It took two days for Kai to wake up.
When he finally did, the first thing he noticed was the sky.
Blue.
Open.
Way too bright.
The second thing he noticed was that his entire body felt like it had been trampled by a herd of angry horses.
Kai groaned and slowly sat up.
The world immediately spun.
His stomach twisted, and he doubled over, heaving even though nothing came out.
“Ugh…”
He stayed like that for a while, breathing hard, waiting for the ground to stop moving. His arms shook beneath him. His legs felt useless. Every muscle in his body screamed like it had personally been betrayed.
Then his exhausted brain finally started working.
The goblins.
The poison.
Ember.
Kai’s blood turned cold.
“Ember!”
He forced himself to stand, nearly falling over in the process. His eyes darted around desperately, searching for the only being in this world who had made him feel like he was not completely alone.
“Ember!”
Nothing.
No answering sound.
No flash of red scales.
No golden eyes.
No dragon barreling into him like an oversized dog.
Kai’s breathing grew uneven.
“No…”
He turned in a circle, panic clawing up his throat.
“No, please. Not like this.”
His legs gave out.
Kai collapsed to his knees in the middle of a field of flowers.
For a few seconds, he could not think. He could barely breathe.
The last thing he remembered clearly was seeing Ember surrounded. Hurt. Unable to move. Crying.
After that, everything blurred into rage, blood, red light, and screaming.
Now she was gone.
Maybe he had been too late.
Maybe the goblins had killed her after he passed out.
Maybe they had left him alive because he was not even worth finishing off.
The thought broke something inside him.
Kai lowered his head and sobbed.
He had known Ember for such a short time, but somehow, that made it worse. She had slipped into his life so suddenly that he had not realized how much space she had taken up until the thought of losing her crushed him.
She had been his first companion.
His first real connection in this world.
Maybe his first family.
And now—
Kai wiped his face with a shaking hand.
He looked around properly for the first time.
He was not at the camp.
He was in a quiet field full of flowers, overlooking a clear pond. The grass moved softly in the breeze, and sunlight shimmered across the water.
It was beautiful.
Peaceful.
Completely unfamiliar.
“At least the flowers are nice,” Kai muttered, sniffling. “Ember would’ve liked them.”
That thought nearly made him break down again.
But then something clicked.
Kai went still.
“Wait.”
He looked around again.
“If Ember died and the goblins left me at the camp…”
His eyes narrowed.
“Then how the hell did I get here?”
Nearby, hidden among the branches of a tree, Ember watched him.
Ember POV
He cares.
That was the only thought in my head.
He cares about me.
Kai had screamed my name like the world was ending.
He had woken up weak, shaking, and barely able to stand, and the first thing he thought about was me.
Not himself.
Not the strange field.
Not the danger.
Me.
A tremble ran through my body.
“He cares about me,” I whispered.
The words felt too large for my chest.
I repeated them again and again, barely able to keep still.
“He cares about me. He cares about me. He cares about me.”
My Kai.
My wonderful, foolish, kind Kai.
Part of me wanted to rush down from the tree and comfort him immediately. I wanted to press my head against his chest, listen to his heartbeat, and show him that I was alive.
But another part of me froze in place, overwhelmed by the sight of him crying for me.
No one had ever cried for me before.
Not like that.
Not with that much fear.
Not with that much pain.
It made something warm and dangerous curl inside my chest.
If anyone ever tried to take him from me, I would turn them to ash.
Flashback
When Kai collapsed after saving me from the Rapelins, I thought my heart had stopped.
Rapelins were a vicious strain of goblin. I had studied them during my lessons, though I never thought that knowledge would matter outside a classroom. They were cowardly, cruel little monsters that relied on poison and group attacks to overwhelm prey stronger than themselves.
I hated them.
I hated them more when I realized what they had tried to do.
But all of that vanished the moment Kai fell.
I stumbled toward him, still weak from the poison, and lowered my head to his chest.
He was breathing.
“Haaah…”
Relief rushed through me so strongly that my legs nearly gave out.
Alive.
He was alive.
My Kai was alive.
Then something appeared in front of me.
A strange blue window shimmered in the air.
I instantly placed myself between it and Kai, baring my teeth. He was unconscious. Vulnerable. Mine to protect.
Nothing was allowed to touch him.
But the window did not attack.
It only floated there, following my gaze.
After a few seconds, I noticed words written across it.
Words I could read.
Not in the hyuman language.
In the ancient tongue of dragons.
My eyes narrowed, and I read carefully.
Congratulations!
Dragon, you have been recognized as a potential lifelong companion of the Heavenly Beast Tamer, known to you as Kai.
However, due to the nature of humans and the difference between your species, the chance of forming a stable permanent bond is currently estimated at less than 2%.
A transformation process is available.
This process may increase compatibility and allow you to stand beside the Heavenly Beast Tamer in a more suitable form.
Estimated success chance after transformation: 84%.
Accept?
Y/N
Warning:
This process may permanently alter aspects of your body, instincts, and bond.
I did not finish reading the warning.
My claw hit yes.
Instantly.
There was no need to think.
If this helped me stay beside Kai, then I wanted it.
If this helped me protect him, then I wanted it.
If this meant I would not be left behind, then I wanted it.
A feminine voice sounded inside my head.
[You and your potential bond partner will now be transported to a secure location so the transformation process can begin safely.]
I had no idea what was happening.
I also did not care.
Kai was coming with me.
That was enough.
A blinding light swallowed the world.
When it faded, we were in a field of flowers.
Kai lay unconscious beside me, still breathing softly. The pond nearby reflected the sunlight, and the air smelled clean and safe.
For a brief moment, I allowed myself to relax.
Then the exhaustion hit me all at once.
My body gave out, and everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in the field.
I was in a black void.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No wind.
Just endless darkness stretching in every direction.
In front of me sat a small child wearing a black and red frilly dress. She sat behind a strange wooden table, kicking her feet lightly as if she had been waiting for me.
Her eyes were bright.
Too bright.
She smiled.
“Hello, Ember.”
I lowered my body, wings spreading slightly despite the ache still lingering in them.
“Who are you?”
The child tilted her head.
Then her smile widened.
“Someone who can help you stay with Kai.”
I froze.
The darkness around us suddenly felt much colder.
The child folded her hands on the table.
“But first, we need to talk about what you are willing to become.”
Back in the flower field, Kai slowly stood, still unaware that Ember was watching him from above.
Still unaware that she was alive.
Still unaware that the choice she had made would change both of their lives forever.