Ten years old.
Kai Dragon stood in the center of the Grand Flame Arena, a massive coliseum carved from obsidian and dragonbone. Thousands of dragons—some humanoid, some massive and winged—watched from the stands as golden magic glyphs floated above his head. The five symbols burned bright: ⚡ Lightning, 🔥 Fire, 💧 Water, 🌞 Light, ✨ Holy.
The moment had passed.
Now, the consequences began.
---
The celebration ended the next day, but the rumors hadn't. Whispers echoed through castle halls, beyond Draconis borders, and even into darker realms.
> "Five magic types...?"
"A dragon child born with Holy and Light? That's heresy to demons."
"He's a threat to the balance."
---
Kai sat in the royal garden, beneath a crystal-leafed tree, staring at the palm of his hand. Threads of magic occasionally pulsed under his skin. It was… alive inside him. All five types tugged at his soul like rivers flowing in different directions.
Footsteps echoed nearby. A sharp click of armored boots.
It was his mother, Queen Seraphina Dragon—The Silver Fang Empress.
She was tall, proud, with eyes of molten silver and scaled armor that shimmered like moonlight. Her power was legendary—Fire and Spirit Magic. But today, she wasn't here as a queen.
Just as a mother.
"You've been quiet since the Awakening," she said, sitting beside him.
Kai looked up, hesitant. "Everyone's afraid of me. I can feel it."
"Good," she replied without hesitation.
Kai blinked. "What?"
Seraphina smiled faintly, her eyes half-lidded with wisdom. "Fear means respect. Respect means power. And power… is your birthright, my son."
He didn't know how to feel about that. John—his former self—had grown up in a world that feared power. Here, it ruled everything.
Still, the pressure was overwhelming.
"Will they try to kill me?" he asked quietly.
Her smile vanished. "Yes. Eventually. That's why your father and I must prepare you—so no one ever can."
---
Three days later, his training began.
It wasn't what he expected.
He thought it would be swordplay, flying, casting spells that shook mountains. But no—his first lesson was… sitting.
In a dark, stone room beneath the castle, Kai sat cross-legged before three dragon elders—each a master of one of his five elements. They said nothing at first.
Then the old water mage, a blue-scaled dragon with a beard made of mist, finally spoke.
"You have too much magic, boy."
Kai frowned. "Is that a bad thing?"
"It is when they fight each other inside you."
He waved his hand. A ball of fire appeared, flickering calmly.
"Fire," he said.
Then he summoned a sphere of water beside it. Instantly, the flame sputtered and hissed.
"Water suppresses fire. But inside your body, both exist. That's dangerous. Without control, you could burn yourself from the inside out. Or worse—explode."
Kai gulped.
---
The next months were brutal.
Controlling five magic types wasn't about talent. It was about harmony. One misstep, and his own magic would clash violently.
He meditated daily, learning to separate and flow each element. Fire wanted to rise and rage. Water wanted to calm and spread. Lightning crackled, demanding release. Holy burned with divine intensity, and Light tried to erase all shadows—even those he needed.
Sometimes, he cried from the pain. Other times, he passed out from exhaustion.
But day by day, his control grew.
He learned to summon a controlled flame in one hand, a floating bubble of water in the other. He even created a thread of lightning that danced between his fingers like a pet serpent.
At night, he would fall asleep to the echo of his old name—John—but it was fading now. He wasn't him anymore.
He was Kai Dragon. Prince of Draconis.
---
But far beyond the castle, someone was watching.
In a crumbling tower cloaked in eternal mist, a figure knelt before a crystal mirror. Inside, a vision of Kai's Awakening replayed again and again.
A woman in tattered robes watched with burning red eyes—her skin pale as bone, her mouth curled into a grin.
"So the rumors are true..." she whispered. "The Dragon Queen gave birth to a hybrid miracle."
Behind her, undead creatures stirred.
A skeletal warrior raised its blade. "Shall we kill the boy, Lady Nocthera?"
"No," she said, eyes glowing with dark magic. "Killing him would only ignite war."
She raised her hand and the mirror cracked slightly.
"No... we'll twist him. Corrupt him. The more light he holds, the darker his fall will be."
---
Back in Draconis, Kai's progress had accelerated.
He could now perform basic spells in all five types. Heal wounds with Holy. Create shields with Light. Launch fireballs. Summon lightning bolts. Even form whips of water.
But his mind remained heavy.
Why was he born with all five? Was it fate? Punishment? Or something more?
One evening, as he looked out over the kingdom from the palace tower, his father joined him. King Vermithar Dragon—the Dragon King of Flame. His body radiated heat, even while still.
"You sense it too, don't you?" his father said.
Kai nodded. "Someone is watching us."
"Good. Then your instincts are waking up."
The king placed a massive clawed hand on his son's shoulder.
"You're not just a prince, Kai. You are the bridge between elements that should not coexist. The world will either follow you… or try to erase you."
Kai looked up, determination burning behind his young golden eyes.
"Then let them try."