Chapter 18: The Blue Dragon and The Silver Dragon

A day had passed since the Veil Morgath incident.
Tokyo Magic Academy had returned to its usual rhythm, though a faint trace of mana still lingered in the air.
Kanata, however, couldn’t care less — he was busy celebrating the arrival of his long-awaited game.

“Finally! I got it! My masterpiece!”
He raised the game box like it was a divine treasure.
But just as he was about to start playing, a notification popped up on his tablet.

[Notice: Midterm Exam Schedule Released]

Kanata froze mid-cheer.

“Midterm exam… already?!”
Then his lips curved into a sly grin.
“Perfect. If I bomb this exam, the teachers will give up on me and kick me out.”

For Kanata, this was not an exam — it was the perfect escape plan.

Aine slowly opened her eyes. The soft sunlight streaming through the window made her blink.
The pain from the poison was gone; her body felt surprisingly light.

A nurse walked in, checking her vitals.

“You’re awake! That’s incredible, Miss Aine — the poison’s completely disappeared!”
“Disappeared?”
“Yes, it’s gone. It’s almost as if your body neutralized it on its own.”

Aine stared at her hand — the spot where Veil had bitten her — and smiled faintly.

“That boy… maybe one day, I’ll properly thank him. After I settle the score, of course.”

The next morning, Kanata strutted into class with full confidence — the confidence of someone about to intentionally fail.

“Alright, let’s fail beautifully.”

He answered every question with nonsense: random doodles, philosophical jokes, and one entire essay about instant noodles.
When the bell rang, he proudly stretched his arms.

“Done! My path to freedom begins!”

But suddenly, a sharp voice echoed in his mind — dark, familiar, and menacing.

“Weak.”
“Pathetic.”
“You can’t even face who you are.”

Kanata gritted his teeth, clutching his head.

“Shut up…”

The voice grew louder, mocking him.

“You are mine, vessel of the dragon…”

“I SAID SHUT UP!”

His outburst made the entire class freeze.
The teacher blinked, bewildered.

“Uh… Kanata-kun? Are you alright?”

Without a word, Kanata slammed his paper on the desk and stormed out of the room.

That night, Kanata couldn’t sleep. His body trembled, sweat dripping down his forehead.
The whisper in his mind grew unbearable — like a thousand echoes clawing at his consciousness.

Kaname and Nagisa rushed to his room.

“Kanata!”
“Big brother, please wake up!”

Kaname knelt beside him, pressing her hand on his forehead.

“Sleep, Kanata. I’ll handle this.”

A faint glow enveloped him, and Kaname’s spirit slipped into his dreams.

Inside his mind was a vast wasteland beneath a blood-red sky.
A child — Kanata’s younger self — sat crying alone among ruins.
And looming over him was a colossal black dragon with eyes burning crimson.

Kaname appeared beside the boy, unfazed.

“You again, Obsidian.”

“You still protect him, witch?” the dragon’s deep voice rumbled.

“I’ll always protect him. He’s stronger than you think.”

Obsidian chuckled darkly.

“Then you should fear not me, but my kin.”

“Your kin?” Kaname frowned.

“My brother and my niece… they have crossed into this world.”

“Why tell me this?”

“Because they will find him — and when they do, the balance will end.”

Before Kaname could reply, Obsidian’s form dissolved into mist.
The crying boy looked up, trembling. Kaname knelt, wrapping him in her arms.

“Don’t cry, Kanata. You’re not alone anymore. I’m here.”

Kanata was called to the faculty office.
He smirked.

“Finally. They’re gonna scold me. My plan’s working perfectly.”

“Kanata Tendou,” the teacher said brightly, holding up his exam paper.
“Congratulations! You got a B!”

“…WHAT?!”

“You’ve really improved! Keep it up!”

Kanata was speechless.

“I—I literally drew a cat on question five!”

All day, teachers praised him for his “creative answers.”
By afternoon, he was sitting outside the academy in disbelief.

“…My plan failed again…”

“Tough day?”

A calm voice came from behind. Kanata turned — and froze.
A tall man stood there, with striking blue hair and silver eyes that seemed to glow faintly.

“Who are you?”

“Relax. I’m not your enemy. In fact, I’m… impressed.”
The man smiled faintly. “You’ve done well, Kanata.”

“Answer me. Who the hell are you?”

The stranger placed his hand over his chest.

“Schwartz Helmut. And… in a way, I’m your brother.”

Kanata scowled.

“Don’t joke around. I don’t even know you.”

“Your arm does.”

With a snap of his fingers, the bandages around Kanata’s right arm unraveled, revealing faint glowing scales beneath his skin.

“You—”

“So it’s true,” Schwartz murmured. “My brother still lives within this vessel.”

At that moment, Celestine and Itsuha arrived, both on guard.

“Kanata! Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. But stay sharp. He’s no ordinary person.”

“Hey, I’m not here to fight,” Schwartz chuckled. “I just wanted to meet him.”

“Shut up, weirdo,” Itsuha snapped, summoning her weapon.

Schwartz sighed.

“Fiery, aren’t you? Guess that’s your charm.”

Then, a new voice cut through the tension.

“Schwartz. Enough.”

Descending from above was a woman with long silver hair and mismatched eyes — one red, one blue.
Kanata immediately recognized her.

“You… the woman I ran into that day.”

She landed gracefully beside Schwartz.

“Apologies, Lord Kanata. My brother tends to act before thinking.”

“Lord?” Kanata blinked. “What’s going on?”

“Because,” she said softly, “you are one of us.”

With a snap of her fingers, the world around them turned white.
The air rippled — and suddenly, both Schwartz and the woman transformed.

Before their eyes stood two dragons.
Schwartz — the Blue Dragon of the North — scales gleaming like sapphire.
Lakia — the Silver Dragon of the Moon — her wings shining like moonlight.

The ground trembled beneath them.
Kanata’s right arm glowed violently in response, the scales pulsing in rhythm with the dragons’ breath.

“You feel it, don’t you?” Schwartz’s voice rumbled, echoing through the air.
“The blood of dragons that flows within you.”

Kanata’s heart pounded. His vision blurred as the dragons’ presence filled the world.

And deep inside his mind, a familiar voice whispered again—

“The dragons have gathered.”
“Now… the real war begins.”