An auditorium extended far enough that I couldn’t see its end. Dragons of all colors of the rainbow and all ages sat throughout. Whispers of annoyance and gratitude constantly rumbled amidst.

  The decorations were even more opulent than everywhere else – this was the place where dragons graduated after all. I was sitting right in the corner, left to me sat Steel, and then no one else. In this isolation, I couldn’t help but grin.

  Sitting on a balcony, Avennture constantly glanced at me. We smirked together, even if the distance separated us. There was a certain aura today, of grief, of celebration, and of glory.

  None that I would receive, of course. “How long will this go on? If they don’t hurry, Kory will get worse…” Without stopping, Steel nervously scratched her neck. Her SE rose higher than mine.

  “Kory will be fine. Just wait and watch.” My heart wouldn’t stop pounding either. This was a chance that I couldn’t lose.

  “You can, master~” The trait giggled.

  Not what I meant.

  A bell rang. Then the lights turned off. Spotlight shone on the podium. It felt disrespectful to make additional drama for such a terrible tragedy.

  Varaxis stepped into the light. Her military uniform was more decorated than ever. Her eyes shone with pride, and, oh, how her barely held back grin pissed me off. But more interesting was the small dragon ghost made of blood that floated around her. A puppet for Rame.

  The audience stared at her in anticipation, then her voice resounded everywhere.

  “Dear students, today we have gathered to mourn those who fell to the tragedy, and to celebrate those proud dragons who have stepped in and protected our facility.”

  Such a bureaucratic tone, such fake emotion. She held even less stake in the poor souls who Betrayer killed… those I couldn’t save.

  “When the actualized geist appeared on the station, our brave guards searched far and wide to exterminate it, but the final blow was dealt not by a guard, but by a student. If not for her, there would have been many more casualties. Please welcome Ivaldie!” And only when introducing her did Varaxis show happiness. There was no applause.

  The dean stepped away and waved her hand, probably to summon a stool. Ivaldie came into the spotlight. Her silver scales shone with golden light, her cold yet affectionate gaze went over the audience, and landed on me. I doubted that anyone but me could see guilt hiding behind them.

  “I am here to tell the truth about the Betrayer.”

  The room went still. I flared starpower to see how Varaxis reacted. She was smiling.

  “The geist has infiltrated our facility with one purpose – to conquer the galaxy. It used horrible powers to control our fellow students and abduct our best.” She sniffled. “In my fight with it, five students died – Gretchen, Pyrite, Xanzu, Aoes, Lugei. Our siblings struggled until the end against the monster’s control; they fought with every ounce of their will, and for that I consider them dragons truer than myself.”

  Even the invisible pressure of the podium couldn’t hold back the whispers. Ivaldie followed the script.

  “But amidst all those that were involved, there is an unsung hero. One who made it all possible.” Varaxis’ eyes widened, but before she could intervene. “Her name is Kory, she is part of my class, and she is dying right now.”

  It was already too late. The blood dragon shook its head, staring at Varaxis. It flew around Ivaldie now.

  “She was born with a cursed trait that slowly kills her, and yet, despite all that, she helped me save the station. Kory has the ability to speak through dreams, and she was the one who opened the portal into the hidden dungeon. If not for her, I would’ve been dead.”

  The whispers became louder. I held my breath.

  Ivaldie turned to the dragon. “I ask you to give her the genome restoration ritual, for all the lives she saved.”

  The dragon rose in front of the stage. Then the blood shifted, it warped and transformed, gaining the shape of a humanoid. The color of crimson changed. Two massive wings that were twice his height, a tail covered with sharp spikes, and massive horns.

  “Calm down, master!” Assistant sent a wave of cooling emotion through my mind.

  Space itself rumbled with his voice.

  “No.”

  Ivaldie gasped. Something inside of her broke. “B-but she saved me! She saved the station, please, Lord Rame, reconsider.” I never saw such a pathetic expression on her face. I must’ve been making the same one.

  He spoke, quieter now, “Kory does not possess the same potential as you do. Ten Kories will need to receive the ritual to be equal to you. The ritual will be only yours.”

  Steel sniffled. I put my hand on her shoulder. It’s not over yet.

  Another light shone through the audience, one at the balcony.

  “So it seems that all that makes a true dragon is talent? I may not be a dragon-tiershen, but I spent half my life researching your kind.” Avennture stood up. “If you want to measure her talent, Lord Rame, then take my word for it – she is the most talented technique designer and healer out of all students. Kory’s highest-ranked technique has reached Count!”

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  The gaze of the lord didn’t change. Yet the auditorium shifted, more whispers, more gossiping. How could they not? A first-year learning a Count technique was unheard of.

  A bang reverberated on the stage. Then someone snapped their fingers. The spotlight shifted, and there stood Siege. His movements were stiff and deliberate. “The cultural exchange program is a delight, your Lordship. I have learned how little the copper dragons value valor.” There was no usual smirk, only cold detachment. “I saw the techniques that the girl used. If you aren’t willing to give her the ritual, then I will ask you to transfer her into Exlesia’s care. She will certainly appreciate such talent.”

  “Siege, you traitorous snake!” Varaxis suddenly caught ablaze. “You can make no such promises. Do not listen to him, my Lord-”

  Rame grinned. “Fine. I will play your little game.” He shifted his gaze to the audience… it felt like he was looking at me. My soul shook. “By my rule, I order the genome restoration ritual to be performed on Kory. Are you happy now? I have other things to do.” With that, the blood splattered on the ground, as its starpower was released.

  Steel hugged me. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

  “We did it.”

  Siege snapped his fingers again, and the spotlight returned to Ivaldie. With a shaking voice, she continued the script, “I-I want to thank Isawe, Saskie, Louize…” Varaxis didn’t dare to interrupt anymore. Most people tuned the speech out in favor of talking about their own things.

  I didn’t. Steel didn’t. I knew why they tuned out the speech. It was in the nature of a dragon to be selfish, to never care about elevating others, to only care about becoming stronger yourself.

  But those faces in the crowd. The friends of those who died – they cried. And tears fell down my legs too. And Steel wept too.

  The reasons were different, the emotions were different. There was hope within the dragonkind. Maybe I shouldn’t just elevate myself; maybe I should try to make them care about the future too.

  “Finally, I want to thank our tireless dean, Varaxis. For protecting the station and for raising us to the greater heights.” And yet, there was never sweetness without sour. Not in this life, not in the last one.

  Ivaldie stepped back, and Varaxis took her place.

  “The learning facility will be safe from all the threats, external and internal.” That was directed to me. “I will not rest until every last one of you becomes a proper dragon.” She raised her hand. “Today we shall feast – to mourn the fallen and to celebrate the living. Dragons will never fall.”

  Only one pair of hands applauded. Mine. I couldn’t hold back my smirk, just like I couldn’t hold back my tears. There was still hope in this life.

  __

  The cafeteria was filled with the most wonderful smell; this was an occurrence reserved only for graduation and great achievements. A feast.

  On our tiny table in the corner, there were cakes, meaty nuggets, salads, mashed fruit, and so many more delicacies. Steel stood out amidst the crowd with her sheer size, shoveling the food in amounts unseen. Ivaldie barely managed to compete with her speed. I myself ate like a man possessed, not as fast as everyone else, but the food was tasty and different.

  “So that’s the general plan, soon my exponential growth will begin, and then both of you will be left in the dust.”

  Steel gulped the food. “As if I’d let that happen. I’ll clear the second emerald floor myself and get at least 9 more stacks. That way, none of you can win against me.”

  Ivaldie smiled. “I have nearly unlocked a transformation technique. No matter how high your SE will be, I will just outmaneuver you.”

  “I will win.” Said Louize, her eyes slightly distant. She took only slow bites. “I-I have a plan to win against you, Ivaldie.”

  “I’d like to see that! Don’t we all have plans to win against her?” Steel said, gulping a piece of cake whole.

  The cake tasted divine. “We can all spar later.” I shrugged and turned to Ivaldie. “Are you getting your new trait from Varaxis?”

  She stiffened and dropped a nugget. “No.” She shook her head. “I refused her help.”

  I made a steeple. “Then, do you have an idea for a trait you’d like to see?”

  Ivaldie looked down at her plate. “I’ll tell you when I have a good enough core.”

  “Now that’s life!” I smiled.

  “Yup, that’s the life.” Steel nodded. “I hope they do the ritual sooner…”

  Louize tilted her head. “I’m watching you, human. No more tricks.”

  I shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

  The feast continued for quite some time. It was a welcome refuge from the terrible week. My appendages still didn’t feel quite right… We talked about the future, about becoming stronger, about making better food, and much more. Fine little conversations that didn’t hint at the future.

  “Ivaldie, Louize, Steel.” I conjured three bottles of starpower and infused them with the taste of soda. “Let’s toast.” I rolled my eyes at their confused glances. “It’s a human tradition – raise your drinks.” I grabbed my own.

  “To an amazing future!” I smiled.

  Steel raised her own. “To the future.”

  Louize and Ivaldie just exchanged glances and laughed. I ignored them and took a swig from the bottle. Everyone else did the same.

  When it became too late and all the new food ran out, we said goodbye. The night was close and everyone had courses tomorrow. Training wouldn’t stop because of the celebration.

  I walked through the sparse corridors. The Betrayer was gone. Yet, there were other monsters hiding in the station. Someone else knew about the invasion – someone who was planning to weaken the Galaxy and prepare it for consumption.

  Slaves of the Myriad Gods. I sighed. I will find them, and then I will kill them. The Galaxy might not belong to me, but I sure as hell wanted to live here.

  “Master!” My assistant spoke loudly. Its voice transformed after deleting the Betrayer. It became more pleasant, more feminine. “I have a surprise to show you.”

  I stopped, glancing around the corners. “Go ahead…”

  Starpower gathered at the edge of my shoulder; a mental illusion technique was created there, yet I didn’t even learn that.

  Then someone appeared in my vision. It was a tall woman with purple skin, wearing a maid uniform and long black hair. The eyes were mesmerizing, like two gems staring at me. She was beautiful… not in a way that any other person was; she was like a personification of everything I found attractive. The subtle shape of her smile, the curve of her body, the twinkling gaze, and even the uniform. It was as if she came straight out of a dream.

  Her mouth moved, and a familiar voice came out, “Master, what do you think? Do you like it?”

  I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I took a deep breath.

  “D-did you pick this form just to manipulate me?”

  She chuckled; it sounded like the bird song. “I picked whatever you like; it is my purpose to be your assistant.”

  I shook my head. Another headache popped up. “Trait, I think we should make a pact, just as a safety feature. I can… I don’t know, make you a body and you will agree to never harm me or try to take over.” A shiver of fear went down my spine.

  “Whatever you say, master.” She nodded. “It’d be amazing to have my own body, but I don’t want to separate from you.” She wiped her dress from the invisible dust. Her eyes grew wide. “Also – I finally picked a name.”

  “Good, I was tired of calling you trait or God’s Flesh. Why didn’t you pick one sooner?”

  She blushed. I rubbed the back of my neck, clenching my teeth.

  “You see, master. I thought long and hard, and I picked a perfect one~” She spread her hands wide. “Athena – named after the goddess of wisdom and war!”

  I suppressed my awkwardness and extended my hand. “Nice to meet you, Athena. Let’s not conquer the galaxy together, but do something more fun.”

  She grasped my hand. Even if it was an illusion, she perfectly used the technique to replicate the sensation… It was uncanny. “Let’s eat traits, master~”

  “Good idea, Athena, good idea.”

  The night came upon me. Yet the terrible loneliness no longer gnawed at my soul. I felt guilt for the things I’ve caused and comfort. A guilty comfort from the fact that my dream might just come true.