The days that followed were unlike anything Kaito had ever known.
Seraphine was not a gentle teacher.
Her lessons were brutal, relentless, designed to break him down and strip away every weakness he clung to. Each morning, she summoned him to the heart of the cavern, where the heat from the molten pool scorched the air and tested his endurance. Each night, he collapsed in exhaustion, only to rise again at dawn, driven by something deeper than fear — purpose.
"You must become more than what you are," Seraphine would say. "You are not human anymore, Kaito. You are not just vampire. You are not just dragon. You are a forge where both fires meet."
One morning, Seraphine stood over him as he knelt, sweat dripping from his brow, fists clenched.
"Feel it," she commanded. "The blood of your ancestors calls to you. Let it rise."
Kaito closed his eyes, focusing on the pulse in his veins. The hunger stirred, the familiar, sharp craving for blood. But beyond that, there was the fire — wild, untamed, waiting.
He reached for it.
Pain lanced through him, sharp and searing. His body arched, teeth clenched against the scream.
"Do not fight it," Seraphine said, voice steady. "Let it burn."
Flames danced at his fingertips, flickering to life.
Kaito gasped, forcing the power to remain, to not consume him.
A shape formed in the fire — a claw, sharp and deadly. He could feel it, part of him, yet alien.
Then — it shattered.
Kaito fell forward, breath ragged.
"You resist too much," Seraphine said. "Your fear holds you back."
"I'm not afraid," Kaito spat, pushing himself up.
"You fear yourself," she said, eyes narrowing. "That will destroy you long before your enemies do."
Rael watched from the shadows, arms crossed. He had seen others with power before, but none like Kaito. The boy's struggle was not just with the world — it was within.
"He's pushing too hard," Rael said later, as he and Seraphine stood apart.
"He must," Seraphine replied. "The Crimson Order does not wait."
Rael's jaw tightened. "Then we tell him."
"Not yet," she said. "He is not ready."
That night, Kaito stood at the edge of the cavern, looking out into the stars. The twin moons cast a silver light over the mountains, serene and distant.
He clenched his fists.
Every time he thought he had control, the power slipped away. Every time he reached for it, it burned him.
How could he fight the Crimson Order, how could he protect himself, if he couldn't even hold his own strength?
A sound behind him made him turn.
Rael approached, silent as always.
"You're not sleeping," Rael said.
"Can't," Kaito replied. "Too much noise in my head."
Rael sat beside him. "I know the feeling."
They sat in silence for a moment, the wind carrying the scent of ash and stone.
"What were you before all this?" Kaito asked suddenly.
Rael looked at him, eyes distant. "A hunter. Like those who will come for you. I hunted creatures like you."
Kaito's breath caught. "Why help me, then?"
Rael's gaze hardened. "Because I saw what that life led to. Because I saw what power without purpose does. And because I believe you can be different."
Kaito looked away. "I'm not sure I can."
Rael stood. "You have to be."
The next day, Seraphine brought him to a different part of the cavern — a chamber filled with ancient symbols carved into the stone, glowing faintly.
"This is the Hall of Memory," she said. "Here, you will face yourself."
Kaito frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Enter," she said simply.
As he stepped inside, the air thickened, heavy with magic.
Suddenly, the world shifted.
He stood in darkness.
And then, light.
A mirror appeared before him, and in it — himself, but not as he was.
This Kaito had eyes of flame, wings of black and crimson, fangs bared.
"You are me," Kaito whispered.
"I am what you could become," the reflection said. "Unbound. Unleashed."
Kaito shook his head. "I won't lose control."
The reflection laughed. "You already have. Every time you fight, every time you feed, I grow stronger."
Kaito stepped back.
"You fear me," the reflection said. "But we are one."
"No," Kaito growled. "I decide who I am."
The reflection lunged — and the world exploded in light.
Kaito awoke on the cavern floor, heart pounding.
Seraphine stood over him.
"You fought well," she said. "But the battle is far from over."
Kaito sat up, sweat pouring from his body.
"What now?"
She turned, wings spreading.
"Now, you prepare. The Crimson Order knows you're here."
Far away, in the fortress of black stone, the Crimson Order gathered.
"The Bloodfire boy has awakened," one hissed.
"And the last dragon shields him," another growled.
"Then we burn them both."