The air in the abandoned parking garage felt colder after Ren's vision—as if the building itself sensed a new presence awakening inside him. Ren leaned against the concrete wall, his breath shaky, eyes still faintly glowing gold before slowly fading back to brown. Yui and Kaito hovered close, exchanging nervous glances, unsure whether to comfort him or step back.
Ren pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart still hammering wildly. Grandfather…? Dragon Head…? Underworld ruler…? The words echoed in his skull like a fever dream, each one twisting deeper beneath his ribs. Nothing in his life—school, friendships, home—had ever hinted that his blood carried something so dark, so ancient, so heavy.
Yui finally broke the silence with a whisper.
"Ren… what exactly did you see? Tell us everything."
Ren swallowed, throat dry. "The dragon said I'm Wu Long's descendant. His only heir. That he chose me on purpose. The Wooden Dragon is… some kind of Seal. A mark of authority."
Kaito's eyes widened. "Authority over what? Those freaks back there were ready to kneel to you like you're some godfather."
Ren shook his head. "I don't want authority. I don't want any of this."
But the faint warmth in his pocket—the dragon—disagreed.
Before they could process more, Yui suddenly tensed. She grabbed Ren's wrist and shoved him behind a pillar.
"Someone's here."
Ren's breath caught. Footsteps echoed from the entrance ramp.
It began with silhouettes—five… no, six men—slowly descending the ramp.
They wore dark tactical suits with no insignia. No gang colors. No tattoos. Nothing to identify them. But the way they moved—perfectly synchronised, almost silent—sent a spike of fear down Ren's spine.
Kaito whispered harshly, "Those aren't gangsters. Those are professionals."
"Assassins," Yui corrected quietly. Her knuckles whitened. "Or retrieval units."
Ren didn't ask what "retrieval" meant.
The men reached the centre of the garage and stopped. The leader—a tall man with a shaved head and an expression of calm brutality—pulled out a small device. He pressed a button.
A sharp, high-pitched tone buzzed through the air as every exit behind them slammed shut with metallic force.
Kaito cursed under his breath. "They're locking us in."
Ren felt a cold chill spread through his body. The dragon in his pocket pulsed again—once, like a heartbeat.
A distorted voice came from the leader's device.
"TARGET AUTHORISATION CONFIRMED.
APPROACH WITH CAUTION.
THE HEIR MUST BE TAKEN ALIVE."
Ren's heart plummeted. They're here for me.
The leader finally spoke aloud, voice deep and emotionless.
"Ren Hayato. Surrender. We will not ask twice."
Yui stepped in front of Ren instantly, fists raised. "Over my dead body."
Kaito mirrored her, trying to sound brave despite his shaking hands. "Yeah. Come get him if you want him."
The leader didn't flinch. "Very well."
He flicked his hand, and the squad advanced.
Chaos unleashed.
Yui moved first—swift, precise, attacking the nearest operative. But the man blocked her strike effortlessly, countering with a blow that sent her skidding across the concrete.
"YUI!" Ren shouted, taking a step toward her before another operative cut him off.
Kaito darted in with a metal pipe he'd grabbed from the floor. He swung it hard—
—but the operative caught it mid-swing, snapped it clean in half, and shoved Kaito to the ground like throwing away trash.
Ren's chest tightened. He couldn't fight these men. He had no skills, no training. Just fear.
And the dragon.
His fingers curled around it.
The leader approached him directly now. "Do not resist. Your inheritance is significant. Many want to claim you. But our organisation intends to protect you—by force, if necessary."
"Protect?!" Ren shouted. "You're attacking my friends!"
"Collateral," the leader replied coldly. "You belong to the underworld now. Your personal attachments are liabilities."
Ren felt something snap inside him.
A surge of heat erupted in his chest—the same overwhelming burn from before—but this time sharper, angrier, alive.
The Wooden Dragon flared with brilliance.
Golden light burst from Ren's palm.
The operatives halted instantly.
The leader shielded his face, stepping back. "What—?!"
The dragon dissolved into glowing embers that spiraled upward, forming a massive spectral dragon head above Ren—its golden eyes blazing with fury.
The garage trembled as the apparition roared, a sound so powerful the air vibrated.
The Dragon Seal had awakened fully.
The operatives staggered under the force.
Ren didn't feel fear now.
He felt clarity.
A strange calm.
A current of ancient authority flowing through his veins like molten gold.
The dragon's voice echoed through the garage:
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH THE HEIR."
A shockwave blasted from Ren in all directions, cracking concrete and throwing the operatives across the garage. Some slammed into pillars. Others skidded across the floor unconscious.
Yui and Kaito shielded their faces, stunned but unharmed.
Ren collapsed to his knees as the glowing dragon faded into particles of light that drifted back into the Wooden Dragon figure, which reformed solid in his trembling hand.
Silence followed.
Broken only by Ren's ragged breathing.
Yui ran to him and grabbed his shoulders. "Ren—what was that?! Are you okay?!"
Kaito stared in open shock. "Dude… you summoned a freaking dragon."
Ren looked at the wooden figure in his hand, horrified.
"I… I didn't summon anything," he whispered. "It acted on its own."
Yui frowned. "So the Seal is… protecting you?"
Ren nodded slowly. "Or controlling me."
Before they could react further, one of the wounded operatives crawled to his device and pressed a button.
A distorted voice crackled through.
"REPORT. STATUS."
The operative gasped, blood dripping from his temple.
"Target… Reached.
Dragon Seal… Activated.
Heir… Has awakened."
A pause.
Then the voice spoke:
"…Bring him to the Council. At once."
Yui's face paled.
Kaito froze.
Ren's breathing stopped.
The Council.
The ruling body of the global underworld.
The ones who advised Wu Long.
The ones now hunting for Ren.
And they knew exactly where he was.
Yui grabbed Ren's arm. "Ren—we have to go. Now."
Ren stood shakily, gripping the Wooden Dragon with white knuckles.
The Seal had awakened.
The factions were mobilising.
And the entire underworld was about to choose—
Whether to follow him…
Or kill him.