At last, after the final farewells and the crowd's resounding cheers, the small reconnaissance party departed with their heads held high...
They saw themselves as heroes—people who would pave the way for others, never realizing that heroism often walks hand in hand with tragedy...
Among them, Karf, Valerius' father, quietly held a small hair ribbon between his fingers. He pressed it gently against his chest before bringing it close to his face, breathing in its lingering scent...
"Ah... my dear..." he thought sorrowfully...
"Even after all these years... your fragrance still hasn't faded..."
He looked toward the sky, and her image naturally appeared in his mind...
A young woman with golden-brown hair, warm hazel eyes, and a radiant smile capable of filling even the darkest room with light. Her skin was as soft and pure as blooming jasmine...
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling from ahead.
"Hey, Mr. Karf! You're falling behind!!! Hurry up!!!"
Snapping back to reality, he quickly tucked the ribbon away, smiled awkwardly, and hurried after the others...
Meanwhile...
Inside the cave, Gyre lay silently on the cold stone floor, staring at the ceiling.
"I still can't understand what's going on inside your head, Daim..."
"But I'm certain you're waiting for the perfect opportunity."
He slowly closed his eyes.
"You've always hated dirty work... You'd rather gather what's left behind... or strike only when your enemies are at their weakest."
Elsewhere in the cave, both Agnyr and Aculeus had arrived at the exact same conclusion...
The only way to stop Daim...
...was to stand together...
Yet dragons were creatures of overwhelming pride...
None of them could bring themselves to be the first to ask for cooperation...
And so...
Each silently waited for another to speak the words they were all thinking...
Never realizing how dearly that silence would cost them...
Back in Crag...
Life had already returned to normal, as though nothing had happened...
Valerius wandered through his empty house alone, quietly taking care of the chores his father had left behind...
The silence weighed heavily on him...
Then—
Knock. Knock.
Before he could react, the front door burst open.
"Vaaaal!!! Where are you??!"
Raya rushed inside, calling his name at the top of her lungs...
Valerius frowned...
"Hey!!! You scared me!!!"
She looked at him for a moment...
Then slowly smiled before bursting into laughter...
His irritation only grew...
"What are you laughing at??!"
Still giggling, she replied,
"Hehe... You actually look cute when you're angry, Val."
His cheeks instantly turned bright red, and he quickly looked away...
"What are you even doing here??? Can't you see I'm busy???"
Tilting her head innocently, she answered,
"I don't know... I suddenly felt like you were lonely."
"...And before I knew it, I was standing in front of your house..."
His face reddened even more...
"Who said I was lonely??!"
"I just enjoy peace and quiet when I'm by myself!!!"
She smiled knowingly...
Then met his eyes once more...
"Hehe..."
"Val..."
"You're a terrible liar."
Unable to answer, he simply stood there...
She extended her hand toward him...
"Come on."
"My mom made some sweets."
Valerius lightly slapped his own cheek to regain his composure before following her outside...
The two spent the rest of the day wandering through the city together...
Talking...
Laughing...
Stopping every now and then to admire the lively streets...
By the time they reached the highest point in the city...
The sun had already begun to sink below the horizon...
That place was known throughout the city as...
Crag Peak.
According to an old local legend...
"Any promise spoken sincerely atop Crag Peak... may one day become a wish granted by fate itself..."
The two of them sat quietly side by side...
Below them...
The city was still alive with noise...
But up there...
Only the gentle evening breeze remained, along with the fading golden light of sunset, as the day slowly surrendered itself to the coming night...
Raya suddenly broke the silence.
"...Val."
She hesitated for a moment...
Then softly asked,
"Do you... cry alone at night???"
He instinctively opened his mouth to deny it...
But the unwavering look in her eyes stripped away every lie before it could be spoken.
He lowered his gaze...
"...Sometimes."
A brief silence followed...
"...No..."
"...Quite often."
He took a slow breath...
"I miss the warmth my mother brought into our home."
A faint smile crossed his lips...
"She was always smiling..."
"My father... me... even she herself..."
"It felt like she filled every corner of our house with happiness..."
He paused.
"...She had a unique scent."
"I can't remember what it smelled like anymore..."
"But..."
"I'm certain..."
"It was the most beautiful scent I've ever known..."
As he turned toward Raya...
He froze...
Tears were quietly streaming down her cheeks...
He immediately looked away as his own eyes began to blur.
Without saying a word...
She leaned gently against his shoulder and tightly held onto his arm...
"...Val."
"I'll stay with you..."
"Forever..."
He hesitated for only a second...
Then slowly raised his hand and wiped away her tears.
Looking at her with unusual determination, he said,
"Raya..."
"I promise you..."
"I'll never let you be sad..."
"And I'll never let anyone break your heart."
Night eventually fell.
The two descended from Crag Peak.
Just as they were about to part ways—
Suddenly...
Loud cries erupted from the city's massive gate...
"They're back!!!"
Valerius immediately sprinted toward the crowd, his heart overflowing with excitement and pride...
But...
What awaited him...
Wasn't his father's embrace..
Nor a relieved smile.
Instead...
His father's body staggered forward alone...
He clutched a blood-soaked bag tightly against his chest...
His body was torn apart by countless wounds...
A long trail of blood stretched behind every step he took.
Panic spread through the gathered crowd.
Valerius stood frozen...
Time itself seemed to stop.
His father took one final step...
Then another...
Until he finally reached him...
His body collapsed at Valerius' feet.
The bloodstained hair ribbon slipped from his trembling hand and fell onto the stone road...
With the last of his strength...
He forced his lips to move...
And uttered his final word...
"...Dragon."