The academy grounds were quiet at night.

The wind brushed across the silver lanterns, making them sway like sleepy fireflies. Faint echoes of laughter from the recovery ward faded in the distance, leaving only the hum of the fountains and the occasional rustle of leaves.

Khael walked slowly, hands in his pockets, spectral dragon-light flickering faintly behind him. He wasn't transforming not fully but the aura of a dragon always responded to his heart.

Tonight, that aura felt… heavy.

At the edge of the courtyard, under the old sakura tree, sat a boy reading a book with no title. A thick scarf wrapped around his neck, even though it wasn't cold. His black hair fell lazily over sharp eyes that glowed faint blue.

Shigeo Motome didn't look up when Khael approached.

He didn't need to.

"Thinking too loud," Shigeo said, flipping a page. "Your Shinrei's vibrating like you're wrestling with a moral crisis."

Khael stopped beside him, exhaling softly.

"…I figured you'd sense it."

"I didn't sense it," Shigeo said dryly. "I calculated it."

Khael raised his head towards him and Shigeo finally closed the book and stared at the sky.

"So?" he said. "What's bothering the Dragon Heart tonight?"

Khael sat beside him. It was rare that he sought Shigeo out not because they weren't close, and certainly noy because Shigeo often pretended to be asleep, or busy, or uninterested. But because Shigeo is Genius

But today was different.

"I want your insight," Khael said quietly. "About control… and destiny."

Shigeo blinked once.

"That's not a small question."

"I know."

Shigeo shifted, putting his book aside. The sakura branches rustled above them.

"Talk," he said. "I'll listen."

Khael rested his elbows on his knees. Dragon aura flickered at his back subtle, restless.

"Everything that's happened recently… Ceyla, Matthew almost dying, Juno returning, the Veinwalker Council watching us…."

He inhaled, steady but heavy.

"It feels like things are moving too fast. Like something is pulling all of us toward a path we don't get to choose."

Shigeo hummed, expression unreadable.

Khael continued.

"And every time I fight… every time I push my power… it feels like something inside me pushes back. Like a destiny I didn't choose."

His voice lowered.

"I want to protect everyone. But I'm afraid I'll lose control. Or worse…"

He clenched a fist.

"….that I'll become something I'm not supposed to be."

A moment passed.

Shigeo leaned back against the tree trunk, eyes half-closed.

"…Ah. That kind of crisis."

Khael frowned.

"That kind?"

Shigeo nodded lazily.

"The 'chosen one' dilemma. Very classic. Very dramatic."

He waved a hand.

"Ten out of ten. Would watch as a movie."

Khael stared at him.

"Shigeo!"

Shigeo held up a finger.

"Relax. I'm joking."

Then he exhaled softly.

"…Alright. Let me answer seriously."

He opened his hand, and thin arcs of lightning danced between his fingers quiet, gentle, like tiny threads weaving into patterns.

"This world," Shigeo said, "runs on two forces. Control… and chaos."

Khael listened in silence.

"Control is what your teachers gave you. Training, discipline, structure. Your Dragon Heart. The paths laid out for you."

He curled his fingers, lightning forming shapes in the air.

"Chaos is everything else. Fate. Accidents. Enemies. Broken timelines. The things you can't predict."

Shigeo flicked his hand, dissolving the lightning.

"And you, Khael Corzedar, happen to stand right in the middle."

Khael's jaw tightened a little.

Shigeo continued, voice softer now less sarcastic, more genuine.

"You're scared because you think destiny is a river you're trapped in. That if you stop paddling, the current will drag you into a waterfall."

He turned his head slightly.

"But the truth is… destiny isn't a river. It's a map."

Khael blinked.

"A map?"

"Yeah."

Shigeo reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny folded paper. He opened it—revealing what looked like a random maze of lines.

"This is destiny," he said. "A set of paths. Possibilities. You don't get to pick which map you're born with but…"

He tapped it with a finger.

"You get to choose how you walk it."

Khael stared at the map.

"…Is that why you always say you can predict a thousand outcomes?"

"Yes."

Shigeo shrugged.

"My brilliant mind lets me see the map more clearly than most people. I can't escape destiny either… no one can but I can choose the path with the fewest broken bones."

He closed the map and tucked it away.

"Look," Shigeo said quietly. "You want to protect people. That's not destiny talking—that's you. If anything, destiny has been trying to kill you since the day you were born. You're the one fighting back."

Khael blinked, surprised.

"…You really think so?"

Shigeo didn't look at him, but his voice softened the tiniest bit.

"Yeah."

He nudged Khael's shoulder with his own.

"You carry a dragon's legacy. That doesn't mean the dragon decides your life. It only gives you strength and you decide how to use it."

Khael let out a long breath.

"Sometimes I feel like everyone expects me to be perfect," he admitted. "A leader. A protector. Someone who never breaks."

Shigeo gave him a side-eye.

"That's stupid."

Khael blinked.

"…Huh?"

"Nobody is unbreakable," Shigeo said simply. "Not even Isen. Not even Lucere. Not even Yuna."

He paused.

"Especially not you."

Khael frowned. "Thanks… I guess?"

"It's a compliment," Shigeo said. "In my own way. What I mean is: humans break. That's normal. What matters is whether you heal the cracks… or pretend they're not there."

Khael lowered his gaze.

Shigeo looked up at the night sky, voice drifting like a quiet storm.

"You want my wisdom, Khael? Fine. Here it is."

He raised a finger.

"Control yourself, not your destiny."

Khael frowned slightly.

"…Explain."

Shigeo sighed like a teacher forced to teach basic math.

"Destiny will happen whether you like it or not. People will come and go. Battles will be fought. Your dragon blood will awaken no matter how hard you resist."

He tapped Khael's chest lightly.

"But your choices, your heart, your convictions… those are yours."

He held up two fingers.

"Destiny builds the world."

Three fingers.

"But you build yourself."

Khael felt his breath catch for a moment.

Shigeo continued, voice steady, almost wise despite his laziness.

"You asked about control. Real control isn't stopping fate. Real control is knowing who you are… no matter what fate throws at you."

He folded his arms behind his head, eyes closing.

"You're Khael Corzedar. Calm. Decisive. The idiot who jumps into danger to protect idiots like them. That's your identity. That's your anchor."

He opened one eye.

"Even if your dragon side goes berserk one day, that anchor will still be there. That's the real control."

Khael stared at him, quietly stunned.

Shigeo smirked.

"And about destiny?"

He pointed to the sky.

"Destiny is basically a stubborn compass. It gives you directions… but you can ignore them and take a different route. Sure, maybe you'll get lost or hit traffic, but eventually you'll still end up somewhere."

He shrugged.

"Probably somewhere stupid. But that's part of life."

Khael laughed under his breath.

Shigeo rarely spoke this much.

Even more rarely did he speak honestly.

"Shigeo," Khael said quietly, "you're… surprisingly wise when it comes to this."

"I'm always wise," Shigeo replied instantly. "I just choose not to waste it on people."

Khael just laugh at his remark.

"…So what do you think I should do?" Khael asked. "With everything. With the dragon destiny. With the future coming."

Shigeo leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"I think you should do what you've always done," he said. "Choose."

His eyes glowed faintly, lightning threading across his irises.

"There are a thousand paths in front of you right now. I've seen most of them. And do you know the one thing they all have in common?"

Khael waited.

Shigeo smiled faintly soft, genuine.

"In every path… Khael Corzedar keeps moving forward."

Khael's chest tightened—not painfully, but with clarity.

Shigeo looked away again, face returning to its usual lazy annoyance.

"So stop overthinking. Stop worrying about what you're 'supposed' to be. And stop being scared of the dragon in your blood."

He flicked Khael's forehead.

"Ow—!"

"You're you," Shigeo said. "That's enough."

Silence settled between them.

Not heavy peaceful.

The wind rustled the sakura petals around them, scattering soft pink fragments across the stone path.

Khael let out a slow, calm breath.

"…Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Shigeo muttered. "I only gave you statistical truth. Also, you owe me snacks for this counseling session."

Khael laughed.

"Alright, alright. I'll buy you something later."

Shigeo nodded, satisfied.

"Good. Because wisdom is expensive."

Khael stood, stretching lightly, dragon aura calmer now.

"Shigeo… really. Thanks."

Shigeo waved a hand lazily.

"Go sleep before your Shinrei overloads and you start glowing again."

Khael smirked.

"…Yeah. Goodnight."

"Night…." Shigeo murmured, already opening his book again.

As Khael walked away, Shigeo glanced up one last time.

His voice softened, carried only by the breeze:

"…You're going to change this world, Khael. Try not to break too much while doing it."

The petals drifted quietly across the courtyard.

And the night carried on.

Shigeo said "What a complicated world.."

To be continue