Episode 15 — The Veyrox Family Arrives
Drako stared across the arena at the silver symbol divided into six sections. He had never seen it before, but the reaction from everyone around him made it obvious that it carried weight. Students whispered among themselves. Even several instructors were watching the newcomer carefully. Adrian leaned closer. “That’s definitely the Veyrox Family crest.” Drako kept his eyes on the young man. He looked around their age, with dark silver hair, calm gray eyes, and a training sword attached to his back. Unlike Kaien, he wasn’t surrounded by guards or showing off his power. He simply stood alone, studying the tournament board. “What’s special about the Veyrox Family?” Drako asked. Adrian stared at him. “Seriously?” “You did this when I asked about the Green Family too.” “Because somehow you know nothing about families everybody else knows.” Drako shrugged. “I’ve been busy surviving.” Adrian lowered his voice. “The Veyrox Family has one of the most dangerous abilities among humanity. They can copy other people’s abilities.” Drako’s expression changed. “Copy them?” “Temporarily. A normal Veyrox can maintain up to five copied abilities at the same time, and the copies last around twenty-four hours.” Drako looked back toward the student. Five abilities sounded dangerous enough. Someone capable of selecting the right five before a battle could completely change their fighting style every day. “And who’s that?” Drako asked. Adrian checked his device. “His name is Draxen Veyrox” The information stopped loading. Adrian frowned. “That’s strange.” “What?” “Most of his profile is restricted.” Drako smiled slightly. “Looks like I’m not the only person with secrets.”
Draxen suddenly turned his head. His eyes met Drako’s from across the arena. For several seconds neither moved. Drako felt Dragon Blood Vision react instinctively, but he didn’t activate it. Draxen gave him a small nod before turning back toward the board. Kaien appeared beside Drako. “Don’t underestimate him.” Drako looked at his Phoenix rival. “You know him?” “I know the family.” Kaien’s usual confidence was still there, but his tone had changed. “The Veyrox aren’t famous because they copy abilities. They’re famous because they know which abilities to copy.” Drako understood immediately. Five random powers might not work together, but five carefully selected abilities could create a terrifying combination. Kaien continued. “And Draxen isn’t normal even by their standards.” Before Drako could ask what he meant, the tournament announcement interrupted them. [SECOND QUALIFIER WILL BEGIN IN TEN MINUTES.] [128 competitors. One-on-one elimination. 64 advance.] Drako checked his opponent: Taren Vol — Level 3 — Rank 97. Draxen’s name was on another section of the bracket. Kaien was farther away. Mira, Raizen, and Adrian had also avoided one another. “Good,” Drako said. “Nobody has to eliminate a friend yet.” Raizen heard him. “Eventually that might change.” Drako looked at him. “Then eventually we’ll deal with it.”
Drako’s match was seventh. Taren entered carrying a long chain wrapped around both arms. When the referee signaled the beginning, Taren immediately threw one end toward Drako. The chain suddenly split into three separate sections. Drako activated Blood Sense and moved aside. Another chain came from behind. Dragon Scales appeared across his shoulder. CLANG! The chain wrapped around his arm. Taren smiled. “Got you.” Blue energy traveled through the metal. Drako felt his arm becoming heavy. [Movement restriction detected.] Taren pulled. Drako slid forward. “My chains absorb physical momentum,” Taren explained. “The harder you pull, the heavier they become.” Drako stopped resisting. Taren frowned. “What?” Crimson energy appeared around Drako’s legs. Blood Step. He disappeared. The chain dropped because Drako had transformed his trapped arm just enough to narrow its shape for a fraction of a second before returning it to normal. Taren barely had time to turn. Drako appeared behind him but didn’t attack. Instead, he activated Dragon Blood Vision. Gold and crimson filled his eyes. Energy flowed through Taren’s body and into the chains. The chains weren’t producing the ability. Taren was feeding energy into them through his palms. “There.” Taren attacked again. Drako dodged the first chain, blocked the second with Dragon Scales, then grabbed the third. Taren smiled. “Bad idea.” Energy rushed toward Drako’s hand. Drako released the chain and used Blood Step. He appeared directly beside Taren and struck his wrist with controlled Dragon Strength. Taren’s energy connection broke. The chains fell. Drako swept his leg and stopped a scaled fist beside Taren’s chest. The referee raised his hand. “Winner: Drako!” [Qualification successful.] [64 competitors remaining.] Drako helped Taren stand. “Good ability.” Taren rubbed his wrist. “You figured it out too quickly.” Drako’s eyes returned to normal. “I’m getting better at that.”
Instead of leaving, Drako joined his friends to watch the remaining matches. Mira won using speed and her blades without revealing whatever secret ability she was hiding. Adrian nearly lost before using two drones to redirect his opponent into an arena trap. Raizen’s fight lasted less than thirty seconds. He drew his sword only once. His opponent’s weapon broke, and the match ended. Drako stared at him. “He’s been holding back.” Mira smiled. “Obviously.” Then Draxen’s name appeared. The arena became noticeably quieter. His opponent was a Level 4 student named Garrick whose ability allowed him to generate powerful wind currents. Garrick attacked immediately. A compressed blast of air flew toward Draxen. Draxen stepped aside. Another blast followed. Draxen dodged again without drawing his sword. Garrick became annoyed. “Fight back!” Wind gathered around his arms. Draxen finally raised one hand. For a second, nothing happened. Then wind appeared around Draxen’s fingers. Drako leaned forward. “He copied it already?” Adrian nodded slowly. “Looks like it.” Garrick’s expression changed. “When did you—” Draxen released a wind blast. Garrick blocked, but Draxen was already moving. His speed suddenly increased beyond anything he had shown before. “That’s another ability,” Drako said. Kaien stood nearby. “Exactly.”
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Draxen appeared beside Garrick and struck him with a fist covered in stone. A third ability. Garrick flew backward. Before he landed, Draxen raised his hand and created a small energy barrier behind him, preventing him from crashing into the wall. A fourth ability. The crowd erupted. Draxen calmly walked toward his opponent. Garrick stood, breathing heavily. “How many do you have?” Draxen smiled. “Enough.” Garrick launched everything he had. A massive wind attack filled the arena. Draxen’s body became partially transparent, and the wind passed through him. Fifth ability. Drako’s eyes narrowed. Five. That should have been the limit. Draxen appeared behind Garrick. For an instant, electricity covered his hand. Drako froze. “Six.” Adrian stared at his device. “That can’t be right.” Draxen touched Garrick’s shoulder with the electrified hand. Garrick’s defensive shield activated immediately. The referee raised his hand. “Winner: Draxen Veyrox The arena exploded with conversation. Even the instructors looked surprised. Kaien smiled. “Now you understand.” Drako looked at him. “Veyrox Family members can only hold five.” “Normally.” Kaien looked toward Draxen. “Draxen can hold six.”
Draxen walked out of the arena as if nothing unusual had happened. On his way past Drako, he stopped. “You’re Drako.” “And you’re Draxen.” Draxen smiled. “Your last fight was interesting.” “So was yours.” “You noticed the sixth ability.” Drako didn’t answer. Draxen’s smile widened. “Your eyes changed when you were watching.” Drako immediately became cautious. Draxen raised both hands. “Relax. Everybody has secrets.” That sentence reminded Drako of Raizen. “Can you copy anything?” Drako asked. “Almost anything.” Draxen looked directly at him. “Want to test it?” Drako’s interest immediately grew. “How?” Draxen extended his hand. “Use one of your abilities.” Kaien stepped closer, clearly interested. Mira, Adrian, and Raizen watched as well. Drako considered refusing, but curiosity won. He allowed a small amount of Dragon Strength to enter his right arm. Golden energy appeared around his fist. Draxen concentrated. For a moment, silver energy moved around his body. Then nothing happened. Draxen frowned. He tried again. Nothing. His expression became serious. “That’s never happened before.” Drako felt the System activate. [Foreign replication attempt detected.] [Replication rejected.] [Draconic Vampire System cannot be copied.] Drako smiled. “Looks like you found your exception.” Draxen stared at him, then suddenly laughed. “Now you’re really interesting.”
An older man wearing the Veyrox Family crest watched from the observation level above them. He immediately transmitted a message. Draxen encountered an uncopyable ability. Investigate Drako.Across the arena, a representative carrying the Green Family’s circuit-shaped crest received another report. The Green Family was watching too, though their only son, Teck, had not yet arrived at Astra Academy. Drako knew none of this. He and Draxen were still talking when the tournament board changed. [64 COMPETITORS REMAIN.] [THIRD QUALIFIER ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW.] Kaien looked between Drako and Draxen. “This tournament is finally getting interesting.” Draxen smiled. “Phoenix, Beyrox, and whatever Drako is.” Drako laughed. “I’m Drako.” “For now,” Draxen answered.
That night, Drako returned to his room and summoned the System. [Replication attempt analyzed.] [Unique bloodline protection confirmed.] [Draconic and Vampiric abilities cannot be externally replicated while connected to Host’s System.] Drako thought about Draxen. Someone capable of holding six abilities could become incredibly dangerous, yet Draxen hadn’t seemed hostile. More importantly, he had protected Garrick from crashing into the wall even while defeating him. Drako respected that. His terminal suddenly activated. The third qualifier appeared. [TEAM COMBAT.] [Teams of four will be randomly assigned.] Drako opened his assignment. His eyes widened. Team 17: Drako. Mira. Draxen Veyrox, Kaien. Drako stared for several seconds before smiling. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The next qualifier wouldn’t test whether they were strong. It would test whether four powerful personalities could work together without destroying each other first.