well, Miss Mila. Let's hope the sky forgives us this time."