After much persuasion, my uncle finally agreed to accompany me to the training ground. On our way there, Ronk left us to catch up with some old friends on the island. This allowed me to focus more on my training.

We soon arrived at our destination - a secluded training area not far from home. According to my uncle, very few people knew about this place as it was his private study area. It had been a long time since anyone had visited, so we could train in peace.

The training area was impressive. It was an enclosed space surrounded by rocks and stones. At first, I thought it was a mine, but it turned out to be something entirely different. The heat inside was intense and I was already sweating.

There were ropes and rocks scattered around, but it was clear that the area had various training features. A tough training session awaited us.

"This is where you will unlock your dragon powers," my uncle said. "The more you focus and exert your strength, the faster you will gain your powers."

"I'll do my best," I replied.

"Good. Now listen carefully. All bloodlines are divided into groups according to their characteristics: attack, defense, healer, and advanced bloodlines. The Wolf and Dragon bloodline is an advanced bloodline - stronger and more innovative than others. As a strong hybrid, you can unlock your powers faster than you expect."

I asked in amazement, "My powers?"

"Yes," my uncle replied. "Like other bloodlines, the dragon bloodline has three basic powers: skin fusion with fire, fire breath, and soul fire."

"Soul fire?" I asked.

"That is the ultimate power of the dragon bloodline. No one has been able to activate it for years. It is said that whoever activates this power can also control the dragon."

"I thought dragons were extinct," I said.

"All but one have died. The last active dragon fought against the creature of the fourth epic but failed. The dragon that died was the mother of the last remaining dragon, who now lies fast asleep in her lair."

"What will become of the dragon?" I asked.

"Whoever succeeds in controlling the power will rule over the dragon. But for now, you must not focus on that power. As you know, the wolf bloodline unleashes and strengthens their powers through physical training. This is good news for you because the dragon bloodline is similar to the wolf bloodline. By doing physical training, you can not only unlock your powers but also increase your body's resistance. You also have the power of ki, which is quite surprising. But it's a good thing because, after my training, you will not only control your ki faster but also completely control it."

"I'll do my best," I replied.

"Good," my uncle said. "First, we'll make your body fireproof. Then you'll learn how to breathe fire."

After my uncle's explanation, we began our training exercises in order. The training was much more difficult than I had anticipated. I spent hours on a single exercise, which left me exhausted.

The heat was overwhelming and my ears were ringing. After a while, I had to take off my clothes to keep from catching fire. I continued my training half-naked. Some of the exercises included carrying a heavy weight over burning pebbles, being hit with a hot stick, and doing push-ups on hot stones.

My training continued like this for several days. I was able to successfully complete increasingly difficult tasks. Finally, after a few days, when my body had become resistant to fire, my uncle seemed proud. Although he didn't like me much, we were growing closer.

While my body was not resistant to magical flames, it would not be damaged by high temperatures or fire. However, this depended on how much training I kept up. Increasing the training would increase my resistance while quitting the training would decrease it. If I relaxed, my skin could become sensitive to flames, heat, or fire again.

Fortunately, my uncle was strict about this. He kept me training for hours on end. Unlike Ronk, he was not one to give rewards. Even when I gained resistance to fire, he immediately began training me for the next power without wasting any time.

Learning to breathe fire was more difficult for me than gaining resistance to it. My uncle demonstrated how to do it by breathing fire from his mouth. He told me that if I covered my mouth with my hand before breathing fire and blew the fire from the inside of my hand, I could prevent smoke from escaping into my nose.

As the days passed, I not only learned to control my powers but also my ki and body resistance. We became almost one, and I could speed up or slow down my powers at will.

After two weeks, I had learned all my powers and was ready to fight. I wanted to stay longer, but I wasn't sure how much trouble my friends were in. So I thanked my uncle for everything and left with great excitement. Before I left, he gave me a letter from my mother in case we couldn't meet again. I decided not to open it until I reached the rowboat.

Ronk stayed with the dragon island to plan the next attack while I returned to my friends. As I boarded the rowboat and sailed away from the island, I decided to open the letter. What I read in the middle of the sea not only brought tears to my eyes but also gave me a new purpose. It showed me once again why I fought and what I had to do.

......Ryuu's Mum's Letter...........

No words can adequately describe the difficulty of being apart from you. You are my happiness and my peace. I'm sorry that I can't be with you every moment. Every second we are apart, I miss you more and more, my dear son Ryuu. But being away doesn't diminish my love for you in any way.

Your existence is the most precious thing in life to me. That's why it hurts my heart to be apart from you. I long to be together again - to hug you, hold your hands, look into your eyes, and tell you how much I miss you.

Remember that your father and I will always be proud of you.

To My Sweet Son, Ryuu.

Mummy's always with you.

.....................................