The sky trembled.
A deep, thunder-like roar erupted from below the burning lands of the Skyfire Kingdom, shaking the very air around them. Flames burst upward in spirals, twisting like living creatures as if something enormous was rising from within the kingdom itself.
Kim Woo Bin's heart pounded.
"That sound…"
He didn't need to ask.
He already knew.
Below them, the ground cracked open.
A pillar of fire exploded into the sky.
And from within it—
Something moved.
A massive shape rose slowly through the flames.
At first, it was only a shadow.
Then—
Wings.
Gigantic wings made of blazing fire spread wide across the sky, blocking out the smoke and light.
The creature emerged fully, towering above the kingdom.
A Fire Dragon.
Its body glowed like molten lava, cracks of bright orange light running across its scales. Its eyes burned like suns, wild and uncontrolled.
Its roar shook everything.
Woo Bin felt the sound in his chest.
"It's… huge…"
Behind him, Astrael spoke, his voice heavy.
"The Guardian of the Skyfire Kingdom…"
Arin clenched her fists tightly.
"That's… Ignivar."
Woo Bin glanced back.
"You know it?"
Her expression softened for a moment.
"Yes…"
Then hardened again.
"It's our kingdom's protector."
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The Fire Dragon's movements were violent.
Unstable.
It roared again and unleashed a massive wave of flames—
Not at the Shadow Legion.
At everything.
Buildings.
Soldiers.
The land itself.
Woo Bin's eyes widened.
"It's attacking its own kingdom!"
Astrael nodded grimly.
"The dragon has awakened without the Dragon Crown's guidance."
Arin shook her head.
"No… it's worse than that."
She pointed.
"Look at its eyes."
Woo Bin focused.
The dragon's fiery eyes weren't just glowing.
They were flickering.
Unstable.
Like something was corrupting them.
"It's being influenced…" Woo Bin whispered.
The Dark General's voice echoed nearby.
"Correct."
They turned.
He hovered calmly in the sky, watching the chaos below.
"A dragon without control becomes a weapon."
Woo Bin clenched his fists.
"You did this."
The general smiled slightly.
"We simply… removed the balance."
The Fire Dragon roared again.
This time, it dove downward.
Flames exploded across the kingdom as it struck the ground.
Soldiers scattered in panic.
Buildings collapsed.
The entire floating island trembled.
"We have to stop it!" Woo Bin shouted.
Arin shook her head.
"No… we have to save it."
Woo Bin looked at her.
"Save it?"
"It's not the enemy," she said firmly. "It's being forced out of control."
Astrael spoke.
"She is correct. If the Fire Dragon falls, the Skyfire Kingdom will lose its guardian forever."
Woo Bin took a deep breath.
"Then what do we do?"
Astrael turned his massive head toward him.
"You must connect with it."
Woo Bin froze.
"What?!"
"You are the Dragon Bearer," Astrael said. "Only you can reach its mind."
Woo Bin looked down at the raging dragon below.
"That thing is destroying everything!"
"Yes," Astrael said.
"And if you fail… it will destroy you as well."
Woo Bin turned to Arin.
"Why does it matter so much to you?"
For a moment, she didn't answer.
Then finally—
She spoke quietly.
"I grew up with it."
Woo Bin blinked.
"What?"
"When I was a child," she continued, "the Fire Dragon would fly over the kingdom every morning."
Her voice softened slightly.
"It wasn't just a guardian."
"It was… part of our lives."
Woo Bin listened carefully.
"I used to watch it from the palace towers," she said. "I always dreamed of becoming strong enough to fight beside it."
Her hands tightened.
"And now…"
She looked down at the destruction below.
"It doesn't even recognize us."
Woo Bin's expression changed.
"I get it."
Arin looked at him.
"I won't let it be destroyed," he said.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Then don't fail."
Astrael roared.
"Hold on!"
He dove toward the battlefield.
The heat intensified instantly.
Flames roared around them as they got closer to the Fire Dragon.
Woo Bin could feel the power radiating from it.
Wild.
Chaotic.
Painful.
"This is insane…" he muttered.
Astrael landed heavily on a broken section of the kingdom.
"Go," the dragon said.
Woo Bin hesitated.
"Are you sure?"
"You must face it directly," Astrael replied.
Woo Bin nodded.
Then he jumped down.
Arin followed immediately.
"I'm not letting you do this alone," she said.
Woo Bin gave a small smile.
"Good."
The Fire Dragon turned.
Its massive eyes locked onto them.
For a moment—
Everything went silent.
Then—
It roared.
A wave of fire rushed toward them.
"MOVE!" Arin shouted.
They jumped apart just in time.
The ground where they stood melted instantly.
Woo Bin got back up.
"This thing is way stronger than anything we've faced!"
Astrael's voice echoed from above.
"Do not fight it!"
"Connect with it!"
Woo Bin clenched his teeth.
"Easy for you to say!"
The Fire Dragon charged again.
Woo Bin stood still.
"Woo Bin, what are you doing?!" Arin shouted.
He didn't move.
He raised his hand.
The dragon mark began to glow.
"I'm trusting this…"
The dragon came closer.
Closer.
Arin's eyes widened.
"He's going to get himself killed…"
Just as the Fire Dragon reached him—
Woo Bin shouted:
"STOP!"
The dragon mark burst with blue light.
Time seemed to slow.
The flames froze mid-air.
And suddenly—
Woo Bin was somewhere else.
Darkness.
Fire.
Pain.
Woo Bin stood in a strange space filled with burning energy.
"What… is this?"
A deep roar echoed around him.
The Fire Dragon's voice.
But not angry.
In pain.
"I… can hear it…"
He looked around.
Chains.
Dark chains made of shadow were wrapped around a glowing core of fire.
The dragon's heart.
"It's being controlled…"
Woo Bin stepped forward.
"I won't let this continue."
He reached out.
The chains reacted instantly.
Dark energy lashed toward him.
Woo Bin gritted his teeth.
The dragon mark glowed brighter.
"Break!"
He released a burst of blue energy.
One chain shattered.
The roar changed.
Less anger.
More clarity.
"It's working!"
He moved again.
Another chain.
Another burst.
Another break.
But the final chain—
Was stronger.
Darker.
It pulsed with immense power.
Woo Bin hesitated.
"This one…"
A voice echoed behind him.
"You think you can break that?"
Woo Bin turned.
The Dark General stood there.
Inside the dragon's mind.
"You…" Woo Bin growled.
The general smiled.
"You are stronger than expected."
Woo Bin stepped forward.
"I'm ending this."
The general shook his head.
"No."
He raised his hand.
Dark energy surged toward Woo Bin.
The final chain tightened.
The Fire Dragon roared in pain again.
Woo Bin clenched his fists.
"I won't lose!"
The dragon mark exploded with light.
"DRAGON PULSE!"
The energy surged forward.
The final chain cracked.
The general's expression changed.
"No—"
CRACK.
The chain shattered.
Light exploded.
Woo Bin opened his eyes.
He was back on the battlefield.
The Fire Dragon stood still.
Completely still.
Then slowly—
Its eyes changed.
From chaotic fire…
To calm glowing amber.
Arin stared in disbelief.
"You… did it…"
The Fire Dragon lowered its head slightly.
Recognizing them.
Recognizing its home.
Astrael's voice echoed proudly.
"You have taken your first step… Dragon Bearer."
Woo Bin dropped to one knee, exhausted.
"I… actually did it…"
But far above—
The Dark General watched.
His eyes narrowed.
"This changes nothing."
He turned and disappeared into the shadows.
But Woo Bin knew—
This was only the beginning.