The mercenary didn't shoot him.
That alone told him how bad he looked.
The woman stood framed in the torn bulkhead, crimson emergency lights painting her armor in shades of rust and blood. Her rifle was lowered—not out of kindness, but calculation. Experienced eyes swept over him, then down to the trembling creature in his arms.
Her lips clicked in irritation.
"Damn," she muttered. "You're not a scavenger."
He tightened his grip around the pet.
Ash's body was burning up now—heat bleeding through fur and cloth alike. The tiny creature shuddered, breath coming in weak, uneven bursts. Every instinct screamed at him that if he did nothing, it would die here. Alone. In the dark.
The woman noticed.
"Your pet's cooked," she said bluntly. "Radiation burn. Internal damage. You've got minutes."
Her honesty hurt more than the words.
"…There's no medbay?" he asked.
She snorted. "On this wreck? No. Best chance is the station—if it doesn't blow first."
The ship groaned, as if offended by the suggestion.
Another explosion rippled through the hull.
That's when it happened.
> [Draconic Bloodline Interface — Forced Response Detected]
[Pet Vital Signs Approaching Failure Threshold]
The system's voice was colder now. Sharper.
Unforgiving.
> [Bloodline Analysis: Ash]
▸ Species: Emberling (Variant)
▸ Bloodline Trace: Ancient Draconic — Severely Diluted
▸ Compatibility: 3%
[Warning: Awakening at current compatibility carries EXTREME risk]
His vision tunneled.
Extreme risk.
To who?
> [Failure Outcome: Pet Death — Permanent]
His jaw clenched.
The mercenary noticed his change in posture, the way his breathing slowed, eyes sharpening.
"You hearing voices?" she asked.
"…Something like that."
She exhaled sharply. "Great. Another awakened freak."
The word meant something here. He could hear it in her tone—fear buried under experience.
He didn't care.
Ash whimpered.
That was enough.
"Do it," he whispered.
> [Confirm Forced Bloodline Resonance?]
[Note: System Authority Insufficient — Manual Override Required]
Pain detonated behind his eyes.
It felt like something noticed him.
Not the system.
Something older.
Deeper.
His blood burned.
Not metaphorically.
Actually burned.
He gasped as heat flooded his veins, crawling up his spine and into his skull. His vision flooded with symbols—runes, circuits, overlapping layers of magic and code grinding against each other.
Ash screamed.
The sound was thin. Raw. Animal.
The mercenary cursed and took a step back, rifle snapping up on instinct.
"Hey—HEY—what the hell are you doing?!"
Ash's body arched violently.
Cracks of molten light split through its fur, glowing lines tracing skeletal patterns beneath skin. Scales—tiny, malformed—pushed through flesh, then receded, then returned stronger.
> [Bloodline Rejection Detected]
[Stability: 12%]
"Stay with me," he growled, voice hoarse. "You don't get to die yet."
Ash's eyes snapped open.
They were no longer gold.
They burned red.
A pressure wave exploded outward.
The emergency lights shattered. Metal screamed. The mercenary was thrown back against the wall, armor screeching as she barely held her footing.
When the air finally settled, Ash lay still.
Silent.
For one horrible second, the universe held its breath.
Then—
A heartbeat.
Strong.
Steady.
> [Partial Awakening Successful]
[Status: Pseudo-Draconic Emberling]
[New Trait Acquired: Draconic Core (Unstable)]
He sagged, nearly collapsing to his knees.
The mercenary stared at the creature in his arms like it was a loaded bomb.
"…You just did something you shouldn't have been able to do," she said quietly.
Ash shifted, letting out a low, unfamiliar rumble—not a mewl.
Not a growl.
Something deeper.
Something hungry.
The man looked down at his pet.
Then at his trembling hands.
He didn't smile.
He didn't celebrate.
Because deep down, he knew—
This wasn't power.
It was a warning.
And somewhere out there, something ancient had felt its blood stir for the first time in a very long while.