Chapter 47: The Dragon Awakens

The rain poured endlessly over the ruins of the High Elite Headquarters.
Smoke curled from the shattered towers, the scent of ozone and fire thick in the air.
And at the center of it all stood Kanata, unmoving, his breath ragged and eyes burning black-gold.

The crimson glow from his right arm spread across his entire body.
Black scales began to crawl over his skin like a living infection, pulsing with each heartbeat.
The ground beneath him cracked.

Then, the dragon’s voice whispered inside his head.

“More… Let me out.”

Kanata’s scream tore through the storm, his human voice swallowed by a monstrous roar.

Celestine staggered back, shielding her eyes from the surge of dark energy.
“No… his aura—It’s getting worse!”

Itsuha clenched her fists. “Damn it, don’t let him lose control again!”

But it was already too late.

Kanata’s body convulsed as a black aura spiraled outward.
The image of a dragon—massive, coiled, infinite—loomed behind him like a shadow come alive.

“Kanata, please, stop this madness!” Celestine shouted.

A deeper voice answered instead, cold and ancient.
“Kanata? The boy is fast asleep, little girl. You’re speaking to me now.”

Obsidian had awakened.

The next instant, he vanished.
A shockwave ripped through the courtyard, sending Celestine and Itsuha flying.

Itsuha landed hard, her sword scraping across the concrete. “He’s too fast—he’s not even human anymore!”

Celestine stood her ground, summoning holy light into her hands. “Then we’ll bring him back—no matter what!”

She fired a burst of light straight at Kanata.
It struck his chest—and fizzled like smoke.

“Pathetic.”
Obsidian’s tail of pure energy slammed into Celestine, hurling her through a wall. She crashed to the ground, coughing blood.

A flash of silver descended between them.
Evelyn landed softly, blood already dripping from her fingers, forming a curved crimson blade.

“So this is the true form of the Black Dragon?” she said coldly. “Color me unimpressed.”

Obsidian grinned, his voice a low growl.
“A half-breed vampire dares to sneer at me? You reek of tainted blood.”

“Then allow me to cleanse your arrogance.” Evelyn’s eyes glowed red.

Their blades collided—one forged of blood, the other of darkness.
The clash erupted like a thunderstorm, lightning bursting through the rain as their blows shattered walls and tore open the night.

Itsuha and Celestine could only watch, powerless against the two monsters fighting before them.

Obsidian laughed between each strike, his voice echoing through the ruins.
“So easy to control. This boy’s rage is an open door, and I am the one who walks through it.”

Evelyn spat blood and charged again. “Then I’ll slam that door shut!”

<<Crimson Oath>>!
Her blade split into a wave of burning red light. Kanata’s claw swept through it effortlessly, turning the spell into dust.

“You’re fast,” she muttered, sliding back across the broken ground, “but I’ve faced worse.”

Then—her voice.

“That’s enough.”

The battlefield froze.
Naomi Kaname descended from above, her staff blazing with divine energy.
Her eyes widened at the sight of her son’s body wrapped in scales.

“Obsidian… so you’ve finally wake again?.”

Obsidian’s grin widened. “Naomi… I could smell your fear from miles away.”

“Why take him over?” she demanded. “Why now?”

“Because you’ve all been blind.”
He pointed at the surrounding soldiers—the same High Elite troops who’d cornered Kanata earlier.

Their eyes glowed a faint, eerie black.

“They’re being controlled,” Naomi whispered.

“By your precious Elders,” Obsidian snarled. “Vlad’s curse already runs in their veins.”

Naomi’s expression hardened. “Then why are you awake?”

Obsidian tilted his head, amused.
“When the boy fought Vlad, the seed of corruption entered him. I am that corruption’s echo.”

He lifted his right hand; blue-black veins pulsed beneath his skin.
“That blood is a leash—and I am the beast at the end of it.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “So Vlad’s blood… the curse of control!”

“Correct.” Obsidian’s smile sharpened. “You failed to notice it, Kaname. Again.”

Evelyn bit into her finger, blood sizzling as it hit the air.
“<Cast Spell> — <<Crimson Oath: Exorcise>>!”

Chains of living blood erupted from the ground, coiling around Kanata’s body.
The cursed veins glowed brighter—then began to burn away.

Obsidian screamed through Kanata’s mouth, a sound not meant for mortal ears.
The ground cracked, the very air vibrating with pain.

Finally, black-blue blood spilled from his wounds, glowing like molten ink.
Evelyn caught it inside a sealed crystal vial, locking it with a sigil of binding.

Kanata collapsed instantly.
The dragon’s aura flickered—and vanished.

Evelyn fell to one knee, breathing heavily.
“He’s stable… for now. But we have to move before Vlad strikes again.”

Naomi knelt beside Kanata, brushing sweat from his face.
“We’ll take him to the hidden refuge. No one must know he survived.”

Itsuha clenched her fists. “The whole world saw him lose control… they’ll call him a monster.”

Celestine’s voice trembled. “Then we’ll protect him ourselves. No matter what it takes.”

Evelyn lifted the vial; the liquid inside still pulsed like a heartbeat.
“This isn’t just control. It’s a signal.”

Naomi frowned. “A signal?”

“Yes,” Evelyn said quietly. “Vlad wanted us to find it. Which means this—” she raised the vial higher, the glow reflecting in her eyes, “—is only the beginning.”

By dawn, every news screen in Tokyo showed the same footage:
Tendou Kanata — The Black Dragon.
A boy who defied the High Elite, who unleashed a power the world wasn’t ready to see.

Was he a hero… or the next great threat?

And deep within the hidden chamber where his body now rested, Kanata dreamed.
Somewhere inside those dreams, a voice whispered from the darkness.

“This isn’t over, boy. The war has only begun.”