Swen looked at the dragon with respect.
"Allow me to ask something."
The woman's gaze shifted to her.
"Ask."
Swen took a short breath.
"A being like you…"
"And more than one dragon…"
She paused for a moment.
"And yet…"
"How did this world fall?"
The woman's expression darkened instantly. Her voice turned sharp and thunderous.
"Know your place."
Her eyes swept across the three of them.
"I will allow you to leave."
"But if I see you around this mountain again… I may change my mind."
Koharu quickly stepped forward, grabbing Shinju and Swen by the arm.
"Thank you, honorable dragon," she said, trying to pull them away.
But Swen pushed Koharu's hand aside and stepped forward again.
"You know that curse better than anyone."
"And that curse… is not over."
"It will return."
Koharu whispered urgently:
"Swen, what are you doing? She let us go, let's leave!"
Swen didn't even blink.
"Koharu, time is against us."
"A massive army is coming."
"And we are too weak."
"But with her… we might have a chance."
The woman turned back to Swen, this time with interest.
"What do you mean the curse is not over?"
"Explain."
Swen lifted her head.
"Shinju may have destroyed the barrier."
"But the ones who created that curse will return."
"And when they do… there will be a war that decides the fate of this world."
Her voice grew heavier.
"And for a being like you… to not be part of that war…"
"That would be a waste."
The woman's fiery pupils narrowed.
"So… they will return."
She took a deep breath.
"I would burn them to ashes."
"Even if it costs me my life…"
A short pause.
"But I cannot leave."
Swen frowned.
"Why?"
The woman slightly turned her head.
Her gaze shifted toward the mountain peak.
"Because if I leave…"
"…my kind will end."
Swen stepped forward, surprised.
"There are still dragon eggs?"
The woman nodded.
"Yes."
"I must protect them… for the continuation of my race."
A spark appeared in Swen's eyes.
"I am Swen… the most renowned alchemist in the universe."
"I can create a barrier that no one can pass."
She stepped closer.
"If I do that… will you come with us?"
The woman remained silent for a moment.
Then spoke calmly.
"First… my name is Aurelia."
She looked directly at Swen.
"And I promise…"
"If you can prove it…"
"…I will come with you."
Koharu leaned toward Swen.
"Are you sure?"
"That woman is terrifying."
Swen winked.
"You didn't want me with you, remember?"
"Where I am… there is always a solution, princess."
Aurelia led them to a cave at the mountain's peak.
Her voice was heavier now.
"This mountain has been our home for thousands of years."
"And for the first time… non-dragons are entering this sacred cave."
"Be careful how you move."
Koharu looked around in awe.
"This cave… it's huge…"
"That's incredible…"
They moved deeper inside.
Finally, they reached the area where the eggs were.
Six dragon eggs stood there, carefully placed.
Koharu spoke without thinking:
"There's no sign of life in them…"
Aurelia's eyes filled with tears.
"I can see that too."
"But I still cannot abandon them."
"They are all that remains of my race."
Swen examined the eggs.
"It's normal."
"They've been under the curse for a thousand years."
"But… maybe I can find a solution."
Aurelia's gaze sharpened instantly.
"Then speak."
"What will you do?"
Swen answered immediately:
"I told you before."
"Elysium is what gives life to dragons."
"If we can find enough Elysium… these eggs can live again."
Aurelia paused.
"And how do we find it?"
Swen shrugged.
"This is a dragon mountain."
"There has to be an Elysium vein somewhere here."
She took out the sphere she used to locate Mikail's Spear and activated it.
Small lights appeared inside.
"There it is."
"These fragments would normally be impossible to detect."
"But since we're close… it works."
After a long excavation, they managed to gather some Elysium.
Shinju picked up a piece.
Suddenly—it melted and was absorbed into his body.
Swen's eyes widened.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"We need those!"
Shinju frowned.
"I didn't mean to."
"But… I feel stronger."
Swen snapped:
"You are not touching Elysium anymore."
Shinju sighed.
"Fine… whatever."
After collecting more, Swen exhaled.
"This should be enough."
Shinju muttered:
"With this much here… absorbing a bit more wouldn't hurt."
Swen immediately shut him down.
"Don't be stupid."
"This place is special because of this mineral."
"If we take it all… dragons won't be able to reproduce here."
Shinju raised an eyebrow.
"Wow."
"I didn't know you were this compassionate."
Swen turned away.
"Dragons are special."
"This world needs them."
They returned to Aurelia.
Swen spoke:
"I gathered what we need."
"Let me try."
Aurelia's voice turned cold again.
"If even one of them is harmed…"
"You will all turn to ash."
Koharu swallowed.
Swen shrugged.
"Pressure doesn't help me."
"Let's begin."
She crushed the Elysium into powder and formed alchemy circles.
She poured her energy into it.
Nothing happened.
"…Puff."
"Shinju made it look easy…"
"Why can't I do it?"
She clenched her teeth.
"My energy isn't enough."
Aurelia said coldly:
"So your promises were empty?"
Swen closed her eyes.
"Wait…"
Then suddenly—
"I got it."
"If it's energy we need… we have a dragon."
She looked at Aurelia.
"I need your help."
"When I activate the circles… channel your energy into the Elysium."
Aurelia nodded.
"I will."
"For your sake… it better work."
Swen reformed the alchemy circles around the Elysium.
Aurelia raised her hand.
A small flame appeared at the tip of her finger.
But this fire… was different.
It burned with overwhelming brightness—yet instead of illuminating its surroundings,it pulled the light inward.
Swen held her breath.
"Incredible…"
"I never thought I'd witness Yang fire this pure."
Aurelia directed the flame toward the Elysium.
The mineral began to melt—slowly at first.
Then it softened…and turned into a liquid form.
Swen's eyes lit up.
"Yes…!"
"I knew this would work!"
She quickly collected the liquid Elysium into a vial.
Carefully, she walked toward the eggs.
She let a single drop fall onto one of them.
The essence spread across the shell.
Slowly… it merged.
Then—
the egg began to glow.
Like a dim lightbulb flickering to life.
In that moment—
tears streamed down Aurelia's face.
"I knew it…"
"I knew you wouldn't leave me alone…"
She embraced the egg tightly.
"I owe you… everything."
Swen placed her hands on her hips.
"Save the gratitude."
"Now comes the sealing part."
They moved back toward the cave entrance.
Swen began carving intricate runic patterns around the entrance.
The runes ignited with light.
"Now… the key."
She dropped a single drop of Elysium essence into the center.
Instantly—
the glow vanished.
The cave entrance disappeared.
As if it had never existed.
Swen turned to Aurelia.
"Attack the entrance."
Without hesitation, Aurelia formed a flame.
She released it forward.
The fire was stopped midair—
blocked by something invisible.
Koharu stared in disbelief.
"…Wow."
"If I didn't know there was a cave here…"
"I'd never believe it existed."
Swen smiled confidently.
"Now try entering, Koharu."
Koharu stepped forward.
But she hit something—an unseen wall.
She couldn't pass.
Swen turned her head.
"Your turn, Shinju."
Shinju frowned.
"Koharu couldn't pass."
Swen waved it off.
"Just try."
Shinju stepped forward.
And for him—
there was no wall.
He walked inside effortlessly.
Aurelia's expression hardened.
"I thought this was supposed to work."
"He walked right through."
Swen smirked.
"That's the point."
"Only those who carry Elysium in their body can pass through this barrier freely."
"That's the key."
"Otherwise, the dragons that hatch here would be trapped inside."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Think of it as a door… only dragons can use."
"…Well, Shinju counts too."
Aurelia stepped forward and tested it herself.
She passed through easily.
Then stepped back out.
She looked at Swen.
"You're a genius, Swen."
Swen lifted her chin proudly.
"I keep my promises."
"Now it's your turn."
Aurelia's eyes darkened.
Her voice carried the weight of a thousand years.
"Even if you hadn't asked…"
"I've been waiting to correct the mistake we made a thousand years ago."
Koharu tilted her head.
"What mistake?"
Aurelia fell silent for a moment.
Then she spoke.
"Thousand years ago…"
"When the first signs of the curse appeared…"
"The dragon council gathered."
Her gaze drifted into the distance.
"We were dragons."
"What could possibly harm us?"
Her jaw tightened.
"We were arrogant."
"At first… we chose not to intervene."
A short breath.
"We were wrong."
Her voice grew heavier.
"As the curse spread… we decided to act."
"But when we reached its source…"
"…we found it protected by a golden barrier."
"No matter how much power we used… we couldn't break through."
Her eyes dimmed.
"Then the curse began to poison us."
"We grew weaker."
"One by one… dragons started to fall."
Her voice trembled.
"My friends…"
"My family…"
She lowered her head.
"We… the dragons who believed we were invincible…"
"faced death."
Silence.
Then she slowly lifted her head again.
"I was the only one left."
"So… I sealed myself…"
"…here, with the eggs."
Her gaze sharpened.
"My siblings…"
"My friends…"
"My family…"
"I will not know peace…"
"until I take revenge on those who did this."