Having acquired a divine weapon vastly boosted Victor Moore’s sense of security.
Yet he remained acutely aware that his personal martial prowess was still miniscule in this world fraught with peril.
His ultimate weapon would always be the silver dragon growing rapidly at his side.
How could he combine man and dragon so their combined strength was greater than the sum of its parts?
There was only one answer: complete unity.
He needed a true dragon saddle—an exoskeleton harness system that would allow him and Comet to achieve flawless synchronization and seamless control during high-speed aerial combat.
“You can’t just treat me as a passenger forever, Comet.
We need to become one,” Victor whispered, stroking the dragon’s increasingly formidable metallic hide as he conveyed his thoughts through their mental link.
Comet nudged Victor with his massive head, purring in agreement.
Having just finished forging his weapon, Victor didn’t pause for a moment before plunging into this brand-new project: the design and fabrication of a multifunctional battle harness tailored specifically for the Heavenly Comet Dragon.
In this world, dragon saddles were laughable excuses for equipment—a wooden seat strapped onto a dragon’s back with a few leather thongs.
In Victor’s eyes, such a primitive contraption would send a rider flying at speeds over a hundred kilometers per hour, to say nothing of supersonic maneuvers.
What he intended to design was a revolutionary system drawing inspiration from modern fighter jet ejection seats and dressage saddles.
Step one: data collection.
He had Comet lie flat on the ground.
Using a flexible vine and a few pieces of charcoal, Victor began taking the most precise measurements of the dragon’s back.
Curvature of the spine…
shoulder blade range of motion…
contraction limits of the wing-root muscle groups…
core energy transmission pathways across the lumbar and abdominal regions…
Technical terms fell from his lips one after another.
He wasn’t merely taking dimensions; he was performing a biomechanical analysis.
His goal was to identify the most secure attachment points and the most aerodynamic airflow channels without hindering any of Comet’s tactical movements.
Step two: blueprint design.
The cave floor became his drafting board once more.
The schematics he drew this time were far more intricate and precise than those for the bellows.
He decided to forge the saddle’s structural frame from the remaining Valyrian steel.
Only this ultra-lightweight, ultra-high-strength divine metal could endure supersonic G-forces without burdening Comet with extra weight.
He designed the seat as a semi-enclosed bucket structure, similar to a racing car seat, providing ample support for his lower back and spine during high-G maneuvers.
Most crucial of all was the restraint system.
Scrapping simple leather straps, he engineered a complex harness reminiscent of modern climbing gear.
This harness would not only anchor the seat firmly to Comet’s back, but through several key quick-release buckles, it would tightly lock Victor, the saddle, and Comet together as a single cohesive unit.
He even took the design a step further by adding stirrup locking mechanisms.
Once in combat mode, his boots could lock directly into the stirrups, freeing his hands entirely.
Step three: construction.
The incandescent geothermal fire roared once more.
Victor cast all the remaining Valyrian steel into the furnace.
This time, he forged no sharp blades, but a series of resilient, custom-curved metal ribs and spars.
Wrapping the framework in the softest dragon leather salvaged from the vault, he stitched the harness and seat together using beast tendons.
Comet participated throughout the entire process.
At times he lay down to let Victor measure fittings against his back; at others, he exhaled tiny wisps of dragon flame to help Victor soften the metal.
Through this shared labor, the unspoken bond between man and dragon reached an unprecedented height.
When the final safety buckle was snapped into place, a formidable saddle—a synthesis of futuristic science fiction and classical dark fantasy—was finally born.
“Come on, pal, let’s try out your new gear.” Together, Victor and Comet fitted the intricate saddle onto the dragon’s back.
Not a fraction off; it fit perfectly.
Taking a deep breath, Victor stepped onto Comet’s leg armor and swung cleanly into the saddle.
He fastened every safety harness, slipped his boots into the stirrups, and pressed down lightly.
The locking mechanism engaged with a crisp click.
Instantly, an unprecedented sensation washed over him.
He felt as though he were no longer merely riding a dragon, but growing directly out of Comet’s body.
Every breath Comet took, every rise and fall of his muscles, transmitted clearly through the saddle’s frame directly into Victor’s body.
*How does it feel?* Victor asked through their mental link.
*Very comfortable.
Like a new layer of scales,* Comet replied, his thoughts brimming with novelty and delight.
“Great!
Then…
takeoff!” At Victor’s command, Comet let out a resonant roar.
With a violent thrust of his wings, he shot out of the furnace cave like an arrow loosed from a bow, soaring straight into the clouds!
This flight experience was entirely different from before.
Victor’s body was held immovably in the seat.
Even as Comet executed a near-ninety-degree vertical climb, Victor remained as stable as a mountain.
“Left barrel roll!” Understanding instantly, Comet spun his massive body deftly in midair.
Though the world spun wildly before Victor’s eyes, his body was cradled firmly by the saddle, completely free from the risk of being thrown off.
“Dive!
Then pull up hard!” Comet plunged headlong toward the earth from high altitude.
Just as they were about to strike the ground, he snapped his wings open, executing a magnificent V-shaped pull-up back into the sky!
A massive surge of G-force struck them instantly.
In the past, Victor’s bones would have snapped under the strain.
But now, the saddle’s semi-enclosed bucket structure distributed the pressure evenly across his entire body.
Victor laughed aloud in the howling wind—a roar of genuine pride and freedom that belonged to a true knight.
An entirely new dragon rider from another world was officially born above the ruins of Valyria!
When the test flight ended, they returned to the furnace cave.
As Victor unbuckled the harness to make a few minor adjustments, his gaze was drawn to an object sitting in the corner.
It was the ingot of Valyrian steel that had accidentally fallen into the depths of the geothermal fire during the forging process, later retrieved by Comet.
Curious, he walked over and picked it up.
The instant he felt it, he froze.
The ingot felt slightly warmer than the others.
Looking closer, he realized that the flowing patterns on its surface appeared to be…
moving.
It was an extremely slow, rhythmic pulse, like the heartbeat of a living creature.
Victor’s heart skipped a beat as he recalled the frantic final pages of Master Gaemon’s journal.
*Living metal…* Understanding dawned on him immediately.
Deep within the immortal geothermal fire, this ingot had undergone an extraordinary reaction with Comet’s dragon energy and unknown subterranean forces, causing its internal structure to evolve toward a living state!
He had caught a glimpse of a possibility—the potential to create a divine miracle.
Treating the unique ingot like the priceless treasure it was, Victor carefully wrapped it in animal hide and stored it close to his chest.
He stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and looked out at the eternal purple sky beyond.
Weapon: check.
Mount: check.
A direction for future advanced technology: check.
He ran a hand over the greyscale on his leg, which had ceased spreading, feeling the power surging within him and an unprecedented wave of confidence.
Next came finding supplies and curing this greyscale.
“It’s time,” he muttered to himself.
“I’ve had enough of this godforsaken place.” His gaze pierced through layers of toxic clouds and ruined stone, looking far toward the distant, vibrant, and unknown East.