"Tessa," Jelo greeted, trying to keep his voice steady despite the surprise.

"Hey," she responded casually, as if finding him alone in an empty classroom was the most natural thing in the world. She stepped inside, the door swinging shut behind her with a soft click, and made her way to where he sat. Without asking permission, she hopped up onto the desk beside him, her legs dangling as she settled into place.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Tessa studied him with an intensity that made Jelo acutely aware of every detail of his appearance. Her eyes traced over his face, lingering on features he'd only recently begun to recognize as changed. The silence stretched uncomfortably, broken only by the distant sounds of students moving through the hallways outside.

Then, with characteristic bluntness, Tessa asked, "Did you change something about your appearance?"

Jelo's hand immediately went to the back of his neck, rubbing it nervously. "Uh… I just changed my haircut. That's all." The lie came out awkwardly, unconvincing even to his own ears.

Tessa's eyes narrowed, clearly not buying it. She leaned closer, her face now only inches from his, scanning his features with unsettling focus. Her gaze moved systematically across his face—his jawline, his cheekbones, the bridge of his nose, his eyes. It was clinical, almost analytical, the way she examined him.

"It's more than that," she stated flatly. "You look more handsome now. Your facial structure is different. Sharper. Your skin looks healthier too. And your eyes…" She paused, tilting her head. "They're brighter. More vivid."

Heat flooded Jelo's face instantly, creeping up from his neck until he was certain his entire head had turned crimson. His heart hammered in his chest, and he couldn't meet her eyes anymore, instead staring fixedly at the desk surface between them.

"I… uh… that's…" He couldn't form a coherent sentence.

Tessa pulled back slightly, her brow furrowing as she observed his reaction. Her head tilted to the other side, confusion evident in her expression. "Why is your face red? Are you experiencing a fever? Should I call the medical ward?"

Jelo blinked, momentarily thrown by the question. He looked at her properly then, really looked at her. The genuine confusion on her face, the complete lack of awareness that telling someone they looked more handsome might provoke embarrassment, the clinical way she'd assessed his appearance without any hint of romantic implication.

*Is she a robot or something?* Jelo wondered briefly. *Or maybe she's somewhere on the spectrum? How does someone have zero concept of social awkwardness?*

Clearing his throat, desperate to change the subject, Jelo asked, "Why are you here, Tessa? I mean, why were you looking for me?"

Tessa's expression shifted back to neutral, her earlier confusion evaporating. "I want to know what you did in the portal."

Jelo's stomach dropped.

"I already know you went there to get stronger," she continued matter-of-factly. "Your power increase is obvious. Whatever you encountered or consumed in that place enhanced you significantly. I want access to the same resources. I need to become stronger too."

Jelo groaned inwardly, a headache forming behind his temples. *Why do so many girls at this school seem eager to throw themselves into danger?* First Mira, now Tessa. What was it about life-threatening situations that seemed to attract people?

"That's not why I went," Jelo said firmly, meeting her eyes. "I didn't enter the portal to gain power. I went to save a friend. That's it. Everything else that happened was just… circumstance."

Tessa's expression remained unchanged, her eyes fixed on him with that same penetrating stare. She clearly wasn't convinced. After a long moment, she slid off the desk, landing lightly on her feet.

"I don't believe you," she said simply, brushing imaginary dust from her academy uniform. "People don't risk their lives for friends alone. There's always an ulterior motive. Self-interest. Survival instinct. The desire for power."

She turned toward the door, pausing at the threshold to look back at him.

"I'll be watching you, Jelo. Until I learn the truth about what you're really after and how you achieved such rapid advancement, I'll be keeping very close tabs on you."

With that, she walked out, her footsteps echoing in the hallway beyond.

Jelo watched her go, his eyes following the movement of her retreating form. Despite himself, despite everything else going on, his gaze dropped lower, briefly entranced by the natural sway and jiggle of her butt as she walked away. They were like two perfect full moons and the academy uniform didn't exactly hide…

He snapped out of it immediately, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he muttered to himself, baffled at his own lack of self-control. "You're such a pervert. Atlas and Mira are dealing with trauma and existential crises, and you're checking out Tessa's ass like some kind of creep."

He stood abruptly, running both hands through his hair in frustration, when a familiar chime echoed in his mind.

**[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]**

**[A Family Member Has Been Classified]**

Jelo's hands froze mid-motion. His breath caught.

He immediately pulled up the system interface, his fingers trembling slightly as he navigated to the Family tab. The translucent screen materialized before his eyes, displaying the list of members connected to his bloodline.

There, where it had previously read *Unclassified*, was new information:

**Atlas Reeves**

**Race:** Earth Dragon

An earth dragon.

Jelo's mind raced with implications. Did this mean the dragon traits specifically fused with a person's elemental affinity? Would it happen to all members of his family, or only those who already possessed elemental powers before the transformation?

He needed to talk to Atlas. Now.

Jelo hurried out of the classroom, his earlier exhaustion forgotten, replaced by urgent energy. He navigated the hallways quickly, dodging clusters of students still gossiping about the portal incident, and made it back to the dorm room in record time.

-----

He burst through the door, finding Atlas still lying on his bed, though now he was staring at his hands with a strange expression. Ken had left.

"Atlas," Jelo said, slightly breathless. "We need to talk."

Atlas sat up, his expression shifting to concern. "What's wrong? Did something else happen?"

"The opposite," Jelo said, closing the door behind him and moving to sit on his own bed facing Atlas. "Something good happened. The system just classified you. You're not unclassified anymore."

Atlas's eyes widened. "What? What am I?"

"You're an earth dragon," Jelo explained, watching his friend's face carefully. "The dragon blood I gave you fused with your earth abilities. That's why the system couldn't identify you before—the transformation was still processing, integrating two different power sources into something new."

"I feel different," Atlas interrupted, his voice quiet but intense. He looked down at his hands again, flexing his fingers slowly. "I didn't want to say anything before because I thought maybe I was just imagining it, or that it was stress from everything that happened. But there are changes."

"What kind of changes?" Jelo leaned forward, genuinely curious.

Atlas's brow furrowed as he tried to articulate sensations he didn't fully understand himself. "I crave meat constantly. Like, I've always liked meat, but now it's different. It's not just wanting it—it's *needing* it. Raw meat especially. The smell of it makes my mouth water in a way it never did before."

He paused, swallowing hard.

"And I'm thirsty all the time. No matter how much water I drink, there's this persistent dryness in my throat. Like my body is running hotter than it used to, burning through liquids faster."

Jelo nodded slowly, recognizing similar symptoms from his own transformation. The increased metabolism, the heightened nutritional needs—all common dragon traits.

"But there's something else," Atlas continued, his voice dropping even lower. "Something harder to explain."

"What is it?"

Atlas met Jelo's eyes, and for a moment, something ancient and primal flickered in his gaze. "There's a bond now. Between us. I can feel it, deep in my chest, like a second heartbeat that's not quite mine. It's instinctive, stronger than anything I've ever experienced."

He hesitated, clearly struggling to put the sensation into words.

"It makes me want to protect you at all costs," Atlas finally said. "Not just as a friend. It's beyond friendship. It's like… like you're pack. Family. Something I would die defending without question or hesitation. The thought of you being in danger makes something angry and violent wake up inside me."

Jelo stared at his friend, processing the weight of that confession.

The bond.

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