Chapter 27: The Black Dragon

The night wind howled softly through the cracks of an abandoned building on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Inside, a small campfire flickered in the dark, its glow reflecting on four exhausted faces — Kanata, Schwartz, Erika, and Envy.
The smoke drifted lazily upward, carrying the scent of burnt wood and fear.

“I still can’t believe it…” Kanata muttered, staring into the flames.
“They’ve all become our enemies.”

Erika sat cross-legged beside him, her silver hair catching the firelight.

“It’s because of that book — the Destiny Grimoire. Whoever holds it can rewrite the world itself. For all we know, Caine already changed the script of reality. Maybe we’re the villains now.”

Silence followed her words. The thought hung in the air, suffocating.

Kanata clenched his fists.

“From now on… anyone outside this room is an enemy.”

“Not everyone, Kanata-san.”

A new voice echoed from the shadows. Everyone turned toward it—
and saw Rio, standing in the doorway, unharmed.

“Rio?!” Haqua exclaimed, jumping up.
“How—how are you not affected by the mind control?”

Rio smiled faintly, holding up a small talisman hanging around his neck.

“My grandfather’s charm. It protects the mind from corruption. He made it back when he served as an adviser at the Nevantrax royal court.”

Kanata blinked.

“Wait… your grandfather worked in Nevantrax?”

Rio nodded slowly.

“Yes. He used to warn me about Caine — said he dreamed of reshaping the world. His philosophy was simple: ‘The strong shall rule, and the weak shall remain beneath them.’”

Kanata’s teeth ground together.

“So that’s it. He’s trying to turn the world into his twisted utopia.”

Envy’s eyes widened in realization.

“Then there might be a way to stop him.”

“How?” Kanata asked.

“In the old archives beneath Nevantrax lies a copy of the Destiny Grimoire. If you — the Black Dragon — can absorb its power, you might be able to rewrite Caine’s spell.”

Haqua’s eyes lit up.

“She’s right, big brother. Maybe your arm — your power — can devour the magic that created this mess!”

Kanata frowned.

“Kaname once said only the strongest mages can write fate itself…”

“Then it’s time you prove you’re stronger than fate,” Envy said with a small, knowing smile.

The room fell quiet again — but the air felt different now.
Purpose had returned to their eyes.

By dawn, they had a plan.

To reach Nevantrax, they needed a portal spellbook, and only Naomi Kaname possessed it.
Stealing it would mean becoming fugitives for real — but they no longer cared.

“We’ll need a team name,” Schwartz muttered half-jokingly as he adjusted his jacket.
“Something dramatic, like old hero squads.”

Kanata smirked faintly.

“Then call us The Black Dragon. If the world thinks we’re the villains, we might as well live up to the name.”

Thus, the Black Dragon team was born.

That evening, Kanata, Haqua, and Erika infiltrated the Tendou residence.
Schwartz and Rio stayed behind to guard Envy and monitor the city’s movement.

The house was dark and silent.
As Kanata crept through the hall, something inside him twisted.
It was too quiet. Too perfect.

Then they saw it.

“What the—” Haqua gasped.

In the living room stood duplicates — false versions of themselves.
A fake Kanata sat calmly at the table, drinking tea with a gentle smile.
But his right arm… was human.

Kanata’s eyes burned with fury.

“You’ve gone too far, Caine…”
He tightened his bandaged arm. It pulsed faintly in response, as if sharing his rage.

They moved quickly, seizing the hidden spellbook and escaping before the illusions reacted.
By the time the false figures dissolved into mist, the real Kanata was already gone.

Back at the abandoned building, Rio and Schwartz kept watch outside while Kanata opened the grimoire.
The ancient runes glowed, reacting to the dark energy in his right arm.

But before the ritual could begin—
a sudden explosion ripped through the air.

“They found us!” Schwartz shouted.

Through the settling smoke, two silhouettes appeared — Tendou Nagisa and Kisaragi Aine.
Their eyes glowed faint orange, faces blank of emotion.

“So… they’re using them again,” Erika whispered.

Without hesitation, both women attacked, firing spells in perfect sync.
Kanata leapt back, deflecting the impact with his right hand.

“Nagisa! Aine! Snap out of it!” he shouted — but their only response was silence.

“Kanata, let us handle this,” Schwartz warned.
“You’re too injured—”

“No.” Kanata’s eyes hardened.
“They’re my family. I’ll bring them back myself.”

Erika stepped forward, her silver aura blazing.

“Then I’ll cover you. Schwartz, protect Envy and Haqua. Rio, guard the grimoire — at all costs!”

The air crackled with magic as light and shadow collided.
Fire, ice, lightning — the world exploded into chaos.

Kanata faced Nagisa and Aine head-on, his heart heavy.

Even if the world sees me as the villain… I’ll still save the people I love.

He clenched his right fist. The scales beneath the bandages glowed crimson.

“Draconic Overdrive—Release!”

The roar of the Black Dragon echoed through the ruins, shaking the night sky.