Night settled quietly over the Oak Wood forest.
The village lights were distant now, barely visible through the thick line of trees. Crickets filled the silence with their steady rhythm, and the wind moved gently through the leaves above.
A small campfire burned between them.
Its glow flickered against the darkness, casting shifting shadows across the ground.
Taika sat on one side, her knees pulled slightly close, watching the flames dance.
Raiden sat across from her, silent, his posture relaxed but alert, as if he never fully let his guard down.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Only the soft crackle of burning wood filled the space.
Taika's eyes followed the fire as it rose and fell.
"…You knew something like that could happen, didn't you?"
Her voice was quiet.
Raiden didn't answer immediately.
He looked into the fire for a moment before speaking.
"…Not exactly."
A pause.
"But I expected something."
Taika glanced at him.
"Because of what you saw?"
Raiden's expression shifted slightly.
He knew what she meant.
"…Yeah."
The flames reflected faintly in his eyes.
"That man earlier… he's not normal."
Taika lowered her gaze again.
"I could tell."
A short silence followed.
The wind passed through again, colder this time.
Taika hesitated, then spoke.
"…Raiden."
He looked up.
"…Do you think… the dragons, the attacks, and that man…"
She paused, searching for the right words.
"…are all connected?"
Raiden didn't answer right away.
He thought about it.
Then gave a quiet nod.
"They are."
Simple.
Certain.
Taika tightened her hands slightly.
"…Then this mission…"
"…isn't just a mission," Raiden finished for her.
Another silence.
He leaned back slightly, looking up at the dark sky above the trees.
"…Whatever's happening…"
His voice lowered.
"…it's bigger than the academy."
Taika followed his gaze.
Through the gaps in the leaves, a few stars could be seen.
Distant.
Unmoving.
"…Do you think we're ready for it?" she asked softly.
Raiden looked back at her.
For a moment, his expression softened.
"…We don't really get a choice."
The fire crackled louder for a second.
Then settled again.
Taika gave a small, quiet smile.
"…Yeah."
She hugged her knees slightly closer.
The warmth of the fire reached her, but the night air still felt cold.
Beside that quiet moment, there was something unspoken between them.
Not just worry.
Not just fear.
But understanding.
Because whatever was coming next…
They would face it.
Together.
The next day came with a different atmosphere.
The sky was already gray before they even arrived.
Clouds stretched endlessly above, thick and heavy, blocking any trace of sunlight. The air felt damp, and the scent of rain lingered everywhere.
As they stepped into the Region of Rain, the first drops began to fall.
Soft at first.
Then steady.
Raindrops tapped against the ground, the trees, and their clothes, forming a constant rhythm that filled the silence around them.
Taika looked up briefly, letting a few drops land on her face.
"…So this is it."
Maya pulled her sleeves slightly closer.
"It really does rain every day here…"
Clare adjusted her grip on her coat.
"The humidity is high. It affects visibility and movement."
Alwin glanced ahead, focused.
"It also makes tracking harder."
The path beneath them had turned slightly muddy, their footsteps leaving faint marks that slowly faded as the rain continued.
Isolde walked ahead, unaffected, her gaze fixed forward.
"This region benefits water-based magic users," she said calmly.
Raiden walked beside Taika, his eyes scanning the horizon.
"And limits fire users," he added.
A distant rumble echoed across the sky.
Thunder.
Far, but present.
Ahead of them, beyond the mist formed by the rain, the outline of something massive slowly appeared.
Structures.
Tall.
Built above water.
The City of Water.
Bridges connected towering buildings, canals flowed between them like veins, and the entire city seemed to rise from the water itself.
But something was wrong.
Even from this distance, they could see it.
Smoke.
Faint, but spreading.
And above it…
Shadows moved through the sky.
Dragons.
Taika's expression hardened.
"…They're already here."
The rain continued to fall, slightly heavier now.
Each drop felt colder.
Sharper.
As if the region itself was warning them.
Because what awaited them inside that city…
Was no longer just a mission.
It was a battlefield.
The rain grew heavier as they moved closer to the city.
Drops fell faster now, striking the ground, the rooftops in the distance, and the surface of the water below. The entire region echoed with the constant sound of rainfall.
Yet above it…
Fire still burned.
Dragons circled through the storm, their flames cutting through the rain as if it meant nothing.
Isolde suddenly stopped walking.
Her eyes narrowed, fixed on the sky.
"…How?"
The others slowed, noticing the shift in her expression.
Maya tilted her head.
"What is it?"
Isolde didn't look at them.
Her voice was quieter than usual.
"How do dragons breathe fire… in this kind of rain?"
The question lingered.
Taika looked up again.
The flames were still strong.
Unaffected.
Even as heavy rain poured directly onto them.
Clare's expression tightened slightly.
"…They shouldn't."
Raiden crossed his arms, his gaze sharp.
"Normal fire magic would weaken in this environment."
Alwin added, "Especially with this level of moisture in the air."
Isolde's grip on her bow tightened slightly.
"…And yet they're not weakening at all."
A distant explosion echoed from the city.
Fire spread across one of the upper structures, refusing to be extinguished by the rain.
Isolde's eyes darkened.
"…What are they doing here in the first place?"
That question carried more weight than the first.
Because this was not just about fire.
Not just about dragons.
This was about intent.
Taika stared at the burning city ahead.
Her chest felt tight again.
The same feeling from before.
From the forest.
From that man.
"…They're not just attacking," she said quietly.
Everyone looked at her.
Taika's gaze didn't move.
"…They're trying to achieve something."
The rain continued to fall.
Cold.
Unrelenting.
But the fire above the city only grew stronger.
As if something…
Was fueling it beyond nature itself.
The rain poured relentlessly over the City of Water, striking every surface in heavy, unbroken waves, yet the flames raging across the buildings refused to die, continuing to burn again and again as if the storm itself held no power over them, and instead of being extinguished, each drop that touched the fire hissed sharply and vanished, boiling instantly into vapor before it could even settle, thick steam rising in layers that blurred the city into a shifting haze, while above, the dragons moved within it like shadows, their fire growing stronger with every passing second, as if something unseen was feeding the flames, sustaining them beyond nature, turning the rain itself into nothing more than fuel for an unnatural inferno.
High above the boiling rain and rising steam, she stood.
The woman with long green hair, flowing like a serpent in the storm, her figure unmoved by the chaos below. Her sharp eyes, cold and precise, watched the city as if it were nothing more than a stage. The dragons circled around her, not as wild beasts, but as followers, responding to every subtle motion she made. A single lift of her hand shifted their formation. A slight turn of her gaze redirected their fire.
She was the same woman from before.
The one who led them.
The one who commanded the entire colony.
Rain fell against her, yet none of it seemed to touch her for long, evaporating in the heat that surrounded her presence. The flames below reflected in her eyes, giving them a faint glow that no human should possess.
"…Continue," she said softly.
At once, the dragons obeyed.
Fire rained down again, stronger, more focused, as if her will alone shaped the destruction.
She did not look pleased.
Nor angry.
Only focused.
As if this was necessary.
As if this destruction had purpose.
Her gaze slowly lifted toward the distant horizon.
Toward them.
Taika and the others.
A faint, knowing expression crossed her face.
"They've arrived."
As Taika and the others stepped closer to the City of Water, the atmosphere shifted from uneasy to suffocating, the rain falling heavier as if dragged down by something unseen, the air growing thick with mana that pressed against their bodies with every step, making it harder to breathe, harder to move, while ahead, through the mist of steam and rainfall, a single building stood apart from the rest, darker, taller, surrounded by a distorted space where even the rain seemed to bend, and the closer they got, the stronger the pressure became, like an invisible force watching them, weighing them, as if deciding whether they were worthy to come any closer.
Taika: "…Do you feel that?"
Maya: "Yeah… it's like something's pressing on my chest…"
Clare: "The mana is concentrated. It's not spreading, it's being gathered."
Alwin: "One source… straight ahead."
Raiden: "…That building"
Isolde: "…So that's where it's coming from"
Taika: "…Then that's where we're going"
The path toward the city center was suddenly cut off as two massive shadows descended from the sky, crashing onto the flooded ground ahead of them, water splashing violently upon impact, one a towering wyvern with broad wings and two powerful legs, its eyes glowing with a feral hunger, and the other far more unsettling, a long serpentine dragon with four limbs, its body coiling slowly as if it owned the very space around it, its presence calm yet overwhelmingly oppressive, and between them, untouched by the chaos, the woman with long green hair stepped forward, her gaze sharp and commanding, the same presence that led the destruction from above now standing directly before them.
Dilong: "State your names."
Isolde: "No. You first."
A brief silence followed.
The woman exhaled softly, almost amused.
Dilong: "…Very well."
She took a single step forward, the rain around her subtly shifting.
Dilong: "My name is Dilong."
Her eyes glinted faintly.
Dilong: "The Water Dragon."
She gestured slightly toward the massive serpentine creature beside her.
Dilong: "This one is mine. A dragon clone."
The long dragon's body coiled tighter, its gaze lowering toward them as if acknowledging her words.
Then her eyes shifted to the wyvern.
Dilong: "And that…"
The winged beast let out a low growl.
Dilong: "…is merely a servant."
The pressure in the air intensified.
The rain continued to fall.
But now, it felt like the battlefield had already begun.
The rain continued to fall, steady and cold, yet the tension in the air felt strangely calm.
Dilong stood before them without hostility.
No killing intent.
No aggression.
Only a quiet presence that did not match the destruction surrounding the city.
Her eyes rested on them, not as enemies… but as something she was trying to understand.
Dilong: "I do not seek conflict."
Her voice was soft.
Almost gentle.
Like calm water beneath a storm.
Taika's expression shifted slightly.
She felt it too.
That this being… was not driven by rage.
Maya hesitated.
"Wait… she's not--"
Before she could finish-
A sharp sound cut through the rain.
A bowstring released.
Isolde moved without hesitation.
Her arrow flew instantly, slicing through the air with deadly precision and striking directly toward Dilong.
The moment it made contact-
A violent surge of ice erupted.
A massive freezing tornado formed around Dilong, spiraling upward with overwhelming force, freezing rain, air, and everything within its range.
The ground beneath cracked as frost spread outward.
The temperature dropped instantly.
Clare's eyes widened slightly.
"She didn't even--"
Raiden narrowed his gaze.
"…She attacked first."
The storm of ice roared, swallowing Dilong completely.
For a moment, nothing could be seen inside.
Only destruction.
Only power.
Taika felt her chest tighten.
Something about this felt… wrong.
Because just seconds ago-
There was no hostility.
No intent to fight.
And yet—
The first strike had already been made.
The wind howled.
The ice storm raged.
And in that moment, one truth became clear.
The battle had begun.
And this time…
Humans started it.
The frozen storm slowly settled, shards of ice falling into the flooded streets as the rain returned to its steady rhythm, yet the battlefield had already split into two, one side consumed by the growing clash between Isolde and Dilong, and the other left open for something just as important, the lives still trapped within the city, and as the pressure of mana continued to weigh down on them, the urgency became clear, this was no longer just about defeating enemies, but saving what remained.
Raiden: "Taika, Maya, Clare. Go."
Taika looked at him, hesitant for a brief second.
Taika: "But you and Isolde—"
Raiden: "We'll handle this."
His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Raiden: "Your job is to find survivors. Don't waste time."
Maya nodded quickly.
"Right."
Clare exhaled, regaining focus.
"Understood."
Taika tightened her grip slightly, then nodded.
Taika: "…Be careful."
Raiden gave a small glance toward her, then turned his attention forward again.
Raiden: "Go."
Without another word, Taika, Maya, and Clare moved, running deeper into the city, their figures quickly disappearing into the rain and rising steam.
Alwin followed shortly behind, summoning faint silhouettes of animals to scout ahead.
Left behind, Raiden stood still, his gaze shifting toward the storm of ice where Isolde fought.
In the distance, the clash had already begun.
Ice collided with something unseen within the mist, sending waves of cold air across the area.
Dilong had not retaliated immediately.
But she had not retreated either.
She remained.
Facing Isolde alone.
The rain fell between them.
And the battle continued.
The rain twisted unnaturally in the sky as Dilong raised her arm, her expression still calm, almost gentle, yet the moment her hand moved, the entire storm responded, the falling rain halting for a split second before shifting direction all at once, turning into a sweeping current that surged violently toward Isolde and Raiden like a crashing wave suspended in air.
Raiden's eyes widened as he felt the pressure change.
Raiden: "That's not normal rain…"
The water condensed, sharpened, moving with force strong enough to tear through defenses.
Raiden stepped forward, lightning crackling faintly around him as he shouted.
Raiden: "It's weather manipulation!"
The wave of rain surged closer, dense and overwhelming.
Raiden: "We counter it with our own magic, freeze the field!"
Isolde did not hesitate.
She stepped forward, her bow already raised, eyes locked on the incoming torrent.
In a single motion, arrows rained down in front of them, striking the ground one after another with precise spacing.
The moment they hit, ice erupted.
A wide frozen field spread instantly, climbing upward into a solid barrier as layers of ice formed over each other, reinforcing into a thick wall.
The redirected rain slammed into it.
A loud cracking sound echoed.
Water froze on impact.
Layer by layer, the incoming current solidified, turning into jagged structures of ice that pushed against the barrier but failed to break through.
Cold mist spread outward as the clash of elements filled the air.
Raiden stood beside Isolde, lightning gathering faintly around him, ready for the next move.
Across from them, Dilong remained floating, her gaze steady as she observed the result.
No anger.
No urgency.
Only quiet acknowledgment.
As if she expected them to survive that.
The frozen barrier held, layers of ice locking the redirected rain in place as mist spread across the battlefield, the clash of elements slowly settling into a tense silence, and through that fading storm, Dilong remained untouched, her figure still and composed as if none of it had truly reached her.
She lowered her hand.
The rain returned to its natural fall.
No more force.
No more distortion.
Just water.
Falling as it should.
Dilong looked at them, her sharp eyes softer now, carrying something closer to disappointment than anger.
Dilong: "I did not come here to fight you."
Isolde kept her bow raised, unwavering.
Raiden did not lower his guard.
The tension remained.
Unbroken.
Dilong exhaled quietly.
Dilong: "But it seems this path will only lead to more conflict."
She turned slightly, her long green hair shifting with the movement, the serpentine dragon behind her slowly coiling back as if responding to her will.
Dilong: "…I will leave."
A brief pause followed.
Then she looked back at them one last time.
Dilong: "Please."
Her voice softened.
Not weak.
But sincere.
Dilong: "Think before you attack."
The rain tapped gently against the ground between them.
Dilong: "You will never know… someone's patience."
For a moment, everything felt still.
Then the air shifted again.
Not violently this time.
Quietly.
Like water slipping away.
Her form began to fade, dissolving into the mist and rain along with the dragons beside her, leaving no trace behind.
Only silence.
And the lingering weight of her words.
The rain continued to fall over the City of Water, but now it felt different.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Taika and the others moved through the ruins, their footsteps echoing faintly against soaked stone and flooded paths, calling out, searching, checking every collapsed structure and hidden corner they could reach.
But no one answered.
No movement.
No voices.
Only the sound of rain and distant water flowing through broken canals.
Maya slowed, her expression tightening as she looked into another empty home.
Maya: "…Nothing here either."
Clare stood at the doorway, her eyes scanning carefully before lowering slightly.
Clare: "No signs of survivors."
Alwin clenched his jaw, looking toward the streets ahead.
Alwin: "It's too quiet…"
Taika stepped into the center of what used to be a busy area, now abandoned, her chest tightening as she took it all in.
The destruction.
The silence.
The absence of life.
Raiden walked beside her, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were sharp, taking in every detail.
Raiden: "…They didn't just attack."
A pause.
Raiden: "They took it."
Taika's hands slowly curled into fists.
Taika: "…No one survived…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The rain fell harder for a moment, as if answering her.
Isolde stood slightly apart from them, her gaze fixed toward the heart of the city where the overwhelming mana still lingered.
Isolde: "…This city is no longer ours."
A heavy silence followed.
Clare spoke quietly.
Clare: "…Then it's officially lost."
No one argued.
Because the truth was already clear.
The City of Water…
Had fallen.
Maya lowered her head slightly, her voice trembling just a bit.
Maya: "…So it's under her control now…"
Raiden looked toward the sky, where dragons once circled.
Raiden: "…Or something bigger."
Taika slowly lifted her gaze.
Her expression changed.
Not just sadness.
But realization.
Taika: "…Not just Dilong…"
A quiet pause.
Taika: "…The dragon race."
The rain continued to fall over the empty city.
And with it came a single, undeniable truth.
This was no longer a series of attacks.
This was the beginning of something far greater.
The next day arrived as if nothing had happened.
The skies above the academy were clear, sunlight passing through tall windows and casting soft light across the hallways. Students moved as usual, carrying books, talking about lessons, complaining about tasks, laughing like any ordinary day.
Galdur Academy continued.
Classes resumed.
Schedules returned.
Life moved forward.
Inside the classroom, Taika sat by the window again, her book open in front of her, the same position as before. The wind outside brushed gently against the trees, peaceful and undisturbed.
Yet something felt different.
Not around her.
Inside her.
Maya leaned back in her chair, stretching slightly.
"I still can't believe classes just… resumed."
Clare closed her book with a soft sound.
"It's the academy. They prioritize stability."
Alwin nodded quietly.
"Panic would only make things worse."
Isolde sat in silence, her gaze forward, unreadable as always.
Raiden stood near the back, arms crossed, watching the room rather than participating in it.
Taika's eyes drifted away from her book.
For a brief moment, she remembered it.
The rain.
The fire.
The empty city.
Dilong's voice.
"…Think before you attack."
Her fingers tightened slightly on the page.
Everything looked normal.
Everything sounded normal.
But she knew.
They all knew.
This was only the surface.
Because somewhere beyond the academy walls, a city had fallen.
Dragons had taken control.
And something far greater had begun moving.
Maya glanced at Taika.
"You're thinking about it again, aren't you?"
Taika blinked, then gave a small, quiet smile.
Taika: "A little."
Clare looked at her.
"We'll deal with it when the time comes."
Raiden spoke from behind, calm but firm.
Raiden: "And next time… we won't hesitate."
Silence followed that.
Not uncomfortable.
Just understood.
Taika looked back outside the window.
The sky was bright.
Peaceful.
But now she knew better.
Even on days like this…
The world was already changing.
The academy grounds were calm as ever, students gathering near the central bulletin board, some curious, others already expecting the next announcement after days of delay, and pinned neatly at the center was a fresh notice, its ink still dark and clear despite the morning light, marking the return of something every student had been waiting for.
Magical Examination Schedule
The examinations will resume in ten days.
Written Exam
Practical Exam
Final Written Exam
The usual structure.
The usual pace.
As if nothing had interrupted it.
Maya leaned in slightly, reading it twice before stepping back.
Maya: "Ten days… that's not a lot of time."
Clare crossed her arms, unfazed.
Clare: "It's enough."
Alwin nodded quietly.
Alwin: "We've already been through worse."
Taika stood still, her eyes on the announcement, taking in every word.
Ten days.
After everything that happened…
The academy still expected them to perform.
To compete.
To prove themselves.
Isolde glanced at the board briefly before turning away.
Isolde: "Nothing changes."
Raiden, standing slightly behind them, let out a quiet breath.
Raiden: "It does."
They didn't look at him, but they listened.
Raiden: "You've all seen what's out there now."
A pause.
Raiden: "This exam won't just measure students anymore."
Taika lowered her gaze slightly, then clenched her hand with quiet resolve.
Taika: "…Then we'll treat it seriously."
Maya smiled faintly.
"As always."
Clare gave a small nod.
"We don't hold back."
Alwin adjusted his posture.
"We get stronger."
The paper on the board remained still, simple and formal.
But for them…
Those ten days were no longer just preparation for an exam.
They were preparation for what comes after.