Kairo let out a deep breath as he stepped out of the hospital's automatic doors, the cool evening air of Los Angeles brushing against his skin. His body ached—not from injury, but from exhaustion. Twelve hours of clinicals as a nursing student had drained him dry. His feet were sore, his back tight, and his brain felt like mush.
Damn, that was rough.
He adjusted his backpack and started the familiar walk home, his sneakers tapping against the pavement. "Two more years and I can finally be a nurse," he muttered. The city hummed around him—cars honking, people laughing, the distant wail of a siren—but Kairo barely paid attention. His mind was still stuck on the day's events.
That patient today...
A man, barely conscious, muttering nonsense about kings and destiny as Kairo checked his vitals. It had been unsettling, but he chalked it up to delirium. Still... weird coincidence.
He shook his head, brushing the thought aside. Focus, man. You still have assignments due.
As he neared his apartment, a strange sensation prickled at the back of his neck. The air around him grew... heavy. Thick, almost. Like the world itself had slowed down. His steps faltered. A static charge crackled in the air, making his skin tingle.
Then—
A blinding light swallowed his vision.
Startled, he covered his face to protect against the flash.
For a moment, there was nothing. No sound. No city. Just endless white.
Then came the falling.
Wind howled past his ears as gravity yanked him downward. His stomach lurched, his arms flailed, but there was nothing to grab onto.
"What the hell is happening?!"
Just as panic fully set in, the world around him shifted. The white void gave way to a grand, towering chamber.
Ornate pillars stretched high into the darkness above. Glowing symbols pulsed along the walls, ancient and unfamiliar. A metallic scent hung in the air. The floor beneath him was smooth stone, cool to the touch.
And he wasn't alone.
The moment Kairo landed, he heard confused murmurs around him. He turned his head and saw a group of other bewildered people, all dressed in different styles—students, martial artists, even a guy in a chef's uniform. The chef, still clutching a tray of roasted meat, looked absolutely horrified.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" the chef screamed, dropping the tray. The food hit the floor with a dull thud, but no one paid it any attention.
Kairo exhaled sharply, cracking his neck before muttering, "This isn't exactly how I planned on spending my afternoon."
Before anyone could react, a woman in medical robes rushed in. Her silver hair was neatly braided, and she moved with calm efficiency, despite the chaos.
"They're injured," she said, kneeling beside two figures who had been teleported mid-combat.
The first, a broad-shouldered man with jagged, rocky formations growing along his arms, instinctively tensed as she reached for him. His fists remained clenched, his stance defensive. The healer, unfazed, pressed two fingers against his forehead, and in an instant, the blood on his skin evaporated. His breathing slowed. The tension in his shoulders eased, but his amber eyes stayed sharp.
The second, a fair-skinned woman with long dark reddish-brown curls, recoiled when the healer reached for her.
"Back off."
Her voice was firm, edged with exhaustion. But after glancing at her tattered clothes and assessing her injuries, she exhaled through her nose and reluctantly allowed the healer to do her job. As the bruises faded, her piercing golden eyes swept across the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Where the hell are we?"
Unlike the newcomers, the room's more experienced inhabitants didn't look nearly as confused. This had been expected.
It was Selection Day.
Kairo was pulled toward the grandest part of the chamber—a raised platform where a strange, mechanical structure loomed. It looked out of place in the otherwise medieval setting, like some kind of fantasy slot machine. Ancient symbols carved into its metal frame glowed softly, shifting like they were alive.
A robed official cleared his throat.
"This is where you receive your abilities." His voice echoed across the chamber. "The machine will grant you two powers. Your third will come from the spirit animal that chooses you."
Kairo blinked. What.
"What's a spirit animal?" he asked, confusion settling in.
The robed official sighed, exasperated. "Just pull the damn lever."
Kairo hesitated, then stepped forward.
The lever was heavy, and when he gripped it, he could feel the raw energy thrumming beneath his fingers. Taking a deep breath, he pulled.
The machine roared to life.
The symbols spun in a blur, shifting between elements, animals, and abstract abilities. Then—
Click.
The first power locked in.
Wind.
The second reel slowed next.
Click.
Ice.
A sharp chill ran through Kairo's veins. The moment the powers settled into him, he could feel them—not as something foreign, but as if they had always been there, waiting to be unlocked.
The official nodded approvingly. "Wind and Ice. Interesting combination."
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"Damn, that's not bad."
"That's a strong elemental match."
"I was hoping for fire, personally."
Kairo ignored them, still trying to process what just happened.
Then—
A loud crash rang through the chamber as a set of massive iron doors swung open.
The next test had begun.
Beyond the doors, rows of cages lined the chamber, each holding a different creature—some enormous, some small, all radiating power.
Spirit animals weren't just companions—they were the final piece of a person's abilities.
Most newcomers were chosen by wolves, falcons, bears, or other powerful yet common creatures.
But when Kairo walked past the cages, something shifted.
The torches dimmed. The air crackled.
A low, reverberating growl rumbled through the hall.
In the farthest, largest cage, something moved.
Then—
Lightning struck.
A massive black dragon unfurled its wings, the neon-blue glow of its inner membrane illuminating the dark chamber.
Gasps rippled through the onlookers.
A dragon had never chosen a new arrival before.
The moment Kairo locked eyes with the beast, he felt everything shift. A tingling numbness spread through his limbs—a static charge that made his entire body feel like it was vibrating.
It wasn't painful, but it wasn't comfortable either.
It was power.
The dragon stepped forward, the cage dissolving around it as if the metal had never existed. Without hesitation, it lowered its head, bowing to Kairo.
The hall was silent.
Someone whispered, "The new King... got a dragon?"
It was already known that Kairo would be the King. That had been decided before he even arrived. But this? No one expected this.
Kairo swallowed hard, his palms sweaty. He could feel the dragon's electric pulse syncing with his own, as if their fates were suddenly bound together.
A robed official—different from the last—stepped forward, studying the dragon with a furrowed brow. His voice was hushed, almost reverent.
"A dragon spirit... hasn't bonded with anyone since the First King."
The weight of the words settled in the chamber.
Even the veterans who had seen dozens of Selection Days looked stunned.
"What does that mean?" Kairo asked.
The official met his gaze. "It means you have a lot to live up to."
Kairo barely had time to process what had happened before he was ushered toward the next trial.
"The role of King comes with responsibility," one of the officials explained as they led him down a hall. "Before you take your place, you must spar against the one who previously held the title's highest combat position."
Kairo frowned. "You mean the last King?"
"No. The last King is dead." The official shook his head. "You'll be fighting the Kingdom's strongest knight."
As the doors swung open, Kairo stepped onto a vast, reinforced training ground, its smooth stone floor lined with faint scorch marks, deep cracks, and the lingering evidence of past battles.
A tall, broad-shouldered knight stood waiting in the center. He wore light armor, suggesting he relied more on speed and technique than brute force. His stance was casual—almost disinterested.
Kairo swallowed hard. He wasn't even taking this seriously.
The official's voice echoed through the chamber. "Land one clean hit."
Kairo barely had time to think before—BOOM.
The knight was already on him.
A fist cut through the air, inches from his face. Kairo ducked—barely. A gust of wind trailed behind the knight's movement, carrying enough force to slice a groove into the stone floor.
He's fast. Too fast.
The knight didn't hesitate. He pivoted, twisting into a low sweeping kick. Kairo leaped, but the knight had already followed up with a palm strike aimed squarely at his chest.
Kairo summoned a burst of wind, propelling himself backward—but as soon as he did, the knight vanished.
"Teleporting?" Kairo muttered, scanning the battlefield.
"Not teleporting," came a voice from behind him. "Displacement."
Kairo's eyes widened. The knight had reappeared in his blind spot.
Before he could react, a heavy blow struck his ribs, sending him skidding across the stone.
Pain flared through his side. The hit wasn't just strong—it was precise.
Kairo gritted his teeth and pushed himself up. Raw power wouldn't win this. Creativity would.
He glanced around the battlefield, forming a plan.
Summoning a gust of wind, he kicked up a whirlwind of ice behind the knight, subtly creating a frozen wall. The knight, unfazed, charged forward again.
Kairo baited him, dodging just before impact, using a burst of wind to launch himself backward—straight into the ice wall.
"What is he—" one of the spectators murmured.
Instead of crashing, Kairo kicked off the wall at an angle, launching himself over the knight's head. Mid-air, he tried to summon the dragon's lightning—
Nothing.
A voice thundered in his mind.
"You are not ready."
The dragon was refusing to lend its power.
Kairo's heart pounded. He didn't have time to argue.
Then I'll take it.
Pain exploded through his veins as he forced the connection. His muscles seized, his nerves burned—but he channeled it, using his legs and a final burst of wind to turn himself into a human spear.
The knight barely had time to react before Kairo slammed into him, lightning crackling through his fist as he made contact.
CRACK.
A thunderous impact rang through the chamber.
Kairo landed, skidding to a stop, panting heavily. His body felt like fire, his limbs trembling from the sheer force he had just unleashed.
The knight staggered back, eyes wide. He touched his chest, feeling the lingering electricity. Then, he exhaled, rolling his shoulders with a small smirk.
"Not bad."
Then Kairo collapsed.
When Kairo opened his eyes, he wasn't in the infirmary.
He stood in a vast, mist-covered plane, stretching endlessly.
A familiar presence loomed behind him.
The dragon.
It stared down at him, displeased.
"You forced my power."
Kairo rolled his shoulders, feeling the lingering ache in his muscles. "Yeah, well, you weren't exactly helping."
The dragon growled, its voice rumbling through Kairo's chest.
"Because you are reckless. You wield lightning like a child playing with fire. I could have let you burn yourself out completely."
Kairo clenched his jaw. "Then why didn't you?"
The dragon's piercing blue eyes softened—just slightly.
"Because we are bound now, whether I like it or not. And like it or not... you are the king."
The air between them was thick with tension.
Then, the dragon sighed. "We don't have time for this. If you die, I die. So if we're doing this, you're going to do it right."
Kairo smirked. "Finally speaking my language."
Thus began his training.
Time moved slower here. What was one night in the real world stretched into a full month in this place.
Kairo learned to properly channel electricity, strengthening his body without burning himself out. He developed combo techniques, fusing wind, ice, and lightning for devastating attacks.
Most importantly, he was introduced to energy displacement teleportation—the ability to briefly become the element he controlled to move short distances.
His opponent had nearly beaten him with it. Now, Kairo was determined to master it.
As the days passed in the spirit realm, Kairo endured relentless training. The dragon showed him no mercy. Every mistake was met with harsh consequences—electrocution, exhaustion, and at times, complete immobilization.
But every failure pushed him closer to mastery.
By the final night, his body no longer rebelled against the power. His muscles adapted, his movements became sharper, and his instincts grew keener.
The dragon watched him carefully as Kairo stood on the precipice of his greatest hurdle—full synchronization.
Kairo inhaled deeply, feeling the wind whip around him, frost creeping up his fingers, and sparks dancing along his skin.
"Now, use all three."
Kairo closed his eyes and let his instincts guide him. He let the wind take his body, ice solidify his stance, and lightning pulse through his veins. He let go.
Crack—BOOM!
A burst of energy shot through him, and in a blink, he was everywhere at once.
One moment he was standing before the dragon. The next, he was fifty feet away, then back, then above, then below. He wasn't just teleporting—he was moving like a living storm, fluid and unpredictable.
The dragon's gaze narrowed, then softened.
"You are ready."