Ryo sat comfortably with his fiancées, discussing Nova's abilities. Seyra had just finished explaining that the strongest fire abilities a dragon could attain were black and blue flames. To achieve even one of these, a dragon needed to train for at least a thousand years. Yet, Nova, in his base form, already controlled blue flames.
"That shouldn't be possible," Seyra murmured, deep in thought. "Even prodigious dragons born with strong fire affinity struggle for centuries to refine their flames to such a level."
Ryo smiled but remained silent. He didn't mention that Nova not only possessed blue flames but likely had mastery over all flame types, potentially even more than Seyra knew. However, he had instructed Nova not to reveal his true abilities or shift into his other forms in front of others. Infant dragons typically couldn't use their abilities until they turned a hundred years old. Though some showed glimpses of power at ten, they rarely trained seriously before reaching their first century.
As their discussion continued, the night grew late. Eventually, Ryo leaned in and gave each of his fiancées a goodnight kiss, an affectionate ritual that had become part of their lives. Seyra, Selena, Ai, Lilith, Lyra, and Hilda all received their turn before he finally retreated to his room. Nova, curled up with his little sister Ayaka, had already dozed off, his soft breathing filling the quiet night.
The next morning, Ryo was woken up in the most familiar way—by Lilith's lips pressing against his. Unlike before, this time, she lingered longer, deepening the kiss before pulling away with a satisfied smile.
"Morning, my dear fiancé," she teased, her crimson eyes glinting mischievously.
Ryo let out a light chuckle before sitting up. As if on cue, the rest of his fiancées arrived, each giving him a morning kiss, something that had now become an unspoken tradition. Though he had initially found it overwhelming, he had long since accepted it as part of his daily life.
After freshening up, he joined them for breakfast, enjoying a lively conversation over their meal. As they were finishing up, they started discussing their plans for the day. They were preparing to leave for the academy when Ayaka suddenly spoke up.
"Big Brother!" Ayaka called out, her large, expectant eyes staring at Ryo. "I want to go to the academy too!"
The table fell silent for a moment before Hilda chuckled. "Ayaka, you're still too young for the academy."
"But I want to learn magic like you all!" Ayaka pouted, puffing her cheeks.
Ryo smiled and gently patted her head. "The academy has an age limit, Ayaka. You have to be at least ten to enroll. You're still seven."
Ayaka's expression turned dejected, but Selena quickly interjected, "That doesn't mean you can't start learning. We can teach you some basic magic at home!"
Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? You promise?"
Seyra nodded. "Of course! A head start will make it easier when you officially join the academy."
Ayaka grinned happily, her earlier disappointment vanishing. Nova, who had been resting on her shoulder, let out a small puff of blue flame, as if celebrating the decision.
With that settled, Ryo and his fiancées finished preparing and set out for the academy, unaware that today would bring unexpected surprises.