The house was quiet that night.
The celebration had faded. The tournament was over. The family's excitement had dulled into warmth and pride, the kind that lingered long after the cheering stopped. Jade sat alone on the balcony outside his room, elbows on his knees, staring at the moonlit courtyard below.
He could still feel the heat of the battles the weight of his sister's hammer, the precision in his brother's strikes. And more than anything, he remembered the restraint.
He hadn't used the green dragon's power.
Not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to.
He had won using only what he'd trained for—his hands, his instincts, and his own strength. And yet, there was something hollow about the victory. Not because it wasn't real, but because it reminded him that the true battles waiting ahead wouldn't allow that luxury.
Downstairs, laughter drifted faintly through the house. His mother and younger cousins were sharing stories, and someone had pulled out the old family album. For a moment, it felt like normalcy.
But Jade knew normal wouldn't last.
There was something growing beneath the surface. He could feel it—like a storm slowly gathering behind the horizon. That night's demon ambush wasn't just random.
It was a message.
His room door creaked open. It was his older sister.
"No armor tonight?" she teased, stepping onto the balcony barefoot.
Jade gave her a tired smile. "I figured the war was over for the day."
She joined him, lowering herself beside him without saying another word. They sat there in silence, the kind only siblings can share.
"Hey," she finally said, "you did good today."
"Yeah?" Jade asked, still staring forward.
She elbowed him gently. "Yeah. You didn't even go full dragon mode. Kind of proud, kind of pissed."
He chuckled.
Then, more seriously, she added, "Dad was right. You're growing into something... different. And whether you like it or not, people are going to start looking at you that way."
Jade nodded. "I know. I just want to hold on to this a little longer."
She didn't ask what this was. She understood.
This was peace.
---
Meanwhile, High Above
At the heavenly summit, among clouds that shimmered with starlight, Kieran stood before the Heaven Emperor once again.
"He's awakening," Kieran said.
The Emperor gave a slow nod, his expression unreadable. "I felt it. The balance is starting to tilt."
Kieran's arms were crossed, white robes fluttering in the divine breeze. "He's holding back—for now. He doesn't trust the dragon inside him yet."
"And what of the demon court?" the Emperor asked.
"They'll strike again. Last time was just to test him."
The Heaven Emperor walked toward the edge of the sky-ledge, looking down toward the world. "Then we must prepare. When the jade dragon awakens completely, the seals will start to break. The war will come sooner than expected."
Kieran didn't reply. His eyes were fixed on the world below—on Jade.
---
Back on Earth
Jade woke early the next morning to a knock on his door.
It was his father.
"Dress. We're going somewhere."
Jade blinked the sleep out of his eyes. "Where?"
But Martin had already turned away.
They rode horseback across the hills as the sun rose, casting gold over the Ryan estate lands. The wind was cool, and the silence between them wasn't awkward—it was focused.
After an hour, they reached the outskirts of the estate, a secluded valley with cragged rocks and a shallow river running through it. Jade had only been there once as a kid. His father called it the Echo Grounds.
Martin dismounted and stretched. "This is where I trained when I was your age. This place... hears things. Remembers them."
Jade looked around. "Looks quiet."
His father smirked. "Looks deceive. Come."
They trained for hours—sword, hand-to-hand, chi focus. No distractions. No pauses. Martin was relentless, pushing Jade further than he had since he returned home.
Every time Jade faltered, Martin was there, correcting form, adjusting breathing, breaking down technique.
It wasn't punishment—it was preparation.
Finally, as they sat by the river catching their breath, Martin turned to him.
"Why didn't you use your dragon side in the tournament?"
Jade stared at the water for a long moment before answering. "Because I wanted to win as me. Not as him."
Martin nodded. "Good."
Jade glanced sideways. "You're not going to tell me I should've used it?"
"No. You made the right call." He looked toward the horizon. "But one day, you won't have a choice. And when that day comes, you'll need to be ready—not just to use that power, but to stay yourself while doing it."
Jade's brow furrowed. "You think I'll lose control?"
"I think power's a funny thing," Martin said. "It doesn't corrupt all at once. It whispers first. Then it convinces. Then it owns you."
Jade thought about the green flame inside him. The voice he heard before the last demon attack.
Let me out.
---
Back home, the household returned to routine. The staff cleaned up the remnants of the tournament. His siblings went about their usual duties. Jade sat by the study window, flipping through an old book of beast lore his mother had passed down to him.
He was trying to understand what the green dragon really was. Not just the power—but the mind behind it.
The pages detailed the Wyrm Epochs—times in history when great dragons walked among humans. Most were creatures of chaos. Some, like the jade dragon, were said to be protectors once... until they weren't.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
It was his mother.
"I heard about your training with your father," she said, smiling softly. "And your win yesterday."
Jade gave a tired nod. "Yeah. Been a lot."
She stepped inside and placed something on his desk—a jade pendant carved with ancient runes.
"This was your grandfather's," she said. "He wore it into every battle. Thought it protected him."
"Did it?"
She smiled. "No. But it reminded him who he was."
Jade picked it up. The stone felt warm, familiar somehow. Like it had always belonged to him.
"Thanks, Mom."
She kissed his forehead, something she hadn't done in years. "Try to sleep tonight, okay?"
He nodded.
---
Jade lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the pendant clutched in his hand. The house was dark. Still. Peaceful.
And then, without warning, he sat up.
The windows rattled.
A whisper slid into his ear not from outside, but from within.
> They're coming again.
Jade gritted his teeth.
> "When?"
But no answer came.
Only silence.
He rose from bed and stepped outside. The sky was clear. But something about the stillness was wrong.
He could feel it again that pull, that hum beneath his skin.
The dragon within was stirring.