Chapter 7 The One Destined to Become a God?!

I didn't think I've ever truly sat down and watched a meteor shower from start to finish.

In the magical world, meteor showers are actually pretty common. The first time I saw one as a child, I was completely blown away.

The flowing starlight across the sky was as vivid as the trailing fins of a betta fish moving through water, and the whole night sky was like a black hole, making the stars shine even brighter against it.

I loved meteor showers, but back then I was more afraid of sitting alone at the top of the mountain. My family was always busy, and I was the only child in the entire family.

On top of that, the Hammer family's natural unapproachability meant that very few servants would come near me during their personal time.

I could usually only last a few minutes before wanting to go home, and eventually I stopped thinking about it altogether.

When Catherine and I sat together at the top of the mountain, quietly watching the meteor shower streak across the sky, I closed my eyes and felt like I was a child again.

The difference was that, for once, there was someone beside me.

As the meteor shower was winding down, Catherine looked very sleepy. She slowly leaned against me, a little hesitant at first. I felt her warmth.

So I put my arm around her and pulled her closer.

Catherine's POV

The next day, 8:00 AM.

First class: Fundamentals of Flight Magic.

The class was held in a large open field behind the academy's back mountain. By the time Lynn and I arrived, a few students were already there waiting.

The moment they saw us, they quickly found somewhere else to stand, like we were something dangerous.

I instinctively tightened my grip on Lynn's hand and turned away from their stares.

"Ignore them, Catherine. Focus on the class." Lynn didn't seem to care about their looks at all. He gave me his usual easy smile.

We didn't wait long before the professor came flying in on his ostrich. I know that sounds completely normal when I say it, but watching it actually happen had this inexplicably funny quality to it.

The moment the students spotted the professor, they started calling out to him. As soon as he landed, most of them crowded around him, all talking at once, asking about the team practice focus for the day.

I found myself looking over at the ostrich, standing quietly to the side.

Technically, as an Unawakener, I wasn't supposed to be placed in any courses with a risk factor. But since Lynn and I were partners, I'd been assigned to a combat magic class.

Still, this didn't look like what I'd imagined. I thought he'd teach some kind of spell that would let everyone fly on their own. I'd been looking forward to it all last night.

But... wait. Were we supposed to fly together as a team, with Lynn carrying me?

The other students looked like they'd known all along. The moment the professor said "get ready," everyone moved to stand with their partners.

In that moment, I was actually grateful the school had this whole partner system. Based on how things were going today, nobody would have chosen to practice with me otherwise.

"Lynn, are you going to transform? What will you look like...?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Lynn grinned, a little mischievous. "Something cool. Let me show you what a Dragonkin really looks like."

As a full mixed-blood, Lynn naturally carried Dragonkin blood. I remembered what I'd read, Dragonkin excelled at high-intensity, long-distance flight, and could launch attacks mid-flight without any loss in combat power.

A second later, a strong wind whipped up into a swirl. When the dust cleared, I stood there staring, completely speechless, at the dragon Lynn had become.

It was nothing like anything I'd ever seen. The enormous creature from mythology was right there in front of me, curled calmly on the ground, waiting for me.

It wasn't just me staring. Every single student had stopped to look.

"There's no way that girl can partner with a dragon. Their sync rate is going to be terrible."

"What if she falls off... haha, just imagining it is embarrassing enough..."

"That looks so dangerous. A mixed-blood like Lynn could lose control of his power. Why would the academy let a terrorist share a classroom with us?"

The dragon's breath was so loud that they ended up raising their voices without realizing it. I heard every word.

...Don't let it get to you. Just get through the class.

"Do I really have to climb on? It looks like I could fall off any second..."

The dragon lying quietly on the ground lifted its head and looked at me. Its eyes were a sharp, burning gold, but somehow I could tell it was trying to calm me down.

The professor clapped his hands and urged everyone to find a position and get on. "The whole point of finding the right partner is this — on the battlefield, you're not separate individuals. You have to work together to bring out your full combat potential."

I ended up climbing on anyway, just to try. Surprisingly, the dragon's back was wide and warm, like lava rolling just beneath the surface of its skin.

As it turned out, Lynn and I were in perfect sync.

The moment I settled onto his back, it felt completely natural, like I'd been born knowing how to do this. My body stayed steady without any effort. Lynn even angled his right wing down to shield me from the wind hitting my face.

I thought it was just easy by nature, but when I looked back, the students behind us were screaming, clinging desperately to their partners' necks. Some had even managed to anger their transformed partners in the process and nearly got thrown off.

The professor's voice reached us through a spell, carrying across the open sky where we'd all scattered. "This is exactly why teamwork matters. When someone transforms, their personality shifts significantly. They move closer to a primal, instinct-driven state."

"At that point, your partner essentially takes on the role of a leader. Your emotional state transfers directly to them. Tension, anxiety, insecurity, all of it makes them more aggressive. Alright, everyone come back down. I've seen enough of how each pair is working together."

I slid smoothly off Lynn's back. Behind me, I could hear the thud of a few people being thrown off.

"What were you doing?! That was dangerous!"

"You nearly ripped the skin off the back of my neck!"

I glanced toward the arguing. The professor stepped in sharply to stop it, but then, to my surprise, he singled out Lynn and me.

"Out of everyone here, Catherine and Lynn showed the strongest partnership. Complete mutual trust. Even when Catherine was nervous at the start, she kept her emotions under control and didn't let them spill over."

Nobody had expected that. Some of them had been quietly betting that the dragon would throw me off and I'd make a fool of myself in front of everyone.

They went unusually quiet. No one said a word in response to the professor.

Lynn squeezed my hand, pulling my attention back. "Catherine, stop paying attention to them. I have a gift for you later."

After class, Lynn stood in front of me looking unusually serious. I realized this gift must mean something to him.

A necklace.

Oh wow. The moment it appeared in Lynn's hand, I couldn't look away. A pigeon-blood ruby set in gold, together they made a stunning, dazzling necklace.

Lynn was watching my face. He seemed to notice how fixated I was on it. "The way you're reacting... it kind of reminds me of a Dragonkin."

I still couldn't take my eyes off the necklace. "A Dragonkin? Why?"

"...I remember the gemology professor mentioning it once. I wasn't paying full attention, but I caught something about how Dragonkin are the most obsessive collectors of colored gemstones. That kind of intense possessiveness over a jewel... it looks a lot like what you're doing right now."

"I read about this in magical mythology. The book said that when the creator god made the magical world, each race offered one of their virtues in exchange for a gift. Dragonkin gave up 'restraint' and received 'resilience.' The cost was that they became arrogant and unable to control their desire for treasure — but in return, they gained unmatched combat strength."

That finally made me look up. I was a little stunned. Then I ran my hand along my arm. "So... am I going to grow claws and scales?"

Lynn frowned, studying me carefully. "But you don't fully match either. At least not by gender. Dragonkin are so rare partly because their females are almost nonexistent... I honestly can't say for sure."

"It's fine. There's still plenty of time. I'm not in a rush..."

Before I could say anything else, he reached over and fastened the necklace around my neck. "Isn't this too much? I can't accept this..."

Lynn shook his head. "If I'm giving it to you, it's yours. I have plenty more. This is just how I make friends."

I touched the necklace, and a wave of pure joy washed over me — the kind that lit up my whole body and made me feel almost giddy.

"Thank you!"

Ding

A carrier pigeon landed on my shoulder, signaling that my schedule had been updated.

"Let me see... wait? A welcome dance! This Saturday evening in the banquet hall!" I looked up at Lynn excitedly, waving the little note in the air.

Lynn, however, looked completely unbothered. "Really? They do it every year. I don't really feel like..."

"Will you come with me?" I caught his tone and quickly jumped in, tugging at his sleeve. "Come on, just come with me. What if it's actually fun this year?"

"It'll be so awkward if I go alone..."

Lynn looked like he had absolutely no way to say no to me. "Fine. I'll go."

He looked straight at me, his gaze dropping to the necklace at my throat , the one he'd fastened there himself, and he looked quietly satisfied.

"I'll be there. We're partners. I'll look after you." Lynn said it with a seriousness that made it sound like a real promise.

I smiled. "We're going to be great partners. I'm a medical doctor, and you've got incredible combat strength."

That made him happy. He narrowed his eyes with a pleased look. "Yes. I'll protect you, my princess."

Something fluttered in my stomach at that word.

"Second period is Awakening Ability Control. I don't have class today, so I'll wait for you outside, and then we can go to lunch together."

I looked at the closed classroom door, took a slow breath, and gave Lynn what I hoped was a relaxed nod. "Okay."

I walked in. Unsurprisingly, almost every head turned toward me at once. The looks were cold, judgmental, some carrying a quiet edge of hostility.

[Catherine, tune it all out.]

[All you need to do is calm down and pay attention in class. You don't need to get along with any of them.]

I kept talking myself through it as I walked to a seat. No one wanted to sit next to me. I'd already expected that.

"Good morning, everyone! Today we're going to go over the origins and characteristics of Awakeners from different races." The professor seemed genuinely warm, with a wide smile that made her easy to like.

"As we all know, the magical world was created by the original creator god. Each race offered one of their virtues in exchange for a unique gift. Turn to page 478, and you'll find a brief introduction to each race."

I immediately thought of what Lynn had told me about Dragonkin yesterday. I was really interested in this part. Once I turned to page 478, I finally started to get a clearer picture of the magical world.

Angelkin: [Gave up "humility," received "healing." This cost made the angel race tend toward arrogance, but the gift of healing is the source of restoration for all life and souls.]

Demonkin: [Gave up "compassion," received "destruction." They became cruel as a result, but the gift of destruction unleashes pure, devastating power.]

Elvenkin: [Gave up "passion," received "marksmanship." They grew calm, even aloof, but gained a lethal precision that never misses.]

Dwarvenkin: [Gave up "composure," received "forging." They became quick-tempered, but gained the ability to craft divine artifacts.]

Dragonkin: [Gave up "restraint," received "resilience." The cost made them arrogant and difficult to control, but they gained unmatched defensive power.]

Undead: [Gave up "kindness," received "immortality." This cost made the Undead cruel by nature, yet they gained a life that borders on eternal.]

Beastkin: [Gave up "reason," received "berserking." The cost is that they're easily driven by instinct, but in a berserk state their combat power surges instantly.]

I thought of John and Celine, wolf-type Beastkin. Just like the book said, reason was nearly absent.

I was still just as fixated on anything related to mixed-bloods. But this time, I finally found a single line about them in this thick, brick-like book. It was tucked into the front pages, easy to miss if you weren't looking carefully.

[In ancient times, the creator god offered a covenant to the seven great races: give up one thing, and receive a one-of-a-kind gift. The eighth race is exceedingly rare, known as the mixed-bloods.]

[The Hammer family is the apex bloodline among mixed-bloods, carrying the rare heritage of all eight races. Though their origins are seen as "lowly," the heir of the Hammer family theoretically holds the potential to master all eight gifts. They are "destined to become gods."]

Destined to become gods?

That phrase seized my entire attention in an instant.