"Essentially, yes." Kael said with a dry smile. "I found out later that this particular dragon got lonely easily. It was a social creature by nature, enjoyed interaction and conversation and debate. But obviously it couldn't exactly walk into a human city and make friends. So when opportunities for interaction presented themselves, it took them. Even if the other party wasn't exactly willing.""That's..." Asta paused, trying to find the right word. "That's actually kind of sad?""It was sad." Kael agreed. "But also terrifying from my perspective. Because I didn't know if 'chat' was a euphemism for 'torture you for information' or 'eat you very slowly' or what. So I just sat there, trying not to move my broken leg, trying not to pass out from pain and waited to see what would happen."His fingers drummed on his walking stick again, the rhythm increasing slightly as he got to the meat of the story. "The dragon started talking. Just... talking about things. About how long it had b

Asta stood frozen in the clinic reception area, his eyes so wide they felt like they might pop right out of his skull. His mouth was still hanging open from his half-finished question, his brain frantically trying to process what Flora had just casually dropped on him like it was the most normal thing in the world.Jabber is a dragon. I know.Those five words kept bouncing around his head, refusing to settle into anything that made sense. How could she know? He'd literally just learned this information himself minutes ago from Old Man Kael, and that had been presented as secret, dangerous, forbidden knowledge that needed to stay hidden or people would die.And Flora just... knew? She had figured it out? On her own?"Wait." Asta finally managed to say, his voice coming out higher and more strained than he'd intended. "Wait, wait, wait. How did you know? Were you…" He glanced around nervously, as if checking for eavesdroppers, then lowered his voice to an urgent whisper. "...were yo

Mira's expression shifted, becoming more animated as she recalled the information. "Right, yeah. So Roderick got up on the platform and basically told everyone to calm down, that there was no danger, no threat or nothing to panic about."She started ticking points off on her fingers as she continued: "He said Jabber had reached his physical limits during the fight with Brick. Said that sometimes when people push themselves past normal boundaries, their bodies can break through into higher power levels temporarily,like an adrenaline surge but way more intense. He called it 'limit breaking' or something like that."Mira's tone suggested she didn't entirely buy this explanation but was repeating it faithfully. "He said the purple flames and the smoke and the weird eyes were all manifestations of Jabber accessing this higher limit state. That it's rare but not unheard of, especially in people with powerful latent abilities who've been suppressing them for years. He made it sound like J

The door to Asta's room clicked shut behind him with a soft, final sound that seemed to echo in the small space. He stood there for a moment, his hand still on the doorknob, not quite ready to move further inside, not quite ready to face the emptiness.The room felt different without Jabber in it. Bigger, somehow. Quieter. The bottom bunk sat empty, the thin blanket rumpled from this morning when they'd both rushed out for the tournament, the pillow still showing the indent where Jabber's head had rested. It looked abandoned, waiting for someone who wouldn't be coming back tonight.Asta finally released the doorknob and took a few steps into the room, his boots scuffing slightly against the wooden floor. His eyes drifted across the familiar space,the small window that let in weak moonlight now, the two bunks stacked against the wall, the footlocker at the base where he kept his meager possessions, his practice sword leaning in the corner.Home. Or as close to home as he had anymore.H

"Oh." Asta muttered to himself, reality reasserting itself, embarrassment flooding through him at the realization that he'd been having this whole one-sided conversation with someone who wasn't even there. "Right. I totally forgot. You're still laying unconscious in the clinic."He felt foolish suddenly, his cheeks heating with a blush no one was there to see. Talking to empty rooms like some kind of lunatic. What was wrong with him?But the embarrassment faded quickly, replaced by genuine concern and affection for his friend. "Get well soon, Jabber.” Asta said quietly, and this time his voice carried no trace of the emotional weight from before,just simple and honest care. "I'll come check on you first thing in the morning. And when you wake up, we'll figure all this dragon stuff out together. I promise."His eyes, which had been staring at the empty bunk, began to feel heavy. The day had been long,too long, filled with too many shocks and revelations and emotional upheavals. Hi