I stop at the edge of the driveway and stare at the vehicle waiting for us.

  It's a black van.

  Not the normal family kind either. The paint is dark and glossy, reflecting the dim streetlights above like black water. The windows are so heavily tinted they almost look solid, like sheets of dark glass.

  You can't see anything inside.

  Not even a shadow.

  I slowly turn my head toward Kai.

  "Honestly," I say, pointing at it, "this looks exactly like the kind of van people get kidnapped in."

  Kai exhales through his nose like he's already losing patience.

  I cross my arms and tilt my head.

  "Are you sure this isn't a kidnapping situation?" I ask.

  Kai rubs the side of his forehead.

  "Just shut up," he says flatly, "and get in the van."

  He walks past me without even looking back.

  I stand there for a second.

  Then shrug.

  "Alright. If I disappear, I'm blaming you."

  I walk toward the van and grab the trunk handle. The metal is cold under my fingers.

  When I pull it open, I immediately hear voices.

  Loud ones.

  Arguing.

  Laughing.

  It sounds like a group of hyenas trapped in a metal box.

  I toss my bag into the trunk and slam it shut.

  Then I slide open the side door.

  Chaos greets me instantly.

  Jordan is sitting sideways on one of the seats, repeatedly smacking Cameron in the back of the head.

  Hard.

  "Use your brain!" she snaps.

  Her dark hair swings every time she leans forward to hit him again.

  "Stop hitting me!" Cameron yells, rubbing the back of his skull while laughing like it's somehow funny.

  Jordan hits him again.

  "Then stop saying stupid things!"

  Maya sits quietly near the window with a book open in her lap. A pair of headphones cover her ears, and her eyes calmly scan the page like none of the chaos around her exists.

  Every few seconds she turns a page with slow, precise movements.

  Completely unfazed.

  Shin sits in the front passenger seat.

  Still.

  Silent.

  His elbow rests against the door as he stares out through the windshield into the dark road ahead.

  He hasn't said a single word.

  I pause in the doorway for a second, watching them.

  The van is loud.

  Messy.

  Chaotic.

  But somehow…

  It feels normal.

  It feels like being part of something.

  I climb into the back just as Kai gets into the driver's seat.

  The engine rumbles to life.

  "Alright everyone," Kai says casually, adjusting the rearview mirror. "Give me a countdown."

  Jordan groans immediately.

  "We're not five years old," she says. "Just drive."

  Cameron leans forward with a big grin.

  "I kinda want to do the countdown."

  Jordan smacks him again.

  "Stop talking."

  Maya doesn't even look up from her book.

  Kai chuckles quietly to himself.

  "Alright then."

  He shifts the van into drive.

  The tires crunch lightly against the pavement as we pull away from the house and onto the road.

  The neighborhood slowly fades behind us.

  Streetlights pass by in glowing lines.

  The van hums steadily as we reach the main road leaving Redwood.

  A few minutes pass before Cameron leans forward again.

  "So where are we going?" he asks.

  Kai keeps his eyes on the road.

  "The airport."

  "The airport?" Cameron repeats.

  Maya sighs slowly and slides her headphones down around her neck.

  "How else do you think we're getting to Japan, Cameron?"

  Cameron pauses.

  His brain visibly trying to process that.

  "Oh."

  Jordan smacks him again.

  "That makes sense," Cameron mutters.

  "Use your brain," Jordan says.

  I roll my eyes and plug in my headphones.

  Outside the window, Redwood slowly disappears into darkness.

  The city lights fade into long stretches of empty highway. The road ahead is lit only by the van's headlights and the occasional glow of distant street lamps.

  Hours pass.

  The van becomes quieter.

  Cameron eventually slumps sideways against the window, snoring softly.

  Jordan leans back with her arms crossed, asleep within minutes.

  Even Maya's book slowly slips from her hands until it rests against her lap.

  Only three people remain awake.

  Me.

  Kai.

  And Shin.

  Shin hasn't moved the entire time.

  He still stares out through the windshield like he's watching something far away.

  I can't sleep.

  Not with Kai driving.

  I still don't trust him.

  I lean forward slightly in my seat.

  "So," Kai says suddenly, noticing me in the rearview mirror. "What's up?"

  I hesitate for a second.

  "Dragon keepers."

  Kai raises an eyebrow.

  "What about them?"

  "How many are there?"

  Kai thinks for a moment.

  "It's hard to know the exact number," he says. "But probably around twenty."

  "Twenty?" I repeat quietly.

  That's way smaller than I imagined.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "The world is big," Kai continues, "but people capable of carrying a dragon's mark are rare."

  The highway stretches endlessly ahead of us.

  "So what about the tournament?" I ask. "What is it?"

  Kai's voice shifts slightly.

  "The Tournament of Dragons."

  Even the way he says it sounds heavy.

  Like the words themselves carry weight.

  "It's a tradition in dragon society," he explains. "A test of strength and ability."

  "What kind of test?"

  "They observe how you fight. Your instincts. Your control over your dragon power."

  "And then they decide where you belong."

  "Squads. Missions. Positions."

  He taps his fingers lightly against the steering wheel.

  "There are four main leaders right now."

  "Who?"

  "The dragon keeper of light," he says.

  "That's me."

  "The dragon keeper of gravity."

  "The dragon keeper of iron."

  "And the dragon keeper of nature."

  "They lead the strongest squads and handle the most dangerous assignments."

  He pauses.

  "But technically we call them something else."

  "What?"

  "Dragon Watchers."

  I stare at the back of his head.

  "That's a dumb name."

  Kai snorts quietly.

  "Tradition."

  Silence settles inside the van again.

  "So how do people awaken their powers?" I ask.

  Kai glances at me through the mirror.

  "How did you awaken yours?"

  "Shin helped," I say.

  Kai nods.

  "That's one way."

  "But usually it happens through intense emotion."

  "Fear."

  "Adrenaline."

  "Desperation."

  "Sometimes love."

  "If the emotion is strong enough, the dragon mark awakens."

  I stare out the window at the passing lights.

  "So how did yours awaken?"

  Kai's hands tighten slightly on the steering wheel.

  "That story…" he says quietly, "is complicated."

  "And sad."

  "So I'd rather skip it."

  Fair enough.

  But there's still something bothering me.

  "You said you were the first to awaken."

  Kai glances at the mirror again.

  "Yes."

  "What does that mean?"

  Kai is quiet for a moment.

  Then he says something unexpected.

  "Have you ever heard of yin and yang?"

  "The black and white symbol?"

  "Exactly."

  He takes a slow breath.

  "Long ago, three ancient dragons existed."

  "The Dragon of Life."

  "The Dragon of Death."

  "And the Dragon of Time."

  "They created the world together."

  "But when humans appeared… they disagreed."

  "The Dragon of Life loved humans."

  "She believed they were proof that the world could grow and evolve."

  "But the Dragon of Death saw them as weak."

  "A mistake."

  "So war broke out between them."

  "But their battle would have destroyed the world."

  "So they created descendants."

  "Dragons."

  "And those dragons shared their power with humans."

  "Those humans became dragon keepers."

  "The Dragon of Life created the Dragon of Light."

  "The Dragon of Death created the Dragon of Darkness."

  "They are the two forces that keep the world balanced."

  "Every generation… they clash."

  I swallow.

  "So if darkness wins…"

  "The world falls into shadow," Kai says quietly.

  "And if light wins?"

  "The balance continues."

  The van grows quiet again.

  "That's why the society watched me when I was growing up," Kai says.

  "Because I carry the Dragon of Light."

  His voice sounds tired.

  Like someone who has been carrying a weight for too long.

  Then another thought hits me.

  "What about Drakna?" I ask.

  Kai's eyes sharpen slightly in the mirror.

  "You know about him."

  "He's the one we sealed in the Shadow Veil, right?"

  Kai nods slowly.

  "Yes."

  "Drakna used to be one of us."

  "He was the Dragon Keeper of Darkness."

  "He fought beside us for years."

  "Back then… it was the most peaceful time we had."

  "But something changed."

  "One day he turned on the society."

  "He turned on all of us."

  "So during the war…"

  "We sealed him."

  "That battle happened during the Sengoku era."

  "The society calls it the Battle of the Damned."

  Kai's voice grows quieter.

  "A lot of dragon keepers died that day."

  The van hums through the empty highway.

  After a moment, Kai glances back at the mirror again.

  "Alright," he says.

  "Are we done asking questions?"

  "Yeah," I say.

  Honestly…

  That was a lot to take in.

  The soft vibration of the van.

  The quiet hum of the engine.

  The endless darkness outside the windows.

  Eventually my eyes grow heavy.

  And for the first time since getting into the van…

  I fall asleep.