"Alright, little Val... do you understand now???"
With the innocent face of a child, Valerius—or as his father loved to call him, Little Val—tilted his head, clearly unable to grasp what his father was trying to say...
His father let out a quiet sigh before speaking in a calm, gentle voice...
"Alright... I'll say it again. I've been assigned another dangerous mission, and I may be gone for a while. So I hope you'll take good care of yourself. And if anything should happen to me—which is unlikely—I want you to know that I trust you to take care of yourself... and everything else..."
He smiled faintly before continuing...
"After all, Little Val... your mother would have done the sa—"
He stopped himself...
"Ah... I'm sorry. I've talked too much. Forget about it. Why don't you go outside and play for a while???"
Valerius lowered his gaze to his small hands, where tiny cracks had already begun to appear from helping his father with farm work...
His father's words echoed inside his mind...
Mother...???
She had always been so kind...
She often accompanied Father on dangerous missions...
Until one day...
Father returned alone...
He was crying...
He hugged me tightly and kept repeating,..
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I couldn't protect her..."
From that day onward, he retired and devoted himself to this simple life...
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the cheerful voice of a girl calling from afar...
"Hiiiii, Val!!!"
Valerius immediately turned toward the voice, unaware that tears had already welled up in his eyes as he hurriedly wiped them away...
The girl approached him with concern...
"Is something wrong? You don't look well..."
He quickly brushed the tears away, straightened his back, raised his head proudly, and answered sharply,
"No!!! I'm perfectly fine... something just got into my eye..."
The girl giggled innocently...
"Hehe... You don't have to hide it. Everyone knows your father is leaving to investigate that dangerous incident. You're just sad because you'll be all alone..."
Valerius looked away, avoiding her eyes...
With the same innocent smile, she gently wrapped her arms around his...
"It's okay... I'm here with you. You won't be alone. I'll always be nearby."
Valerius immediately blushed, then hurriedly pulled himself away...
Just then, a woman's voice called out from behind...
"Raya!!!"
The girl turned around and began walking back...
Before leaving, she stopped, smiled warmly at him...
...then continued on her way...
Without realizing it, Valerius slowly reached his hand toward her...
Inside his heart, only one name echoed...
Raya...
The scene shifted to the towering palace where King Griem resided...
He sat upon his throne, resting his head on one hand as he sighed deeply...
"Damn..."
"It seems things refuse to settle down."
"Our war ended only a short while ago... and now this???"
He looked toward the Captain of the Guards.
"Do you believe this disaster was caused by a dragon???"
The captain stood firmly without turning around...
"That possibility is extremely high, Your Majesty Griem... In fact, I believe it's the most likely explanation..."
King Griem sighed once more while tightening his grip on his arm...
Then he ordered the volunteers to finish their preparations immediately and depart before the day ended...
Meanwhile...
Gyre shouted at the other two dragons...
"You reckless fools! What's done is done, and neither of you is to blame. Calm yourselves..."
Suddenly, his expression became serious...
An enormous vertical eye appeared within his thoughts, staring back at him with terrifying intent.
He spoke in a heavy voice...
"That bastard is far too skilled at everything he does..."
"I don't believe banishing us was ever his true objective..."
"In the end, we'll find our way back..."
"Which means..."
"I believe that scum is planning something far greater."
Aculeus immediately turned toward him...
His playful expression disappeared.
"I think you're right."
He then quickly looked at Agnyr, who was already preparing another powerful attack.
"You idiot!!! We're done here!!! Stop already!!!"
With visible annoyance, Agnyr canceled his attack...
The three dragons stood together for a long while, discussing their next move...
Eventually...
They decided to remain hidden for the time being...
Using their overwhelming strength, they carved out an enormous cave that would serve as a temporary refuge.
Back in the city of Crag...
Near its massive gates...
Several volunteers stood fully prepared to depart...
The citizens had gathered to bid them farewell...
Almost as though they believed none of them would ever return...
Among them stood Valerius, silently watching his father, who responded only with a reassuring smile...
Meanwhile, King Griem insisted that everyone address the departing volunteers as heroes while seeing them off...
Cheers filled the air...
Farewell echoed throughout the city.
But beyond all those voices...
Something was silently watching...
A gigantic eye...
Suspended high above the sky.
It had been observing everything for quite some time...
Then...
A terrifying voice echoed from nowhere.
"Hehehe...
Let's make this... a little more entertaining..."