The highlands of Drakenshire were a place the sun rarely touched.
Jagged cliffs loomed like the ribs of ancient titans, their black stone scarred by centuries of storms. Bitter winds howled through narrow gullies, carrying the scent of frost and rot.
Every step forward was war; war against the land, against the body, and against the dying will.
Ryujin stumbled.
His left leg buckled as the world swam in hazy red. He caught himself against a slick boulder, gasping. Blood soaked his tunic, seeping through bandages hastily wrapped with torn cloth and serpent hide.
Beneath the wrappings, the venom still pulsed, hot and relentless in his veins.
Nox whined behind him, the Abyssal Drake's molten eyes watching with restless worry. The beast's wings twitched, scorched at the tips, its sides scraped from earlier encounters with jagged Cliffside predators.
They were both breaking.
And yet, they climbed.
Each day since Valtheris had vanished into shadow, Ryujin had pushed deeper into the mountains, following the system's faint Dragonpath trial toward the lair of the healing-blood Wyvern.
Each night, he slept in fits, haunted by dreams of fire and whispers of Sovereigns long dead. Each breath was defiance.
But his strength was fading.
DING!
~----~
[System Warning: Mortal Integrity – 31%]
[Venom Detected: Spread Slow. Terminal if untreated in 72 hours.]
[Recommended Action: Seek Immediate Healing]
~----~
He scoffed bitterly. "Oh? Is that all it takes?"
Nox bumped him with its snout, growling softly.
Ryujin pushed away from the rock. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not done yet".
Their ascent continued.
By the third day, the cliffs grew colder. Snow began to fall; not gentle and serene, but sharp, cutting flakes that stung the skin.
Ryujin's breath came in ragged clouds. His lips were cracked, face pale, the wound beneath his ribs now burning like coals pressed to flesh.
When they reached a narrow pass bridging two cliff sides, he paused… just in time.
WHOOSH!
A harpoon embedded into the ground not ten paces ahead, hissing with emerald venom.
Ryujin's instincts kicked in.
He dropped into a crouch, hand already on his spear, eyes darting. Nox melted into the shadows beside him.
Voices echoed faintly up the ridge.
"…The bastard's still alive?"
"I saw the tracks. Human-sized. Limping".
"Damn freak's heading for the Wyvern. Think he knows what it is?"
"Doesn't matter. Lord Halveth pays triple if we bring back its heart, and his".
Ryujin's jaw clenched. Jormungandr bounty hunters.
He counted three… no, four shadows moving across the upper ledge. One carried a crossbow crackling with arcane silver, the other had a serpent-masked helm and a whip curled at his hip.
He couldn't fight them. Not in this state, so he fled.
They gave chase, but never caught him.
He moved through the wilderness like a phantom; leaping, rolling, using every cliff and narrow path to escape. His wounds tore wider. Blood painted the rocks. But he never stopped.
He wouldn't stop.
That night, Ryujin collapsed inside a dead tree hollow. Nox coiled beside him, shielding his body from the wind.
His body shivered uncontrollably. His skin had turned pale, with black veins threading down his arm from the poisoned cheek wound.
He whispered, barely audible.
"Drakarys… if you're out there… I need that damn Wyvern".
A pulse stirred in the system.
DING!
~----~
[Eternal Dragon Legacy – Sovereign Guidance Activated]
[Fragmented Instinct Imprint Detected]
"The blood you seek lies atop the mountain's wound. But dragonfire will not yield to desperation. If you fail to tame it… it will kill you".
~----~
Ryujin gritted his teeth.
"I'll kill it first," he whispered. But even the words felt hollow.
That night, he dreamed again.
The Sovereign stood atop a mountain of bones, flames dripping from his jaw like molten gold. Drakarys stared down at Ryujin; not with scorn, but with somber understanding.
"The first bond is your awakening. The second… your trial. Dragons do not serve weakness".
"Prove yourself".
…
On the fourth day, they reached the summit.
The lair was not a cave, but a scar; a massive rent in the cliff face where lightning had split stone and time had hollowed it into jagged thrones. Crimson vines coiled like veins along the rock, pulsing faintly with life.
Pools of blood-colored mist rose in tufts along the edges. Bone littered the entrance. Human and beast alike.
Instructing Nox to stay behind though the Abyssal Drake protested, Ryujin stepped forward, every fiber of his being screaming against it.
And then…
DING!
~----~
[Beast Detected: Crimson-Fanged Wyvern]
Rank: B
Variant: Healing-Blood Mutation
Temperament: Highly Territorial, Bloodthirsty
Status: Wounded (Self-regenerating)
Soul Compatibility: 57%
Soul Integrity: 29% - Lethal Risk: HIGH
Proceed? [YES/NO]
~----~
The first thought that went through Ryujin's mind was, 'how on earth is an E-Ranked beast tamer expected to tame a B-Ranked beast? And not just any beast, a Dragon!'
But still, he didn't hesitate.
Making contact with Drakarys truly changed him in so many ways, turning him into this delusional, fearless beast tamer.
"…Yes".
The cave rumbled.
BZZZ!
Claws like scimitars scraped stone.
From the upper shadows, a shape descended like a thunderclap of flesh and fury. Emerald-scaled and crowned in crimson ridges, the Crimson-Fanged Wyvern landed with an impact that cracked the earth.
It roared, a shriek that vibrated his bones. Its breath misted with blood-scented fog, and its tail lashed once, cleaving a nearby rock in two.
Maybe it was due to his legacy, maybe it was just dumb luck, or maybe overconfidence, but the Wyvern didn't attack to obliterate him immediately.
Ryujin took a shaky step forward, spear in hand.
The Wyvern's eyes locked onto his; bright, burning, feral.
Ryujin whispered, not to Nox, not to the system, but to himself.
"I didn't crawl through hell to die here".
DING!
~----~
[Soul Bond Attempt Initiated]
[WARNING: High-Rank Beast Attempted at Mortal Limit. Damage Expected.]
~----~
The Wyvern lunged.
Claws out. Fangs bared.
Ryujin screamed, pouring every ounce of soul force into the bond. Crimson glyphs ignited across his chest, his arms, and his eyes.
Pain unlike anything before exploded inside him, like his bones were being carved open by molten steel. Blood sprayed from his mouth. His skin cracked.
But he held on.
"SUBMIT!" he roared, voice cracking.
The Wyvern faltered, just for a second. Then, a flare of red light surged between them, soul to soul.
The pain stopped.
The Wyvern screeched, then dropped, slamming into the ground, wings splayed wide.
Silence.
Then, one line of system text appeared.
~----~
[Crimson-Fanged Wyvern – Soul Bonded.]
[Soul Integrity: 12% - Immediate Recovery Required.]
[Healing-Blood Effect Active: Vital Regeneration Triggered.]
~----~
Ryujin collapsed to his knees.
The Wyvern stepped forward, towering above him. Its tongue flicked the air once, then… it bowed.
The first drop of healing blood spilled onto Ryujin's wounds.
Fire and ice surged through his veins.
Then everything went dark.