Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 330 - Taming Brotherhood - 2

Klein pulled away and stepped back from the door, looking at his brother through the slot with contempt and pity.

”Always inventing conspiracies and absurd plans is what damaged your brain and put you in there, to do what you did to me.”

Kassian observed his younger brother in silence for several seconds. His eyes, once so similar to Kleinʼs, now seemed somehow different, colder, with that strange purple undertone that hadnʼt been there before. Finally, he let out a sigh of resignation.

”Thereʼs no way to win against an idiot,” he murmured, returning to the center of his cell. ”When everything explodes, remember that I tried to warn you and keep you safe.”

”Your warnings matter to me as much as the plains matter to a dragon,” Klein spat, beginning to move away. The distant sound of approaching footsteps hastened his decision even more. The steady rhythm of boots against stone signaled the return of the guards. ”Enjoy your confinement, brother.”

Kassian didnʼt respond, simply closing his eyes and resuming his meditation posture. His fingers began to move again in those strange patterns, weaving invisible threads of purple energy.

Klein didnʼt stay, unwilling to be drawn back into his brotherʼs web of manipulations.

As he snuck back to his room, he felt a contradictory blend of emotions. The satisfaction of having denied help to the one who had betrayed him intermingled with a growing uneasiness at Kassianʼs words.

What if there really was something bigger at stake? What if his brother, despite his questionable methods, was trying to prepare him for something inevitable as he claimed? Thy thought sent a chill down his spine.

He shook his head, expelling those doubts from his mind. Kassian had always been manipulative, he had realized that already... This appeared to be no different.

”No more,” he murmured to himself as he silently closed the door of his room. ”This time, Iʼll play by my own rules.”

♢♢♢♢

The wave of power that emanated from the confrontation between Kharzan and the academy leaders had spread like an invisible storm, penetrating walls and barriers, touching to a greater or lesser extent all the inhabitants of the enclosure.

Most students only experienced a momentary sensation of heaviness, an inexplicable shiver, or restless sleep.

But for some, the experience was much more profound or disturbing. Those with greater sensitivity to mana fluctuations found themselves suddenly alert.

♢♢♢♢

Han was alone in a corner of the back courtyard, seated on a stone bench partially hidden by shrubs. Between his hands he held an unrolled scroll, its content covered with symbols impossible to decipher for untrained eyes.

It was his report, the fourth he had attempted to write this week. And like the previous ones, it remained incomplete, vague, full of irrelevant information disguised as valuable intelligence.

The warning letter he had received that morning weighed in his pocket like a stone:

”The quality of your reports has diminished considerably. Precise and relevant information is required immediately. Remember that your sisterʼs well-being depends directly on your performance. Donʼt force us to take unpleasant measures.”

Han closed his eyes, the internal conflict tearing him apart once more. Each passing day, the decision between faithfully serving Yino or protecting lives in Yano became more unbearable.

His training since childhood had been harsh and had taught him that feelings were weaknesses, dangerous distractions. An effective agent should remain emotionally distant, objective, calculating. The mantras had been drilled into him until they became second nature.

But it seemed that nothing prepared you for when you saw people you were beginning to care about die. The reality of loss had struck him with a force no training could withstand.

The face of Ivan, the guard who called Ren ”lucky shroom”, appeared in his mind. His expansive laughter, his stories about his childhood in the outskirts, his genuine kindness even with someone like Han, whom he barely knew.

Han had started to approach him with the sole purpose of extracting information. A routine task for a spy. But the walks with Ren in the depths had affected Han, he had ʼsoftenedʼ, and with each conversation with Ivan, each shared joke, each small gesture of genuine camaraderie, something inside Han had begun to change.

And then came the ambush. The attack that no one had anticipated. Han had lowered his guard even further since Renʼs battle against the abomination.

Finding out that his actions had a part in those kinds of consequences...

That day something had broken inside him. The mask of indifference, so carefully constructed over years of training, had begun to crack.

”Why did it have to be him specifically?” Han murmured to himself, the words escaping before he could contain them.

He returned to his room to throw himself on the bed and surrender to stop thinking for a few hours...

It was at that precise moment when the power wave hit him. A presence that made his secret beast writhe inside him.

Han jumped to his feet. His senses perceived the nature of the energy with a clarity that only one other child in the academy could match.

”Abyssal energy,” he whispered, recognizing the unmistakable signature. ”And on a massive scale.”

His first reaction was one of absolute concern. His training reasserted itself momentarily, his mind analyzing potential threats and responses. Another abyssal incursion within the academy? Had the barriers failed? Was it the prelude to a larger invasion?

But as he analyzed the energy waves, he began to discern their source.

”The Goldcrests,” he deduced, remembering the rumors that had reached his ears about the incident with Klein. The pieces fell into place with disturbing clarity.

The realization brought with it a wave of nausea. If the Goldcrests were openly attacking with abyssal energy at this level, the implications were catastrophic.

The scroll in his bag seemed to call to him, reminding him of his duty. This information was exactly what his superiors in Yino had been waiting for. Important information that could change the course of their strategy.

With a detailed report on what he had just felt, he could ensure his sisterʼs well-being for months. The thought of her pulled at him with visceral force.

But it could also trigger a conflict again that would cost countless lives...

The dilemma paralyzed him on the spot, while the abyssal presence grew and then met with another force, equally powerful but of a different nature. Two titans clashing, invisible but perceptible to those with the right senses.

”Whatʼs happening, Han?” Jinʼs voice startled him. ”Did you feel it too?”

Han turned to see his two roommates getting up, Jin with his usual restless energy and Kai with an expression of caution that didnʼt quite hide his curiosity.