A week passed.
Somehow, in that short amount of time, Kai had gotten used to life in the cave.
It was not comfortable, exactly. The stone floor was hard, the air was damp, and every sound from the forest outside made him wonder if something with too many teeth was wandering nearby.
But it was manageable.
Mostly because of Ember.
Over the past week, Kai had spent nearly every waking hour with her. Since Ember could understand him, communication was easier than he expected. It was still one-sided in a lot of ways, since she could only answer with nods, shakes, tail taps, and dramatic expressions, but Kai learned more than enough.
Ember had run away from home.
She had a mother.
A mother who cared about her.
A mother who, from what Kai could understand, was overprotective, stubborn, and probably terrifying, but not cruel.
That made things complicated.
Because deep down, Kai knew what the right thing was.
Once Ember healed, he needed to help her go home.
Even if that meant losing his first real companion in this world.
Even if that meant losing the perks that came with their bond.
Even if it hurt.
Kai envied her a little.
Ember had someone waiting for her. Someone who worried about her. Someone who had probably spent the last week searching, furious and terrified.
Kai had never had that.
No parent had ever searched for him. No family had ever waited for him to come home. No one had ever cared enough to be overprotective.
So even if Ember had run away because she felt trapped, Kai could not pretend her mother did not matter.
Still, knowing the right thing did not make it easy.
Because Kai had started to care about Ember.
A lot.
She was a fireball of emotions, all curiosity, pride, affection, and chaos packed into one scarlet dragon. She got excited over the smallest things, sulked whenever he left the cave, and acted like his lap was the only proper resting place in the entire world.
And then there was the fifth day.
That was the day everything changed.
Kai had gone out to gather firewood like usual. He was carrying a bundle of branches under one arm when two goblins burst from the bushes to his right.
They moved fast.
Too fast.
One of them lunged before Kai could react, slashing his arm with a rusty little blade.
Pain shot through him.
Blood soaked through his already-tattered shirt.
Kai stumbled back, barely managing to keep his grip on the wood.
Before he could even think about using fire breath, Ember appeared.
One second, Kai was alone.
The next, she was in front of him.
Her eyes burned with pure fury.
The goblins froze.
They had made a mistake.
Ember launched herself at the first one with terrifying precision. Her jaws snapped shut, and the goblin dropped before it could scream.
The second tried to run.
It did not get far.
A burst of flame lit up the forest, and the goblin collapsed a moment later.
Two notifications flashed in front of Kai.
[Ember gained 2 EXP.]
[Ember gained 2 EXP.]
Kai barely noticed them.
Ember turned back to him, and the anger in her eyes vanished instantly.
What replaced it was fear.
Real fear.
She stared at the blood running down his arm as if it was the worst thing she had ever seen. Then she rushed over, grabbed the collar of his shirt in her teeth, and started dragging him back toward the cave.
“Ember,” Kai said, trying not to laugh and wince at the same time, “my arm is the only thing injured. I can walk.”
She ignored him.
“Seriously. I appreciate the rescue, but this is a little unnecessary.”
She dragged him faster.
Kai sighed.
When they reached the cave, she finally let go. Kai sat down, cleaned the cut, and wrapped it with practiced hands. Compared to what he had done for Ember’s wing, this was nothing.
Still, Ember watched every movement intensely.
Kai looked up at her and smiled.
“Thanks, Ember. You saved me back there.”
Her entire body seemed to soften at his words.
After that, Kai started noticing things.
Small things.
The way Ember looked sad whenever he left the cave.
The way she stayed perfectly still whenever he checked her wing, even though he could tell it hurt.
The way she always scooted closer when he sat down, until she ended up half in his lap like an oversized cat with scales.
The way she relaxed whenever she heard his heartbeat.
All those little moments piled up until Kai could no longer pretend this was just an injured animal he had rescued.
They were connected now.
They relied on each other.
And that made what Kai knew he had to do even harder.
A few days later, he decided it was finally time to remove the splint.
Ember sat in front of him, unusually still.
Kai carefully unwrapped the bandages and removed the support from her injured wing. He kept the first aid kit close, ready to rewrap anything if the wound reopened.
But it did not.
The injury had closed.
The swelling had gone down.
The wing still looked tender, but it was no longer broken and helpless against her side.
Kai let out a relieved breath.
“Okay,” he said softly. “Are you ready? Try stretching it slowly.”
Ember nodded.
Then she extended her wing.
Kai stared.
He had seen her wings before, obviously, but never fully spread.
They were beautiful.
Her scarlet scales caught the cave light, and the dark edges of her wings made her look like something born from fire and shadow. Even after days of healing, even with the stiffness in her movements, Ember looked majestic.
Powerful.
Like something that belonged above mountains, not hiding in a cave with a nobody who had a defective system and a shape-shifting stick.
Kai swallowed.
“Wow.”
Ember lifted her head proudly.
Kai smiled.
“Don’t get too full of yourself. We still need to make sure it heals properly.”
Her pride dimmed slightly.
For the next few days, Kai helped her with gentle movement. He had her stretch the wing, fold it, extend it again, and practice small motions without putting too much strain on it.
At first, Ember winced every time.
Kai noticed.
He always noticed.
So he waited.
He did not rush her. He did not let her push herself too hard, no matter how impatient she looked. He checked the wing every day and made sure there was no bleeding, swelling, or sharp pain.
Finally, one morning, he asked the question.
“Do you think you can fly?”
Ember went still.
Then she nodded.
They stepped outside together.
The forest was quiet around them, sunlight filtering through the trees in thin golden lines. Ember walked ahead, flexing her wings carefully.
Kai stood near the cave entrance, his heart pounding harder than he expected.
Ember took a running start.
For one second, she looked back at him.
Then she leapt.
Her wings spread wide.
The air shifted.
And Ember flew.
Kai forgot how to breathe.
She rose above the trees, scarlet body cutting through the sky like a living flame. Her wings moved powerfully, catching the wind as she circled higher and higher.
Kai had never seen anything like it.
He knew, logically, that dragons could fly.
But knowing it and seeing it were two completely different things.
Ember was breathtaking.
She circled once above the clearing, then turned her golden eyes toward him.
Kai immediately recognized the look.
He raised both hands.
“Wait. No. No, no, no.”
Ember tucked her wings slightly.
Kai started laughing.
“Don’t you dare.”
She dared.
Ember dove toward him, fast enough to make his soul briefly reconsider staying in his body. At the last second, she slowed, hit him with just enough force to knock him over, and landed on top of him with obvious satisfaction.
Kai groaned.
“You really are a piece of work, you know that?”
Ember made a sound that Kai was pretty sure was laughter.
Then, before he could sit up, she grabbed the back of his shirt collar in her teeth.
Kai froze.
“Ember.”
She spread her wings.
“Ember, wait.”
She crouched.
“Ember, I swear—”
She took off.
Kai screamed.
Not heroically.
Not bravely.
Just screamed.
The ground dropped away beneath him as Ember carried him into the air. For the first few seconds, Kai was convinced he was about to die again, this time by dragon kidnapping.
Then the fear slowly changed into something else.
The forest stretched endlessly below them, green and gold beneath the morning sun. The mountain rose in the distance, larger than it had looked from the ground. Wind rushed past his face, sharp and cold and alive.
Kai stopped screaming.
He stared.
“Oh,” he whispered.
Ember flew in a wide, careful circle, holding him securely as she carried him above the trees.
Kai’s fear faded into wonder.
For the first time since waking up in this world, he saw more than danger.
He saw beauty.
Eventually, Ember brought him back to the cave and set him down.
Kai stumbled as his feet touched the ground.
Then he dropped to his knees and took a deep breath.
“That was terrifying.”
Ember looked far too pleased with herself.
Kai looked up at her.
“And amazing.”
Her tail thumped once against the ground.
Not long after, Ember curled up inside the cave and fell asleep almost immediately. Flying after so many days of healing had clearly exhausted her, especially after carrying him around like a prize she had stolen.
Kai sat near the fire and watched her sleep.
She looked peaceful.
Happy.
Safe.
And that made the ache in his chest even worse.
Because now he knew for sure.
Ember could fly again.
Which meant she could go home.
Kai leaned back against the cave wall and stared into the fire.
He had done what he set out to do.
He had saved her.
He had helped her heal.
Now came the hard part.
Letting her go.