Dinner at the Voss estate was more elaborate than Draven had expected. The dining hall was massive, with a table that could seat thirty people. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and servants moved silently bringing course after course of food.Elena sat beside her father, cleaned up and dressed in proper clothes now. She looked like a completely different person from the terrified girl he'd found in the forest."So," Elena's father said, cutting into an expensive cut of meat. "Tell me everything that happened."Elena glanced at Draven, then began the story. She told most of it truthfully, though she left out some of the more dangerous parts. Probably didn't want her father to know how close she'd come to dying.Draven ate quietly, letting her talk. The food was good, but he was anxious to leave. The longer he stayed, the more her father would try to reward him."And then Draven fought through the entire bandit camp," Elena said. "He took down their leader and saved me."Her f

Three days passed slowly. Draven stayed at a cheap inn, avoiding the guild hall where people kept staring and whispering. The Swift Blaze's reputation was growing faster than he'd expected.On the fourth day, he returned to Aldric's forge.The old dwarf was waiting, a cloth-wrapped bundle on his workbench. His face showed the exhaustion of three days with minimal sleep, but his eyes gleamed with pride."It's done," Aldric said simply.Draven approached the workbench as Aldric unwrapped the cloth with careful hands. The sword underneath made him stop and stare.The blade was beautiful. The steel had a faint red tint now, like it held fire within the metal itself. The Draconus scale coating caught the forge light and seemed to glow. The edge looked sharp enough to cut through stone."Pick it up," Aldric said.Draven wrapped his fingers around the handle. The moment he touched it, warmth spread through his hand. The sword felt alive, responding to his fire magic like it was part of him.

They found an empty training room after lunch. The kind tucked away in the corner of the academy where nobody went unless they wanted privacy.Lyra shut the door behind them with more force than necessary."Alright," she said, turning to face Draven. "We're alone now. No cafeteria full of students, no chance of being overheard. So let's have the real conversation."Draven leaned against the wall. "I thought we just had it.""That was the public version. This is the part where I tell you exactly how pissed off I am."Jin winced. "Lyra, maybe we should—""No." She cut him off without looking away from Draven. "He needs to hear this."Sera had already faded into the shadows at the edge of the room. Smart. This was between Lyra and Draven."Go ahead," Draven said."We're supposed to be a team," Lyra started, her voice controlled but tight. "Do you know what that means? It means we trust each other. It means when one of us is in danger, the others are there to help. It means we don't keep

The announcement came three days after Draven's team had their breakthrough in training.Master Aldren stood at the front of the assembly hall, looking more serious than usual. "The academy has been selected to participate in a joint expedition," he said, his voice carrying across the packed room. "Multiple academies from across the kingdoms will be sending their best students."Students immediately started whispering. Joint expeditions were rare. Dangerous. And they usually meant something big."The destination," Aldren continued, "is the Tomb of Dragon War God Pyrion, located deep in the Crimson Desert."The whispers became excited chatter. Everyone knew the legends. Pyrion had been one of the greatest warriors in history, a man who'd mastered dragon flame itself. His tomb had been lost for centuries."The tomb is said to contain the Dragonfire Sovereign Art," Aldren said. "A technique that grants mastery over dragon flames. Finding it could change the balance of power in the kingdo

The darkness inside the tomb wasn't natural. It swallowed light, ate it whole before it could spread. Draven conjured a small flame in his palm and it barely illuminated five feet ahead."This is unsettling," Jin said, his voice echoing strangely."Stay close," Lyra said. "Don't lose sight of each other."They moved forward slowly, feeling their way along the stone walls. The air was cool here, almost cold after the desert heat. And it smelled old. Ancient. Like nothing living had breathed here in centuries.The corridor opened into a larger chamber. Draven's flame grew brighter suddenly, as if the room wanted to be seen.What they saw made them stop.Murals covered every surface. Walls, ceiling, floor. All depicting the life of Dragon War God Pyrion. His training as a young warrior. His first battles. The day he bonded with his first dragon. His rise to power. His victories against impossible odds."He was a legend," Sera said softly, studying the images. "Look at this one. He fought