Chapter 21: The Silver Dragon’s Training Begins

A few days had passed since the revelation.
Kanata now stood on an open training field far beyond the city — a vast, empty expanse untouched by human hands. Only two figures watched from a distance: Shiranui Itsuha and Celestine Vairne.

They had insisted on accompanying him, curious to see what kind of “training” the dragons had in mind.

At the center of the field stood Erika Lakia, the Silver Dragon in her human form, her long silver-green hair shimmering in the sunlight. Beside her, Schwartz Helmut, the Blue Dragon, leaned lazily on his spear, clearly more amused than serious.

“All right, Kanata-san,” Erika said calmly, her voice cutting through the wind.
“Focus on your inner energy. Channel it through your right arm — slowly. Let it flow until it becomes one with your heartbeat.”

Kanata took a deep breath. The faint hum of mana filled the air as he clenched his fist.

“<Draconic Absorb>.”

The mark on his right arm began to glow faintly. Black-blue veins flared beneath his skin as the atmosphere itself began to distort. Itsuha and Celestine’s eyes widened.

“That energy… it’s absorbing everything around him.”

Erika nodded with satisfaction.

“That’s right. The dragon arm’s passive ability awakens when mana density rises. It opens every mana channel — devouring energy from spells, the air, even its enemies.”

She smiled slightly.

“You’ve only touched the surface of your power, Kanata. Now, let’s test how far you can push it.”

Kanata exhaled. Sweat rolled down his neck.

“All right. What next?”

“See that hill over there?” Erika pointed ahead. “Focus your energy on it — and destroy it.”

“Destroy it?! How?”

“Just do as I say. Point your hand and release it.”

Kanata extended his arm toward the hill. The mark on his hand pulsed violently.

“<Abyss Fang>!”

A faint shimmer rippled through the air — and then a thunderous BOOM echoed across the plain.
A claw-shaped shockwave carved through the earth, shredding the hill into dust and stone.

“Good,” Erika said, her tone pleased. “Now, we move to live combat.”

“Wait, what? Already?” Kanata looked between the two dragons.
“You’re seriously going to fight me?”

“Of course,” Schwartz grinned. “Don’t take it personally, kid. Consider it a warm-up.”

“Yeah, that’s what makes it suspicious.”

“Both of you stop bickering,” Erika snapped. “Begin.”

The training ground erupted into chaos.
Erika and Schwartz charged together, their mana flaring with silver and azure light. Kanata instinctively dodged, his dragon arm surging with unstable energy.

“Do you even know what you’re fighting for, boy?” Schwartz taunted.
“You say you want to protect humans, but can you really control that monster inside you?”

Kanata gritted his teeth and slammed his palm forward.

“<Abyssal Claw>!”

A dark spiral burst from his hand — an invisible dragon’s claw ripping through the air and slashing through Schwartz’s defense barrier. Sparks of mana scattered like glass.

Erika smirked, her eyes narrowing.

“Not bad. But let’s see if you can handle this.”

Schwartz swung his spear, sending a wave of blue energy toward Kanata. Kanata reacted by slamming his hand to the ground.

“<Devour Pulse>!”

A black shockwave exploded outward, absorbing the blue mana entirely and feeding it back into Kanata’s arm. The ground cracked beneath him as energy surged into his body.

“He’s converting their attacks into power…” Itsuha muttered in disbelief.
“That’s insane.”

“No,” Celestine whispered. “That’s the strength of the dragon’s curse.”

Kanata roared, pushing his energy further. His eyes gleamed faintly with red.

“<Draconic Lance>!”

A spear of black and blue light erupted from his palm, piercing through several energy barriers in succession. The shockwave sent both dragons staggering back, the earth trembling beneath their feet.

Dust filled the air. The power was monstrous — too much for a human body. Kanata clutched his arm in pain, the scales beneath his bandages burning.

“Kanata!” Itsuha shouted from afar.

Erika’s expression hardened. She could sense it — the pulse of the Black Dragon within him.

“Enough!” she commanded, slamming her staff into the ground. A gust of silver mana dispersed the dust.

Kanata fell to one knee, breathing heavily, his hand trembling.

“We’ll stop here,” Erika said firmly. “Push any further, and you’ll wake him.”

Kanata lowered his gaze, slowly wrapping his arm again in fresh bandages.

“Understood.”

Erika crossed her arms, studying him.

“You’ve grown stronger, Kanata. But remember — strength without restraint will destroy everything you care about.”

Kanata exhaled deeply.

“Then I’ll learn to control it… no matter how long it takes.”

Schwartz chuckled.

“Heh. Guess the kid’s not hopeless after all.”

Erika shot him a sharp glare.

“Try not to provoke him next time. You almost made him transform.”

Schwartz raised his hands defensively.

“Fine, fine. My bad.”

As the sun began to set, Kanata glanced at his phone — a new message flashing across the screen.

[From: Kisaragi Aine]
“Tendou Kanata — I challenge you. Tomorrow. No excuses.”

Kanata sighed.

“Tch… can’t I catch a break for once?”