The night remained still beneath the ancient silver tree.
Moonlight filtered softly through glowing branches above while cold mountain winds carried the distant echoes of draconic cries across the endless valleys below. The Dragon Realm looked strangely peaceful from this height, its volcanic rivers glowing like scattered veins of molten gold beneath the darkness.
And beneath that ancient tree—
Two figures sat quietly facing one another.
One silver dragon noblewoman.
And one human wearing the face of a dragon.
The atmosphere between them no longer carried open hostility now.
Only curiosity.
Careful curiosity.
Seralyth quietly observed the strange black dragon before her while silver moonlight illuminated his features softly. The black scales decorating his neck looked natural beneath the cold light while his calm golden eyes reflected neither arrogance nor fear.
Which remained unusual.
Because among draconic clans—
Especially black dragons—
Pride always came first.
Yet this man…
Felt detached from such things.
The silver-haired woman finally spoke again while resting lightly against one of the ancient tree roots.
"You still avoided giving your true name."
Her silver-blue eyes narrowed slightly.
Not aggressively.
Simply observing.
Kel quietly looked toward the distant mountains for a moment before softly answering.
"I'm just a lowly dragon."
The cold night wind moved gently through his dark hair.
"My name means nothing."
His voice remained calm beneath the moonlit silence.
"You can call me whatever you like."
Seralyth blinked once quietly.
Then unexpectedly—
She did not press further.
Because strangely—
The answer made sense to her.
Border dragons often hid their identities carefully when entering central territories. Clan politics inside the Dragon Realm could become dangerous quickly, especially for outsiders without proper lineage protection.
And this strange black dragon clearly carried that cautiousness naturally.
So instead of arguing—
The silver dragon woman softly exhaled and leaned slightly backward against the silver tree.
"Then…"
A faint thoughtful pause followed.
"…I'll call you Vael."
Kel's eyebrow lifted slightly.
"Vael?"
Seralyth nodded calmly.
"It suits you."
Sairen immediately whispered through the soul-link.
"…You're collecting names now."
Kel ignored her completely.
Instead—
He quietly repeated the name internally.
Vael.
Not bad.
The moonlight drifted softly through the clearing while silence settled briefly between them again.
Yet unlike earlier—
The silence no longer felt tense.
Then eventually—
Seralyth spoke once more.
"What was life like on the borders?"
Kel's eyes slowly shifted toward her.
There it was.
Curiosity.
The silver dragon woman genuinely wanted to know.
And Kel—
Naturally—
Began fabricating lies.
Not rushed lies.
Not careless ones.
Carefully built stories always felt more believable because they carried fragments of truth inside them.
The black-haired man leaned slightly against the ancient tree trunk while distant draconic roars echoed softly somewhere beyond the mountains.
Then quietly—
He began speaking.
"The borders are cold."
His voice remained calm beneath the moonlit night.
"Not just the weather."
Seralyth listened silently.
"There aren't many dragons there."
Kel lowered his gaze slightly toward the glowing grass beneath them.
"Mostly scattered settlements."
"Hunters."
"Wanderers."
A faint cold wind passed through the silver branches above.
"Everyone survives first."
A brief pause followed.
"…Bloodlines matter less there."
The silver dragon woman quietly listened while watching the calm expression on his face.
And somehow—
The loneliness hidden beneath those words felt real.
Because Kel spoke from experience.
Not as a dragon perhaps.
But as someone who truly understood isolation.
The black-haired man continued softly.
"I was born there."
Not entirely false.
"I lived most of my life near the outer mountains."
His dark eyes reflected silver moonlight faintly.
"Then one day…"
A small pause followed.
"…a traveler passed through."
Seralyth tilted her head slightly.
"A traveler?"
Kel nodded.
"A wandering dragon."
The fabricated story flowed naturally now.
"He told stories about the central regions."
"About cities filled with dragons."
"Clan territories."
"Ancient palaces."
The silver dragon woman quietly listened while the night winds drifted around them softly.
Kel's voice lowered slightly afterward.
"He said if I stayed on the borders forever…"
A faint smile appeared briefly.
"…my life would remain meaningless."
Seralyth's silver-blue eyes softened almost imperceptibly.
So—
The strange black dragon before her came here searching for belonging.
Searching for purpose.
The story felt painfully believable.
Kel quietly looked toward the glowing horizon beyond the forest.
"So eventually…"
"…I came here."
The moonlight illuminated his calm face softly.
"I thought maybe among my own kind…"
A faint pause followed.
"…I would finally belong somewhere."
Silence settled beneath the silver tree afterward.
The distant volcanic winds echoed softly through the mountains while glowing insects drifted lazily through the clearing around them.
Then finally—
Kel softly laughed beneath his breath.
Not bitterly.
Simply quietly.
"But apparently…"
His eyes shifted briefly toward Seralyth.
"…outsiders remain outsiders."
The silver dragon woman unconsciously tightened her fingers slightly against her robe fabric.
Because she understood those words better than she expected.
The Moonscale Clan appeared elegant and refined outwardly.
But internally—
Their noble society constantly judged bloodline purity, talent, political value, and social standing.
Even among dragons—
Belonging was never guaranteed.
Seralyth quietly studied the strange dragon sitting before her beneath the moonlit tree.
And slowly—
Something inside her chest softened unexpectedly.
Because now—
His strange behavior made sense entirely.
Why he avoided clan rivalry.
Why he looked detached from draconic politics.
Why he seemed calm amidst constant tension.
He never truly grew up inside draconic society.
He stood outside it.
Watching it.
Trying to enter it.
And unknowingly—
That image made him far more dangerous to Seralyth's heart than arrogance ever could.
Meanwhile—
Sairen sounded utterly unimpressed inside the soul-link.
"…That entire story was fabricated."
Kel calmly continued gazing toward the distant mountains.
"Mostly."
The guardian sighed deeply.
"…You lied with emotional accuracy. That's worse."
Kel smiled faintly.
"Truth hidden inside lies makes them believable."
Seralyth suddenly asked quietly—
"Do you regret coming here?"
The question lingered softly beneath the moonlit branches.
Kel slowly turned his gaze toward her again.
And for a brief moment—
The silver dragon woman felt strangely unable to look away from his eyes.
Then calmly—
He answered.
"No."
The cold mountain wind moved softly through the clearing.
"Because even if this place rejects me…"
A faint pause followed.
"…it's still larger than the borders."
Seralyth quietly stared at him afterward.
And without realizing it—
She smiled slightly.
A very small smile.
Because beneath the ancient silver tree—
A lonely silver dragon had unknowingly begun sympathizing with a monster pretending to be lonely too.