The forest was not quiet.

  Itsuki realized that within minutes of walking.

  At first, it had seemed peaceful—leaves stirring softly, distant birds calling, the low rustle of something moving far away. But the longer he paid attention, the more he felt it. A constant presence. Not hostile. Not welcoming.

  Watching.

  The trees towered over him, their trunks wide enough that he couldn’t wrap his arms around them. Moss climbed everything. Vines hung like lazy serpents, and strange flowers bloomed in colors he didn’t have names for. Mana saturated the air so densely it felt like humidity against his skin.

  Any other human would have been crushed by it.

  Itsuki wasn’t.

  “That ache you’re feeling,” Destro said casually from beside him, “is your warning.”

  Itsuki slowed, pressing a hand to his chest. The familiar pressure was there again—not sharp yet, but growing. Like a breath held too long.

  “It’s coming back,” Itsuki muttered.

  “Yes. You’re taking in mana faster than you’re releasing it.” Destro glanced down at him. “If you ignore it, you’ll rupture something vital. Again.”

  Itsuki grimaced. “You say that like it’s normal.”

  “For you? It is now.”

  They stopped near a small clearing where sunlight pooled across the ground. Destro motioned him forward.

  “Stand there. Feet apart. Breathe.”

  Itsuki did.

  “Mana flows through intent,” Destro explained. “You don’t force it out. You let it go. Like opening a clenched fist.”

  Itsuki focused. He imagined the pressure inside him loosening, the excess slipping away.

  The air shimmered.

  A ripple spread outward, subtle but undeniable. Leaves rustled as if brushed by an unseen wind.

  Itsuki staggered, but didn’t fall.

  “There,” Destro said approvingly. “Crude. Inelegant. Effective.”

  Itsuki huffed. “Thanks.”

  They moved on.

  As they explored, Itsuki began to understand where they were. This wasn’t just a forest—it was a boundary. Mana twisted here differently, thick and wild. Destro confirmed it with a shrug.

  “The Great Border Forest,” he said. “It separates lands that should not easily touch. Humans to the south. Demons beyond the deeper ranges. Monsters everywhere.”

  Itsuki swallowed. “So… if we stay here…”

  “No one will come looking,” Destro finished. “Not willingly.”

  That settled something in Itsuki’s chest.

  He stopped near a stream, watching clear water flow over smooth stones. For the first time since waking, he let himself think.

  “I can’t go back,” he said quietly.

  Destro didn’t interrupt.

  “They’ll hunt you,” Itsuki continued. “They’ll hunt us. And even if they didn’t… I don’t know what’s left.”

  The faces of Maribel. Caldus. Aislin.

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  The city burning.

  “I need time,” Itsuki said. “To get stronger. To understand this. To understand me.”

  Destro studied him, golden eyes unreadable.

  “Then we remain,” the dragon said at last. “Until you decide otherwise.”

  Itsuki nodded.

  The decision wasn’t brave.

  It was necessary.

  They hadn’t gone much farther when Destro suddenly stopped.

  Itsuki felt it too.

  Movement.

  Not the careless motion of animals—but intent. Controlled. Alert.

  “Someone’s coming,” Itsuki whispered.

  “Yes,” Destro said, lips curling into a grin. “And they noticed you first.”

  From between the trees, figures emerged.

  Tall. Broad-shouldered. Covered in fur and leather armor. Spears and curved blades gleamed in the filtered light. Their eyes were sharp, animal, fixed squarely on Itsuki.

  Cobalts. He had read about all sorts of species in the capital. Never did he think it would come in handy now.

  At their head stood a young warrior with striking orange fur and storm-gray eyes. His stance was protective, body angled subtly between Itsuki and the rest of the group.

  “We felt a surge,” the warrior said, voice low and wary. “Enough to shake the forest.”

  His gaze flicked briefly to Destro—then snapped back, tense.

  “We came to see if the danger had a source.”

  Itsuki swallowed, heart pounding.

  Behind him, Destro chuckled.

  “Well,” the dragon murmured, “it seems you’ve made an impression.”

  Itsuki took a breath, feeling the forest hold still.

  And stepped forward.

  The cobalts reacted instantly.

  Spears shifted. Claws tightened around leather grips. A low growl rippled through the hunting party, not quite hostile—but ready.

  One of them snorted, ears flicking back. “It’s just two humans,” he said dismissively, voice rough and sharp. “Whatever we felt, it couldn’t have been them. Let’s deal with it and move on.”

  Before anyone else could react, the young cobalt at the front spun on him.

  “Shut up,” he snapped.

  The word cracked like a whip.

  The others froze.

  The leader’s orange hair bristled along his neck as he took a careful step forward, eyes never leaving Destro. His grip on his spear loosened—not in surrender, but in respect.

  “Lower your weapons,” he ordered quietly.

  Confusion flickered through the group.

  “I said lower them.”

  One by one, the spears dipped. The growls faded.

  Then, to Itsuki’s shock, the young cobalt dropped to one knee.

  The rest followed.

  Itsuki’s breath caught. “W–wait, you don’t have to—”

  The cobalt bowed his head deeply. “Ancient Flame,” he said, voice steady despite the tension trembling through his body. “Forgive our ignorance. We did not recognize you at first.”

  Itsuki blinked.

  Ancient Flame?

  Destro sighed, clearly unimpressed. “Still using titles instead of names,” he muttered. “How nostalgic.”

  The cobalt stiffened.

  Itsuki swallowed and stepped forward again, heart hammering. “Um—so can anyone explain what's going on?”

  Every cobalt’s head snapped up.

  They stared at him.

  “You… speak?” the leader asked slowly.

  Itsuki hesitated. Then nodded. “I do. I mean—yes. I can understand you.”

  A murmur tore through the kneeling hunters.

  “That’s impossible,” someone whispered.

  Destro laughed. “It is now.”

  He rested a hand lightly on Itsuki’s shoulder.

  “You share my pact,” the dragon said, voice carrying easily through the clearing. “Which means you share my tongue.”

  The clearing went deathly still.

  The young cobalt’s eyes widened as realization struck.

  “…Master,” he breathed.

  Itsuki flinched. “Please don’t call me that.”

  Destro grinned. “You’ll get used to it.”

  The cobalt lowered his head again, this time to Itsuki.

  “If you truly command an ancient dragon,” he said carefully, “then you are no ordinary human.”

  He straightened, resolve settling into his posture.

  “We humbly ask to take you to our village to meet our chief.”

  Itsuki exhaled slowly, nerves buzzing beneath his skin.

  “That would be… good,” he said.

  Destro’s smile widened as he looked past the cobalts, deeper into the forest.

  “Congratulations,” the dragon murmured. “You’ve just gained yourself some subjects.”

  Itsuki stopped short. “Subjects?!”

  Destro glanced back at him, amused. “A manner of speaking.”

  “No, it’s not,” Itsuki shot back, flustered as he hurried to keep up. “I am not ruling anyone.”

  A low chuckle rumbled from Destro’s chest. “You really are hopeless,” he said fondly. “But that too—you’ll get used to.”

  “Stop saying that!” Itsuki protested, even as he followed after him into the waiting forest.