"Biron, did you hear?"

The boy blinked and looked up from his notebook, turning toward Weldon Harris, one of the few classmates he actually talked to.

"No… what happened?"

Weldon leaned in, voice hushed with urgency. "Up north. Near the Endless Plains. I heard a dragon appeared—and took over a city. A large silver one. No one's ever seen it before."

Biron's brows furrowed. "A dragon took over a city?"

Weldon nodded. "Yeah. Word is that King Marvok's rallying forces. He wants to deal with it. He's even trying to convince the academy to lend support. Promised gold, land, maybe even titles."

Weldon's family had deep military ties. His father trained royal knights. He always knew more than most students when it came to what the court was whispering.

While Mirelia—quietly reading nearby—could've gathered similar intel from her family, she hadn't said anything.

Biron tilted his head. "I don't know that place. Where exactly?"

He pulled out a small fold-out map from the inside of his binder—a detailed sketch of the northern continent. He traced his finger upward until he found it:

"There. Molowisk. Used to be a trade city for slaves. Now it's… well…"

He hesitated.

"'Trashed to the ground,' basically."

A great savanna spanned beneath it. Above, the remnants of a once-thriving forest were now little more than a dead stretch of soil and dead land.

"More than two thousand soldiers died trying to hold it," Weldon added grimly. "And now half the kingdom's treasury is just sitting there. Stolen. Hoarded by a dragon. Probably enough to build a new academy from scratch."

Biron and Weldon both swallowed hard.

Especially Weldon who was still recovering from the financial hit of building his golem wife. That little passion project was costing him his entire allowance every week.

At that moment, Mirelia finally looked up.

She had tried to focus on her textbook—one about earth-based creatures to learn more about her growing Budling—but the word dragon pulled her attention like a magnet.

"Dragon?" she asked quietly, folding her arms over her open book. "What element?"

Weldon blinked. "No one knows. Silver scales. Massive. But it's… weird. Some say it breathed fog, conjured illusions and had them fall instantly to the ground. It put people to sleep before draining their aether before killing them."

Mirelia frowned. That wasn't normal.

Her family once raised a fire-breathing drake. It had been groomed across generations, eventually ascending to a lesser dragon after absorbing hundreds of mana cores.

However, it perished in a war before it could evolve again—but its death still brought her family honor. The line of the flame drake was famous among elementalists for being able to be raised fast.

"Silver-scaled…" Mirelia repeated thoughtfully, fingers tapping the edge of her book. "They said it could drain aether and cast illusions, but that's not enough to determine what kind it is."

She leaned back slightly, gaze drifting toward the ceiling as she pieced it together.

"Illusion… dream… It might be possible…" she whispered. "It could belong to the Mind Domain—one of the rarest known affinities."

Weldon's eyes widened. He too began to dream of the possibilities.

Creatures of higher intelligence sometimes could be re-bonded through ritual, under the right conditions.

Dragons—legendary for their intellect and pride—were especially desirable. Some could speak fluently, and if subdued or persuaded, they might accept a pact with a new summoner.

"Do you think anyone has a real chance?" Biron asked, interest sparked.

He thought about Torch, his little fire beast—faithful, but still unevolved. He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to tame something as powerful as a dragon.

"There are three noble families already preparing to make a move," Weldon said. "Including Mirelia's. The Valcyne family."

Mirelia froze.

"I didn't know that," she muttered, wincing. "Sounds like they'll be calling me home soon… probably to act as bait while one of my brothers tries to tame it."

She turned her gaze to the girl sitting across from her—her rival, whose family was also known for raising combat-class summons.

She was already listening in, her sharp eyes fixed forward, but her ears clearly tuned to every word.

"Seems everyone's gearing up," Mirelia said quietly.

Weldon shrugged. "That's all I've got for now. The rest of the details'll trickle in soon enough. Anyway, Biron—did you ever find a way to help Torch evolve?"

Biron groaned and dropped his head onto his desk with a dull thud.

"Nope," he muttered into the wood. "Still broke."

Aether cores were expensive—and he didn't have a noble family backing him. He'd have to wait at least another month before his weekly allowance would be able to make a difference.

And as for the labyrinth… the school wouldn't let first-years enter until halfway through the year, when the staff was confident enough that one of the kids wouldn't die down there.

The place was dangerous.

Too dangerous for kids—and there weren't enough teachers to keep an eye on every student, especially with so many from high-status families enrolled this year.

One mistake.

One death in the labyrinth… and it could cost the school more than it was spending annually.

That's what made it so hard for Biron to train.

But then Weldon leaned in, still sketching variations of his golem wife with different hairstyles on the corner of his notebook.

"I heard there's one way to speed things up," he said. "But it's rough. You'll be tied up every day for at least an hour or two."

Biron raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Weldon glanced at him and grinned. "You just gotta sign up for the optional military elective. Stay after school, do drills, combat conditioning… you know, the usual for a cadet."

Biron groaned.

He resisted the urge to bang his fist on the desk.

"But man… I hate working out!" he complained. "Why do I have to train when it's Torch who needs to get stronger?"

Still, a part of him knew—it was probably the smartest path forward.

He was already falling behind.

That last training match… Mirelia's new creature had swept the field. She looked so calm, so confident after the win.

It made Biron feel like the gap between them was growing.

He slouched back and crossed his arms.

"Fine," he muttered. "I'll check it out. See what they do in that elective. If it's too intense… I just won't sign up."

From across the desk, Mirelia looked up sharply.

She didn't say anything—but her expression changed.

They'd spent nearly every afternoon together since that first day: training, going out near the tree, letting her summons gain power.

It had become a routine, a comfortable one for her now.

If he started military training… that would change.

She glanced away, folding her arms as well—and let out a quiet sigh.

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