Over the next few weeks, Kai worked as hard as he could to help Ember readjust to using her wings.
At first, they stayed close to the cave. Ember practiced short glides, wing stretches, and careful takeoffs while Kai watched for any sign of pain or strain. But after three days, the cave started to feel too small for both of them.
Ember needed open air.
Kai needed to stop feeling like every shadow outside the entrance was waiting to eat him.
So they left.
Together.
They traveled through the forest slowly at first, stopping often so Ember could rest her wing. Their days became a simple routine: walk, train, fight, eat, sleep, repeat.
It should have been boring.
It probably would have been boring, if they had not learned how to communicate.
Sure, Ember still could not speak to him in words, but they had gotten good at understanding each other. Nods, head shakes, tail taps, wing movements, dramatic looks—Ember had a whole language of expressions, and Kai was slowly learning to read them.
They talked constantly.
Or at least, Kai talked constantly.
Ember listened, answered when she could, and made it very clear when she thought he was being stupid.
Every day they spent together made Kai less certain about the decision waiting ahead of him.
He still believed Ember should go home.
Her mother was alive. Her mother cared. Her mother was probably worried sick.
Kai knew that.
But Ember had started to feel like something he had never truly had before.
Family.
Not the fake kind people talked about when they wanted orphanage kids to behave. Not the temporary kind that came with pity and paperwork.
Real family.
Someone who stayed.
Someone who worried.
Someone who protected him.
And Ember clearly did not mind being with him. If anything, she seemed happiest when they were together.
That made everything harder.
It also helped that Ember was getting stronger.
During that week of constant fighting, her experience steadily climbed. Goblins, trolls, and ogres kept appearing, and Ember tore through them with terrifying efficiency.
Goblins seemed to give around five experience.
Trolls gave fifteen.
Ogres gave twenty.
By the end of the week, Ember had gone from 0/200 to 130/200.
Which meant they had fought a lot.
Kai had also started changing.
At first, killing monsters disturbed him. Even goblins, ugly and vicious as they were, still looked alive enough to make his stomach twist.
But the more he saw, the less sympathy he had.
Goblins were cruel little creatures. They attacked in groups, used poison, and seemed to enjoy hurting anything weaker than themselves. After seeing enough of them, Kai stopped hesitating.
His first real fight happened near the end of Ember’s rehabilitation.
They had made camp with their backs against a steep cliff face. It was not perfect, but it protected them from one side, which was better than nothing.
Ember had fallen asleep early, exhausted from flying practice and several fights during the day.
Kai took the night watch.
At first, he stayed alert.
Then the hours dragged on.
The fire crackled softly. The forest rustled around him. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier until he caught himself nearly falling asleep where he sat.
That was when he heard something.
A faint noise from the underbrush to his left.
Kai blinked slowly.
His sleep-deprived brain tried to convince him it was probably a squirrel.
Then he remembered something important.
He was not on Earth anymore.
And he had not seen a single squirrel since arriving in this world.
That woke him up a little.
Kai stood carefully and looked around the camp.
Nothing seemed wrong at first.
Then he turned toward Ember.
His blood ran cold.
She was awake.
But she was not moving.
A shallow cut marked her left leg, and around her stood four goblins holding daggers coated in a foul-smelling purple liquid. Another goblin lay dead nearby, its head twisted at an impossible angle.
Kai understood the situation in pieces.
The dead goblin must have attacked first.
Ember had killed it on instinct.
But not before it landed a hit.
The poison on the blade had done something to her.
She was conscious, but paralyzed.
Unable to fight.
Unable to flee.
A tear slid down her face.
Something inside Kai snapped.
The goblins crept closer, their mouths stretched into ugly grins as they raised their blades.
Kai’s vision went red.
Two notifications appeared in front of him.
Class Skill Unlocked!
Would you like to read it?
Y/N
Class Skill Unlocked!
Would you like to read it?
Y/N
Kai did not see them.
Or if he did, he did not care.
He screamed.
The sound ripped out of him raw and furious, echoing against the cliff face and tearing through the quiet forest.
The goblins froze.
Kai’s brown eyes darkened.
A deep red glow bled into his irises, spreading until his stare looked almost inhuman. At the same time, a faint red mist burst from his body and expanded outward, forming a wide dome around the camp.
The air changed.
Heavy.
Cold.
Wrong.
The goblins trembled.
For the first time, their confidence cracked.
Another notification flashed.
Host has used Extreme Fear Aura.
Cost: 15 MP
Mana: 5/20
Kai ignored that one too.
The brief hesitation was all he needed.
He lunged forward.
The first goblin barely had time to turn before Kai reached it. He grabbed its neck with both hands and twisted with everything he had.
Crack.
The goblin dropped.
Kai did not stop.
He hurled the body at the second goblin with enough force to knock it off its feet. Before it could recover, Kai grabbed his training weapon from his inventory, shifted it into an axe, and brought it down.
The second goblin stopped moving.
The remaining two shrieked and stumbled backward.
Kai smiled.
It was not a kind smile.
He could feel the adrenaline burning through him, hot and wild and terrifyingly good. His fear was gone. His hesitation was gone.
All that remained was rage.
They had hurt Ember.
They had made her cry.
That was enough.
The third goblin rushed him, dagger raised.
Kai shifted the weapon into a spear and drove it forward.
The goblin fell.
The last one turned to run.
Kai’s fire breath caught it in the back.
The forest lit orange for a moment.
Then everything went quiet.
Kai stood in the center of the camp, breathing hard, red fading slowly from his eyes.
For a few seconds, he did not move.
Then he heard Ember make a weak sound behind him.
The rage vanished instantly.
“Ember!”
Kai dropped the weapon and ran to her side.
Her body was still trembling, but she could move her head now. Her golden eyes locked onto him, wide and shining.
“I’m here,” Kai said quickly. “You’re okay. They’re gone.”
Ember made another soft sound.
Kai checked the cut on her leg, forcing himself to focus. The wound was shallow, but the poison was the real problem. He grabbed his first aid kit and cleaned the injury as best he could, wiping away the purple residue before wrapping the cut tightly.
“Stay with me,” he whispered. “Come on. You’re stronger than this.”
Ember blinked slowly.
Then her tail twitched.
Kai nearly collapsed from relief.
“Good. That’s good.”
Ember’s breathing steadied little by little. Whatever poison the goblins had used was wearing off, though it clearly left her weak and dizzy.
As she recovered, her gaze never left Kai.
She had seen him.
Seen the rage.
Seen what he became when she was in danger.
And instead of fear, something fierce and warm filled her eyes.
Ember slowly lifted her head and pressed it against his chest.
Kai froze.
Then he wrapped his arms around her as carefully as he could.
“You scared me,” he muttered.
Her tail curled weakly around his leg.
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
Then Ember shifted.
Her eyes glowed faintly, not gold this time, but a deep, ancient red. A low rumble rose in her throat, soft but powerful, like a vow spoken in a language older than words.
Kai did not understand what she was doing.
But the air around them seemed to respond.
A warm mark briefly appeared across Ember’s underbelly, glowing like molten fire before fading back beneath her scales.
A notification appeared behind Kai.
Hidden Side Quest Complete!
Companion Status Updated: Ember
New Status Buff Gained:
Mark of the Ancients
Description:
Through a sacred dragon rite passed down through generations, your companion has invoked an ancient vow of loyalty and protection.
Reward:
Transform Skill — Legendary Grade Unlocked!
Would you like to read it?
Y/N
Kai did not see it.
His body finally realized how much mana, fear, rage, and adrenaline he had burned through all at once.
His vision blurred.
“Oh,” he mumbled.
Then he fell backward.
Ember caught him before his head hit the ground.
For a few seconds, she simply stared at him.
Her Kai.
The hyuman who had saved her.
The one who gave her a name.
The one who had become terrifying for her sake.
She lowered her head and breathed in his familiar scent, letting it calm the last of the poison and fear still clinging to her body.
Then she gently picked him up by the back of his shirt and carried him away from the camp.
The fire still crackled behind them.
The goblins were dead.
Kai was safe.
And Ember had made her choice.
Wherever Kai went, she would follow.