Chapter 28: Storm of Blood and Wind

This is my first real battle—
and it’s against my own sister.

Even knowing Nagisa was being controlled, I couldn’t stop.
If I hesitated now, everyone behind me would die.

Wind howled through the ruined district as our eyes met.
Her expression was blank, her stance perfect.

“Kanata Tendou,” she said, voice devoid of warmth.
“Surrender Envy to Lord Caine. Your life will be spared.”

“…And if I refuse?”

“Then die with her.”

My heartbeat thundered. So that’s what I’ve become to you, Sis—an obstacle.

I exhaled, tightening the bandage around my right arm.
“Then come and try.”

Nagisa moved first.

“<Aero Slash>!”

A transparent blade screamed through the air.
I twisted aside, the edge slicing a shallow line across my shoulder.
Before I could counter, she vanished.

“<Gale Step>.”

The wind exploded behind me—steel flashed.
I barely met her strike, sparks bursting as katana met claw.
Her follow-up came instantly:

“<Whirlwind Fang>!”

A spiral of cutting air erupted, ripping through the debris.
Stone shattered; the pressure alone drove me backward.

She’s faster than ever.

Nagisa body blurred again.

“<Sonic Edge>!”

The world cracked with a thunderclap.
A shockwave split the ground, forcing me to leap aside—too slow.
Pain burned down my arm; blood spattered across my face.

“Damn it… you’re really trying to kill me.”

I steadied my breath, recalling Erika’s voice from that training field days ago:
“Focus the mana into your core—let it flow through the right arm. Don’t resist the dragon. Guide it.”

I slammed my palm to the ground.

“<Abyss Fang>!”

A dark ripple burst outward, claw marks of energy tearing through the earth.
Nagisa flipped back, her coat shredded by the blast.

“<Devour Pulse>!”

The next strike erupted from my hand like a pulse of black lightning.
It devoured her wind barrier, twisting it into my own power.

But she didn’t stop.
Her eyes glowed brighter—Caine’s mark pulsing.

“You always held back, Kanata!”
“Not this time!”

Our blades met again—my conjured energy blade against her katana.
Each impact sent rings of wind and shadow colliding, shaking the air apart.
I broke through once, knocking her sword away.

“Easy—”

Another katana formed from spinning air.

“Not easy at all…”

She lunged. I caught her blade with my right hand bare; scales flared beneath the torn bandage.

“<Draconic Lance>!”

A spear of black-blue energy erupted from my palm, hurling her across the field.
The ground split where she fell—but she rose again, panting, eyes unfocused.

Then she whispered the words that made the world freeze.

“O winds that circle ruin, black thunder veiled behind sundered sky… unite beneath my will!
Rise, nameless storm, and sweep the world clean of gods and mortals alike—
<Oblivion Tempest>!”

The heavens twisted open.

Clouds coiled into a vast spiral, lightning veining its heart.
The weight of the air crushed my chest as silence fell—
then came the detonation.

A torrent of black wind and lightning devoured everything.
Buildings dissolved. The horizon vanished.

I threw my arm forward instinctively.

“<Draconic Barrier>!”

Dark scales erupted from the ground, forming a dome of raw mana.
The tempest struck—screaming, grinding, tearing—
and still it pushed me to my knees.

If I falter now… she’ll die too!

My barrier shattered. The blast hurled me through the air.
Pain flared across my ribs; I crashed to the ground, smoke and ozone filling my lungs.

Nagisa staggered, her sword dim, mana nearly gone.
Her breath came ragged.

She’s at her limit… but so am I.

The dragon’s voice echoed in my head—cold, ancient.

Finish it. Strike before she recovers.

No… she’s my sister.

Then save her by force.

I roared and surged forward, fist igniting with shadow.

“Draconic Overdrive—Impact!”

My punch met her guard—shattered it—and struck her chest.
The mark of control on her neck fractured, scattering like glass.
Her eyes widened—then dimmed.
She collapsed into my arms.

The storm above faded.

For a moment, all I could hear was my heartbeat.

I laid her gently on the ground, trembling.
The dragon inside me whispered again, softer now.

Strength and mercy are the same, boy. You chose both.

Across the field, Erika’s battle ended; Aine lay unconscious, frost chains binding her.
Schwartz and the others rushed in as I stood, bloodied but alive.

“Kanata, it’s over,” Erika said.
“Let’s move before reinforcements arrive.”

I nodded, eyes still on Nagisa peaceful face.

“Forgive me, Sis… I’ll bring you back—no matter what.”

Rio opened the Destiny Grimoire.
Its pages glowed, reacting to the dragon sigil on my arm.

I pressed my palm against the runes.
Energy surged—blinding light filled the ruins.

“Portal Open—To Nevantrax!”

The circle expanded, swallowing us whole just as the sky cracked with another thunder.
Behind us, Nagisa and Aine stirred, their chains breaking, memories blurred.
They saw the portal—stepped too close—and vanished after us.

When the light faded, the scent of iron and fire was replaced by the chill of another world.
Stone towers rose under twin moons, and the air tasted of magic older than time.

I looked down at my trembling hands—one human, one dragon.
The wind here was different, heavy with fate.

Nevantrax… the birthplace of everything.
And the place where I’ll finally learn why dragons were cursed.

I closed my fist, feeling my sister’s warmth still lingering on my skin.

“Wait for me, Nagisa… I’ll set you free from destiny itself.”

The storm had ended—
but the war of fate had only just begun.