First Awakening of the Dragon Vein

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.