(Rodova Military Academy – Teachers’ Quarters, Mu Fan’s Room)
Mu Fan sat alone in her quarters, the only source of light being the soft glow from her data slate.
Her sharp eyes flickered as she scrolled through the encrypted feed she had hacked into, mirroring the exact evaluation report that Principal Alric had just received.
Technically, she wasn’t supposed to have access to this level of classified data.
Genetic evaluations, especially for high-priority candidates, were heavily restricted. But for Mu Fan, barriers like these were merely inconveniences.
She had ensured from the moment Leo Skyshard stepped foot in Rodova that she would monitor his every move.
And now—
Her fingers froze slightly over the slate.
[ Genetic Evaluation Report – Priority Candidate ]
[ Skyshard, Leo – Monarch-Level Awakening Confirmed ]
A small exhale left her lips, a mix of relief and tension washing over her at once.
’Monarch-level…’
She leaned back against her chair, staring at the glowing words as conflicting emotions surged through her chest.
This was it.
The assurance she needed.
This result was proof that Leo could truly become the next Dragon Candidate.
If groomed properly, if guided correctly, he could finally be the one—the one to rise above, the one to carry the burden that so many before him had failed to uphold.
However—
A shiver ran down her spine.
Her hands instinctively tightened around the edges of the data slate as old memories clawed their way back to the surface.
The previous Dragon Candidates…
Each of them had once been hailed as a beacon of hope. Each of them had carried the same talent that Leo now did.
And yet—
One by one, they had all been hunted down.
Brutally.
Relentlessly.
Before they could spread their wings. Before they could even glimpse the peak of their true potential, they had been slaughtered.
Some had fallen in open battle, their names etched into history books as fearsome warriors of the Evil Cult.
Some had been assassinated in the dead of night, never even realizing who had come for them.
And the worst—
The ones who had been betrayed by their own allies.
The thought made Mu Fan’s stomach twist uncomfortably.
She closed her eyes for a moment, steadying herself.
Leo’s potential was undeniable. That much was now a fact.
But was it enough to survive?
Would history repeat itself? Would he too be cast into the flames before he ever had the chance to rise?
Would they come for him the moment his wings began to form?
The cycle had repeated itself too many times. The weight of it bore down on her like an unshakable curse.
And yet—
As Mu Fan opened her eyes, a cold determination settled in her gaze.
"Not this time." She muttered under her breath, for, if Leo was truly going to be the next Dragon Candidate, then she would ensure that he would have enough time.
Enough time to grow, to sharpen his claws, to become something that even the universe’s deadliest hunters would fear.
This time—the righteous alliance would not clip the dragons before he could fly.
This time they would use the resources and facilities of the righteous alliance itself to nurture the Dragon and make him stronger until he was ready to stand on his own.
This time, they would shield him from enemies and allies alike, even if it meant that the Dragon would be forced to live without his memories for many more months to come.
"Not this time…. We have lost too many good seedlings over the course of history to lose another one now" Mu Fan mused, as she walked towards the hidden compartment in her room, to retrieve the communication crystal.
Mu Fan steadied herself, gripping the obsidian communication crystal tightly as she passed her mana through it to establish the connection.
A cold sweat ran down her back as the connection established, as for a long moment, the crystal remained dormant. Silent.
Then—
A voice, deep and unearthly, vibrated through the connection.
"Speak."
Mu Fan exhaled, her grip tightening. "The test is complete," she reported, keeping her voice even. "Leo Skyshard—Monarch-level potential has been confirmed."
A pause.
Then—
A slow, amused chuckle echoed through the connection, carrying with it a sense of something ancient, something immeasurable.
"Monarch-level? Hah. How insignificant."
Mu Fan stiffened. Insignificant?
She had expected satisfaction. Perhaps even relief.
But disdain?
The voice rumbled again, this time more measured as if sensing her anger through the crystal.
"It is only the surface. Monarch-level is the limit of what they can measure, not the limit of what he is."
Mu Fan’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Because deep down, she knew he was right.
Leo’s bloodline—if the readings were true—was something beyond Monarch-level.
Beyond what Rodova, or even Geneva, could hope to quantify.
The voice hummed in dark amusement.
"And yet… you hesitate? Do you wish to perhaps delay him being crowned as the Dragon?"
Mu Fan exhaled sharply. "I am only cautious," she corrected, forcing composure into her voice. "We have seen too many rise only to be cut down before they could fulfill their purpose. You should understand better than anyone—potential means nothing if he does not survive."
The voice fell silent.
Then, after a beat—
"Survival is earned, not given."
Mu Fan’s nails dug into her palm.
"And what if he is not ready?" she asked, unable to stop herself.
The air in the room seemed to grow heavier.
"Then he will die."
Cold. Absolute. Without hesitation.
Mu Fan swallowed.
The voice continued, unwavering.
"If he cannot reach the peak, then his existence is meaningless. He will be no different than the corpses that came before him."
Mu Fan’s breath caught in her throat.
She had seen those corpses. The lines of tombs that marked the fall of the previous dragons.
Individuals who had potential to become the next ’Timeless Assassin’, but died long before they could achieve it.
She clenched her fists. "Then what do you propose? That we throw him into the fire before he’s ready?"
The voice remained silent for a moment.
Then—
"No."
Mu Fan blinked.
That was not the answer she had been expecting.
"You will sharpen the blade first."
The weight behind those words sent a chill down her spine.
"He will be tested. Over and over. He will suffer. He will struggle. He will be broken and reforged, over and over, until he is either unshakable—"
A pause.
"—or shattered beyond repair."
Mu Fan inhaled sharply.
"You would gamble everything on this?"
"It is not a gamble. It is the only way."
A faint pulse of mana surged through the crystal, almost as if the voice itself was reaching through it.
"He is not meant to crawl beneath the weight of history. He is meant to crush it beneath his heel."
Mu Fan closed her eyes.
She wanted to believe that.
She needed to believe that.
But how many times had she thought the same before?
And how many times had she watched those she placed her faith in be torn apart?
Her silence must have been telling, because the voice spoke again.
"Do not look to the past for answers. There is only forward. Only what must be done. You have two years to prepare him, in two years, if he survives, we will crown him Dragon."
Mu Fan exhaled slowly.
There was no point in arguing.
They both knew what was required.
Leo had to become something greater. Stronger. He had to outgrow those who came before him, lest he suffer the same fate.
"...Understood," she finally said, her voice softer than before.
A pause.
Then, the voice gave one final command.
"Watch him closely, Mu Fan. If he is what we believe him to be… then his journey is only beginning."
And with that, the connection cut.
The crystal fell silent.
Mu Fan remained still for a long time, staring at the darkened stone in her hand.
Then, finally, she lowered it, closing her eyes.
"...Then I’ll do my best," she murmured. "I will do my best to make him worthy of the title ’Dragon’."