The night before the tournament was strangely calm.
Leo, Lily, Chen Wei, and Yuna sat together after training, the air still heavy with exhaustion.
Three days of brutal training had ended, but something felt… off.
Chen Wei was quiet.
Too quiet.
His usual sarcasm was gone. His eyes stared at nothing, unfocused, as if listening to a voice no one else could hear.
Yuna noticed first.
"Chen Wei…?" she asked softly.
"You okay?"
Chen Wei clenched his fist.
Inside him, his Chinese Water Dragon Spirit stirred—
not violently, but heavily, like a deep ocean pulling downward.
Come,
a low voice echoed in his mind.
Follow the flow.
Chen Wei's breath slowed unnaturally.
"No…" he whispered under his breath.
Leo frowned. "What did you say?"
Chen Wei suddenly stood up.
"I'll be back," he said flatly.
"Just… going to the market for a bit."
Before anyone could stop him, he turned and walked away.
Yuna felt a chill run down her spine.
Something was wrong.
🌊 The Call of the Water
The moment Chen Wei stepped out of sight, the Water Dragon's voice grew louder.
You are changing.
This training was not meant for you.
If you continue… you and Leo will both drift toward darkness.
Chen Wei broke into a run.
His feet moved faster than thought, as if guided by instinct alone.
Streets blurred past him. The night wind cut against his face.
"Stop controlling me…" he muttered.
But the pull didn't stop.
Before he realized it, he stood near the edge of the sea.
The shore was crowded—people laughing, swimming, unaware.
No one noticed Chen Wei standing still, eyes locked on the dark water.
Jump,
the spirit commanded.
Or you will be consumed.
Chen Wei's fists trembled.
This wasn't a desire to die.
It was fear.
Fear of becoming something he couldn't control.
"I couldn't help Leo enough…" he thought.
"I couldn't grow fast enough…"
"Yuna… I'm sorry."
His body moved before his mind could protest.
He stepped forward—
—and the water swallowed him.
🌊 Not an End — A Passage
The sea closed over his head.
Cold.
Silent.
But instead of sinking into darkness, Chen Wei felt movement—
as if the water itself was carrying him somewhere else.
His consciousness faded.
🏝 The Island Beyond
When Chen Wei opened his eyes, he was no longer in the ocean.
He lay on warm stone.
The sound of waves was gentle now, rhythmic.
Above him stretched a clear sky.
He sat up.
"This place…" he whispered.
A small island stood in the middle of endless water.
And in front of him—
A man.
An old monk, dressed simply, holding a wooden staff.
His presence was calm, yet overwhelming.
"I've been waiting for you," the monk said.
Chen Wei froze. "You know me?"
The monk smiled faintly.
"If you had arrived even a little later," he said, "your Water Dragon would have been corrupted completely."
Chen Wei's eyes widened.
"…So I was right."
The monk turned, walking slowly toward the center of the island.
"Come," he said.
"We don't have much time."
🐉 The Truth of the Water Dragon
As they walked, the monk spoke calmly.
"Water is gentle," he said.
"But when mixed with fear, it becomes drowning."
Chen Wei clenched his teeth.
"My spirit… it's changing me."
The monk nodded.
"Because you are resisting instead of fusing."
He stopped.
In one smooth motion, the monk raised his hand.
Water gathered in the air, spinning tightly—
—and then shot forward like a bullet, tearing through a thick stone slab behind them.
Chen Wei's eyes widened in shock.
"Water… like that?"
The monk looked back at him.
"You must learn this."
He placed his hand on Chen Wei's chest.
"No matter what," he said firmly, "within two days, you must learn to fuse with your Water Dragon."
"Or it will fuse with you… and erase who you are."
Chen Wei swallowed hard.
Then he bowed deeply.
"…Teach me."
The monk smiled.
"Good," he said. "Becoming a Legendary Water Spirit Master begins now."
🌙 Ending Note
Far away, Leo suddenly felt uneasy—
a faint disturbance in the flow of power.
Lily placed a hand on her stomach without realizing it.
Yuna looked toward the sea, her chest tight with worry.
Something had begun.
And Chen Wei's path had just diverged.
END OF CHAPTER 34