The warehouse shook as if the earth beneath it were trying to tear itself apart. Dust blasted from every crack and shattered window, swirling violently around the pillar of red light that enveloped Ren. The air itself distorted, bending under the force radiating from him.
Sora shielded his face with his forearm, boots skidding across the floor as the shockwaves intensified. This can't be happening, he though. He's not trained. He can't control it.
Operatives were thrown back like rag dolls, crashing into walls and crates. Even the Red Serpent warriors staggered, their stances broken by the violent pulses erupting from Ren's body.
The Triad enforcer, however, only grinned wider—like a zealot witnessing divinity.
"YES! SHOW US YOUR BIRTHRIGHT!" he roared, spreading his arms as though welcoming the apocalypse.
The red runes spiraled faster around Ren's body. The Wooden Dragon, clutched to his chest, glowed so brightly it looked almost molten. Ren's scream tore through the warehouse—as much from fear as from the sheer overload of energy burning through his veins.
Yui tried to reach him, reaching out through the gale of heat and force.
"Ren!" she cried. "Ren, listen to me—you're still here! Stay with us!"
But her voice dissolved into the storm.
Inside the Seal
From Ren's perspective, the world had vanished.
He stood suspended inside a vast, crimson void—like floating inside an ocean of molten glass. The heat was unbearable. His chest felt like it might rip open from the pressure building inside him.
And then—in the red horizon—he saw it.
A massive, shadowed shape curled around itself like a sleeping storm. A dragon. The same one he had seen in the vision before. But now, it was closer. More defined. Its scales shimmered with fire. Its breath was like rolling thunder.
Its eyes opened.
Two blazing furnaces of red and gold focused directly on him.
Ren stumbled backward, heart plummeting.
"Y-you again…"
The dragon's voice reverberated inside his bones.
"You attempt to wield my power."
Ren clutched his chest, breath ragged. "I-I don't want to wield anything! I just— I want to survive!"
The dragon slowly uncoiled, its full form revealing itself—a colossus of living fire and ancient malice.
"Survival requires strength."
Ren shook his head, tears forming from the light and heat stinging his eyes.
"I'm not meant for this. I'm not a leader. I'm not a warrior. I'm just—"
"A child," the dragon finished.
"A child born from a bloodline that once forged empires."
Ren froze.
"A child chosen by your grandfather to inherit my Seal because he knew…"
The dragon lowered its massive head.
"…you would awaken me."
The red firestorm surged. Ren staggered.
"Stop—please! This is too much!"
The dragon's jaw opened slightly, releasing a deep growl that shook the void.
"Then prove you are worthy of the First Gate."
Ren felt an invisible force crush into his chest—like a tidal wave of molten fire slamming into him.
He screamed—
—and the world snapped back.
Back in the Warehouse
Ren's body convulsed violently. Red patterns carved themselves into the floor around him—ancient, primal, pulsing like veins. The Wooden Dragon melted into red ash, swirling into his palms, then into his arms, burning glowing trails up to his shoulders.
Kaito grabbed a metal beam to keep from being thrown across the room. "This is INSANE! He's gonna bring the whole building down!"
Yui, eyes wide with fear and awe, stared at Ren's silhouette inside the blinding light.
"He's… transforming…"
Sora's voice was grim. "No. He's being tested."
Red Serpent warriors, despite their fanatic loyalty, began stepping back at last. Even they sensed something divine—and dangerous—unfolding.
The enforcer, though, stood his ground.
"OPEN IT!" he bellowed. "OPEN THE FIRST GATE AND SHOW THE WORLD YOUR POWER, HEIR OF LONGWEI!"
Ren heard him—dimly, through layers of roaring energy.
His eyes snapped open.
They were no longer glowing red.
They were burning.
Twin streaks of molten gold and crimson.
And the Seal answered.
The First Gate — Dragon's Pulse
Ren exhaled—and the red light condensed instantly, collapsing inward like a dying star before erupting outward in a shockwave that vaporised the nearest crates.
A deep, resonant pulse tore through the warehouse—an invisible force rippling out from Ren like a heartbeat amplified a thousand times.
BAM.
BAM.
BAM.
Every pulse shook the entire building.
Windows exploded.
Beams cracked.
Ceramic shattered.
Metal twisted like soft clay.
The operatives were thrown to the ground, groaning.
Red Serpents were knocked flat, clutching their heads as the pressure hammered their skulls.
Sora dropped to one knee, jaw clenched in pain.
He's actually doing it… He's unlocking a Gate without training…
Only one man remained standing.
The Triad enforcer.
He dug his heels into the ground, muscles bulging, veins rising like cords on his skin.
His grin widened.
"YES! THE DRAGON'S PULSE! SHOW ME MORE!"
Ren didn't hear him.
Another pulse blasted out.
And another.
And another.
Until—
The enforcer began cracking.
Tiny red fissures spread across his forearms, like lightning burns.
For the first time—
the fanatic's eyes flickered with fear.
Ren slowly raised his head, chest heaving.
The aura around him steadied into a controlled burn—like a furnace brought under command.
The storm began to quiet.
Everyone stared in stunned silence as the red light finally dimmed.
The Seal had accepted Ren.
He had survived the trial of the First Gate.
But the boy standing in the center of the warehouse was no longer the same Ren they knew.
He straightened, eyes cold, posture steady.
For the first time—
he wasn't trembling.
He wasn't running.
He looked powerful.
Awakened.
And horribly alone.
The World Holds Its Breath
The Triad enforcer slowly lowered his arms, chest heaving.
"…You passed."
His voice was hoarse, reverent, and almost fearful.
"The Seal acknowledges you. You truly are the Heir."
Ren looked at him calmly.
And the enforcer—
the war titan of the Red Serpent Brotherhood—
actually stepped back.
Sora finally rose to his feet.
"Ren… what did you do?"
Ren swallowed.
"I didn't choose this power…"
His voice shook with exhaustion and dread.
"…but it chose me."
The warehouse groaned, roof beginning to collapse from the damage.
Kaito yelled, "Guys—we need to MOVE!"
The Triad enforcer lifted a hand, signaling his warriors.
"Retreat. The Heir must not die here."
Sora grabbed Ren's arm.
"We're leaving. Now."
Yui took Ren's other arm, supporting him as his strength drained rapidly.
The battle had ceased.
Everyone—Council, Serpents, Ren's friends—escaped the collapsing warehouse from different exits.
And as the building caved in behind them, dust rising into the evening sky like smoke from a funeral pyre…
Ren looked down at his trembling hands.
Through the fear, exhaustion, and confusion, one truth echoed:
This was only the first gate.
The next ones…
would be far more dangerous.
And they would not let him survive easily.