The Iron Dragon Dojo stood at the edge of Orialis City, half-hidden behind towering pine trees and a stone wall carved with ancient martial symbols. Aether had seen pictures online, but none of them captured the sheer presence of the place.
The entrance alone radiated a pressure like standing before a sleeping beast.
The dojo gates were massive slabs of black metal engraved with a swirling dragon, its scales shimmering faintly even under the midday sun. The atmosphere vibrated with a strange energy—a mixture of discipline, history, and something older.
Aether's heart pounded in his chest, though he kept his expression calm. He didn't know why he was nervous. Maybe it was the intensity of yesterday's encounter. Maybe it was the weight of being noticed by someone as infamous as Master Ryuga.
Or maybe it was the thin, unusual warmth in his chest…
something that had been growing since the fight with the bullies.
He pushed the thought away.
Taking a breath, he stepped through the gates.
Inside, the dojo was far larger than he expected—almost like a martial city.
Training courts stretched across open fields, students sparred in synchronized rhythms, and rows of wooden buildings lined the inner pathways. Everything was clean, organized, and heavy with an invisible structure. Every footstep echoed discipline.
Aether caught glimpses of:
A massive stone courtyard where disciples practiced with weighted weapons
A meditation garden, its pond glowing faintly as if infused with energy
A central tower rising above all other structures, metallic and imposing
The air felt different here.
Denser.
Charged.
The moment he stepped onto the main walkway, dozens of trainees turned toward him.
"He's the kid Master Ryuga brought in?"
"He doesn't look like much…"
"Wait—look at how he stands. That balance…"
"He's young. But his presence… weirdly stable."
Aether tried to ignore the whispers.
He wasn't special.
He had no idea why he moved the way he did.
And he definitely didn't understand why a Grandmaster cared about him.
He tightened his grip on the envelope Ryuga gave him.
This is just a visit. I can say no.
But even as he thought it, a part of him knew—
he wouldn't say no.
Because something inside him felt drawn here…
like instinct.
*****
The dojo's main hall was breathtaking.
Torches flickered along stone pillars, illuminating murals of past masters and legendary battles. In the center of the hall sat Master Ryuga—legs crossed, eyes closed, breath steady like a mountain in meditation.
His aura filled the space.
Even sitting still, he radiated enough force that Aether felt a pressure on his chest simply walking in.
"Enter."
Ryuga's voice echoed without him opening his eyes.
Aether stepped forward. "Master Ryuga. I came—"
"I know why you came."
Ryuga opened his eyes slowly—dark, sharp, and heavy with decades of mastery.
"And it is not curiosity alone."
Aether blinked. "Then why?"
Ryuga stood, his full height casting a shadow across the polished floor.
"You feel it, don't you?"
His voice rumbled like distant thunder.
"That restlessness in your bones. The instinct to move. The refusal to yield. The fight in your muscles even when you are calm."
Aether stiffened.
He had been feeling that.
A subtle vibration inside him.
A whisper that grew louder each day.
A strange warmth behind his eyes whenever he fought.
A sense of… awareness.
Of potential.
But he didn't understand any of it.
"I… thought everyone felt that," Aether admitted quietly.
Ryuga let out a low laugh. "No, boy. What you possess… is extraordinarily rare."
He stepped closer.
"So rare that I have seen it only once in my entire life."
Aether swallowed. "What is it?"
Ryuga didn't answer. Instead he said:
"You came here to understand yourself. So today, you will take the Trial of Iron."
Aether frowned. "Trial?"
Ryuga gestured for him to follow.
"Only through pressure do true instincts awaken."
They arrived at a vast underground chamber beneath the dojo.
Stone walls, metallic pillars, and training machines of unfamiliar design lined the space. It looked like a fusion of old martial tradition and advanced engineering.
Every inch of the chamber felt heavy with history—this was where the strongest of Iron Dragon were forged.
Ryuga walked to the center of the room.
"This is the Iron Testing Ground. Few enter. Fewer complete the trial."
Aether's pulse increased.
"What do I have to do?"
Ryuga smiled—a rare, almost predatory smile.
"Survive."
He clapped once.
The chamber shifted.
Metal rods extended from the walls.
Training dummies activated.
Weighted pillars descended.
Circular platforms began to move.
Wind turbines roared to life.
Aether took a step back.
"Is this… all for me?"
"Yes," Ryuga said simply.
"To measure the limits of your body…
and the depth of the instinct inside you."
Then—
Ryuga's voice echoed like thunder:
"Begin."
Aether reacted before he could think.
A weighted pillar slammed toward him from the left—he ducked, feeling the air split above him.
A spike trap triggered from the ground—he flipped backward.
A wooden dummy swung a reinforced arm toward his head—he pivoted around it and swept its leg.
Another pillar descended—he rolled away, momentum fluid.
Metal rods shot from the ceiling—he sprinted across a moving platform.
He didn't think—
He acted.
Each movement precise.
Each dodge perfect.
Each strike efficient.
Ryuga watched silently, eyes narrowing.
Aether's breathing remained calm, steady.
Students couldn't have seen him.
Even seasoned fighters would have stumbled.
Aether moved like he'd trained for years—
as if his body remembered something he never learned.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Sweat dripped down his jaw.
His heartbeat was strong, steady.
Finally—
The chamber stilled.
And Aether stood in the center, chest rising and falling, eyes sharp.
Ryuga approached him with a long, calculating gaze.
"Aether Yun…"
He placed a massive hand on Aether's shoulder.
"…your talent is monstrous."
Aether blinked, confused. "I just reacted. That's all."
Ryuga shook his head.
"No. You moved with instinct beyond human level.
Your perception… your reaction time… the way you predicted the traps…
That is not normal."
Ryuga leaned closer.
"Your eyes, boy."
Aether froze. "My eyes?"
Ryuga nodded slowly.
"When the traps intensified… your eyes changed."
Aether stiffened. "Changed how?"
Ryuga's voice lowered with awe.
"They glowed… faintly."
"A shimmer of gold."
Aether's heart dropped.
He didn't feel it.
He didn't know it.
But—
Something inside him had awakened today.
A quiet hum pulsed behind his eyes.
A warmth that felt… familiar.
Ancient.
Ryuga stepped back and bowed his head—a gesture of profound respect.
"Aether Yun, I do not know what bloodline flows in you…
but it is not ordinary."
He straightened.
"And from this day forward… I will personally train you."
Aether felt his breath catch.
This wasn't just a dojo visit.
This was the moment his life changed.
The moment something deep within him stirred—
watching, awakening.
And for a split second,
Aether felt the world around him shift—
as if a massive, golden eye blinked open in the void.