"Master, this isn’t right… It hurts. This is the first time anyone’s… done this to me."

"Why not? Don’t you trust your Master?"

"But even so, I—"

"Trust me. Even if this feels unbearable, I can restore you perfectly."

I pressed my knee firmly against Aifei’s back, gripping her wrists with steady force. She arched backward, sweat beading across her flushed face, breath ragged with strain.

We were deep in flexibility training. Knights like Aifei had naturally rigid bodies—so I’d chosen this direct method to improve her suppleness.

"That’s enough for today’s session."

I withdrew my knee and released her hands.

"Aaah—!"

Deprived of support, Aifei collapsed onto the ground with a pained gasp.

"It’s late. I’ve business to attend to. Head home. I’ll come to your room tonight."

Without another word, I unfurled my crimson wings and shot skyward.

"Wait, Master! Aren’t you eating?!" Aifei called out, exasperated. *He just leaves like that? Not even a courtesy?*

"Not hungry."

Those two words drifted back to her.

"Fine… I’ll run back myself."

Watching her Master’s silhouette shrink into the horizon, a quiet loneliness settled in her chest.

*Wait—he said he’d come to my room tonight. Could he mean…?*

Her calm post-training composure shattered. Wild thoughts swirled; her cheeks burned hotter by the second.

*F-for that kind of… thing… we should… take precautions…*

Flustered, Aifei hurried off—not toward home, but straight for Sradon Kingdom’s unmanned convenience store.

"The magic energy lies this way… tens of thousands of kilometers out. No choice. Time to transform."

I drew the Transmogrification Orb, pulling forth every sealed ounce of Dreadwyrm power. My body swelled. Crimson scales erupted across my skin. Human limbs twisted into draconic form—claws, tail, head, wings—expanding rapidly. Moments later, I stood reborn: the Dreadwyrm, terror of legends.

Whoosh!

I rocketed upward, leveling off only after piercing tens of thousands of meters.

*I can’t let anyone know I’m alive. Even disguised, my magic signature might be recognized.*

Hmm…

Focusing inward, I began converting my entire magic essence—shifting crimson energy into glacial ice magic.

Zzzzt…

Ancient lore claimed magic conversion was impossible. A being’s innate magic was fixed. Theoretical? Maybe. But I’d mastered it—across four distinct states.

Azure energy bloomed as scarlet faded. Scales shifted cerulean. Wings reshaped into skeletal frames; tail curved like a frost-kissed scythe. An icy blue glow pulsed along my head and tail.

This was my Ice Sovereign form—one of my few favorites. In this state, I always felt… undeniably cool.

Thump!

I surged forward, trailing crystalline ice sparks. The sky darkened, air sharpening with cold.

"Did you feel that? It’s freezing! Winter’s still two months away!"

"I’m gonna collapse! Gotta get inside!"

Below, the city shivered under the sudden chill, citizens baffled by the unnatural frost.