Kael stood at the threshold of Aetherion, the academy of the damned, with ash still clinging to his boots. It wasn't what he expected. It wasn't a gleaming castle atop a mountain or a fortress shrouded in mystery. It was a city carved into a caldera—cracked obsidian walls, bridges of molten glass, towers suspended by chains of light. Above it all, a massive eye-shaped orb hovered, pulsing with gold and crimson energy, its gaze turning with mechanical precision.
Elira stepped beside him, arms crossed. "Still breathing?"
"Barely," Kael muttered.
She didn't smile. "Good. They like their recruits broken in."
Guards in glimmering armor flanked the gates. They wore dragonbone helms, the skulls of hatchlings reforged into helmets, their eyes glowing like coals. They didn't speak as the two passed, but Kael felt the heat of their gaze linger long after.
Inside, it was chaos contained. Fire-wreathed wyverns soared between towers. Students clad in battle robes sparred in open courtyards, while others hurled spells at targets etched with glyphs. Explosions punctuated the air like musical notes.
A storm of magic.
And it all churned around the central tower—The Crucible.
Elira led him into an antechamber where an iron door rose, engraved with draconic script that pulsed like a heartbeat. A woman waited inside. No—something else.
She was cloaked in obsidian scales, her long black hair tied in a braid that reached her waist. Her eyes were gold slits, pupils like daggers.
"Kael Raventhorn," she said, her voice like silk being torn. "You reek of wild blood."
Kael stiffened. "And you are?"
"Instructor Vireya. Flame-bound. One of the Nine Talons. You will refer to me as Talon, not by name."
He gave a shallow nod. "Talon. Right."
"Your Collapse has begun. You are a ticking bomb. Therefore, you will undergo your Binding Trial—immediately."
Elira looked over. "That's fast, even for him."
Vireya tilted her head. "He is unstable. He either binds his core... or combusts."
The door opened with a hiss of steam. Behind it, a spiral staircase descended into darkness lit by ruby torches. Kael swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward.
The chamber was vast.
Circular, domed, with walls of black stone and rivers of magma flowing in channels across the floor. Floating platforms hovered over the lava, each etched with symbols.
Vireya stood in the center. A circle of runes ignited around her.
"Your task," she said, "is simple. Reach me before your core destabilizes."
Kael blinked. "That's it?"
She smiled. "The platforms shift. Some explode. Others vanish. Monsters may arrive. Time is blood."
[Dracovault Protocol: Trial Initiated.]
[Core Stabilization: 17%]
[Stability Threshold Required: 50%]
[Collapse Countdown: 3 hours, 27 minutes]
Kael stepped onto the first platform. It shimmered. Moved. He barely kept his balance.
The next one appeared—farther. He had to leap.
He took a breath, crouched, and jumped. His body moved faster than he expected, a burst of flame propelling him mid-air.
He landed—rolled—kept going.
Behind him, the previous platform cracked and burst into molten shards.
"Nice trick," Vireya called out. "Let's see if instinct saves you when the pain begins."
The room shifted.
Walls unfolded like blooming flowers, revealing cages. From within crawled creatures—spine-wolves made of magma and bone, their mouths lined with stone teeth. They howled, leaping toward the platforms.
Kael ran.
The nearest beast landed beside him, snarling. It lashed out with a tail like a whip. He ducked, slid under its legs, and blasted it point-blank with fire.
The creature screeched and fell into the lava.
[Core Stability: 21%]
But Kael could feel it—his heart raced too fast. Flames licked his arms. His vision blurred.
Too much fire. Not enough control.
Then he heard it.
A heartbeat. Not his. Deeper. Older.
He stumbled onto another platform. This one didn't vanish. Instead, it glowed—deep crimson.
He touched the rune.
Suddenly, memory flooded him.
Not his own.
A battle long ago—winged dragons clashing against armored giants. Screams. A final stand. A figure stood at the center—holding a burning blade. Its eyes were his.
His mind snapped back. Breathless. But steadier.
[Core Stability: 29%]
He kept going. Each platform another trial. One tested his reflexes. Another forced him to relive his death. One tempted him with illusions—his old world, his mother's voice.
But he pressed forward.
And then—only one leap remained.
Vireya stood across a chasm of lava. The platform leading to her was cracked.
"You must fly," she said.
Kael hesitated. His wings weren't complete. Just bone and smoke.
But they twitched.
He closed his eyes.
He remembered the Pulse of Flame. The sea of stars. The creature that waited for him.
He jumped.
Wings erupted—half-formed, unstable, but enough. He soared. Not long. Not far. But he reached.
He crashed onto the platform at her feet.
[Core Stability: 51%]
[Trial Complete.]
Kael collapsed. Panting.
Vireya knelt. Her hand touched his chest.
"Your blood has bound. But only barely. You're a hatchling still."
Kael smirked. "Better than ashes."
She didn't smile. But something in her eyes changed.
"Rise, Kael Raventhorn. First of the Forbidden Line. Your trials have just begun."
That night, Kael stood atop a balcony in the dormitory sector. Behind him, the academy glittered like a city on fire.
Elira joined him, carrying two flasks of glowing orange liquid.
"Mana brew," she said, handing him one. "You'll need it. Your blood's going to be screaming for weeks."
Kael took a sip. It tasted like cinnamon and hellfire.
"You did good today," she added. Quietly.
He turned. "Was that... praise?"
She looked away. "Don't get cocky. Most first-years don't even survive the Binding."
"So I'm special."
"You're dangerous."
They stood in silence for a while.
Kael asked, "What happens next?"
She pointed at the Crucible tower. "Classes start tomorrow. Combat. Theory. Monster control. Dungeon dives."
"Sounds intense."
"It's worse."
Kael sighed. "Guess I better not die then."
Elira smirked. "Good boy."
Then, far above, the eye-shaped orb pulsed once. Kael felt it—deep in his bones.
A voice whispered in his mind.
"Awaken. Inherit. Rise."
He clutched his chest.
Far away, beneath the academy, something stirred.
A prison door.
A heartbeat in the dark.
The true threat had not yet awakened.