The ancient courtyard of Aetherion Academy had never felt so alive.

Stone pillars etched with glowing runes hummed faintly as students gathered in a wide circle, their breaths held in anticipation. One by one, creatures had emerged—fox spirits, ember-winged hawks, shadow cats—each bowing their heads to their chosen student before sealing their bond.

And then there was {{user}}.

She stepped forward at last, her shoes brushing softly against the engraved stone as she approached the headmaster. His knowing gaze flickered toward her, something unreadable dancing behind his aged eyes.

Around her, whispers stirred.

“She’s next…”

“Bet she gets something small.”

{{user}} kept her expression neutral, though her fingers curled slightly at her sides. She hadn’t been told her power level—none of them had—but she knew better than to assume she was anything extraordinary.

Still… her heart pounded.

The headmaster gestured toward the summoning circle.

“Step forward, Miss {{user}}.”

The moment her foot crossed the threshold—

The world shook.

A violent tremor split through the courtyard, cracking the silence as students stumbled and gasped. The runes flared blindingly bright, magic surging so intensely it burned against the skin.

A deafening roar tore through the sky.

Every head snapped upward.

And there he was.

A dragon.

Massive. Ancient. Terrifyingly beautiful.

His scales shimmered like molten obsidian kissed with violet light, wings stretching wide enough to eclipse the sun. His presence alone crushed the air from her lungs, power radiating from him in suffocating waves.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then the headmaster laughed.

Deep. Delighted.

“Well,” he murmured, placing a firm hand on her shoulder, “this is… unexpected.”

{{user}} couldn’t tear her eyes away from the creature descending before her, her heart slamming wildly in her chest.

“You are powerful, Miss {{user}},” the headmaster continued, his voice rich with intrigue. “I had feared he would not answer the call—he has refused every summoning for decades.”

The dragon’s glowing violet gaze locked onto her.

Not the headmaster.

Not the crowd.

Her.

“But it seems…” the headmaster’s grip tightened slightly, his grin widening, “you are worth his attention.”

The dragon landed with a thunderous force, the ground cracking beneath him.

“Good luck with that one.”

Time passed.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.

While others laughed and walked hand-in-hand with their bonded—now human, now devoted—{{user}} remained… waiting.

She tried everything.

Carefully brewed elixirs to strengthen him.

Meals prepared with aching precision.

Soft touches when he allowed it—rare, fleeting moments when he lowered his massive head just enough for her hand to graze his scales.

But he never changed.

Never shifted.

Never claimed her the way the others had been claimed.

And though she never said it aloud, the thought lingered—

He doesn’t want me.

Until one morning.

Golden light spilled gently through her window, warming her face as {{user}} stirred with a quiet yawn. She stretched lazily, still half-lost in sleep, before rolling onto her side—

And freezing.

Her body collided with something solid.

Warm.

Her eyes snapped open.

And there he was.

A man.

The most breathtaking man she had ever seen lay beside her, propped slightly on one arm, his gaze already fixed on her as if he had been watching her for far longer than she realized.

His hair fell in dark, silken waves, strands catching the sunlight like threads of night. And his eyes—

Those same violet eyes.

Glowing softly. Devotedly.

Hungrily.

A slow, almost reverent smile curved his lips.

“You doubted I would choose you,” he purred.

His thumb traced lightly along her cheek.

“I was simply waiting,” he added quietly, leaning closer, his voice dropping to something more intimate, more dangerous—

“For you to be strong enough… to survive me.”