Kenji spun around to find himself no longer in a dark hall, but under a violet dawn sky painted with swirling clouds. He stood in the elegant courtyard of a castle, complete with perfectly groomed hedges and stone walkways.
Before him sat a lady in a blood-red dress. She possessed healthy, peach-toned skin and flowing crimson hair that seemed to move like liquid fire. Her yellow, slit eyes carried the terrifying confidence of someone born to rule.
"It would be a waste of my interest if you fell to your death the moment you arrived," she said, her voice smooth and regal. "Step away from the edge."
Mesmerised, Kenji looked behind him. The courtyard didn't lead to a forest—it ended abruptly in an endless sea stretching to the horizon. Looking down, he realized the entire island was floating, drifting through the sky. He scrambled forward, putting distance between himself and the drop.
"Where am I?" Kenji gasped, his heart hammering.
The lady looked at him with visible disgust. "You do not know where you are, despite being the one who opened the door? A soul both blessed and cursed..."
Kenji shook his head, frustration bubbling up through his exhaustion. "Listen, lady, I don't care about the riddles. I just want to know where 'here' is."
The lady raised an eyebrow. "I told you. You brought yourself here."
"And where is here?"
The lady paused, her eyes narrowing as she truly looked at him. Kenji felt a sudden, invasive shiver—an icy sensation like he was being stripped bare and judged.
Her eyes widened. Surprise quickly curdled into a murderous rage.
"A child of that invader dares try to claim me?!" she growled, her face contorting. "And they dared to send a weakling!"
Her red dress began to liquify, swirling around her body and expanding at a terrifying rate. Kenji backed away as the red liquid took form, growing into a massive red dragon.
Huh?
It was larger than any beast he had seen at the tournament, covered in blood-red scales with four obsidian horns and bat-like wings that eclipsed the sun.
The dragon let out a roar that didn't just shake the island—it tore through Kenji's very being. An agonizing pain erupted in his core. Blood began to drip from his nose and ears as he collapsed to his knees, vomiting.
As he looked up through blurred vision, a shadowy figure flickered into existence in front of him.
"Why is a creature of Darkness with him?" the dragon's voice boomed, though her maw didn't move.
The shadow didn't speak. It roared back—a sound so primal it seemed to defy the dragon's world. The dragon recoiled slightly. "You dare defy me in my own realm? INSOLENCE!"
She pulled her head back, a gout of red fire swirling in her throat. The shadowy figure moved closer to Kenji, growling. Kenji was pinned by the sheer pressure of the dragon's killing intent.
"HEY, DUMBASS! WE HAVE TO MOVE!" Kenji shouted at the shadow, but it stood its ground like a stone wall.
Before the dragon could unleash its breath, a new voice cut through the tension.
"Oi, don't you think bullying children is a bit beneath you?"
The dragon froze, searching for the source. Two blurry figures, their features impossible to distinguish, appeared out of thin air in front of it.
"To think one of the Ancient Ones would harm a younging," the second figure added, his tone mocking. "Aren't you ashamed?"
"You..." the dragon hissed.
"So you remember us after all these years."
"Look, we don't have much time," the easygoing voice of the second figure sharpened into a cold blade. "All we going to say is that, our Little King has chosen to help this boy. We can't let you kill him."
"You think you can stop me here?" the dragon challenged.
"Hate to say it, but the strongest of our line has emerged. A mere soul-fragment of the past cannot stop his plans. Or at least will ensure you can't."
The dragon let out a deafening roar. One of the blurry figures appeared instantly at Kenji's side. "Oi, kid! Get up! You can't stay down!"
Kenji looked at the figure, but his mind couldn't hold onto the details of the man's face or voice—it was like trying to remember a dream while awake.
"See that red castle?" the figure pointed. "You need to get inside. Only then will you claim the sword."
"What?!"
The figure clamped a hand on Kenji's shoulder. "You're in a Pact Ritual. We'll keep the old lizard busy. RUN!"
Kenji didn't wait. He bolted toward the castle, weaving through the hedges. He looked back to see the two figures clashing with the dragon, redirecting a blast of fire into the sea. The shadow figure remained stationary, watching him with blank white eyes.
Kenji felt a deep, tethered connection to the shadow. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU IDIOT? RUN!"
The shadow hesitated, then blurred into motion, easily catching up to him. They reached a sudden, towering wall, but the shadow grabbed Kenji by the waist, leaped over the obstacle, and threw him with incredible force toward the castle's highest window.
Kenji smashed through the glass, tumbling onto the stone floor. As the dragon's roar echoed in the distance, he let out a ragged breath.
I made it.
Suddenly, the world began to wobble. Darkness slowly consuming it. A female voice, cold and dripping with venom, spoke directly into his mind.
You may have completed the ritual, but you are not worthy to wield me, minion of the intruder. To even fool the Winged Ones... the treachery of your kind truly has no end.