The morning was quiet when I woke up.
The cold wind descended from the mountains surrounding the Cyclops village and flowed through the open windows of the mansion on the hill. For a few seconds, I remained lying down, simply staring at the ceiling of the room while feeling the peaceful weight of that place.
It had already been weeks since we started managing those lands.
No wars.
No attacks.
No desperate battles.
It still felt strange.
I slowly turned my head and looked at the girls sleeping beside me. Scarlet was hugging her pillow with a peaceful expression. Liriel slept quietly near the window. Elara remained partially covered by the blanket while Vespera was completely motionless, as if she maintained vigilance even in her sleep. Lyannis held a closed book against her chest. Rai'kanna, as always, occupied almost all the remaining space on the bed.
A small smile escaped me.
After the battle against the Dragon King, I had imagined I wouldn't be able to live normal days again anytime soon. But little by little, everything was finding balance once more.
I got up quietly and walked to the balcony.
The village was already beginning to wake up.
Some workers crossed the fields carrying tools. Children ran near the crops. Small carts moved slowly along the main road.
And the plantations...
They were truly better.
The difference was enormous compared to the first day we arrived there.
The dense mana that once made the environment feel heavy now seemed much more stable. The plants grew with greater vitality. The soil was more fertile. Even the air felt different.
Liriel's purification had truly worked.
I placed my hand on the balcony railing and watched small particles of mana floating through the air.
Then I closed my eyes.
Took a deep breath.
And tried once more to feel that presence.
The power of the Dragon King.
The flames.
The Dragon's Breath.
At first, I could barely control small sparks without wasting too much mana. Now I could already envelop parts of my body in fire without hurting myself.
But I was still far from fully mastering that power.
Very far.
I slowly opened my hand.
A small flame appeared.
Unstable.
Flickering.
I breathed again and tried to stabilize it.
The flame became steadier.
Then larger.
I began concentrating mana throughout my entire arm.
The heat immediately increased.
I felt the fire climbing across my skin as if it were trying to escape my control.
I clenched my teeth.
It was still difficult.
Very difficult.
Draconic fire was different from ordinary magic. It seemed alive.
As if it had a will of its own.
The temperature rose again, and part of the flame escaped through my fingers.
"Trying to train alone again?"
I looked back and saw Rai'kanna stepping onto the balcony.
She crossed her arms while observing the flames surrounding my arm.
"Your control has improved."
"A little."
"No. It's improved a lot."
She slowly approached.
"Your aura has changed."
I slowly extinguished the flames before wasting unnecessary mana.
"Even so, I still can't use this power naturally."
"You want to master something that belongs to the oldest dragons in the world."
"That doesn't help much."
Rai'kanna let out a small laugh.
"It's already impressive that you can use it at all."
Before I could reply, the balcony door opened again.
Scarlet appeared, yawning.
"You two started training early."
"You just woke up."
"Yes. And I'm already tired."
She approached and rested her arms on the railing.
"Training again today?"
"I am."
Scarlet looked directly at me.
"Then do it properly."
"Great encouragement."
"It's worked so far."
I ended up laughing softly.
Soon after, the other girls appeared as well.
Lyannis brought one of the magic books she had been studying with me over the past few days. Elara carried some papers containing the village's financial reports. Liriel held a small basket of fruit while Vespera simply appeared behind everyone without making a sound.
"The mana around the plantations has stabilized a bit more," said Liriel.
"The villagers were talking about it early this morning," Elara added.
"We also had an increase in production in the eastern region," she continued while organizing the papers.
Lyannis then handed me the book.
"Before you train again, read this."
I looked at several open pages filled with magical symbols.
"Elemental compression?"
"Yes."
"Will this help me control the fire?"
"It helps control any magic."
I quickly examined the magical diagrams while she explained.
"Most mages simply release mana directly. But when you compress it before releasing it, control increases."
"So instead of expanding the flames immediately..."
"You stabilize them first."
I remained silent for a few seconds.
It made sense.
A lot of sense.
Rai'kanna looked at Lyannis.
"You already knew that?"
"Yes."
"And you never said anything?"
Lyannis looked away.
"I thought he would figure it out himself."
Scarlet laughed.
"Incredible."
I slowly closed the book.
"I'm going to test it right now."
We all went down to the open area behind the mansion.
The place already bore many marks from my previous training sessions. Burned sections of ground. Broken rocks. Small craters scattered around.
I stopped in the center of the field.
Took a deep breath again.
This time, I didn't try to release the flames immediately.
First, I began concentrating mana slowly.
Then compressing it.
Controlling it.
Reducing the flow.
I felt the heat building inside my body in a much more stable manner.
Then I opened my hand.
A flame appeared.
But unlike the previous ones...
It didn't flicker.
It remained steady.
Silent.
Controlled.
Scarlet's eyes widened slightly.
"It worked."
I continued concentrating mana.
The flame slowly began to grow.
My arm started to be enveloped by draconic fire.
But this time without losing control.
Without explosions.
Without instability.
The surrounding heat increased.
The wind shifted.
The nearby plants began to sway slightly due to the magical pressure.
Rai'kanna watched in silence.
Lyannis seemed satisfied.
Then I pushed further.
Much further.
I concentrated mana throughout my entire body.
Flames began rising over my shoulders.
Then across my back.
A crimson aura emerged around my body.
For a brief moment...
I felt something different.
The same pressure I had felt during my battle against the Dragon King.
Heavy.
Dominating.
Ancient.
The ground beneath my feet slowly began to crack.
The air became hot.
Very hot.
And for the first time...
The flames were no longer trying to escape my control.
They were obeying.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The girls stared at me in silence.
Even Vespera seemed surprised.
"Takumi..." Liriel murmured.
I looked at my hand wrapped in flames.
Then at the rest of my body surrounded by the draconic aura.
It still wasn't perfect.
It still consumed a lot of mana.
But...
It was different from before.
Very different.
I slowly deactivated the fire.
The heat gradually faded.
Scarlet was the first to speak.
"That was insane."
"You finally stabilized it."
Lyannis nodded.
"Now the power has begun to accept you."
I stared at my own hand for a few seconds.
The feeling still remained.
The weight of that power.
The memory of that battle.
The Dragon King.
I slowly clenched my fist.
"I'm still far from his level."
Rai'kanna immediately responded.
"Maybe."
Then she smiled faintly.
"But now you've finally started walking in the same direction."
The wind once again swept across the village fields.
In the distance, the villagers continued their work as usual, unaware of how much that power was gradually changing.
And as I looked toward the distant horizon...
I realized something.
The Dragon's Breath was finally beginning to obey my own will.