The morning in the Cyclops Kingdom began quietly.
A cold wind drifted slowly across the fields surrounding the hill while a layer of mist still covered part of the village below the mansion. I woke up early as usual and spent a few seconds looking out the bedroom window.
The crops were different.
Even from that distance, it was already possible to notice the changes in the land.
The vegetation looked more alive.
Stronger.
The results of the purification performed by Liriel were truly beginning to appear.
I took a deep breath before leaving the room.
When I went down to the main hall, I found Lyannis already awake. As always, she was reading some book early in the morning.
She raised her eyes as soon as I approached.
"You're up early again."
I sat in the chair across from her.
"I couldn't sleep much."
Lyannis slowly closed the book.
"The flames?"
I nodded.
Ever since the battle in the dungeon, I could feel the Dragon's Breath reacting much more intensely inside my body.
The power was more stable.
But at the same time, it seemed to be growing little by little.
As if it were gradually awakening.
Lyannis rested her arm on the table.
"Then today we'll focus on control."
Before I could answer, Scarlet entered the hall.
"You two already started talking about training this early?"
"Of course," Lyannis replied calmly.
Scarlet let out a small sigh before sitting down.
"You really never rest."
Soon afterward, the others began to appear as well.
Elara still looked sleepy.
Liriel was calm as always.
Rai'kanna seemed energetic despite the early hour.
Vespera remained silent while observing the activity around the mansion.
During breakfast, we talked about the village's work and the reports the minister had shown the previous day.
The lands' production continued improving rapidly.
But my attention kept returning to something else.
The draconic flames.
Lyannis noticed it easily.
"You want to train now."
I nodded.
Rai'kanna smiled slightly.
"Then we'll finally see how far that power has evolved."
After breakfast, we headed to an area farther away from the village near the mountains.
The place was open and empty, perfect for training.
Strong winds made the grass sway slowly while the sun began to climb into the sky.
Scarlet crossed her arms as she looked around.
"So where do we start?"
Lyannis walked a few steps forward.
"Basic control."
She looked directly at me.
"The problem with the Dragon's Breath isn't power."
"It's stability."
That made sense.
Ever since I received that power in the Dragon Kingdom, the greatest difficulty had always been controlling the enormous amount of mana released by the flames.
Rai'kanna stepped closer.
"Draconic power is different from ordinary magic."
She placed a hand on her chest.
"You don't simply use the fire."
"It feels as if the fire is alive inside your body."
I looked at her for a few seconds.
That was exactly it.
I took a slow, deep breath.
Then I began concentrating mana.
The girls remained silent as they watched while small red sparks appeared around my hand.
The temperature immediately began to rise.
But this time, I tried to control the flow better.
Without overdoing it.
Without releasing too much power.
The flames slowly began to grow.
Small at first.
Then more intense.
Lyannis observed carefully.
"Don't try to increase the power."
"Stabilize the form first."
I nodded slightly.
I concentrated even harder.
The flames trembled heavily at first, nearly slipping out of control several times.
But I kept trying to maintain a steady flow.
Scarlet watched silently.
Elara looked curious.
Liriel carefully observed the movement of mana around us.
Vespera kept her gaze fixed on the flames.
Rai'kanna seemed the most interested of all.
Then it finally happened.
The fire stabilized.
An intense red flame remained steady in my hand without exploding or fluctuating violently.
The wind passed through it without extinguishing it.
Lyannis smiled faintly.
"Better."
I looked at the flame for a few seconds.
It really felt different.
Easier to control.
But it still consumed a great deal of mana.
I tried increasing the intensity slightly.
The moment I did, the fire began escaping again.
The flames quickly climbed up my arm.
The heat rose violently.
Scarlet took a step forward.
"Takumi."
I immediately controlled my breathing, trying to stabilize the flow once more.
After a few seconds, I managed to reduce the flames until they disappeared completely.
I slowly exhaled.
"It's still difficult."
Rai'kanna laughed quietly.
"You want to master dragon power in just a few days."
She crossed her arms.
"That takes time."
Lyannis agreed.
"The important thing is that you've already improved a lot."
Scarlet looked at my hand.
"At least now it looks like you won't explode along with the fire."
Elara immediately laughed.
"That really does sound like progress."
I shook my head slightly before concentrating once more.
The training continued through most of the morning.
I practiced controlling the temperature.
Then the amount of mana.
Then the speed of the flames.
Every small adjustment made a difference.
And every mistake caused the power to escape violently.
At one point, I tried enveloping my entire right hand in fire.
The flames instantly appeared, covering part of my arm.
The heat became much more intense.
This time, I managed to maintain it for longer.
But instability still remained.
Small bursts of mana constantly escaped around me.
Lyannis watched everything carefully.
"You're still losing too much mana in the process."
I nodded.
I could feel it too.
It was like trying to hold back a massive river with nothing but my hands.
Rai'kanna approached once again.
"Don't try to control it only with magic."
She placed a hand on her chest again.
"Feel the flow."
I frowned slightly.
"That's it?"
"Dragons don't use fire only with their minds."
She smiled faintly.
"They let the fire become part of them."
Those words stayed in my mind.
I slowly closed my eyes.
I took a deep breath.
This time, I didn't try to force anything.
I simply felt the flow of draconic mana inside my body.
The flames began to appear once again.
Slower.
Softer.
When I opened my eyes, fire already completely covered my right hand.
But unlike before...
Now it was stable.
The wind passed through the flames without causing instability.
The heat remained intense, but it no longer felt as if it were slipping out of control.
Scarlet's eyes widened slightly.
"It worked."
Lyannis carefully observed the mana around me.
"The energy loss decreased significantly."
Elara smiled.
"So it really was a matter of control."
Rai'kanna wore a satisfied smile.
"Now you're starting to understand."
I looked at my hand wrapped in red flames.
The feeling was different.
For the first time, that power didn't feel like something foreign inside my body.
It felt natural.
Still dangerous.
Still difficult.
But natural.
I tried increasing the intensity a little more.
The flames slowly grew, covering part of my forearm.
The surrounding temperature immediately rose.
The nearby grass began drying from the heat.
Even so, I maintained stability.
Lyannis seemed impressed.
"You improved quickly."
I deactivated the flames a few seconds later.
My arm still burned slightly from the effort.
But the result was already much better than before.
Scarlet stepped closer.
"So this is the true power of the Dragon's Breath."
I slowly shook my head.
"I think this is only the beginning."
The rest of the morning remained focused on training.
After mastering flames in my hands, I began practicing heat concentration.
Lyannis created magical targets for me to hit without wasting energy.
At first, I destroyed several of them by using too much power.
But gradually, I gained better control.
Elara helped by using wind magic to alter the direction of the flames and make the training more difficult.
Scarlet began testing my activation speed during close combat.
Rai'kanna constantly insisted that I trust the natural flow of draconic mana more.
Even Vespera participated, trying to attack me by surprise while I kept the flames active.
The training became far more intense than I had expected.
By the time we finally stopped, the sun was already high in the sky.
My entire body was tired.
But satisfied.
We sat near the rocks around the training field while the wind slowly crossed the area.
Liriel handed water to everyone while looking at the sky.
"The entire group is getting stronger."
Scarlet smiled faintly.
"We need to."
No one disagreed.
Even during this peaceful period, all of us felt that something greater would eventually happen.
It was impossible to completely ignore that feeling.
But for now...
There was still peace.
I looked at my hand again as small red sparks appeared between my fingers.
This time, they appeared naturally.
Without losing control.
Without exploding.
Lyannis noticed immediately.
"Your body is starting to adapt."
That explained many things.
Perhaps the Dragon's Breath wasn't merely an ability.
Perhaps my own body was gradually changing to withstand that power.
Rai'kanna seemed to think the same.
"Draconic power transforms those who use it."
Scarlet crossed her arms.
"That sounds concerning."
Rai'kanna laughed quietly.
"Not always."
I watched the small flames dancing slowly in the palm of my hand.
The heat no longer felt as strange as before.
In fact...
It was starting to feel familiar.
And at that moment, I became certain of one thing.
The flames of the Dragon King were finally beginning to truly awaken within me.