Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner-Chapter 578: Mistletoe

A month had passed since the Kruel incident.

And a lot had changed in that short time.

Saying things had returned to normal would be a fallacy. Far from it, things had changed. Most for good. Never to be the same again. Some for the worse.

Governor Sebastian had wasted no time implementing new security measures across the eastern cardinal. Within two weeks of the attack, he’d announced the formation of specialized task forces—vigilante groups, essentially, though nobody called them that officially. Independent operators who answered to factions, who in turn reported to the EDF. The idea was simple: create a network flexible enough to respond to threats faster than traditional military bureaucracy allowed.

Eclipse had been one of the first factions approached about the program. Sophie had accepted on Noah’s behalf while he’d been dealing with other matters. The arrangement gave them additional resources and legitimacy, though it also meant more oversight and responsibility.

The city itself was still rebuilding. Construction crews worked around the clock, filling craters, clearing rubble, erecting temporary housing for the displaced. The casualty count had finally stabilized at just over three million confirmed dead. The missing persons list had shrunk as bodies were recovered, though hundreds of thousands remained unaccounted for.

Eclipse headquarters stood as it had before—untouched, pristine, a small island of normalcy in a sea of destruction. But the inside told a different story.

The faction had grown. Massively. From just over three hundred members before the attack to well over a thousand now. People had seen Eclipse members in the streets during those first terrible days, digging through rubble, distributing supplies, organizing evacuation routes. They’d seen the faction’s colors—purple and black—become synonymous with hope rather than just another military contractor logo.

Sam handled the logistics of that growth with his usual efficiency, though even he admitted the scaling challenges were significant. Sophie ran faction business from her office, coordinating contracts and deployments.

Noah, Seraleth, and Lila led field operations. The new structure had emerged organically after Lucas left.

Lucas had gone home to Raiju Prime two weeks after the attack. Said he needed time to recover, to process everything that had happened. Nobody blamed him. The guilt he carried over Diana’s condition was visible every time someone mentioned her name. Better to deal with that away from constant reminders.

Diana herself remained in one of the city’s finest hospitals, moved there from Eclipse’s medical bay when it became clear her condition required specialized long-term care. Healers attended to her daily, their abilities keeping her body stable while her fractured skull slowly knit itself back together. The official prognosis was grim: don’t hold onto hope. They could choose to let go at any time.

Kelvin refused. He spent most of his time in the workshop now, emerging only for food and showers before returning to whatever project consumed his attention. KROME remained disassembled across his workspace, though he’d started building something new. Something he wouldn’t explain to anyone who asked.

He visited Diana every day. Spent hours sitting beside her bed, talking to her about technical problems he was working through, showing her schematics on his tablet like she could see them. The healers said brain activity suggested she might be aware on some level. Kelvin chose to believe that meant she could hear him.

Noah found himself checking his domain more frequently than usual. The dragons were restless—had been since that alpha signal had reached them weeks ago. Storm, Nyx, and Ivy circled around as they did when the call first came in. Clearly responding to something Noah still couldn’t identify. He’d go in regularly, spend time observing them, trying to understand what was calling to them. But whatever it was remained frustratingly out of reach.

Faction business continued despite everything. The streaming schedule maintained its regular cadence, though the tone had shifted. Less showboating, more genuine documentation of operations. People seemed to appreciate the transparency, the reminder that Eclipse was still fighting, still relevant.

Contracts came in steadily. Escort missions, security details, threat assessments. Nothing as dramatic as escorting governors to diplomatic meetings, but enough to keep revenue flowing and members deployed. The expanded roster meant they could handle multiple simultaneous operations, though it also meant more coordination challenges.

December had arrived with unseasonable warmth. The eastern quadrant usually saw snow by mid-month, but this year the temperatures stayed just above freezing. Rain instead of snowfall. Grey skies instead of white landscapes.

Christmas morning came quietly.

Most faction members had returned from contracts the night before, arriving in small groups throughout the evening. The common areas filled gradually with people who’d been scattered across the quadrant, reuniting with teammates, sharing stories about their deployments.

Noah had woken early, as usual. Found himself in one of the training halls with a young recruit named Steven who’d asked about chi cultivation techniques. The kid was maybe seventeen, recently graduated from Academy 7, still figuring out how to use his awakened abilities effectively.

"Feel the meridian pathways," Noah was saying, his hand pressed against Steven’s shoulder blade. "The energy wants to flow naturally. You’re forcing it, which creates resistance. Let it move."

Steven’s brow furrowed in concentration, his eyes closed, breathing measured. After several seconds, his expression shifted to something like surprise. "I felt that. The difference. It’s like... less fighting against myself?"

"Exactly. Chi responds better to guidance than force. The more you try to control it directly, the more it resists. Think of it like steering a river rather than damming it."

They worked through several more exercises, Noah correcting Steven’s form, demonstrating proper breathing techniques. Teaching felt good. Normal. A reminder that not everything was crisis response and combat operations.

"Noah!"

Seraleth’s voice carried across the training hall, bright and energetic in ways that immediately made Noah suspicious. He turned to see her approaching, dressed in an outfit that made his brain temporarily stop processing information.

She was wearing a Santa costume. Full red suit with white fur trim, a wide black belt, matching hat with a white pompom. The outfit had clearly been custom-made to accommodate her seven-foot frame, and somehow she made it look both ridiculous and dignified simultaneously.

"Sera," Noah said carefully. "What are you wearing?"

"Santa Claus traditional attire," she replied, her luminous eyes bright with excitement. "I’ve been researching Earth holidays extensively. Christmas is particularly fascinating—the cultural significance, the gift-giving traditions, the communal celebration. I wanted to participate properly."

Steven was staring with barely concealed amusement. Noah shot him a look that said this conversation is private, and the kid took the hint, bowing slightly before leaving the training hall.

Seraleth waited until he was gone before continuing. "I need you to come with me. There’s something happening in the common area that requires your presence."

"Right now? I was planning to run through some forms, work on—"

"Now, Noah. Please." Her smile widened. "Trust me. You’ll want to see this."

Noah followed her through headquarters corridors, his curiosity building with each step. As they approached the main common area, he started hearing sounds. Laughter. Conversation. Music playing from somewhere, something festive with bells and orchestral arrangements.

They rounded the final corner and Noah stopped completely.

The common area had been transformed. Decorations covered every available surface—streamers in green and red, lights strung along the walls, a massive tree in the corner adorned with ornaments and tinsel. Tables had been pushed together to create a long banquet setup, food and drinks spread across them in quantities that suggested serious planning.

But what made Noah stare was the crowd. Easily over a thousand people packed into the space, all of them wearing Eclipse colors in some variation. Purple and black tactical gear, casual clothes with faction insignias, even some people who’d clearly just thrown on whatever purple shirt they owned to participate.

And in the center of it all, arranged in neat rows, were gifts. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. Each one wrapped in colorful paper, tagged with names written in careful handwriting.

"Everyone!" Seraleth’s voice cut through the conversations, drawing attention. The crowd quieted, faces turning toward her. "Thank you all for gathering this morning. I know Christmas isn’t observed as widely as it once was, but I wanted to share something with you."

She walked toward the center of the room, her Santa costume drawing smiles and a few barely suppressed laughs. Noah spotted Sophie and Lila standing near the tree, both of them grinning like they knew exactly what was coming.

"I’ve been studying Earth’s holiday traditions," Seraleth continued, her voice carrying easily across the space. "And I was struck by how beautiful Christmas used to be. Nearly a hundred years ago, before the Harbinger attacks, this holiday represented something important. Community. Generosity. Taking time to appreciate the people in your lives."

She gestured at the mountains of wrapped gifts. "I love Earth because of holidays like this. The symbolism, the traditions, the way humans create meaning through shared celebration. So I wanted to participate. To give back to all of you who’ve made Eclipse feel like home."

She raised one hand, and the back doors opened. People in elf costumes came streaming through—logistics team members, Noah realized, dressed in green and red outfits with pointed hats. They carried gift bags, moving through the crowd, checking tags and distributing presents to their intended recipients.

The common area erupted into organized chaos. People calling out names, passing gifts through the crowd, unwrapping paper to reveal whatever Seraleth had chosen for them. Noah saw a young woman discover a new tactical knife set, her eyes going wide. A guy maybe twenty-five opened a box containing rare beast core fragments, the kind that sold for hundreds of credits on the open market.

"When Sera asked me to do census research and background checks on preferences," Lila said, appearing beside Noah with Sophie, "I had no idea she planned to gift nearly a thousand people individual presents. That’s insane."

"She really embodied the spirit of the holiday," Sophie added, watching Seraleth move through the crowd, accepting thanks and hugs with genuine warmth. "I don’t think anyone’s done something like this since before the attacks."

"Christmas ain’t Christmas without snow though," someone called out from near the windows. A woman in her thirties, her Eclipse jacket showing recent stitching from field repairs. "Feels wrong celebrating in rain."

"I can help with that," another voice answered. A younger guy, maybe mid-twenties, pushed through the crowd toward the exit. Noah recognized him vaguely—Harvey, one of the newer recruits who’d joined after the Kruel attack.

Harvey stepped outside, raising both hands toward the grey sky. The temperature dropped immediately. Noah felt it through the open doorway, that sudden shift from cool to cold. The moisture in the air began crystallizing, forming delicate structures that caught what little light penetrated the clouds.

His ability had something to do with atmospheric manipulation.

Snow started falling. Gentle at first, just a few flakes drifting down. Then more, building into a proper snowfall that painted the damaged city white.

"Hold on," another faction member emerged, a woman with amplification abilities. Her hands began glowing as she reached out toward Harvey. "Let me boost that range."

Her power wrapped around his body and began expanding the effect, pushing the snowfall outward across multiple city blocks. Within minutes, the entire visible area was covered in white, accumulating on damaged buildings and construction equipment and memorial sites with equal indifference.

People started coming outside, tilting their faces up to catch snowflakes, laughing as the precipitation transformed the city into something closer to what Christmas was supposed to look like. Someone started a snowball fight. Others just stood there, letting the snow fall on them, breathing in cold air that felt cleaner somehow than what they’d been breathing for weeks.

Noah felt something tight in his chest loosen slightly. Not healing, exactly. But maybe the beginning of it. Watching his faction celebrate together, watching them create joy for each other despite everything they’d lost, reminded him why they kept fighting.

Seraleth returned inside, brushing snow from her Santa hat, her smile radiant. She made her way directly to where Sophie and Lila stood, reaching into a bag she’d left near the tree. She withdrew two wrapped boxes, both moderate size, and handed them over.

"For you two," Seraleth said warmly. "But don’t open them yet. I’ll tell you when."

Sophie accepted hers with a curious smile. "A surprise gift with delayed gratification? You’re learning Earth traditions too well."

"What is it?" Lila asked, shaking her box slightly. Nothing rattled. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"You’ll see. Later." Seraleth’s smile took on a quality that suggested she was very pleased with whatever secret she was keeping. "For now, come with me. I need to give Noah his present."

They found him back in the training hall, having returned there after the snow started. He was demonstrating a chi circulation technique to three recruits who’d apparently decided Christmas morning was a fine time for extra instruction.

"Noah Eclipse," Seraleth called out his full government name and managed to look serious despite the silly costume she had. . "I need to interrupt your teaching."

The recruits scattered quickly, reading the tone correctly. Noah turned to face the three women, eyebrows raised. "Let me guess. More Christmas traditions I’m not aware of?"

"Actually, yes." Seraleth reached into her bag, withdrawing a wrapped box similar in size to what she’d given Sophie and Lila. "Did you know that Christmas used to be one of Earth’s most significant holidays? Families would gather, exchange gifts, share meals together. It represented a pause in the year’s chaos, a moment to appreciate what mattered."

She held out the gift. "I wanted to give you something to mark that. To say thank you for making Eclipse what it is. For giving me a place here."

Noah accepted the box, his fingers finding the wrapped edges. But before he could start opening it, Seraleth’s hand closed over his, gently pulling the gift back.

"Actually," she said, her smile widening, "I think I should open it for you."

"Sera, that’s not really how—" Lila started to say.

"Close your eyes, Noah." Seraleth ignored Lila’s interruption completely, her attention fixed on Noah with an intensity that suggested arguing would be pointless.

Noah complied, closing his eyes, hearing paper tearing, the box being set aside. He waited, trying to figure out what could possibly require this level of theatricality.

"Okay," Seraleth said, her voice carrying barely suppressed amusement. "Open them."

Noah opened his eyes to find Seraleth holding a sprig of mistletoe directly above his head, her expression radiating triumph.

Sophie and Lila both dissolved into giggles. Noah just stared at the plant, his brain catching up to what was happening.

"Mistletoe," Seraleth explained, like he didn’t know. "Another Earth tradition. When two people find themselves beneath it, they’re supposed to kiss. It’s considered good luck. Romantic, even." She paused, her luminous eyes meeting his. "The implications should be obvious."

All three of them were looking at him now. Seraleth holding the mistletoe with bouncy feet, her Santa costume somehow making the moment more absurd and genuine simultaneously. Sophie with her arms crossed, smile playing at her lips. Lila practically vibrating with barely contained laughter and anticipation.

"Well," Noah said slowly, his own smile starting to form despite himself. "I suppose we can’t argue with tradition."