The castle corridors were quieter than the city outside.

  Stone walls muted most sounds.

  Only the echoes of footsteps followed Karnan as he walked beside two royal guards.

  Morning sunlight entered through tall stained-gss windows.

  Colored light spread across the floor.

  Red.

  Gold.

  Blue.

  Symbols of dragons decorated the gss.

  Wings spread wide.

  Fmes rising toward the sky.

  It felt less like decoration and more like a reminder.

  This kingdom was built on dragon legends.

  And now—

  Those legends were watching him.

  The guards stopped in front of a rge wooden door.

  One of them knocked twice.

  A voice answered from inside.

  "Enter."

  The doors opened.

  The chamber beyond was not the throne room.

  This room was smaller.

  Circur.

  A council chamber.

  Several important figures were already seated around a stone table.

  The High Priest.

  Archmage Serelis.

  Three nobles wearing heavy robes.

  And two older men in ceremonial dragon armor.

  Karnan stepped inside.

  Every person in the room studied him carefully.

  Not like the cheering crowd.

  These eyes were calcuting.

  The High Priest spoke first.

  "Karnan, thank you for coming."

  The words were polite.

  But the atmosphere was tense.

  Serelis leaned against the table casually.

  Watching everything.

  One of the armored elders spoke next.

  His voice deep and slow.

  "You have been summoned for a reason."

  Karnan remained calm.

  "What reason?"

  The elder exchanged a gnce with the High Priest.

  Then he said the words directly.

  "The Dragon Council has issued a summons."

  Silence filled the room.

  Karnan frowned slightly.

  "Dragon Council?"

  Serelis answered.

  "A group older than this kingdom."

  "They protect the ancient dragon temples."

  "And they decide whether a Dragon Mark bearer is legitimate."

  Legitimate.

  That word carried weight.

  The elder continued.

  "You will undergo a trial."

  "If the dragons accept you..."

  He paused.

  "Then your title as Dragon Bearer becomes official."

  Karnan already understood the other possibility.

  "And if they reject me?"

  The High Priest answered quietly.

  "Then the kingdom will no longer recognize you."

  One of the nobles spoke bluntly.

  "People will believe you are a fraud."

  Another added coldly.

  "Or worse."

  Karnan noticed the tone.

  No concern.

  Only politics.

  The High Priest looked uncomfortable.

  But he still spoke the truth.

  "If the dragons reject you..."

  "The kingdom will turn against you."

  Karnan stood silently for a moment.

  So this was the situation.

  The people in the streets might cheer.

  But the power structures wanted proof.

  Validation.

  Control.

  Serelis crossed her arms.

  "The trial takes pce at the Temple of Embers."

  "A pce where dragon energy is strongest."

  She looked directly at him.

  "If your mark is real, it will react."

  Radiant Sync flickered briefly in his vision.

  Radiant Sync: 7%

  Still unstable.

  Still incomplete.

  He wondered what would happen inside a dragon temple.

  Would the system react?

  Would the dragon voice return?

  Or something worse?

  One of the nobles leaned forward.

  "You should consider this an opportunity."

  His smile was thin.

  "Once confirmed, your power could change the bance of war."

  Karnan noticed that word immediately.

  War.

  Another noble nodded.

  "Our neighboring kingdoms are already mobilizing."

  "A true Dragon Bearer would give Valtheris a massive advantage."

  Serelis rolled her eyes slightly.

  "Here we go."

  The noble ignored her.

  He looked at Karnan like someone examining a weapon.

  "With proper training, you could lead our armies."

  "Break enemy fortresses."

  "Turn entire battles."

  The other nobles murmured in agreement.

  Karnan didn't respond.

  But inside—

  Something clicked.

  He had seen this before.

  Not in real life.

  In strategy games.

  Powerful units.

  Special abilities.

  Rare resources.

  Things commanders used to win wars.

  That was exactly how these nobles were speaking.

  Not about a person.

  About an asset.

  A weapon.

  The meeting ended shortly after.

  The High Priest walked with Karnan through the corridor.

  His expression looked worried.

  "You should prepare yourself," the priest said softly.

  "For what?"

  "The temple."

  He hesitated.

  "The dragons there are not... friendly."

  Karnan gnced at him.

  "What do you mean?"

  "They test more than strength."

  "Some people say they test the soul."

  Karnan didn't believe much in mystical ideas.

  But this world clearly had rules he didn't fully understand yet.

  The priest stopped walking.

  "There is something else."

  Karnan waited.

  The priest lowered his voice.

  "If the dragons reject you..."

  "The nobles will use it as an excuse."

  "An excuse for what?"

  "To remove you."

  Simple.

  Direct.

  Political.

  Karnan nodded slowly.

  Good to know.

  Information was survival.

  Later that evening, Karnan walked alone through a quieter hallway of the castle.

  Most servants had already left for the night.

  But voices echoed from a nearby chamber.

  He slowed slightly.

  Not intentionally listening.

  Just passing.

  But the voices became clear.

  Two nobles speaking.

  "...perfect timing."

  "If the trial confirms him, we can deploy him in the border war."

  "And if it fails?"

  A short ugh followed.

  "Then we eliminate the problem before the people become attached."

  Karnan stopped walking.

  Not surprised.

  Just confirming what he already suspected.

  The second noble continued.

  "A dragon weapon would change everything."

  "Imagine a single warrior burning enemy lines."

  The first replied.

  "The king will approve it eventually."

  "He's already thinking about war."

  Footsteps approached inside the chamber.

  Karnan continued walking before they could see him.

  His face remained calm.

  But inside—

  The realization was clear now.

  This world had summoned him.

  But not because they cared about him.

  They cared about power.

  Power won wars.

  Power created kingdoms.

  Power destroyed enemies.

  And right now—

  He was that power.

  A living weapon.

  Radiant Sync flickered again.

  Radiant Sync: 8%

  The number rose slightly.

  As if the system understood the truth before he even spoke it.

  Karnan looked out one of the castle windows.

  Night had fallen over the city.

  Lights from homes flickered like stars.

  The people down there believed he was a hero.

  But heroes and weapons often looked the same from a distance.

  The real difference came ter.

  When someone decided how to use them.

  And Karnan was beginning to understand something important.

  If he didn't control his own path—

  Someone else would.

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