Chapter 22 DRAGON FRUIT
LYRA
“I… I was in the library,” I whispered, voice shaky. I looked down at my hands, expecting cuts from glass shards. Nothing. Just smooth skin.
Yvaine’s eyes widened. “A dream? Must’ve been an intense one. You were thrashing around pretty badly.”
I cupped my forehead, trying to slow my breathing. Outside the window, the wind had picked up noticeably, rustling the trees and whistling against the stone. Yvaine glanced at it, then back at me.
“Take your time,” she said softly. “Breathe. In… and out. We don’t need an accidental storm in here.”
I focused on her voice, drawing in slow, deep breaths. Gradually, the wind outside calmed. My pulse slowed. I ran a trembling hand through my loose violet strands, pushing damp curls off my face.
“It was just a dream,” I sighed, more to convince myself than her. “It felt so real"
Every detail, the book, the torn pages, the red lightning. I could even smell the ozone.
Yvaine sat on the edge of my bed, rubbing my arm comfortingly. “Dreams can be like that when the bond is new. Tempest’s probably feeding you bits of her own memories or warnings. You okay now?”
“Yeah… I think so.” I huffed out a laugh that sounded shaky even to my ears. “Sorry for waking you.”
“Don’t be. That’s what roommates are for.” She stood and stretched, heading toward her uniform. “Though if you scream like that during obstacle training later, I might have to tie you to Tempest for safety.”
I managed a weak smile and sat up fully, rubbing my face. “Definitely felt like falling from the sky. My heart’s still racing.”
“Breathe through it,” Yvaine said with a kind smile as she pulled on her tunic. “We don’t want you summoning a mini-storm during your first real obstacle course. The instructors would love that.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I swung my legs out of bed, still unsettled. Flashes of the dream kept returning, more vivid than any ordinary nightmare. The jagged torn pages. The red-streaked tornado, the flames.
I shook my head. Stay calm. It was just a dream. Maybe your mind’s telling you to study more, or you’ll be doomed. I snorted at the ridiculous thought and pushed it away. Obstacle training was what mattered now.
~
The training field buzzed with energy when we arrived. The obstacle course had been set up overnight: floating wooden beams at varying heights, glowing hoops suspended in mid-air, and shifting wind currents marked by shimmering runes.
Seniors and instructors watched from the sidelines. Cassius stood ready near the starting line, looking confident in his uniform.
“Today we test basic aerial agility,” Ser Thorian announced. “Mount your dragons. Observe the demonstration first.”
Cassius went first. He mounted his dragon smoothly and launched into the course with practiced ease. They soared through the hoops with precision, hovering effortlessly at different heights, then dove and rose over the floating beams. Magic crackled in the air, ozone and raw power mixing as his dragon responded to every command. It was beautiful to watch.
Calista joined him shortly after. Her wind dragon, Gale, cut through the air like a blade. The two siblings flew past each other in perfect sync, weaving through the course together before landing gracefully side by side.
The class murmured in awe.
Then it was our turn.
Yvaine and I mounted together, her on Ember, me on Tempest. We didn’t fly perfectly. We missed a hoop on the first pass, laughed as we nearly collided mid-air, and wobbled on a few height changes. But we had fun.
Real, breathless fun. Tempest’s joy surged through the bond every time we corrected a mistake together, and by the end I was grinning ear to ear despite the sweat and adrenaline.
When the session ended, I slid down from Tempest and began walking toward the armory to return some shared gear.
The high of flying still buzzed in my veins.
“Voss.” Calista’s voice stopped me cold near the armory entrance.
She stepped out from the shadows, arms crossed, her expression sharp and cold.
I straightened. “Calista.”
She moved closer, cornering me against the stone wall. “Where exactly are you from, dragon fruit? Some backwater district where they don’t teach basic balance? Why do you think you’re worthy of a storm dragon like Tempest? She’s ancient. Powerful. And you—” She looked me up and down with clear disdain. “You’re just another underdog who got lucky.”
My heart pounded, but I held her gaze. “Tempest chose me. That’s all that matters.”
Calista laughed, low and bitter. “The Academy is no place for underdogs. We’ve seen plenty like you before, weaklings who think a dramatic Choosing makes them special. They always break. Always leave.” She leaned in closer, voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “I’ll make sure you do too. Soon.”
She turned on her heel and walked away before I could respond, leaving me pressed against the cold stone, pulse racing and violet curls sticking to my damp neck.
The dream from last night flickered in my mind again, the torn pages, the red lightning, the flames. A warning? Or just my fears taking shape? Surely there would be a book in the library about Tempest. Calista was wrong. I did belong here. Granted, I did not take the normal route, but I was chosen. And I will put in the work.
I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and kept walking.