Morning sunlight filtered weakly through the dusty windows of East Dawn High School, casting long rectangular shapes across the empty corridor. The day was just beginning, but the muted chill of winter still clung to the air. Students streamed in with sleepy faces and messy bed hair, laughing, shouting, complaining about homework.

And among them walked a boy who barely drew attention—

Lin Tian.

His steps were calm, almost too quiet compared to the noisy surroundings. His hair, a soft shade of midnight black, swayed slightly as he walked. His face was neither striking nor ugly—just plain, the kind of face people forgot five seconds after glancing at it. But what stood out most was the book he held tightly to his chest, as if it were a shield.

As Lin Tian crossed the courtyard, a group of boys lounging near the steps noticed him and immediately smirked.

“Look who’s here—Bookworm Emperor!”

“Hey Lin Tian! Planning to marry your textbooks?”

Someone snorted loudly, and the group burst into laughter.

Lin Tian lowered his head slightly. He didn’t stop walking, nor did he respond. He had heard the same taunts so many times that the words no longer carried sting—only weight.

From behind the group stepped out Hao Jin, a boy built like a mini truck—broad shoulders, cocky smile, dyed golden-brown hair that looked like it had been dipped in sunlight and bad decisions.

He blocked Lin Tian’s path with a casual, mocking grin.

“Well, well… If it isn’t the legendary weakling. Tell me something, Lin—when are you planning to grow a spine? Or at least a muscle?”

The boys behind him burst into loud laughter again.

Lin Tian remained silent. He didn’t even look at Hao Jin.

Instead, he gently shifted sideways and walked around him.

Hao Jin scoffed. “Tch. Boring as always.”

Before he could say more, another voice cut in sharply.

“Back off, Hao Jin.”

It was Yu Chen, Lin Tian’s only real friend. A boy with round glasses and a gentle face, standing just a bit too bravely for his own good.

Hao Jin rolled his eyes.

“Oh look, the sidekick speaks.”

Yu Chen sighed. “Can’t you bother someone else today?”

But Hao Jin only laughed and walked away with his gang.

“Relax. It’s not like your buddy’s brave enough to fight back anyway.”

When they left, Yu Chen turned to Lin Tian with a helpless expression.

“You okay?”

Lin Tian nodded quietly. “Yeah. I’m used to it.”

“That’s the problem,” Yu Chen muttered. “You shouldn’t have to be.”

They walked together down the corridor.

To anyone watching, the contrast between them felt almost symbolic—

Yu Chen, lively and talkative even in annoyance;

Lin Tian, quiet, thoughtful, almost too calm for his age.

As they reached their classroom door, Yu Chen lowered his voice.

“You know… sometimes I feel like there’s something different about you, Tian.”

Lin Tian blinked. “Different? Me?”

“Yeah,” Yu Chen said with a mysterious tone. “Like you’re meant for something bigger. You just… don’t realize it yet.”

Lin Tian laughed softly. “You watch too many fantasy dramas.”

Yu Chen grinned. “Maybe. But mark my words—one day, something big is going to happen in your life.”

Lin Tian didn’t argue further, but inside, he felt a strange flutter.

A faint sense that Yu Chen’s words were more than just a joke.

---

The day went on normally—classes, homework scoldings, lunch in the corner of the cafeteria, and avoiding Hao Jin’s gang whenever possible.

To everyone else, Lin Tian was predictable, forgettable, nearly invisible.

But deep inside, he was carrying something he didn’t yet understand—

an unanswered call echoing faintly within him.

When the final bell rang and students began rushing home, Lin Tian packed his bag slowly. His body felt unusually heavy today, as if something was moving beneath his skin—like a sleeping creature stretching.

That night, he lay in his small bedroom, staring at the cracked ceiling.

His mind replayed the same thought again and again—

Why do I feel… strange today? Hot… heavy… restless?

Wind brushed against the windowpane.

The room felt colder than usual.

He closed his eyes.

And then—

Darkness dissolved into crimson light.

Suddenly he was standing in a vast valley covered in burning mist.

Flames danced like spirits drifting through the air.

The sky was torn open by red lightning.

A tremor shook the ground beneath his feet.

Then—

ROOOOARRR!!

A thunderous voice ripped through the sky.

“Awaken…”

“Dragon Vessel… awaken…”

Lin Tian’s heart pounded.

He spun around—and froze.

A gigantic ancient dragon, its scales blazing like molten metal, emerged from the mist.

Its eyes glowed like twin suns, burning with an age-old power.

Its voice echoed again—

“You… are chosen…”

“The Dragon Vein stirs within you…”

The dragon’s colossal head lowered, its gaze piercing straight into Lin Tian’s soul.

Lin Tian gasped—

And woke up with a violent jolt.

Sweat drenched his body.

His heart hammered painfully.

His chest felt hot, unbearably hot—like fire trapped beneath his ribs.

He clutched his shirt, breathing heavily.

“What… was that dream…?”

But even as he whispered, he knew—

It didn’t feel like a dream.

It felt like… a summoning.

A call from something ancient.

Something powerful.

Something awakening.

---

Night hung like a heavy veil over the quiet town of East Dawn. Every rooftop, every streetlamp, every shadow seemed to merge into a single, dark stillness. But inside a small room on the second floor of an old apartment building, stillness was the last thing Lin Tian felt.

His heart continued to pound even minutes after waking.

His chest burned with a strange heat, not painful—but powerful.

Almost alive.

Lin Tian sat up, pressing his palm against his sternum.

Thump… thump… thump…

It beat too strongly, like a giant drum resonating inside him.

“What’s happening to me…?” he whispered into the darkness.

Sweat trickled down his forehead.

The dream replayed in his mind with terrifying clarity—the burning valley, the crimson flames, and that colossal dragon whose voice felt ancient enough to shake mountains.

“Awaken…”

“Dragon Vessel…”

The voice echoed again in his mind, deep and heavy.

He tried to convince himself it was just a nightmare.

But no nightmare felt so real that it left heat spreading under the skin.

To calm himself, Lin Tian opened the window. Cold air rushed in, brushing past his face, but the heat inside him didn’t fade—it roared stronger, like a hidden fire reacting to the night.

And then it happened.

A sudden sharp pain shot through his spine.

He gasped, grabbing the windowsill to keep himself from falling.

“Ugh—what the…?!”

His veins glowed faintly under his skin—thin red lines like molten metal running through his arms and neck.

Lin Tian stared in horror as the lines pulsed.

A burning sensation spread across his back and his vision blurred for a moment. When he blinked, something moved beneath his skin like coiled energy forcing its way outward.

Just for a split second—

glimmering scales appeared on his collarbone.

Not big.

Not monstrous.

But unmistakably dragon scales, glowing crimson before fading away.

He stumbled backward and fell onto the floor.

“No… no… this can’t be real…”

But his hands were trembling, and the heat still surged.

It was real.

Every part of his body screamed it was real.

Breathing heavily, Lin Tian squeezed his eyes shut, trying to steady himself.

Why me? Why now? What is this?

He had never been special.

Never strong.

Never important.

Just a normal student often ignored or bullied.

So why would an ancient dragon call him?

His heartbeat gradually calmed, though the lingering heat refused to disappear entirely. It felt as if something inside him had cracked open—an ancient seal breaking ever so slowly.

After a long while, exhaustion washed over him, turning his thoughts fuzzy.

He finally collapsed onto the bed, gripping the blanket tightly.

Little did he know—

his awakening had already been sensed far beyond his room.

---

Far away, in a mist-shrouded mountain range on the outskirts of the city, an old shrine stood untouched by time. At the very top of the shrine, a young woman dressed in white meditated under the moonlight, her long black hair flowing like river silk.

Her name was Li Yuan.

Her eyes snapped open as she felt a faint surge of power ripple through the air, as if carried by the wind.

That energy—

that pulse—

was unmistakable.

“Dragon Vein aura…” she whispered.

She stood up quickly, her expression tense.

“This can’t be… The Dragon Vein should have been sealed ages ago. How could it appear now… in this city?”

The moon reflected in her sharp, calm eyes.

She focused her senses, letting the residual energy trail guide her.

The source pointed straight toward the crowded urban district—

toward East Dawn High School.

“So… the Vessel has awakened.”

Her cloak fluttered as she stepped into the shadows.

The Immortal Palace had given her a mission:

Find the Dragon Vein Vessel. Protect it if necessary.

Eliminate it if it threatens the mortal world.

Li Yuan breathed out lightly.

“Let’s hope the Vessel is someone who can still be saved.”

---

Meanwhile, back in his room, Lin Tian tossed and turned in uneasy half-sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the dragon’s voice echoed again.

“You cannot run from fate…”

“You are chosen…”

Lin Tian shook his head violently.

“Chosen for what? I don’t want this… I just want a normal life…”

But destiny does not ask for permission.

Lights flickered outside his window, and a gust of wind slammed against the glass as if reacting to his turmoil.

The heat in his chest suddenly pulsed once more—

this time accompanied by a faint, resonating hum, almost like a growl whispering beneath his ribs.

He clutched his chest.

“Please… stop…”

But the heat didn’t listen.

All he could do was curl up under the blanket, trembling as the energy swirled inside him like a dragon turning in its sleep.

Eventually, despite the fear and confusion, fatigue overpowered him.

His eyelids grew heavy.

Just before sleep took him, a quiet thought slipped into his mind:

If this is real… if a dragon truly chose me…

Then my life will never be the same again.

Outside, the moon hung overhead—

calm, silent, and unaware that the ancient Dragon Vein had just awakened in the body of an ordinary boy.

---

Morning sunlight leaked through the narrow window of Lin Tian’s small bedroom, painting faint golden lines across his face. He sat upright on his bed, still gasping softly, his fingers trembling as they rested on his chest. His heartbeat felt wrong—too strong, too heavy, almost like something powerful was coiled inside, waiting.

“That dream…” he whispered.

Except it didn’t feel like a dream.

His entire body still throbbed with the memory of fire. His bones felt lighter yet strangely solid, as if forged anew. Even his senses were sharper—the ticking wall clock sounded louder, the chirping of birds outside felt clearer, more detailed.

He rubbed his forehead.

“How can a dream change my body?”

He pushed himself up to stand—

CRACK!

The floorboard under his foot split slightly.

Lin Tian froze.

“…Huh?”

He wasn’t heavy. That shouldn’t have happened.

He lifted his leg again and stepped lightly this time. No crack.

Fear crept up his spine—but alongside it, a strange thrill.

“What… what did that dragon do to me?”

He walked to the mirror hanging crookedly on the wall. His reflection looked normal at first glance. Same messy black hair. Same thin frame. Same tired eyes.

But then he leaned closer.

Right across his collarbone, faint golden lines glowed beneath the skin. When he touched them, a warm pulse ran through his fingers.

“This wasn’t here yesterday.”

Before he could process it further, a sudden jolt of heat shot through his body like lightning.

THUMP—THUMP—THUMP!

His heartbeat roared as if a second heart had awakened inside him. The golden lines spread down his shoulder like branching roots.

“W-Wait—stop—!”

But the heat surged again, and he stumbled back, gripping the edge of his bed.

Then—

His vision blurred.

The mirror reflected something impossible.

For a split second, shimmering dragon scales flickered across his cheek. Not fully formed—just faint outlines, like illusions made of light.

He gasped and touched his face. His skin felt normal, but the vision had been too real to ignore.

“Dragon… Vein…” he whispered.

“That dragon wasn’t lying.”

Suddenly, a sharp knocking came from downstairs.

“Tian! Breakfast!” his mother called.

Lin Tian flinched. “C-Coming!”

He hurriedly threw on his school uniform, though the shirt felt tighter around his arms than usual. When he buttoned it, he noticed another thing: his hands weren’t shaking like they normally would before school.

He felt… stable. Solid.

Almost confident.

Almost.

---

At School

The school courtyard buzzed with morning chatter. Students walked in groups, laughing, pushing, bragging. Lin Tian walked silently through them like a ghost, as he always did.

Until—

“Oi! Trash Tian is here!”

A loud voice echoed across the courtyard.

Lin Tian sighed.

Of course.

Every day had to start like this.

Zhao Ming, the class bully, swaggered toward him with his usual group of followers. Broad-shouldered, loud, and stupidly proud of it, Zhao Ming smirked.

“You look pale today. Did you faint because you failed your math homework again?”

The boys behind him laughed.

Normally, Lin Tian would simply lower his head and walk away.

Today, something was different.

As Zhao Ming shoved him, Lin Tian instinctively braced for impact—

Except his body didn’t move.

Zhao Ming’s hand hit Lin Tian’s shoulder… and stopped there, as if he had pushed a stone pillar.

“What—?” Zhao Ming blinked in confusion. “Why aren’t you falling?”

Lin Tian stared at him, equally confused.

He hadn’t even used strength. His body simply didn’t budge.

“I… guess you didn’t push hard enough,” Lin Tian muttered before he even realized he’d said it.

Silence.

Zhao Ming’s face turned red. “You little—!”

He swung his fist.

Lin Tian panicked. His body moved on instinct—

WHOOSH!

His hand shot up and grabbed Zhao Ming’s wrist mid-air. The speed shocked even Lin Tian. He hadn’t meant to move that fast.

Zhao Ming winced. “Ow! Let go!”

Lin Tian immediately released him, stepping back.

“Sorry, I—I didn’t mean to—”

But everyone around them stared, wide-eyed.

Did… the weakest kid in school just block Zhao Ming’s punch?

Lin Tian’s face burned as whispers spread.

He hurried away before anyone asked questions, his heart racing—not from fear, but from the strange burst of energy pulsing inside him.

“What is happening to me…?”

---

Later, Behind the School

Lin Tian hid behind the old gym building, pressing his hand against his chest.

The golden lines glowed beneath his skin again.

He exhaled sharply. “Not now… please not at school…”

But the Dragon Vein didn’t care.

A warm current flowed from his chest to his fingertips. His vision sharpened. His hearing expanded. He felt every vibration in the ground, every shift in the wind, every heartbeat around him.

The awakening was progressing.

Suddenly, a faint voice echoed in his ears—deep and ancient, like the dream.

“Remember—control begins with breath.”

Lin Tian froze.

The dragon’s voice was awake inside him.

He clenched his fists. “If I don’t learn to control this… I’ll explode before I even reach high school finals.”

He inhaled.

Exhaled.

Again.

The golden lines faded slightly.

Not gone—just quiet.

But Lin Tian understood now.

The Dragon Vein inside him had awakened.

And this was only the beginning.