After some time
KS's heartbeat slowly became steady again.
The burning pain across his body weakened little by little.
His blurry vision gradually cleared.
The first thing he saw
was the destroyed battlefield around him.
Cracked ground.
Burn marks everywhere.
Broken trees.
Then
Tejas standing nearby with his axe still in hand.
Mizuki kneeling beside him, breathing heavily from exhaustion.
And behind them
a gigantic turtle towering over the battlefield like an ancient guardian.
KS blinked twice in confusion.
"…What the hell?"
Aqualith slowly lowered its massive head.
Its glowing blue eyes calmly looked toward him.
"So…"
the giant turtle spoke in a deep peaceful voice,
" so you are finally awake Mr Kshitij Sharma.
KS slowly nodded.
"…Yeah…"
Then he looked around again.
"…Can somebody explain what's going on here?"
Mizuki responded with tired eyes .
"You almost died."
Tejas crossed his arms and looked away.
"And she summoned that giant turtle to save you."
KS froze for a second.
Then immediately looked toward Mizuki.
"…Wait."
"You summoned him?"
Mizuki nodded weakly.
"…Yeah."
KS frowned instantly.
"Are you insane?"
"Dimensional summoning is dangerous!"
Mizuki looked annoyed despite being exhausted and burst out.
"Oh wow."
"Nice to know the first thing you do after waking up is yell at me."
Tejas giggle by turning his head a little .
KS tried standing up
but pain shot through his body immediately.
"…Tch.."
Aqualith's calm voice echoed again.
"You should not move yet."
"Your body remains unstable."
KS slowly looked toward the giant turtle again.
"…So you healed me?"
"Partially."
Aqualith replied calmly.
"The damage inside your body still remains."
For a brief moment
KS's expression changed slightly.
But only for a second.
Then he smiled casually again.
"…Still better than being dead."
Tejas walked closer to KS. Then he stopped right in front of him. Their eyes met. Tejas spoke quietly this time. "Why did you jump in front of her?"
KS looked up at the dark sky and slowly tried to stand again. "I just wanted to save her."
Suddenly, Tejas burst out in frustration. "That's not an answer!"
The battlefield fell silent again.
Cold wind blew between them.
KS smiled faintly and finally answered properly.
"Because losing someone…"
His voice became quieter.
"Destroys people from the inside."
Tejas stayed silent.
KS continued to look at the sky.
"It makes them push everyone away. It makes them afraid to care about people again."
For the first time, Tejas didn't argue back. Deep down, he understood exactly what KS meant.
Silence covered the battlefield for a moment. Then KS spoke again. "Oh right… I lost the battle. As promised—"
Tejas immediately interrupted him.
"No." KS looked at him in confusion.
Tejas slowly lowered his axe.
"The one who lost was me."
He extended his hand forward, offering a handshake.
Inside his mind,
Dronzar's voice echoed.
"Do you truly believe he is worthy?"
Tejas looked directly at KS.
A small genuine smile appeared on his face. "I don't know."
After a pause, he added,
"But maybe."
Dronzar let out a low laugh.
"I got my answer."
KS stared at Tejas's hand for a moment, then smiled faintly and accepted the handshake. The moment their hands connected, KS's surroundings changed.
Dark space surrounded him once again.
KS looked upward in annoyance.
"Come on, Dragoon. Not again."
But this time, someone else appeared.
A gigantic fire bird descended from above.
Its wings burned like living flames.
Its tail flowed through the darkness like fire itself.
Its presence felt fierce yet noble, like the embodiment of bravery.
The bird landed before KS and spoke with a calm, cold voice.
"So, we finally meet, KS."
KS froze slightly.
"...Dronzar?"
The fire bird slowly opened its massive, burning wings.
"I still don't like Dragoon."
A small pause followed.
"But you… you seem worthy enough." Flames slowly gathered around KS. Dronzar's eyes glowed brightly.
"So I grant you the power of fire."
And flames start to surrounded Ks.