The flickering firelight cast long shadows across the small room as Alex sat cross-legged on the floor, the training battle still echoing faintly in his mind. His body ached in places he hadn't known could hurt, but his thoughts drifted away from the present—back to the past, to the memories that had always haunted him.
His mother's laughter, warm and bright, echoed faintly like a melody long forgotten. He could still see her hands, soft and gentle, weaving tales from old family stories when he was just a boy. It was in those stories that Alex first heard whispers of the Planet-Bound Core Resonance, of humans touched by the ancient power that ran beneath the earth.
But there was more—secrets his mother had kept locked away, whispers of a legacy that stretched beyond the ordinary.
That night, as the enclave settled into uneasy rest, Kaela approached him quietly. "It's time you knew the truth about your family," she said, her voice low but steady.
Alex looked up, heart pounding with anticipation and fear.
Kaela pulled out an old, worn journal bound in cracked leather. "This belonged to your father."
The name hit Alex like a thunderclap. His father had vanished years ago—before Alex even knew what the Core was.
"He was one of the earliest to awaken the Dragon Core," Kaela explained. "A pioneer among mutants, but also a target. The government hunted him, the mafia feared his power. They tore his life apart."
Alex's hands trembled as he opened the journal, pages yellowed with age but filled with scrawled notes and diagrams—sketches of Core stones, the anatomy of resonance, and personal reflections.
One passage caught his eye:
"The Dragon Core is not merely power. It is a bond—between the planet, the ancient creatures that once ruled it, and the bloodline chosen to protect that balance. My son will carry this legacy. I pray he can survive what I could not."
A lump rose in Alex's throat. His father's last words were a beacon—a warning and a hope intertwined.
"Why did he disappear?" Alex whispered.
Kaela's eyes darkened. "He was betrayed. The mafia and corrupt government agents conspired to capture him. He sacrificed himself to protect you and your mother. The truth of your heritage had to be hidden—for your safety."
Alex clenched the journal tightly. Everything suddenly made sense—the strange dreams, the awakening of his powers, the relentless pursuit by enemies he barely understood.
He wasn't just a boy with fire inside him. He was the heir to a legacy steeped in sacrifice, burdened with a responsibility he was only beginning to grasp.
As the night deepened, Alex vowed silently that he would not let his father's sacrifice be in vain. The echoes of the past called to him, shaping his resolve.
The Dragon within him was not just a source of power—it was a link to his family, to a history intertwined with the planet's ancient heart. And it was his fight now—to protect that legacy, to uncover the truth buried beneath layers of fear and lies.
Tomorrow, the battle would continue. But tonight, Alex held the past close, drawing strength from the sacrifices that had forged his path.