Saruto slowly awoke, his eyelids heavy as if burdened by the battles he had fought. The soft light of the Time Chamber spilled over him like a faint dawn after a long night. He felt a slight coolness on his skin, and little by little, his awareness returned to the world around him. He heard steady breathing nearby, and when he turned slowly, he found Ethan sitting beside him, watching him silently with concern.
Saruto sat up with difficulty, his hand touching his chest as if the pain still resided in his bones. Then, in a weary voice, he murmured, "Where... am I?"
Ethan closed a small book he was holding, looked at him with calm eyes, and said, "You are in the Time Chamber. You were in a coma for three days. You weren't treated sooner because the energy of the Fourth Founder affected your body, which delayed your recovery."
He continued, "Now tell me what happened to you. Was the Fourth Founder different?"
Saruto sat silently for a moment, catching his breath, then raised his head toward Ethan. His voice was low but charged. "Yes," he said, "he was different from everyone else. His energy… it was overwhelming, like it was consuming the very air. I felt every fiber of my being want to escape him. I couldn't move at first… just standing there was like facing the very disaster itself."
He paused, his voice deepening, as if recounting something etched in his soul. "If it weren't for Void, he would have crushed him in no time."
Ethan listened in complete silence, his eyes slowly lighting up as his disciple continued to describe what had happened to him against Adrian. "But that's not what surprised me, Ethan. I discovered something else… something I never expected."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Saruto looked at him, his voice filled with the astonishment that had lingered since that moment. "He… he has a dragon inside him. Like Void."
The air in the room seemed to tremble as if the words themselves were heavy. Ethan's face froze for a moment, then he said very slowly, as if trying to confirm what he'd heard, "You're saying that the Fourth Founder... also has a dragon?"
Saruto nodded in confirmation. "Yes. He also used the Consciousness Skill. I felt an immense dragon energy erupt from within him. It was similar to Void's... but different, stronger than Void's energy."
Ethan fell silent, his face losing its usual color, then muttered heavily, "This information... I never knew it. If what you're saying is true, it changes everything."
He stood up slowly and began pacing the room, thinking aloud, "Only the First Founder can bestow dragons upon worthy heirs. He created the bond between himself and the First Dragon. If Adrian has a dragon... then there must be something I don't know."
Ethan raised his eyes to his disciple and said with a firmness bordering on a decision, "We must ask the First Founder himself. He's the only one who knows the truth."
Saruto rose from the bed despite the pain, his features regaining their former stoicism. "Then there's no time to waste," he said resolutely.
Saruto sat up and slowly closed his eyes, preparing to enter the world of the First Founder. He opened them to find himself in a world entirely different from the previous ones. He looked around until he saw a man walking, a black robe draped over his shoulders, his footsteps leaving a trail of dark energy sparks on the ground. Saruto approached him and said respectfully, "My master… the First Founder."
The man turned, his face serene, his eyes shining with a golden light. He smiled and said, "Saruto… you've been gone from my world for a long time. What brings you here this time?"
They sat together on a large rock overlooking a clear, gently flowing river. Saruto recounted in detail what had happened to him in the world of the Fourth Founder: the fighting, the dark energy, and the dragon that dwells within Adrian. The First Founder's face remained unchanged, but he listened intently to every word. When Saruto finished speaking, the First Founder said calmly, "Yes… his power is immense, and that's no surprise. But he shouldn't have possessed a dragon."
Saruto raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Weren't you the one who gave it to him? Just like you did to me?"
The First Founder smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his smile. "No, Saruto. I didn't give it to him. Adrian wasn't among those who proved worthy of receiving the dragon's soul. He was special, but… he chose another path."
Saruto's heart trembled, and his voice filled with astonishment. "Then how did he get it? A dragon can't possibly incarnate within a single body!"
The First Founder replied in a deep voice, "There are two ways to possess a dragon: to be granted one by me, as happened with you… or to make a pact with a dragon. I believe Adrian chose the second path. Either he made a deal with one of the dragons from the Dragon Kingdom… or he subdued one by force and compelled it to merge with him. In either case… he corrupted the sacred bond between man and dragon."
Saruto remained silent for a moment, gazing at the shimmering river before him, as if the water reflected his own future. He murmured softly, "So… the Fourth Founder didn't receive a dragon from you. He took another path."
The First Founder smiled, his voice as gentle as a warm breeze. "Every Founder chose their own path, Saruto. So choose yours… the one that will set you apart."
Saruto raised his head confidently. "Then this will be a test for me, to see who is stronger, my dragon or his."
The First Founder nodded contentedly. "That's what I wanted to hear from you."