The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family

The night sky stretched vast and infinite above Dudu as powerful wings carried him toward the continental divide. Stars burned with cold clarity in the moonless expanse, but the Night Dragon needed no celestial guidance. The Meister bond pulsed within his consciousness like a beacon—an unbreakable connection that transcended distance and barriers.

Klaus. Master. Family.

These concepts existed not as words but as primal understanding in Dudu's mind. The dragon had grown dramatically over the past year, now the size of a full-grown griffon though still a juvenile by draconic standards. His obsidian scales absorbed starlight rather than reflecting it, rendering him nearly invisible against the night sky except for the occasional gleam of golden eyes.

Seventeen hours had passed since his dramatic escape from the Annex Mansion, wings carrying him relentlessly southwest toward the jagged peaks that divided the continent. Exhaustion meant nothing against the compulsion driving him forward—the increasingly turbulent connection to his bonded human.

Dudu sensed the wrongness through their shared bond. Klaus's consciousness no longer radiated the familiar patterns the dragon had come to recognize. Instead, foreign energies intruded—amber-hued tendrils infiltrating the silver light that constituted his master's essence. Something attempted to consume Klaus, to transform him into something else.

The Night Dragon would not permit this.

Mountains rose before him, ancient peaks silhouetted against the starlit horizon. Dudu's instincts guided him toward a specific formation where reality seemed to fold upon itself—a distortion visible only through the preternatural senses granted by the Meister bond. Here, amid seemingly impenetrable stone, his master's presence called to him.

Dudu circled the mountain once, golden eyes perceiving layers of protective enchantments that had concealed this location for millennia. Ancient wards designed to misdirect, confuse, and repel intruders webbed across the mountain's surface like luminous threads. To conventional senses, nothing existed here but solid stone. To Dudu, guided by the Meister bond, the temple's presence was unmistakable.

The outer defenses meant nothing to a creature whose connection to Klaus transcended physical barriers. Where sophisticated minds might be deceived by the temple's illusions, Dudu's singular focus rendered such manipulations irrelevant. He perceived the structure hidden within the mountain—and more importantly, sensed Klaus at its heart, surrounded by amber energies that grew increasingly dominant.

Dudu tucked his wings and dove toward the mountain's face, a silent black missile cutting through night air. At the last moment, he extended massive claws, obsidian scales glowing with internal power as he channeled energy that belied his developmental stage.

Impact shattered ancient enchantments designed to withstand conventional assault. Stone fragments exploded outward as Dudu broke through the mountain's illusory face into the concealed temple structure. Warning runes flared to life along hidden corridors, amber light pulsing in patterns that signaled intruder presence.

The dragon paid these no attention. The Meister bond pulled him deeper, beyond the outer chambers where startled cultists scrambled to respond to this unprecedented breach. Their amber-enhanced weapons meant little to a creature whose scales absorbed energy rather than repelling it.

Dudu roared—a sound that combined primal rage with determination so focused it bordered on sentience. The temple's ancient stones trembled, centuries-old defensive enchantments fluctuating under the pressure of draconic energy never anticipated by their creators.

In the central chamber, High Priest Valen sensed the disturbance, his ritual-scarred face betraying momentary surprise. "Something breaches the outer sanctum," he informed Sister Myrith, hands never pausing in their precise manipulation of amber energy patterns. "Contain it without disrupting the convergence."

Sister Myrith departed with six elite acolytes, their ritual daggers transforming into whip-like appendages as they prepared to confront whatever had penetrated their sanctuary. They reached the western corridor just as Dudu smashed through another barrier, stone dust billowing around his obsidian form.

"The Night Dragon," Myrith identified, recognition flickering across her scarred face. "The vessel's bonded creature follows the Meister connection."

The acolytes formed a defensive pattern, amber energy coalescing around their transformed weapons. "Neutralize without killing," Myrith commanded. "The beast possesses value for later rituals."

Dudu assessed these obstacles with predatory calculation. The creature's intelligence had developed far beyond what conventional understanding of juvenile dragons suggested possible—an evolution accelerated by the Meister bond with Klaus. He recognized these humans as threats standing between him and his bonded master.

The acolytes attacked in perfect coordination, amber whips lashing toward the dragon from multiple angles. Dudu's response demonstrated combat intuition that should have been impossible for his age—his wings creating a momentary barrier that absorbed the amber energy while simultaneously propelling him forward.

Two acolytes fell beneath powerful claws before they could adjust their tactics. A third managed to wrap an amber whip around the dragon's hind leg, energy burning against obsidian scales. Dudu's response was immediate—tail lashing with precision that severed the energy connection while claws tore through the stone floor, propelling him toward the remaining attackers.

Sister Myrith observed the dragon's movements with professional assessment. "The bond has accelerated its development beyond expected parameters," she noted, amber energy gathering around her ritual dagger. "Defensive positions—contain rather than confront."

The remaining acolytes formed a semicircle, combining their amber energy into a barrier designed to halt the dragon's advance. Dudu paused, golden eyes studying the energy pattern with unexpected comprehension. The barrier would not harm him directly but would delay his progress—time his master could not afford to lose.

Decision made, the Night Dragon backed several paces down the corridor, powerful legs coiling beneath him. The acolytes maintained their barrier, believing they had successfully halted his advance. Their certainty faltered when obsidian scales began pulsing with internal light—energy building within the dragon's form like a gathering storm.

Dudu launched forward, wings tucked tight against his body as he accelerated to impossible speed in the confined space. The acolytes strengthened their barrier, amber energy intensifying to meet the imminent impact.

The collision shook the temple to its foundations. Amber energy dispersed in chaotic patterns as Dudu broke through the barrier, his scales absorbing much of the defensive power while his momentum carried him through the remainder. Three more acolytes fell, their bodies thrown against the stone walls with bone-crushing force.

Sister Myrith alone remained standing, her scarred face betraying nothing as she confronted the advancing dragon. "Magnificent creature," she acknowledged, amber energy swirling around her in complex patterns unlike those of her subordinates. "Your devotion to your master is commendable, but futile. The Ascension proceeds regardless of your interference."

Dudu's response was another roar that vibrated the temple's ancient stones. The dragon advanced with measured steps, golden eyes fixed on Myrith with predatory focus. Intelligence beyond animal instinct assessed her capabilities, recognizing her as the most dangerous opponent encountered thus far.

"The bond between beast and human is powerful," Myrith continued, amber energy forming increasingly complex configurations around her. "But it cannot overcome prophecy three thousand years in fulfillment."

Dudu lunged without warning, faster than any creature his size should move. Myrith's defensive reaction came purely from decades of training—her body shifting aside while amber energy coalesced into a blade that sliced across the dragon's flank.

Obsidian scales absorbed much of the energy, but a thin line of dark fluid traced the point of contact. Dudu registered the injury without slowing, powerful tail sweeping toward Myrith as he passed. She leapt above the attack, amber energy propelling her higher than physically possible.

"Impressive adaptation," she noted, landing with perfect balance as amber energy gathered around her once more. "But insufficient against one who has dedicated her life to Icarus's return."

The narrow corridor restricted Dudu's movements, preventing him from utilizing his wings effectively. The dragon recognized this disadvantage with tactical assessment beyond his apparent age. Golden eyes scanned the chamber, then focused on the ceiling above.

Before Myrith could launch another attack, Dudu directed his accumulated energy upward. Obsidian claws tore through ancient stone, dislodging massive blocks that crashed between them. The ceiling collapsed in a controlled demolition that both created a barrier between them and opened a new path through the level above.

The Night Dragon climbed through the newly created opening, leaving Myrith momentarily trapped behind the debris. The Meister bond pulsed more urgently now—Klaus's presence so near yet somehow increasingly distant, as if something were pulling him away from their shared connection.

In the central chamber, High Priest Valen sensed the dragon's approach through disturbances in the temple's ambient energy. The Accelerated Convergence had progressed substantially, fifty-two willing sacrifices already consumed to compress the integration timeline. Klaus's body floated inches above the ritual platform, silver hair now streaked with darkness that spread with each passing minute.

"The beast approaches," Valen informed the remaining acolytes. "Strengthen the chamber's inner barriers."

Eight elite cultists positioned themselves around the chamber's perimeter, channeling amber energy into ancient defensive runes embedded in the walls. These activated with blinding intensity, creating a barrier specifically designed to contain draconic entities—knowledge preserved from ages when such creatures were more common.

The ceiling directly above the chamber's eastern section exploded inward, stone fragments raining down as Dudu broke through. The dragon paused at the edge of the newly created opening, golden eyes immediately locating Klaus on the central platform. The sight of his transformed appearance—darkness spreading through silver hair, skin developing patterns that resembled ritual scarification—triggered a response beyond protective instinct.

Dudu's roar contained grief, rage, and determination in equal measure. The sound penetrated deeper than physical hearing, resonating at frequencies that disrupted the amber patterns surrounding Klaus. For a brief moment, the spreading darkness in his hair receded, silver reasserting itself before darkness advanced once more.

"The Meister bond creates interference," Valen observed with clinical detachment. "An interesting variable, but ultimately insignificant. The convergence has progressed beyond the point where external influences can prevent completion."

Dudu launched himself toward the central platform, wings spreading to their full impressive span despite the chamber's confines. The anti-draconic barrier flared with blinding intensity as he struck it, amber energy fighting against the dragon's determination.

Under normal circumstances, the barrier would have repelled any dragon, regardless of size or strength. But the Meister bond transcended conventional magical principles, creating a connection that existed beyond physical barriers. Dudu pressed against the amber energy, obsidian scales absorbing power that should have repelled him.

The barrier held—but barely, cracks spreading through its amber surface like fractures in glass. Valen watched with clinical interest, his ritual-scarred hands never pausing in their manipulation of the convergence patterns surrounding Klaus.

"Fascinating," he noted to the remaining acolytes. "The beast's connection to the vessel creates pathways through our defensive systems. Redirect additional convergence energy to the barrier."

Amber light intensified around the chamber's perimeter as acolytes complied, reinforcing the barrier against Dudu's relentless assault. The dragon responded by focusing his attacks on a single point, obsidian claws striking with precision rather than brute force.

In the void between consciousness and oblivion, Klaus's fragmented mind sensed the dragon's presence. The silver constellation of his consciousness pulsed more intensely, drawing strength from the Meister bond. Where amber tendrils had been steadily connecting fragments under the true self's guidance, the dragon's presence created alternative connections—silver pathways that linked fragments directly to the core that identified as Klaus Lionhart.

Dudu struck the barrier again, obsidian scales now glowing with accumulated energy. The cracks spread further, amber light fluctuating as the ancient defense strained against draconic determination. With each impact, the Meister bond pulsed more strongly, creating resonance between dragon and human that transcended physical separation.

In the void, the silver constellation gained coherence through this resonance. Each pulse of energy from Dudu strengthened the connections between scattered fragments, providing Klaus Lionhart's consciousness with structure independent of the amber pathways created by the ritual.

On the platform, Klaus's physical form responded to this strengthening connection. His silver hair, now heavily streaked with darkness, began to pulse with light that matched the rhythm of Dudu's assault against the barrier. The amber patterns surrounding him fluctuated, losing the perfect geometric precision Valen had established.

"A fluctuation in the integration pattern," Valen murmured, fingers adjusting the configurations to compensate. "The vessel resists through the beast bond."

Outside the temple, the extraction force led by Roman Lionhart had reached the mountain's base. They approached with tactical precision, unaware that the Night Dragon had already breached the sanctuary's defenses and was fighting to reach Klaus with single-minded determination.

And in the void between consciousness and oblivion, a critical moment approached as silver fragments gained coherence against amber absorption—the vessel developing independent purpose neither the true self nor Gluttony had anticipated.