The night was beginning to settle over the camp, the last streaks of sunlight fading to deep blue. Here and there, a few people still hustled about, gathering items, hauling materials, or working with a quiet focus on their crafts.

  Leo sat off to one side, feeling a little adrift. He wasn’t going on the excursion to the beast pens, and he couldn’t exactly wander off to fight ants and grind levels. Not with the camp soon to be left with so few defenders.

  As if summoned by the thought, Bjorn strolled up and set a solid hand on Leo’s shoulder.

  “You cut up about not going tomorrow?” Bjorn asked.

  “Not cut up. Just… not entirely sure what to do while you’re all gone,” Leo admitted. “I can’t go out to fight. These people could be taken advantage of again.”

  “True enough,” Bjorn said, his tone thoughtful. “But don’t look at it like a bad thing, you being their defender, I mean. It’s barely been a day since these people were being used and abused for the entertainment of those dogs.” He glanced around. “Some have bounced back, throwing themselves into doing whatever they can. Others are sticking to this new profession stuff. What they’ve got in common is they’re still coping, each in their own way.”

  It sounded like Bjorn was building toward something, but he seemed to be struggling to get the words out.

  He rubbed the back of his neck.

  “I’m no good at this encouraging stuff,” he admitted with a chuckle. “You’d think with two kids I’d have been better at it, huh? What I’m trying to say is, these people are still vulnerable and raw. You might not see it, but they look to you as a protector.”

  Their protector, huh. Leo thought, a faint smile appearing.

  He’d been so focused on growing stronger himself that he hadn’t stopped to think about how many here might still be living with fear. Vowing to make sure they weren’t preyed on again was one thing. Actually living up to it meant paying more attention, being ready for threats before they came.

  “Thanks, Bjorn,” Leo said, lifting his head a little. “You’re better at this than you give yourself credit for.”

  “I’m sure your dad would be much better,” Bjorn said with a laugh.

  The comment hit harder than intended, with a sharp intake of breath, Leo’s face dropped before he could stop it.

  Bjorn noticed. “Sorry, kid. He pass?”

  “Both of them,” Leo said quietly. “About five years ago. Just me and my sister now.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Bjorn replied, the joking tone gone. “Think your sister’s here too?”

  Leo shook his head. “She was studying medicine at a university across the country, so I doubt it. I’m going to find her after surviving this place.”

  “Good idea. When that time comes, I’ll be with you.”

  “You sure? Don’t you need to find your own family?”

  “I do,” Bjorn said. “But my kids are grown and scattered across other countries. You already helped me find my World, so you’ve got my help. Just keep me and Ellen alive, alright?”

  “Shouldn’t those be my words? Mr. Knight?”

  Bjorn threw a playful punch at Leo’s shoulder, but Leo slipped out of the way without even looking. Their eyes met, and both started laughing.

  His hand clapped down on Leo’s shoulder once more. He didn’t dodge this one. It was gentle and comforting.

  The tutorial still had a long way to go. Plenty of time for him to fight, train, and grow stronger. Missing a couple days of combat wasn’t the end of the world.

  In the meantime, he could work on his mana control, help the crafters, or act as a guard and instructor. There were more ways to serve the camp than just throwing punches.

  Leo got to his feet. “I’m gonna turn in. I’ll see you in the morning when you set off.”

  “Alright. It’s looking like a late one for me.” Bjorn exhaled. “Ashley’s giving us a rundown on the beast pens. Cecelia was going to ask you, but Ashley volunteered. Her profession isn’t going as well as she hoped. Complicated one, apparently.”

  “She’s totally going to blame me for that,” Leo groaned.

  “Probably,” Bjorn said with a chuckle.

  Leo decided to sleep under the open sky, so he vaulted onto the nearest building with a full-powered jump and a quick dash from his boots. The motion was becoming familiar, but it still felt as thrilling as the first time.

  He lay back, hands behind his head, eyes drifting shut as the sounds of hammering and quiet conversation rose from below. The moon climbed higher, silver light spilling over the camp as sleep took him.

  The sun’s glare dragged Leo from sleep. He stretched until his joints popped, then sat up with a yawn. He’d slept far later than he meant to, but damn did it feel good.

  Walking to the edge of the rooftop, he peered over the camp below. People were already moving, voices carrying, footsteps thudding across the courtyard. Cecelia’s and Nolan’s groups stood armed and ready, clearly about to head out. It looked like he’d woken up just in time to see them off.

  Leo took a few steps back, broke into a run, and leapt from the building. The wind rushed past, cool against his skin, tugging at his hair. He didn’t need to do it, but the temptation was too strong.

  A foot and knee hit the ground together, his fist slamming down a heartbeat later.

  Superhero landing. Check.

  Leo looked up, waiting for the gasps, the awed stares. Instead, he got a wall of unimpressed faces and Ashley biting her lip… until she couldn’t hold it in. Laughter burst out of her like she’d been saving it all week.

  Cecelia didn't even blink. “Good morning, Leo. Glad you’re here to see us off.” She turned to address the gathered survivors. “Everyone, this is who I was just referring to as your powerful protector.”

  Leo’s forehead tightened as he straightened slowly. Great. He’d just crashed her speech about him being their guardian, and now he looked like an idiot.

  I hope it at least looked cool. He thought.

  Trying to salvage some dignity, he stood tall, voice strong. “I hope you all return safely. I’ll look out for everyone while you’re gone. Good luck.”

  Ashley started laughing again, Leo tried to give her a death stare but she just laughed harder.

  Cecelia gave a curt nod. “Then let us be off.”

  Both groups moved out, the chatter of the courtyard shifting as people broke off to their own business. Leo caught talk of new professions and more than a few voices discussing sparring. That one made him grin, if nothing else, he’d lit a spark.

  “Hey, Hero,” A voice said, in an alluring tone.

  Leo turned to the voice. “Yes, helpless citizen?” he said, putting on his best dramatic tone, hands on hips.

  “Helpless? Really?” Ashley deadpanned. She crossed her arms, though there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

  He smirked, relaxing his posture. “What’s up, Ash?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I was wondering what you had planned for today. Perhaps… egg related?”

  “You’re really set on this, huh?”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  She leaned in, eyes sharp. “It’s a baby dragon, Leo. Do you even have to ask?”

  “It might come out fully grown, you know. The System might just make it super-sized instantly.”

  Her expression went pale, like the thought had never once crossed her mind. “It wouldn’t dare.”

  “Only one way to find out,” Leo said with a teasing grin.

  “You mean…?” she asked, leaning forward like a kid waiting for a secret.

  “I’m gonna try and make it hatch today,” he confirmed. “Not exactly sure how, but I'm going to at least try.”

  “Then what are we still standing here for?!” Ashley grabbed his arm and started hauling him along. Her grip was surprisingly strong, and Leo had to half-jog to keep up.

  She was chanting, “Egg. Egg. Egg.” As they moved.

  She didn’t stop until they reached the top floor of one of the buildings, a floor Leo hadn’t even known existed. The room they stepped into was spacious, lined with sturdy wooden tables and chairs that had somehow survived everything. Could have been a workshop once. Or an office.

  “Welcome to my office,” Ashley said, dipping into a dramatic curtsy.

  “Nice place you got here,” Leo said, taking in the unbroken furniture.

  “Thank you, sir,” she said with exaggerated grace, before her expression snapped serious. “Now get to hatching.”

  Leo raised both hands. “Okay, you win. I’ll do it by the window, though. Just in case anything happens, ants could show up and I’ll need to be ready.”

  Ashley nodded approvingly. “I’ll be working on my Luminarch stuff while you do. Once I get barriers made of light up and running, this place will be impenetrable.”

  “Sounds like we both have our day planned.”

  Leo settled on one of the tables by the open window, legs crossed. From here he had a clear line of sight over the camp, enough to ease the tension in his shoulders.

  He slipped into his soul-space with practised ease, the real world fading as the familiar vastness unfolded around him. A faint stream of ice mana still trickled toward the egg from his last visit. Up close, he could swear its colours had deepened, the sheen on the shell a little more vivid.

  This method was working, but slowly. At this pace, it would be more than a week before the shell cracked, and Leo wasn’t interested in waiting. Today, he would try something more direct.

  He broke the Essence connection. The moment it snapped, he felt it, a small pang of sadness, like the egg missed it.

  “It’s okay, little buddy. You’re about to get more mana than that faint trickle ever gave you.”

  The melancholy faded, replaced with curiosity and excitement.

  Opening his eyes, Leo summoned the egg into his hands. “Let’s see if this works,” he murmured. “Let me know if it’s too much for you, okay?”

  The egg gave a faint wobble in reply, surprising him.

  Leo shut out the room. The scent of aged wood, the musty tang of dust, even the faint rot drifting in from outside, all of it faded away.

  He tuned out the distant murmur of the camp and Ashley’s absentminded foot tapping. All that remained in his focus was the pulse of mana leaving his Essence and flowing it into the egg.

  He started with fire. It surged up through his pathways, flooding into the shell. He didn’t shape it into flame, just the raw mana itself. The egg drank it greedily, pulling more and more, his reserves dropping fast.

  When it became clear the thing was a bottomless pit, Leo dumped his five free stat points into Intelligence. The stat shot up, the bonus efficiency helping him hold on a little longer before the shell finally stopped taking more.

  The sudden emptiness left him reeling. It was his first time running this low and it hurt, a pounding in his skull like a hammer to the temples. His cross-legged posture collapsed, and he flopped back onto the table, egg still in his arms.

  On the egg, the swirling red colour had stilled, locked into a solid pattern.

  “Give me a bit before the next one, okay?” he said, his voice thin.

  Ashley glanced over from her desk. “You alright? That was a lot of mana just now. How the hell did you do it?”

  “I—”

  “I swear, if you say ‘I just did it,’ I’ll beat you with my chair.”

  Leo smirked but chose the safer option. “Have you ever been in your soul-space?”

  “My what?” Ashley tilted her head, then her eyes widened slightly. “You mean the place my Light Essence is? Like a whole city made of light?”

  “Mine’s more like a plain with a bunch of storms behind mountains,” Leo said. “But yeah, that’s it. If you follow the mana thread from your Essence, you can draw it right to your fingertips and make something tangible, you did it outside the lab, inside the dungeon, remember?”

  To demonstrate, he conjured a small flame, barely more than a flicker, unwilling to waste more mana while it regenerated. Not to mention the pain in his head.

  Ashley shifted into a cross-legged position. “Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about that. I’ll try it.”

  A moment later, she opened her eyes, a ball of pure white light hovering above her palm. It radiated no heat, only a clean, steady glow.

  “I did it!” she jumped to her feet, bouncing like a kid with a new toy before looking at it more intensely and with wonder.

  “Now try pushing all your mana through those channels at once,” Leo said. “Might not work without an outlet, though.”

  Ashley narrowed her eyes in concentration. The light flared briefly, then dimmed as she slumped in frustration.

  “I can’t seem to do it,” she admitted.

  “Like I said, might need an outlet. I hadn’t tried it before either. Not unless you count that mana blast I used on the Alpha.”

  “Can I try it on the egg?”

  Seeing no reason to say no, Leo said, “Hmm. Sure, go ahead.”

  Ashley placed her hands on the shell. “Oh my god, it feels like silk. I’m in love!” she said, practically swooning.

  He could feel her mana gathering in her arms, surging toward the egg, only for the shell to reject it outright.

  The energy had nowhere to go and detonated in a miniature explosion.

  Both of them went flying, crashing over tables and chairs. Leo caught and clutched the egg tight to his chest as he slammed back-first into the wall with a solid thud.

  “Ow! What the hell was that?!” Ashley’s voice came from somewhere above, or maybe sideways, her body sprawled at an awkward angle.

  “That was the mana explosion—or something similar. Never been on the opposite end before. It’s inefficient as hell, but works if you’re desperate,” Leo said. Then, in a mock-baby voice, “Guess my little egg doesn’t like stinky light mana. Must’ve tasted awful, huh?”

  “Ugh, that voice is gross,” Ashley muttered. “And my mana isn’t stinky! It’s beautiful.”

  “Think I’ll stick to my own mana,” he said.

  Ashley righted her table with a small huff and sat back down, burying herself in her work.

  Leo climbed back onto his perch and settled into a meditative posture. Slow breaths in, slow breaths out. He let his mind clear, focusing only on the faint hum of power around him. If there was ambient mana in the air, maybe he could pull it in to speed his recovery. It was worth a try.

  A soft chime broke his focus.

  You have unlocked the Race skill: Meditate (Common)

  Meditate (Common)

  Through focused breathing and mental stillness, you have learned to draw in the ambient mana of your surroundings.

  While meditating, Health, Mana, and Stamina regenerate at an increased rate.

  Regeneration speed scales slightly with Intelligence and Wisdom. Movement or loss of focus will disrupt the effect.

  Leo jolted at the notification, caught off guard.

  “What is it?” Ashley asked, eyes already fixed on the egg like a hawk. “Is it hatching?!”

  “No, not yet,” Leo said. “I just unlocked a new skill. It recovers health, mana, and stamina faster. I was pulling in the mana around us while meditating, and I guess the System liked it. You should try it.”

  Ashley’s expression shifted to curious skepticism. “Fine.” She crossed her legs and closed her eyes.

  About ten minutes later, her eyes snapped open, bright with surprise. “You’re right! This is huge. We should tell everyone!” Without waiting for a reply, she bolted from the room.

  Leo chuckled under his breath, then turned his attention back to the egg.

  The hours passed in a steady rhythm. Channel mana until empty. Meditate until full. Repeat. Ashley eventually returned, staying quiet this time as he worked through the ice infusion, then busied herself with her own projects.

  When he finally finished forcing the stubborn Earth mana into the shell, Leo let out a tired, but satisfied breath. The satisfaction only lasted a heartbeat before the egg twitched. Then it shook harder, colours blazing like a living rainbow.

  “I think it’s hatching!” Leo shouted.

  Ashley nearly tripped over a table in her rush to get closer. “Oh my god, we didn’t pick a name! How could I forget?!”

  “Shh, just watch.”

  A thin crack appeared, spreading like a fracture in glass. More followed. Light leaked from the gaps, brightening with each snap of the shell. A chip of it broke free, the glow beyond so intense that Leo had to turn his head.

  The egg’s shell fell away in a rain of shimmering fragments, light spilling across the room. A small, sharp cry cut through the air.

  Leo froze, heart thudding.

  Ashley’s mouth fell open. “It’s–”

  But the sound didn’t just belong to them.

  Somewhere far beyond the tiny room, past the void of the city and beyond the reach of the tutorial itself, the cry carried. The System spread it further still.

  Across the multiverse, heads turned. Factions stirred. The Nine. The Primarchs. Those who had once hunted dragons to extinction, and those who had fought to shield them, all felt the same thing.

  A Dragon had returned.

  And nothing would be the same.