The night was quiet after the battle, the stars glimmering above like a thousand silent witnesses. Michi sat on the broken remains of the cart, bandaging the shallow cuts on his arms. Across from him, Veynar and Veylika sat cross-legged, their golden eyes burning faintly in the firelight.
For a while, no one spoke. The air was still heavy with the echo of steel against claw. Finally, Veynar broke the silence. His voice was low, edged with bitterness.
"Michi… you should know what's happening. Why we're here. Why Drango's shadow looms again."
Michi looked up, his expression steady though fatigue lingered in his eyes. "Tell me everything."
Veylika leaned forward, her claws glinting in the firelight. "Years ago, when you defeated Drango, he crawled back to the Arklight Guild. He was humiliated, broken. But instead of disappearing, he hardened. Every day he trained, every night he pushed his limits, all for one reason: to one day defeat you."
Junia crossed her arms tightly, her face pale. "So he's been waiting, sharpening himself for this moment…"
Veynar nodded. "Yes. But that wasn't all. Sylvia, the master of the Arklight Guild, gave him a mission. A cruel one." His jaw tightened. "She ordered him to go to Qanbarash and kidnap dragon children."
Gasps rippled through the group. Kael slammed his fist against the ground. "What?! Dragon kids?"
"They are taken," Veylika said bitterly. "Sold on the black market, enslaved, used for… horrible purposes. Their blood, their scales, their very lives traded like coin."
Michi's hands clenched into fists. "Monsters…"
Veynar continued, his tone dark. "With a massive team, Drango marched there. Rishdania at his side. Others too. They raid Qanbarash even now, snatching dragon children from their families. The dragons…" His voice softened. "…they are calm creatures. They do not crave war. They don't want to fight, even when threatened. They pleaded instead, begged for help."
Veylika's eyes flickered toward Michi. "That is why they reached out. That is why Prussaria sent for you. You are being drawn into their struggle."
The fire popped. Silence weighed heavy.
Lior rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So Drango is stronger than ever, backed by the Arklight Guild, and tearing apart the dragons' peace."
"Yes," Veynar said, eyes narrowing. "When he learned that the dragons sought your aid, he became… enraged. But also delighted. He saw it as fate, an opportunity. His madness grew."
Veylika lowered her head. "He ordered us—his own blood—to kill your friends. To slaughter them before your eyes, to drown you in despair. Only then, he said, would you be weak enough for him to finally kill you for good."
Junia's breath caught, horror flashing across her face.
Kael spat angrily. "That bastard… using even his own children as weapons!"
Michi's gaze darkened, his voice steady but heavy with anger. "And you obeyed?"
Veynar shook his head firmly. "No. We are his children, but we will not become his reflection. Drango is not a father—he is a curse. Because of him, the entire wolf race teeters on the edge of extinction. His endless thirst for blood has doomed us. We will not let his shadow consume us too."
Veylika's hands trembled slightly, but her voice was strong. "That is why we tested you tonight, Michi. To see if your strength was more than just luck, more than stories. If you were truly strong enough to stand against him. Because if we are to defy Drango… we must join forces with someone who can carry the fight to its end."
Tieu, who had been silent, finally spoke. Her voice was sharp, cutting through the night. "And you found your answer."
"Yes," Veynar said, his eyes locking on Michi. "You are worthy. Not only to face Drango, but to break his cycle of destruction."
Veylika nodded, her golden eyes softening for the first time. "We want to help the dragons. We want to stop him, and Sylvia's guild with him."
Michi exhaled slowly, his heart pounding. Their words sank into him like cold rain. He saw not enemies in front of him, but two souls caught in the chains of blood and legacy, struggling to break free.
"And Sylvia?" Lior asked cautiously.
Veynar's expression hardened. "She is worse than Drango. If he is fire, she is ice. Cold, calculating, cruel. She gave him this mission because it serves her guild. Qanbarash… has become their new base of power. The Arklight Guild is entrenched there now, feeding Drango's raids, protecting his madness, strengthening his grip."
Junia whispered, "So Qanbarash itself is under siege."
Veylika nodded. "Yes. The king of Qanbarash is a calm, gentle man. He does not desire war. He wants only peace with his family. But peace… is fragile. He cannot hold against Drango and the guild forever."
For a moment, the fire crackled louder than their voices. The weight of the truth pressed down on them all.
Finally, Michi stood. His bandaged arm throbbed, his cuts burned, but his eyes blazed with quiet determination.
"Then that's it. We know why we're going. We know what we're up against. Drango, Rishdania, the Arklight Guild… all of them. If they're tearing apart children's lives, if they're twisting peace into chains, then we have no choice but to stop them."
Veynar and Veylika both rose to their feet. Their movements were sharp, resolute.
"Then we stand with you," Veynar declared.
"Not as enemies. Not as slaves," Veylika added, her voice steady. "But as allies."
Michi's gaze swept across his companions—Lior's calm eyes, Kael's burning anger, Junia's determined stance, Tieu's calculating silence—and finally rested on the two siblings, bound not by blood but by choice.
He nodded once. "Then let's save Qanbarash. Together."
And in the quiet night, under the watching stars, a new bond was forged—born from betrayal, sealed in resolve, and sharpened for the battles yet to come.