Kai didn't answer immediately.

  Instead, he slowly clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing across the stone tiles of the training square. His boots made soft, deliberate sounds against the cracked surface, each step echoing faintly against the high walls of the hall.

  The training square suddenly felt smaller.

  The place where we had fought monsters, trained for months, laughed, and argued now felt like a courtroom.

  And Kai stood at the center like a judge.

  "A new school," he finally said.

  His voice carried easily through the open air.

  "Not permanently."

  A few of us exchanged looks.

  Kai tilted his head slightly, as if sensing our suspicion.

  "Only for a little while."

  Sunlight streamed through the tall windows behind him, catching in his blonde hair and giving him an almost glowing appearance. His shinobi pulsed faintly with soft golden light beneath his jacket.

  "Think of it as an exchange program," he continued calmly. "This happens every year."

  He looked at each of us in turn.

  "A new generation awakens. That generation gathers. They are introduced to the Dragon Society."

  He paused, letting the words sink in.

  "You will participate in a tournament. You will train. You will learn how to use your powers properly instead of accidentally tearing holes in reality."

  His eyes flicked briefly toward me.

  I pretended not to notice.

  "And most importantly," he continued, "you will learn the history of dragon keepers."

  Cameron shifted his weight and crossed his arms.

  Kai stopped pacing.

  "You keep talking about this society, man," Cameron said. "But what even is it?"

  Jordan nodded beside him.

  "Yeah," Cameron added, frustration creeping into his voice. "How are we supposed to just uproot our lives and go to some society we've never even heard of?"

  For the first time since arriving, Kai's expression changed.

  It wasn't anger exactly.

  But something sharp flickered in his eyes.

  Something ancient.

  For a brief moment, the easygoing sunlight aura around him disappeared, replaced by something far colder.

  "Do not doubt the Society."

  His voice dropped slightly.

  The temperature in the room seemed to shift.

  "I understand your frustration," he said more calmly. "But the Dragon Society is not something you mock. It is not something you challenge."

  His blue eyes hardened.

  "Do you hear me?"

  No one answered.

  The silence stretched.

  Then Shu stepped forward.

  His long robes swayed slightly as he moved, the faint scent of incense and smoke following him like a shadow.

  "He's right," Shu said.

  His voice was calm, but there was weight behind it.

  "You've already broken one rule."

  He looked directly at all of us.

  "An ancient one."

  His gaze lingered on Jordan, then Cameron, then me.

  "The fact that you are only receiving supervision and suspicion instead of punishment is already a massive act of leniency."

  He folded his arms.

  "You should be thanking him."

  None of us said anything.

  We just stared at Kai.

  At this stranger who walked in and completely flipped our lives upside down.

  I felt my chest tighten.

  "So… let me get this straight," I finally said.

  My voice sounded distant even to myself.

  "There's this magical society we've never heard of… full of dragon keepers… and now we have to leave our lives behind to go train with them for a few weeks and fight in some tournament?"

  I shook my head slowly.

  "That sounds insane."

  The words came out harsher than I meant them to.

  "I just moved here," I continued quietly.

  "I just made friends."

  My throat tightened slightly.

  "I just built a life."

  The room felt heavier.

  "And now I'm supposed to just… leave?"

  No one responded immediately.

  Jordan suddenly spoke.

  "I know it's hard."

  Her voice sounded tight.

  Almost angry.

  "But it's only a couple weeks. You'll come back."

  Then her expression changed.

  "But what about my family?"

  Her voice rose slightly.

  "My parents. My brothers."

  Her hands clenched at her sides.

  "I can't just disappear on them. I take care of them."

  Kai nodded slowly.

  "I understand."

  Then he said something none of us expected.

  "They will come with you."

  Silence.

  Then—

  "What?!" all of us shouted at once.

  Kai didn't even flinch.

  "Yes," he said calmly.

  "They will accompany you."

  He clasped his hands behind his back again.

  "This is an exchange program."

  "You will continue your education."

  Cameron blinked.

  "Wait… so our families are just supposed to move to Japan for a few weeks?"

  "Correct."

  Kai said it like he was explaining basic math.

  "But there are conditions."

  He looked at each of us again.

  "You and your families will live in separate housing sectors."

  "You will be allowed to see them."

  "You will be allowed to care for them."

  "But they will not learn about your heritage."

  His tone hardened slightly.

  "Your powers remain secret."

  "Your dragons remain secret."

  "Your world remains separate from theirs."

  He let the words settle.

  "Do you understand?"

  I didn't like this.

  Not even a little.

  Something about it felt wrong.

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  Too close.

  Too complicated.

  Two completely different worlds colliding.

  We had already exposed ourselves once.

  We had already broken one rule.

  And now we were going to drag our families into the middle of it?

  My stomach twisted.

  Kai clapped his hands once.

  "Well."

  "That concludes the discussion."

  Just like that.

  "You will depart tomorrow morning."

  "9 a.m. sharp."

  "No exceptions."

  "No delays."

  He turned toward the exit doors.

  "And I will personally guide you."

  He paused briefly at the doorway.

  Then he added without turning around—

  "Be prepared."

  Then he walked out.

  The heavy doors closed behind him with a deep echo.

  For several seconds, no one spoke.

  The training hall suddenly felt enormous again.

  Then Shu sighed.

  A long, tired sigh.

  "I know this isn't ideal."

  His voice sounded older now.

  "We never expected all of you to awaken at once."

  He rubbed his forehead.

  "You thought you were the only ones."

  "But you're not."

  He looked toward the door where Kai had left.

  "There are others out there who have awakened recently."

  His gaze sharpened.

  "And yes, Kai was the first."

  He paused.

  "There's a lot more you're going to learn."

  "A lot more struggles you'll face."

  His voice lowered.

  "But I need all of you to stay strong during this process."

  For the first time since meeting him…

  Shu sounded serious.

  Dead serious.

  Like the stakes were life or death.

  We all nodded slowly.

  "Understood," we muttered.

  Shu gave one final nod.

  Then his body dissolved into faint smoke and wind.

  And he was gone.

  Cameron was the first to break the silence.

  "Who the hell does that guy think he is?"

  His voice was full of irritation.

  "He just walks in here like he owns the place."

  Jordan scoffed.

  "Seriously."

  She shook her head.

  "He couldn't even congratulate us."

  Her voice hardened.

  "We literally just saved Redwood."

  She gestured wildly.

  "We fought a lieutenant and some dark knight monster thing!"

  Maya didn't speak.

  But the look on her face said everything.

  Confusion.

  Frustration.

  Fear.

  I rubbed the back of my neck.

  "Look… I get that everyone's mad."

  They all looked at me.

  "But we need to find some middle ground."

  My voice sounded calmer than I actually felt.

  "I don't want to leave either."

  "But we did break a rule."

  "A big one apparently."

  I sighed.

  "So maybe we should just… follow their instructions for now."

  Jordan stared at me.

  Her expression hardened.

  "Fine."

  She turned away.

  But before leaving, she glanced back at me.

  "When did you become such a bootlicker?"

  The word hit harder than I expected.

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "You know exactly what it means."

  Then she walked away.

  Cameron sighed and walked past me.

  "Look man… I get what you're saying."

  "But this still feels wrong."

  "We save people."

  "If breaking a rule to do that gets us punished…"

  He shook his head.

  "That's not a rule worth following."

  Maya nodded slightly.

  "I agree with Jordan."

  Then they left.

  And just like that…

  The training hall was empty.

  I stood there alone.

  The wind outside whispered through the broken windows.

  Even after winning…

  It felt like we lost something.

  Maybe trust.

  Maybe freedom.

  Maybe something else.

  Am I crazy for thinking we should listen to them?

  Kai's warning replayed in my mind.

  The way he said the Society doesn't play with rules.

  The way Shu backed him up.

  The way the room felt colder when Kai spoke.

  It almost sounded like…

  If we didn't obey…

  We would die.

  I exhaled slowly.

  Then turned and left the palace.

  The evening sky was turning orange and purple as the sun sank behind the mountains. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of pine trees and distant traffic from the town below.

  Eclipse had been silent the entire time.

  Which was strange.

  Usually he had something sarcastic to say.

  Maybe he was still annoyed he didn't get to kill Gaiga.

  Or maybe…

  He was thinking about Kai too.

  The walk home felt longer than usual.

  My thoughts kept looping over the same questions.

  Japan.

  A tournament.

  A society.

  Other dragon keepers.

  By the time I reached my house, the sky had darkened.

  But something immediately felt off.

  The driveway was empty.

  No cars.

  That was weird.

  My parents were usually home by now.

  I walked up the porch slowly and opened the front door.

  The hinges creaked softly.

  And the moment I stepped inside—

  I froze.

  My mom and dad were sitting in the living room.

  Waiting for me.

  Their faces were serious.

  Like they already knew something was coming