Chapter 219
They stopped at the end of the corridor—the same dead-end where Nerys had earlier found nothing and turned back in disappointment.
But when the dragon placed her hand on the blocked wall, Nerys immediately realized the wall was more than it appeared. The entire surface trembled, glowing with a green hue.
Vrrrrm.
“Ah…”
Nerys parted her lips in awe. The massive arch-shaped carving that had covered the wall—
Everything except the edge of the carving vanished. What remained was an arched passageway.
And beyond it, a sleeping dragon.
A colossal golden dragon lay coiled within, so enormous that she had to crane her neck for a long time just to see the top. Its eyes were closed, but the sight of the great scales rising like waves and the faint veins beneath its eyelids brought overwhelming awe.
Nerys felt herself shrinking to nothing. And the realization that she had cowered before a being who had done nothing made her feel pathetically small.
Had this dragon opened its eyes and roared, all living creatures would have collapsed before it. Many would have hated themselves—and hated the dragon.
“…It’s blocked.”
Between the archway and the chamber, there was a thin golden barrier. Transparent but undeniably present. Cledwyn murmured as he touched it.
Nerys turned to the woman beside them.
“You are here, but who is that inside?”
“That is my true body. The one you see before you is, yes… in your terms, a ‘dream.’ A fragment of memory and thought that slipped loose from the seal and wanders for a time. Before long, I will be reabsorbed.”
Only then did Cledwyn accept that this woman truly was the dragon. Until now, everything had felt unreal—like drifting through a dream. Nerys asked:
“Was it also you who met me earlier above?”
“I do not know. Until recently, the dreams I shed wandered like ghosts unaware of themselves and flowed back into me. But when the seal trembled a short while ago, I gained clarity and form, as I am now.”
Nerys looked again at the dragon’s true form and whispered:
“If you dream, then… is the seal a kind of sleep?”
“It is similar. But more precisely, it is stasis. A fixation created by the power of Pheros—the power of time.”
Time.
The moment the word left the dragon’s mouth, Nerys’s hand stiffened. Cledwyn looked at her in confusion. (T/N: Sooooooooooooo, they (Cledwyn’s true bloodline/ancestors) were responsible for Nerys’ time travel?)
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Not yet. The word “time” alone was not enough.
“You said Pheros was sealed. Are you certain? What exactly is Pheros’s power?”
Cledwyn questioned sharply. The dragon answered sorrowfully:
“Cross-species bloodlines between humans and other races were rare, but they existed. Some inherited an unusually large portion of their non-human ancestor’s power. When such power manifested, the bearer’s Jeweled Eyes awakened as proof. Three such prodigies—once each century at most—appeared all at once six centuries ago. Bistor the Brave held the power of the giants.”
Giants—the ancient race said to be as towering as fortresses and as fierce as storms.
“Elandria the Honest held the power of the demonfolk.”
Demonfolk… beings said to entice humans with beauty and command hideous monsters like kings. Nerys’s mind reeled as myths she had assumed were exaggerated suddenly felt disturbingly real.
“And Pheros the Beautiful held the power of the fae. Bistor was strong, Elandria’s words were trusted by all, and Pheros—of noble high elf blood—was unbound by time.”
A high elf.
A race so rare it scarcely appeared even in stories.
“Only one free from time may wield it. If abused, even the greatest dragon could be frozen forever in a single moment. Trapped eternally within their own worst nightmare until they forgot themselves.”
Nerys’s face hardened. So did Cledwyn’s.
The description was familiar. It matched precisely what Nerys had endured not long ago.
“If that was Pheros’s power… then how was he sealed as well?”
“I do not know what occurred after I slept. I only felt the magic. As for the events of that time… it is faster to show you. Children, place your hands on the wall. Together.”
The couple exchanged glances. Though the dragon had not harmed them, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t.
But after a moment of thought, Nerys gave a tiny nod. She needed answers. If she missed this chance, the truth would be nearly impossible to reclaim.
Cledwyn looked surprised that the normally rational Nerys agreed so readily, but he did not object. He only smiled faintly, as if to say: if she decided, that was enough.
Slowly, they placed their hands on the barrier.
❖ ❖ ❖
A black banner embroidered with a white wildcat fluttered in the wind.
The largest wildcat banner stood over a command tent atop a hill. Around it, knights and their squires rushed about with grim faces.
Their movements halted when they saw two groups approaching.
The first group—fifteen or so—were young and noble-looking. The second group lagged behind slightly: two young women dressed plainly.
A small company for the center of a military camp, but both groups walked confidently, paying no mind to the stares.
The front group was beautiful—half had long pointed ears. Even those with shorter ears had tips subtly tapered unlike normal humans.
At their center was a young man with glossy pale-blue hair and deep gray Jeweled Eyes. His sculpted features carried a playful smile. He held a large staff, and on his back rested a bow and quiver marked with dark stripes.
Among the second group was a platinum-blonde girl of about twelve. Her vivid violet eyes darted shyly toward the silver-haired woman walking beside her, then away, cheeks red.
The silver-haired woman—early twenties—possessed the same Jeweled Eyes, hers visibly shimmering. She was breathtakingly beautiful, lively, and brilliant.
When both groups drew close enough, a man emerged from the command tent beneath the wildcat banner.
He was massive—twenty to thirty percent larger than anyone around him, vertically and horizontally. His muscular frame was dense with power. His thick ash-gray hair flared wildly.
His navy-blue eyes—Jeweled Eyes—swept over them.
The gray-eyed man and violet-eyed woman smiled warmly at him. But the navy-eyed man only frowned.
The violet-eyed woman snapped irritably and muttered something. The gray-eyed man laughed, cooling her temper…
❖ ❖ ❖
Inside the tent, the three Jeweled-Eyed argued angrily. Their disagreement escalated until the violet-eyed woman slammed the map-covered table and stormed out.
The platinum-blonde girl waited in front of the tent. When the violet-eyed woman emerged, she softened immediately and smiled. The girl ran to her reverently.
Soon after, the gray-eyed man exited as well. He and the violet-eyed woman exchanged a few words.
They seemed close. Though she had been bristling moments earlier, the violet-eyed woman laughed brightly soon afterward.
The gray-eyed man removed a necklace bearing a large locket from his neck and showed it to the platinum-blonde girl. She clung to the violet-eyed woman’s robe but peeked at the locket.
Inside was a portrait of a black-haired woman. Her ears were round like a human’s, her smile warm and loving.
A man in white robes watched them quietly from beside the tent…
❖ ❖ ❖
A tall woman with hair like molten gold laughed with the violet-eyed woman as they walked along a rugged mountain path. They moved as if on a pleasant stroll.
Suddenly, the brush rustled. The golden-haired woman narrowed her eyes.
The gray-eyed man emerged, raising his hands in peace. The golden-haired woman’s pupils slit vertically.
The violet-eyed woman shrugged with a smile. The three sat together and spoke…
❖ ❖ ❖
A towering stone structure before a vast cave collapsed. Lightning flashed; fires raged.
Only those bearing the wildcat emblem filled the area. Faces twisted with bloodlust, they destroyed everything. Monsters, humans, elves—none were spared.
A soldier swung his blade at a young elf with sky-blue hair. The youth froze in terror.
Just as his vision went dark, the soldier’s movement stopped. An arrowhead jutted from his chest.
The violet-eyed woman rushed to the young elf, steadying him with fury burning in her eyes. She looked toward the one orchestrating this massacre—
The navy-eyed man beneath the wildcat banner, smiling with smug certainty.
He gestured to a subordinate, who dragged forward the gray-eyed man bound in ropes.
The violet-eyed woman went pale.
‘You’ve lost.’
Even from afar, anyone could read the navy-eyed man’s lips. Then something unseen ‘burst’ from the cave like a shockwave.
The stone buildings, the forest—everything trembled. A circular wave radiated outward.
Those who had slaughtered moments earlier were seized with terror. Most fell to their knees; the rest turned corpse-white.
A golden-scaled dragon emerged slowly from the cave.
Its size defied human comprehension. Its presence radiated unstoppable power. Fire sparked with each breath.
No mortal could face such a being. But the navy-eyed man bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile.
For he knew this dragon could never abandon her friends…
❖ ❖ ❖
The gray-eyed man’s body was discarded like trash. The navy-eyed man watched with ecstasy as the dragon’s lair sank.
Like a heavy mass swallowed into desert sand, the once-palatial lair was drawn into the earth. The cliff behind it rose higher.
Blood dripped from the pouch in the navy-eyed man’s hand.
On the high cliff, the violet-eyed woman watched, tears of blood streaking her face. She already looked near death—several arrows pierced her body.
Beside her, the platinum-blonde girl held her, face smeared with dirt, blood, and grief. The woman cupped the girl’s face and whispered something gentle.
She was unmistakably preparing for her last breath. The girl sobbed, shaking her head over and over.
But when the woman finally went still—
The girl staggered to her feet. Then she ran.
Her eyes, burning with hatred, gleamed like gemstones.