The Frostfang Wyvern's frost breath built into a searing white glow, a miniature sun of ice forming in its throat.
Every instinct in Ryujin's body screamed that if this hit, there would be no getting up. Nox stood low, chest heaving, smoke curling from his nostrils. Crimson's ember-glow dimmed under the weight of exhaustion, frost clinging to his horns.
Ryujin could feel their pain and fatigue bleeding through the bonds like fire in his veins.
The gulf in rank was merciless. C Rank, B Rank, then A Rank.
It should have been impossible to last this long, but somehow, they did.
The Wyvern shifted its weight, wings tensing for the final strike. And in that moment, clarity came, Ryujin's mind cutting through the panic with cold precision.
'Nox… shadow curtain. Crimson, flank hard right. Now!'
It was a desperate last stand in the face of death.
BZZZ!
Nox's chest swelled, shadowflame pouring out in a thick, rolling cloud that devoured the light.
The Wyvern lunged into it without hesitation, frost breath ripping the darkness apart in a glittering explosion.
Nox's life was on the edge…
But by then, Crimson was already moving.
The Ember Drake's body slammed into the Wyvern's side, horn gouging deep into the seam between plates of ice-hardened scale. The impact drove the larger dragon half a step sideways, claws screeching against the ice floor.
It wasn't much, but it was the crack Ryujin needed.
The Wyvern snarled, swinging its head toward Crimson, but Ryujin was already there, spear driving into the same wound. The tip sank through frost and muscle, a spurt of steaming blood hissing against the freezing air.
They say beast tamers stay behind and let their beasts do the hard work, right? Well, Ryujin was no ordinary beast tamer.
He would rather die than let his beasts die a senseless death. He was ambitious enough to enter the heat of battle with them to achieve their goal.
The Wyvern reeled, one wing dragging. Its breath misted unevenly, chest heaving as it glared at the daring intruders who caused it so much trouble.
It was still deadly, but injured now, slowed, and bound by the confines of its own lair. Ryujin's grip tightened on the spear.
This was the moment… and the choice.
Kill it and walk away alive. Or… try to tame it.
The system's warning burned red in his vision.
DING!
~----~
[WARNING: Soul Strain – Critical Risk]
[Estimated Mortality Chance: 94%]
[Note: Survival probability only exceeds zero due to Eternal Dragon Legacy.]
~----~
Anyone else would have been dead from just trying. To any other E Rank tamer, it was a death sentence. The Wyvern's soul would crush them in moments.
But his legacy was different.
It resisted dragon souls by nature, forging paths in places where other tamers' spirits shattered.
It didn't make this safe… but it made it possible, even though the rate of mortality was still exponentially higher.
But what tipped Ryujin's choice in the end was a single thought. 'Emerald Fangs…'
'With an injured Nox and Crimson, there's no way I'm surviving those guys,' his gaze hardened, uncertainty giving way for clarity and ambition.
'Heck! I was a dead man the day I failed to tame that Frostfang Wolf'.
'I died the day my family abandoned me'.
'It's not like I have anything to lose. Nobody is going to miss me'.
'I've been dead long ago,' he grinned. 'What's death a second time?'
He exhaled slowly. "If dying is the only way to achieve my goal, then so be it".
The beast's eyes locked on him, hatred and grudging respect in those frozen orbs. Those eyes… they were no longer human, what reflected back to the Dragon was the gaze of a beast who was no longer scared of dying.
It knew. Dragons always knew.
Ryujin approached, step by step, until he stood within reach of its massive, frost-sheathed head. Steam curled from its nostrils, freezing on its scales.
He pressed a bloodied palm against the jagged ridge above its eyes.
The moment contact was made, the world went white.
Bond threads didn't form this time, they literally erupted.
BOOM!
A blizzard of will and raw power slammed into his mind, frost clawing through his nerves, trying to freeze his thoughts solid.
Ryujin's knees hit the ice instantly. His breath caught, teeth gritted so hard he tasted blood. His heart hammered, every beat forcing shards of ice deeper into his veins.
The Wyvern's mind was a glacier; ancient, unyielding. It pressed in on him from all sides, grinding his soul down like ice against rock.
Images burst behind his eyes… skies torn with snow, centuries of frozen solitude, battles fought over jagged peaks.
It was not just resisting, it was erasing him.
"Gah," Ryujin groaned as blood flowed down his nose, eyes, and mouth.
And yet, that was when the Eternal Dragon Legacy flared in answer.
Dragon Command Authority rippled outward, a pulse of dominance that forced the Wyvern's will to falter.
For a heartbeat, the crushing weight lessened, just enough for Ryujin to push back with the full weight of his ambition.
Then…
DING!
~----~
[Bond Progress: 43% ~ 56% ~ 67%...]
[Soul Strain: Severe – Cognitive stability compromised.]
~----~
Pain lanced through his head; his vision fractured into a hundred overlapping shards. More blood dripped from his nose, warm against skin that felt like it was burning and freezing all at once.
Crimson's presence surged through the bond, a wall of heat bracing his mind. Nox's shadowflame essence coiled tighter around him, snarling into the storm.
Together, they shoved back.
The Wyvern's body convulsed, a shudder running from snout to tail. Its frost domain flickered, weakening, threads of its essence unraveling into Ryujin's soul.
The system's voice cut through the maelstrom.
DING!
~----~
[Bond Complete – Frostfang Wyvern (A-Rank) acquired.]
[Soul Integrity: 41%]
[WARNING: Continued activity may result in permanent damage.]
~----~
Ryujin barely heard it.
The moment the last thread clicked into place, the world spun violently as his strength ripped away in a single, brutal wave.
He pitched forward, catching himself on one palm, gasping.
The Wyvern's head lowered beside him; not in aggression, but deference.
The thought echoing in his head?
'I did it… I tamed an A-Rank Wyvern!'
"I may just be the most terrifying E-Rank in existence". He smiled weakly. "Told you… it was possible".
Then darkness took him.
Nox moved first, planting himself between Ryujin's fallen body and the Hollow's open mouth. Crimson circled wide, tail lashing, keeping watch for any new threat.
The Wyvern stayed where it was, wings folded, breath misting softly, its eyes fixed on the unconscious human who now held its soul.
Outside, the wind howled against the mountains, but inside Frostgrave Hollow… there was only silence.