I open my eyes slowly.

  For a moment, I think I'm dreaming.

  The ground beneath me is gray and dusty, stretching endlessly in every direction like a frozen ocean. The sky above me is darker than any night I've ever seen, filled with thousands of sharp stars that look close enough to touch.

  And floating above everything—

  Earth.

  Huge. Blue. Beautiful.

  Clouds swirl slowly across the surface, sunlight reflecting off the oceans like a mirror. The planet looks peaceful from here. Quiet. Fragile.

  My brain struggles to process what I'm seeing.

  "…What?"

  My voice sounds small, muffled inside my helmetless silence.

  I sit up slowly, my body feeling strangely light, like gravity itself has loosened its grip on me. My boots scrape softly against the powdery lunar dust as I push myself to my feet.

  My heart begins to race.

  Am I…

  I look down at my hands. They look normal.

  I flex my fingers.

  Still normal.

  I bring my hand up and pinch my cheek.

  Hard.

  "Ow."

  Okay. That definitely hurt.

  "You're not dead."

  The voice comes from my right.

  I turn my head.

  Eclipse is standing there.

  He's staring down at Earth like someone watching an old movie they've seen a thousand times. His long coat drifts slightly as if touched by some invisible wind that shouldn't exist here.

  "You're just unconscious."

  Unconscious.

  The word echoes in my head.

  Eclipse casually walks toward me, his boots making soft crunching sounds against the moon's surface. He stops in front of me and snaps his fingers right in front of my face.

  Snap.

  The memories come rushing back all at once.

  The battle.

  The chaos.

  Eclipse fighting Kagetsu.

  The sky tearing open.

  The portal.

  The moment I got thrown through it.

  And then—

  The stranger.

  The random guy who appeared out of nowhere.

  But something else hits me even harder.

  Anger.

  I stand up quickly and grab Eclipse by the front of his hoodie.

  "Did you try to hit Jordan?!" I yell.

  My voice echoes strangely in the endless emptiness.

  "How dare you?! Don't ever touch my friends!"

  Eclipse looks down at my hands gripping his hoodie.

  Then he slowly smiles.

  "Friends?" he says, amused.

  His silver eyes narrow slightly.

  "You sure you don't have a crush on her?"

  My face heats up instantly.

  "That doesn't matter!" I snap, shoving him backward. "Just don't do it."

  He raises both hands in mock surrender.

  "Fine, fine," he says dramatically. "I won't touch her."

  His tone is exaggerated, like he's humoring a child.

  Then he sighs and looks back toward Earth.

  "Anyway," he continues casually, "why am I here?"

  "You just said it," I reply. "I'm unconscious."

  "Yes," Eclipse says.

  "But why am I here?"

  He shrugs slightly.

  "Your mind needed somewhere to go."

  I stare at him.

  "…How long have I been unconscious?"

  Eclipse glances up at the stars like he's checking a clock.

  "About four hours."

  Four hours.

  My stomach tightens.

  Four hours of my friends thinking I might be dead.

  I look back at him quickly.

  "That guy," I say. "The one who showed up."

  "Who was he?"

  Eclipse shakes his head slowly.

  "I don't know."

  "You don't know?"

  "I've never seen him before."

  That surprises me more than anything.

  If Eclipse doesn't know someone…

  that means they're dangerous.

  "He just showed up," Eclipse continues. "Right after you fell."

  I stare at him.

  Then I slowly nod.

  "You remember now," he says quietly.

  Before I can respond—

  The ground shakes.

  At first it's subtle.

  Then stronger.

  The entire moon trembles beneath our feet like something deep below the surface is waking up.

  Cracks ripple across the dust.

  The stars flicker.

  Eclipse sighs.

  "Well," he says.

  "I guess it's time for you to go back now."

  The shaking grows worse.

  The sky bends.

  The stars stretch into streaks of light.

  Everything begins collapsing inward like reality itself is folding.

  And then—

  Snap.

  My eyes shoot open.

  Bright white lights blind me for a second.

  The smell of antiseptic fills my nose.

  I'm lying in a medical bed.

  Machines beep beside me.

  IV tubes run from bags into my arm.

  The medical bay.

  I immediately sit up.

  Pain shoots through my body, but adrenaline crushes it.

  I rip the IVs out.

  "Ah—!"

  That definitely hurt.

  But the wounds close almost immediately, my body healing faster than it should.

  Dragon power.

  I barely even think about it.

  Because something else grabs my attention.

  Voices.

  A lot of them.

  They're coming from the training square outside.

  I swing my legs off the bed and stand up.

  My head spins slightly, but I ignore it and walk toward the doors.

  As I step into the training area, I immediately notice something strange.

  Everyone is gathered in a circle.

  Cameron.

  Jordan.

  Maya.

  Even Shu.

  They're all standing around someone.

  The stranger.

  The moment I walk in, his head turns toward me.

  He notices instantly.

  "Oh," he says with a smile.

  "Well look at that."

  His voice carries easily across the square.

  "He's finally up."

  Everyone else turns to look at me.

  Jordan looks relieved.

  Cameron looks shocked.

  Maya looks confused.

  But I'm only focused on him.

  I walk closer.

  "Who are you?" I ask.

  The stranger smiles politely.

  "Pleasant to meet your acquaintance, William Ashborn."

  My stomach drops.

  "How do you know my name?"

  His smile widens.

  "I know all your names."

  He gestures casually toward the others.

  "William. Cameron. Jordan. Maya."

  Then he glances toward the edge of the square.

  "And of course, Shu."

  Shu doesn't react.

  But his eyes narrow slightly.

  "Your dragon mentor."

  The stranger steps forward.

  "My name is Kai Lightborn.

  He pauses.

  "I am a member of the Dragon Society."

  Everyone goes silent.

  Then he adds calmly:

  "I am also a dragon keeper."

  Shock ripples through the group.

  "There's… more of us?" Cameron asks.

  "Oh yes," Kai says lightly.

  "Plenty, actually."

  He walks slowly across the training floor, hands behind his back.

  "The new generation has finally begun to awaken."

  He stops and looks at us again.

  "But this is the first time in forty years that so many have appeared at once."

  He taps his chest lightly.

  "And I was the first."

  Jordan crosses her arms.

  "So what are you doing here?"

  Kai smiles.

  "I will be your guide to the Dragon Society."

  Jordan narrows her eyes.

  "Guide?"

  Then she gestures toward his glowing yellow shinobi.

  "And what exactly are you the dragon keeper of?"

  Kai looks down at his shinobi like the answer is obvious.

  "Light."

  He points to it.

  "Isn't that clear?"

  But then his expression shifts.

  More serious now.

  "However…"

  "There are two very important things we need to discuss."

  He slowly turns toward Shu.

  "First," Kai says calmly.

  "Why did you not alert the Dragon Society that a boy capable of using Royu had awakened?"

  My stomach drops instantly.

  Shu replies coldly.

  "I was handling it."

  Kai tilts his head slightly.

  "This doesn't appear handled at all."

  Then he walks directly toward me.

  Jordan.

  Maya.

  Cameron.

  He passes right by them.

  Like they aren't even there.

  He stops in front of me.

  Now that he's closer, I notice how tall he is.

  At least 6'3.

  Broad shoulders.

  Lean muscle.

  Blonde hair that falls perfectly across his forehead.

  Deep blue eyes that look almost like the ocean.

  He radiates warmth.

  Like sunlight in human form.

  "Now," Kai says softly.

  "Tell me something, William."

  "How did you unlock Royu?"

  "And do you understand how dangerous it is?"

  "I… don't know," I admit.

  "It just happened."

  Kai studies me carefully.

  "Interesting."

  Then he asks another question.

  "How many times have you used it?"

  I freeze.

  My eyes dart around the room.

  Should I lie?

  Should I tell the truth?

  Kai notices my hesitation.

  "You're not in trouble," he says calmly.

  "But this information is extremely important."

  I swallow.

  Take a deep breath.

  And answer.

  "Twice."

  Kai nods slowly.

  "Ah."

  "That explains your hair."

  I blink.

  "My hair?"

  "Your natural color is black, correct?"

  "…Yes."

  "And you've never dyed it?"

  "No."

  Kai smiles faintly.

  "Well then."

  "That answers that."

  Then his expression becomes serious again.

  "Second order of business."

  He turns to face everyone.

  "You have broken one of the oldest laws of the Dragon Society."

  My chest tightens.

  "No revealing yourselves to the public."

  His voice echoes across the training square.

  "Because of this violation, you are all restricted from missions."

  "Effective immediately."

  Cameron frowns.

  "Until when?"

  Kai smiles again.

  "Until the tournament concludes."

  Jordan raises an eyebrow.

  "…Tournament?"

  Kai claps his hands once.

  "Which brings me to the final announcement."

  He points toward the door.

  "You are all going to Japan."

  Everyone freezes.

  "Japan?" we say in unison.

  At the edge of the room, Shu sighs heavily.

  He looks like he wants to strangle someone.

  "But they have school."

  Kai looks back at him.

  And smiles again.

  "Oh."

  "I think they'll be attending a different school now."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I open my eyes slowly.

  For a moment, I think I'm dreaming.

  The ground beneath me is gray and dusty, stretching endlessly in every direction like a frozen ocean. The sky above me is darker than any night I've ever seen, filled with thousands of sharp stars that look close enough to touch.

  And floating above everything—

  Earth.

  Huge. Blue. Beautiful.

  Clouds swirl slowly across the surface, sunlight reflecting off the oceans like a mirror. The planet looks peaceful from here. Quiet. Fragile.

  My brain struggles to process what I'm seeing.

  "…What?"

  My voice sounds small, muffled inside my helmetless silence.

  I sit up slowly, my body feeling strangely light, like gravity itself has loosened its grip on me. My boots scrape softly against the powdery lunar dust as I push myself to my feet.

  My heart begins to race.

  Am I…

  I look down at my hands. They look normal.

  I flex my fingers.

  Still normal.

  I bring my hand up and pinch my cheek.

  Hard.

  "Ow."

  Okay. That definitely hurt.

  "You're not dead."

  The voice comes from my right.

  I turn my head.

  Eclipse is standing there.

  He's staring down at Earth like someone watching an old movie they've seen a thousand times. His long coat drifts slightly as if touched by some invisible wind that shouldn't exist here.

  "You're just unconscious."

  Unconscious.

  The word echoes in my head.

  Eclipse casually walks toward me, his boots making soft crunching sounds against the moon's surface. He stops in front of me and snaps his fingers right in front of my face.

  Snap.

  The memories come rushing back all at once.

  The battle.

  The chaos.

  Eclipse fighting Kagetsu.

  The sky tearing open.

  The portal.

  The moment I got thrown through it.

  And then—

  The stranger.

  The random guy who appeared out of nowhere.

  But something else hits me even harder.

  Anger.

  I stand up quickly and grab Eclipse by the front of his hoodie.

  "Did you try to hit Jordan?!" I yell.

  My voice echoes strangely in the endless emptiness.

  "How dare you?! Don't ever touch my friends!"

  Eclipse looks down at my hands gripping his hoodie.

  Then he slowly smiles.

  "Friends?" he says, amused.

  His silver eyes narrow slightly.

  "You sure you don't have a crush on her?"

  My face heats up instantly.

  "That doesn't matter!" I snap, shoving him backward. "Just don't do it."

  He raises both hands in mock surrender.

  "Fine, fine," he says dramatically. "I won't touch her."

  His tone is exaggerated, like he's humoring a child.

  Then he sighs and looks back toward Earth.

  "Anyway," he continues casually, "why am I here?"

  "You just said it," I reply. "I'm unconscious."

  "Yes," Eclipse says.

  "But why am I here?"

  He shrugs slightly.

  "Your mind needed somewhere to go."

  I stare at him.

  "…How long have I been unconscious?"

  Eclipse glances up at the stars like he's checking a clock.

  "About four hours."

  Four hours.

  My stomach tightens.

  Four hours of my friends thinking I might be dead.

  I look back at him quickly.

  "That guy," I say. "The one who showed up."

  "Who was he?"

  Eclipse shakes his head slowly.

  "I don't know."

  "You don't know?"

  "I've never seen him before."

  That surprises me more than anything.

  If Eclipse doesn't know someone…

  that means they're dangerous.

  "He just showed up," Eclipse continues. "Right after you fell."

  I stare at him.

  Then I slowly nod.

  "You remember now," he says quietly.

  Before I can respond—

  The ground shakes.

  At first it's subtle.

  Then stronger.

  The entire moon trembles beneath our feet like something deep below the surface is waking up.

  Cracks ripple across the dust.

  The stars flicker.

  Eclipse sighs.

  "Well," he says.

  "I guess it's time for you to go back now."

  The shaking grows worse.

  The sky bends.

  The stars stretch into streaks of light.

  Everything begins collapsing inward like reality itself is folding.

  And then—

  Snap.

  My eyes shoot open.

  Bright white lights blind me for a second.

  The smell of antiseptic fills my nose.

  I'm lying in a medical bed.

  Machines beep beside me.

  IV tubes run from bags into my arm.

  The medical bay.

  I immediately sit up.

  Pain shoots through my body, but adrenaline crushes it.

  I rip the IVs out.

  "Ah—!"

  That definitely hurt.

  But the wounds close almost immediately, my body healing faster than it should.

  Dragon power.

  I barely even think about it.

  Because something else grabs my attention.

  Voices.

  A lot of them.

  They're coming from the training square outside.

  I swing my legs off the bed and stand up.

  My head spins slightly, but I ignore it and walk toward the doors.

  As I step into the training area, I immediately notice something strange.

  Everyone is gathered in a circle.

  Cameron.

  Jordan.

  Maya.

  Even Shu.

  They're all standing around someone.

  The stranger.

  The moment I walk in, his head turns toward me.

  He notices instantly.

  "Oh," he says with a smile.

  "Well look at that."

  His voice carries easily across the square.

  "He's finally up."

  Everyone else turns to look at me.

  Jordan looks relieved.

  Cameron looks shocked.

  Maya looks confused.

  But I'm only focused on him.

  I walk closer.

  "Who are you?" I ask.

  The stranger smiles politely.

  "Pleasant to meet your acquaintance, William Ashborn."

  My stomach drops.

  "How do you know my name?"

  His smile widens.

  "I know all your names."

  He gestures casually toward the others.

  "William. Cameron. Jordan. Maya."

  Then he glances toward the edge of the square.

  "And of course, Shu."

  Shu doesn't react.

  But his eyes narrow slightly.

  "Your dragon mentor."

  The stranger steps forward.

  "My name is Kai Lightborn.

  He pauses.

  "I am a member of the Dragon Society."

  Everyone goes silent.

  Then he adds calmly:

  "I am also a dragon keeper."

  Shock ripples through the group.

  "There's… more of us?" Cameron asks.

  "Oh yes," Kai says lightly.

  "Plenty, actually."

  He walks slowly across the training floor, hands behind his back.

  "The new generation has finally begun to awaken."

  He stops and looks at us again.

  "But this is the first time in forty years that so many have appeared at once."

  He taps his chest lightly.

  "And I was the first."

  Jordan crosses her arms.

  "So what are you doing here?"

  Kai smiles.

  "I will be your guide to the Dragon Society."

  Jordan narrows her eyes.

  "Guide?"

  Then she gestures toward his glowing yellow shinobi.

  "And what exactly are you the dragon keeper of?"

  Kai looks down at his shinobi like the answer is obvious.

  "Light."

  He points to it.

  "Isn't that clear?"

  But then his expression shifts.

  More serious now.

  "However…"

  "There are two very important things we need to discuss."

  He slowly turns toward Shu.

  "First," Kai says calmly.

  "Why did you not alert the Dragon Society that a boy capable of using Royu had awakened?"

  My stomach drops instantly.

  Shu replies coldly.

  "I was handling it."

  Kai tilts his head slightly.

  "This doesn't appear handled at all."

  Then he walks directly toward me.

  Jordan.

  Maya.

  Cameron.

  He passes right by them.

  Like they aren't even there.

  He stops in front of me.

  Now that he's closer, I notice how tall he is.

  At least 6'3.

  Broad shoulders.

  Lean muscle.

  Blonde hair that falls perfectly across his forehead.

  Deep blue eyes that look almost like the ocean.

  He radiates warmth.

  Like sunlight in human form.

  "Now," Kai says softly.

  "Tell me something, William."

  "How did you unlock Royu?"

  "And do you understand how dangerous it is?"

  "I… don't know," I admit.

  "It just happened."

  Kai studies me carefully.

  "Interesting."

  Then he asks another question.

  "How many times have you used it?"

  I freeze.

  My eyes dart around the room.

  Should I lie?

  Should I tell the truth?

  Kai notices my hesitation.

  "You're not in trouble," he says calmly.

  "But this information is extremely important."

  I swallow.

  Take a deep breath.

  And answer.

  "Twice."

  Kai nods slowly.

  "Ah."

  "That explains your hair."

  I blink.

  "My hair?"

  "Your natural color is black, correct?"

  "…Yes."

  "And you've never dyed it?"

  "No."

  Kai smiles faintly.

  "Well then."

  "That answers that."

  Then his expression becomes serious again.

  "Second order of business."

  He turns to face everyone.

  "You have broken one of the oldest laws of the Dragon Society."

  My chest tightens.

  "No revealing yourselves to the public."

  His voice echoes across the training square.

  "Because of this violation, you are all restricted from missions."

  "Effective immediately."

  Cameron frowns.

  "Until when?"

  Kai smiles again.

  "Until the tournament concludes."

  Jordan raises an eyebrow.

  "…Tournament?"

  Kai claps his hands once.

  "Which brings me to the final announcement."

  He points toward the door.

  "You are all going to Japan."

  Everyone freezes.

  "Japan?" we say in unison.

  At the edge of the room, Shu sighs heavily.

  He looks like he wants to strangle someone.

  "But they have school."

  Kai looks back at him.

  And smiles again.

  "Oh."

  "I think they'll be attending a different school now."