Only I Awaken The Forbidden SSS-Rank Dragons

"Not dead, but still extremely weakened. And his summoned creatures look badly injured as well. Thankfully, they are regenerating," the voice of a young man echoed beneath the star-scattered night sky.

Axel glanced curiously at Aleron and the two majestic dragons lying beside him. Since Aleron had lost consciousness, his dragons had become separated from him.

Yet, like their master, they too were unconscious. With little else he could do, Axel knelt beside his brother and carefully applied a pale, herbal-scented ointment he had brought from home.

The salve glowed faintly as it spread across torn skin and scorched scales.

"That technique was incredible," Axel muttered under his breath. "Was it his Origin Ability? As expected of big brother... he has one just like me, although it seems far weaker than mine."

He stayed near the flickering bonfire, keeping vigilant watch, waiting patiently for Aleron to awaken.

…

While Aleron remained asleep, faded memories that had long been buried deep within his consciousness surged to the surface.

In those long-forgotten fragments of the past, he wasn't an only child. He had a younger twin brother.

He could recall clearly how both of his brothers had adored him, always looking up to him with admiration and pride.

In a world corroded by cruelty and selfishness, his little brother had been the only one who showed him unwavering kindness.

Even when Aleron had failed to form a contract with any summoned creature, his brother had never given up on him. He would cheer tirelessly, his voice full of belief, certain that Aleron would succeed one day.

All these memories—pure, painful, and nostalgic—came crashing down like waves in a storm, flooding Aleron's slumbering mind.

After spending eight relentless years at the Genesis Coil, those scenes had faded into obscurity, nearly lost forever.

Suddenly, Aleron's eyes flew open. The tide of recollections had ceased, and he was finally conscious again.

He slowly turned his head toward the bonfire and then shifted his gaze to the figure seated beside it.

The resemblance was uncanny. The youth's features mirrored his own, and Aleron could feel an invisible thread of connection pulling at something deep within him.

"Brother, you're finally awake!" Axel's voice rang with quiet joy, his eyes lighting up.

Aleron stared at Axel's innocent, beaming face and found himself stunned.

Could it be? After more than eight years, his brother still remained the same—pure-hearted and kind?

Aleron frowned at the thought. No, it couldn't be true. The world was not that merciful.

He forced himself to set those lingering emotions aside and looked toward his dragons.

Their massive forms lay nearby, still injured but visibly recovering. A slow, rhythmic rise and fall of their chests signaled that they would soon be on their feet.

Satisfied, Aleron's thoughts turned elsewhere—to the creature from earlier.

That thing… It had been powerful. Far too powerful for something that lacked a mind. And it had wielded an Origin Ability.

His eyes narrowed as suspicion grew within him.

This was no mere coincidence.

Something—or someone—had created that abomination. A monstrous puppet forged for destruction. A weapon unleashed.

And now, although the creature had been defeated, its maker still remained—hidden, watching, and perhaps crafting even more monstrosities.

Aleron's gaze grew colder, weighed down by realization.

He would find them. Whoever was responsible, they would answer for it.

But for now, only the night wind stirred, carrying silence across the trees.

Axel noticed Aleron's silence but wasn't discouraged.

Instead, he smiled even brighter and gazed at him with warm intensity, staring long enough to make Aleron shift uncomfortably.

"What is it?" Aleron finally asked, his voice sharp. "And... I am not your brother," he added flatly.

He was Aleron, yes, but no longer the same one from this world. His soul had come from modern Earth. The truth could not be denied.

Axel's smile faltered, a faint frown settling over his face.

"Brother, what are you saying? I've been waiting for you all these years!"

"I asked Mother and Father about you, and they told me you were in training. You have no idea how worried I was. I prayed every day, hoping you'd return safely. Then I saw that video of you with your pets and our parents. They were talking about how to bring you back home. So I snuck away and decided to surprise you."

He spoke everything in a single breath, his voice trembling. Light tears began to trickle down his cheeks, glistening in the firelight.

Aleron's expression darkened. His jaw clenched as his mind processed the truth.

So they had lied. His parents hadn't just abandoned him—they now wanted him back because he had become useful.

A burning rage surged in his chest.

He groaned as he slowly rose to his feet. He needed to leave. He would find a quiet place to wait for the goddess from before to appear and take him, along with his dragons, to the Celestial Academy.

His parents could wait. Once he returned from the academy, then would be the time for reckoning.

Seeing Aleron stand, Axel panicked and rushed to his side.

"Brother, you're still injured. Please don't move—"

Aleron shoved him aside with a cold glare.

"Don't touch me."

Turning to his dragons, he communicated mentally.

'Ashkar, Veldora. It is time to go.'

His mental voice echoed with resolve.

As if in response, both dragons stirred. Groaning softly, they awoke almost simultaneously and began to rise to their feet.

Ashkar blinked at his surroundings in mild surprise before locking eyes with Aleron.

Veldora tilted her head, examining the boy beside her father.

'Father!' she called cheerfully. Then she turned to Axel. 'Dad? Who is he?' she asked with a curious blink.

'No one,' Aleron answered without emotion. 'We are leaving. It's time to head for the academy.'

The dragons nodded, but Veldora paused.

'But... he was the one who saved us, right?'

'As I said, it doesn't matter.'

She hesitated. 'Then, Dad... why hasn't he been affected by the curse yet?'

Aleron's eyes widened, and a wave of shock washed over his face.

She was right.

He remembered the old couple from before—how they had helped him and then died from the curse.

Though he tried to convince himself that he felt nothing for Axel, the lingering emotions of the original Aleron still pulsed faintly within his soul.

He couldn't let his brother die.

Aleron's face shifted, hardening with determination. Without a second thought, he summoned his Origin Ability.

Two sharp rods materialized in the air beside him, glowing faintly.

Without hesitation, he hurled them toward Axel.

Axel, trained and honed for battle, sensed the shift in the air and dove to the side just in time.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Axel cried out, eyes wide with disbelief.

His own brother was attacking him?

"I'm doing this for your own good," Aleron said quietly, then took a step forward.

Once again, the curse had forced his hand. Aleron was being driven to do something he never truly wanted.