—Well... I just got a message from the Master. That means my suspicions were right... that boy is a Dragon! —Gonzo muttered to himself.

  It seemed the masters had already suspected that among the group, there was a dragon.

  —Oh, look! Mr. Gonzo’s here! —said Mason.

  —Hey, kids —Gonzo greeted them with a tired smile—. I’m here to fill in for the Master today. But first... Yulian, let me see the Dragon. —His tone carried genuine excitement.

  —Uh, Mr. Gonzo... the dragon is me —Damien said shyly—. But I can’t control it well enough to show you.

  —What? This kid is the dragon? But he’s the slowest learner of the bunch! —Gonzo thought, stunned.

  —Sorry to disappoint, Master Gonzo, but my beast is the bear —Yulian added calmly.

  —Alright, down to business —Gonzo said, regaining his composure—. The Master had to take care of something. So… you’ve all released your beasts already. How do you feel?

  —It’s exhausting to unleash that much Koa… now I get why they only allow one day per week for it —Layla replied, still breathing heavily.

  —Good. Forget the fatigue —Gonzo ordered—. I want you to meditate on your way home and come up with a special technique. But it must be created using Nature Koa.

  Keep in mind: every technique must have a proper penalty to balance its power.

  —But why does Nature Koa need penalties? —Damien grumbled—. Legend and Beast Koa don’t have them, you just need to learn how to use them… at least that’s what I thought.

  —Forgive him, Mr. Gonzo. He’s still recovering from the dragon incident —Sarah said softly.

  —Nature Koa must remain balanced —Gonzo explained—, because it covers a far broader range of abilities. Legend and Beast Koa work within the limits of their guardians, but Nature Koa... is different.

  There’s a gray area. Take the Master’s elemental techniques, for example: he can use any element, but only through his scrolls. Lose them, and he loses the skill. They are his penalty.

  It’s a fair rule —to prevent powers from becoming too overwhelming.

  —So then... —Gonzo continued— your mission is to create a skill along with its penalty. But remember, with enough practice, someone else could learn it too.

  On their way home, each of them began thinking about their potential techniques: strength, speed, defense… even teleportation.

  —I'll create something for healing. It might come in handy someday —Sarah said with a calm smile.

  —Bah, useless skill. You don’t need to worry about that… I’ll always protect you —Damien said proudly.

  A brief silence followed. Sarah blushed.

  —A-and all of you too, of course —Damien added quickly, scratching the back of his head.

  —Relax, man, we got it —Edward laughed.

  They all parted ways for the night.

  But Damien couldn’t sleep. The image of the Wendigo’s death haunted his dreams, over and over. He could still hear its voice, and that strange light in its dying eyes.

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  —Damn it... —he whispered between gasps—. I didn’t want to kill that imp... how can I ever call myself a hero after that?

  Days passed, training continued, and everyone kept getting stronger while exploring the vast home of Yu-Han and his disciples.

  But their calm was about to shatter.

  —Alright, today we have to try hitting Master Yianiss again —Albert grumbled, frustrated—. It feels impossible.

  —Hey! We were close last time —Mason shouted.

  —True —Edward added—. We still haven’t landed a single hit after two months, but we’ve definitely improved.

  —Yeah, Yulian and I even lost weight and got fit —Damien said, striking a bodybuilder pose that made Sarah and Layla laugh… and left Yulian embarrassed.

  A man emerged from the forest.

  He didn’t look like any master or villager they had seen before.

  He wore dark glasses, short hair, and a long coat that fluttered in the wind.

  —Who the hell is this guy? —Albert growled, tense.

  The man didn’t answer immediately.

  —Which one of you kids is the Dragon? —he finally asked, his voice deep.

  —I am. What’s the problem? —Damien replied, irritated.

  —Come on, Sigfrido —the man muttered, unleashing his Legend Koa. Without another word, he struck Damien with a brutal blow, sending him crashing into a tree.

  —What the hell’s your problem, you bastard?! —Albert roared, rushing in.

  —Stay out of this... my business is with the Dragon —warned the man with the glasses.

  —Roar of the Lion! —he shouted, unleashing a sonic wave that paralyzed Albert and the others.

  It felt similar to the fear induced by the Dragon’s Koa… except this time, it hurt.

  —What is this crap? I can’t move! —Albert grunted.

  —Hey! What’s your deal?! Why attack us out of nowhere?! —Damien shouted, furious.

  —Sigfrido —the attacker said again, and charged forward. Damien barely dodged a few blows before being thrown back once more.

  Layla stepped up. —Agility of the Monkey! —she activated her Beast Koa, but the stranger was far too fast.

  —Claw of the Emperor of the Savannah! —he countered, striking her square in the chest.

  —Aghhh! Cerberus Jugdment! —Mason attacked, but the man easily dodged it.

  —Go to sleep, pup. Claw of the Emperor of the Savannah! —he hit Mason mercilessly.

  —Now I’ve got you! Minotaur’s Fist! —Albert roared, but his strike was too slow.

  —Frozen Torrent! —Sarah shouted, sending a stream of water toward him.

  The man sliced through it with another Claw of the Emperor, dispersing the attack entirely.

  —Pathetic —he muttered with annoyance—. Roar of the Lion!

  The blast struck Sarah and Albert head-on, but Yulian stepped in to take part of the impact.

  —Bear’s Claw! —he growled, barely holding his ground.

  —Interesting... this one’s stronger than the rest —the intruder thought.

  —I’ve got you! Rattlesnake Fang! —Edward attacked from behind, hitting the man’s back.

  —It worked… the venom will weaken him —Edward thought, hopeful.

  —Ha... foolish. That venom’s like a mosquito bite —the man mocked.

  While the group tried to regroup, the stranger raised his spiritual sword.

  —Enough games... I warned you to stay out of this. Fury of the Nemean Lion!

  A devastating wave of energy hit them all. Sarah, Yulian, Edward, and Albert fell unconscious.

  Damien, enraged, unleashed more Koa than his body could handle.

  —The fight’s with me, damn it! Leave them out of this! —he roared, his Dragon aura blazing.

  —Oh, now this is getting interesting —the man smirked—. Sigfrido... come forth.

  Both took their stances.

  The Dragon awakened in fury.

  The Guardian Sigfrido, wearing a feral grin, prepared to bathe in his blood.