Kael pointed to a large circle carved into the arena floor.
Ancient symbols glowed faintly around it, mana lines running through the stone like veins.
"Stand inside."
Mia looked at it suspiciously.
"…That sentence has never led to happiness."
"Inside."
"Yes, terrifying professor."
She stepped into the circle with the other dragons.
Red dragon. Gray speed gremlin. Green one. The rest.
Everyone looked far too comfortable for Mia's taste.
That was concerning.
Kael stood outside the formation, arms folded.
"Now."
"Channel your mana through your body."
The dragons obeyed immediately.
The air changed.
Mana surged.
One by one, energy wrapped around them.
Red dragon burned with crimson mana like living flame.
The green dragon shimmered with emerald currents.
Bronze. Silver. Blue.
Each different.
Each powerful.
Mia inhaled and focused.
She pushed mana inward—
through scales, through wings, through bones—
and then it emerged.
Dark purple.
Deep. Heavy. Almost black.
It curled around her like smoke and gravity.
The other dragons looked.
Actually looked.
The gray dragon stopped grinning.
The red dragon narrowed his eyes.
Even Kael's gaze sharpened slightly.
Because Mia's mana did not feel normal.
It felt old.
Hungry.
Quiet in the way storms are quiet.
Mia blinked.
"…Well that seems mildly ominous."
The red dragon muttered,
"Show off."
"I literally did not choose the color."
Kael raised one hand.
"Good."
His voice cut across the arena.
"Now—"
He pointed.
"Fight."
Mia blinked.
"…What?"
Too late.
BOOM.
A blast of red mana came first.
Then green.
Then blue.
Every direction.
"OH COME ON—"
She barely threw up a mana shield in time.
CRASH.
The impacts slammed into it from every angle.
Her claws dug into the stone.
The shield shook violently.
"This is not a lesson!"
Kael replied instantly.
"It is exactly a lesson."
The gray dragon suddenly launched forward like a missile.
Mana wrapped around its horns—
WHAM.
Mana headbutt.
The shield cracked.
Mia's eyes widened.
"You little—"
Before gray dragon could hit her again—
BAM.
The green dragon slammed into him from the side.
Third-partied.
Justice.
The gray dragon rolled across the arena yelling insults.
Mia pointed dramatically.
"YES. SUFFER."
Immediately—
the red dragon hit her shield again.
CRACK.
"…Right. My turn."
The barrier was breaking.
Her mana was shaking.
Everyone was moving too fast.
Chaos everywhere.
And Kael's voice from outside:
"Do not defend forever!"
"Mana is not for hiding!"
"Control space!"
Mia gritted her teeth.
He was right.
Again. Annoyingly.
She dropped the shield.
The dragons lunged—
and Mia pushed all her mana forward.
Dark purple energy burst outward in a heavy shockwave—
BOOM.
Dust exploded.
Stone cracked.
Several dragons were forced backward.
Silence.
Even Mia stared.
"…I can do that?"
The red dragon coughed through the dust.
"…Rude."
Kael gave a slow nod.
"Better."
Mia stood there breathing hard, dark mana curling around her wings.
Still confused. Still in danger.
But for the first time—
it felt like her power.
Not borrowed.
Not accidental.
Hers.
The gray dragon stood up again, furious.
"I hate her."
Mia smiled tiredly
"Excellent. We're bonding."
Mia's breathing was rough now, dark purple mana curling around her body like living smoke.
Pain burned through her muscles.
Good.
That meant she was still standing.
Across the arena, the other dragons circled her carefully now.
No more smugness. No more casual attacks.
Now—
they were wary.
Mia grinned,
"Oh? Suddenly I'm interesting?"
The red dragon growled.
"Don't get arrogant."
"Too late."
She lowered her stance.
Then—
she pushed her mana forward.
Dark purple energy gathered arround her body,condensing into sharp, gleaming spikes.
Not fire.
Not explosions.
Pure piercing force.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Mia smirked.
"Let's test something."
She fired.
SHHHK—
Mana spikes shot across the arena like black lightning.
Fast.
Too fast.
Some dragons barely dodged, throwing themselves aside.
The gray dragon vanished in a blur of speed.
But the red dragon and two others chose to block—
raising mana shields with full confidence.
A mistake.
The spikes touched the barriers—
and passed straight through.
Like the shields weren't even there.
CRACK—
"GRAAH!"
The red dragon roared as the spike pierced into his shoulder, forcing him to the ground.
The others cried out as well, stunned and bleeding.
The entire arena froze.
The red dragon stared in disbelief.
"WHAT?!"
From outside the barrier, Kael's expression hardened.
Varkryth remained silent.
But his eyes…
sharpened.
Mia's dark mana.
It ignored dragon defenses.
That was not normal.
That was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
And unfortunately—
Mia had exactly three seconds to enjoy that revelation.
Because—
WHAM.
The gray dragon slammed into her with a mana-coated headbutt from the side.
A direct hit.
Mia was launched across the arena like an unpaid debt.
BOOM.
She clawed into arena floor to slow herself.
Pain. So much pain.
Mia coughed violently.
"Ghk—… fck…"
The gray dragon charged again immediately, horns glowing with condensed mana.
No pause. No mercy.
Mia looked up.
"…You are personally annoying."
He lunged.
She lunged.
MANA HEADBUTT.
BOOOOM—
The collision created a shockwave that blasted dust across the arena.
For one second, both forces held—
then the gray dragon's eyes widened.
He was thrown backward, launched through the air—
straight into the green dragon.
Both collapsed in a heap of poor decisions.
Mia stumbled forward, barely standing.
Before she could recover—
the red dragon was already back up.
Bleeding. Angry. Beautifully offended.
He opened his jaws and condensed a massive mana bomb.
"Oh no," Mia muttered.
He fired.
She twisted aside at the last second—
the blast missed by inches and exploded behind her.
She turned.
No hesitation.
She fired again.
SHHHK—
A dark mana spike pierced downward.
Direct hit.
The red dragon was slammed back into the ground.
Again.
He looked up from the crater like life had betrayed him personally.
Mia pointed.
"Stay down."
After that—
Twenty days of constant chaos.
Claws. Mana. Shockwaves. Dust.
One by one, dragons fell.
Some knocked unconscious.
Some pinned by dark mana spikes.
Some simply too exhausted to continue.
And at the center of it all—
Mia.
Still standing.
Barely.
Her body trembled. Her wings shook. Blood stained her scales.
But she stood.
Alone.
The last one standing for last twenty days
Silence filled the arena.
Even Kael took a moment before speaking.
His voice was quieter now.
"…Interesting."
Nearby, he stepped closer to Varkryth, speaking low enough that Mia could not hear.
"Such power…"
His eyes remained on Mia.
"My lord… that should not be possible."
He narrowed his gaze.
"And she learns far too quickly."
A pause.
"She understood and applied advanced combat patterns in twenty days."
He clicked his tongue.
"I hate admitting it…"
"…but that is not common. Not even among dragons her age."
Varkryth watched his daughter in silence.
His expression unreadable.
But there was something there.
Something ancient.
Recognition.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"I see it as well."
Before Kael could respond—
a monster soldier rushed into the arena entrance, kneeling immediately.
"My Lord."
Varkryth turned.
"There is a matter you should see."
Silence.
Then the Abyss Sovereign stepped forward.
His presence alone made the air heavier.
He gave Mia one last look.
Then to Kael—
"Continue her training."
His voice was absolute.
"I will return."
And without another word—
Varkryth left.
Leaving behind the arena.
The broken dragons.
And Mia—
still standing there, exhausted, confused, and somehow deeply suspicious that things were about to get worse.
Because in her life—
they always did..