-----Narrator-----
The village guards spotted a large silhouette barreling toward the gate as they snapped into formation with their spears lowered and boots grinding into the snow as they braced for impact.
The figure didn't slow.
Snow sprayed behind it with each heavy stride, the ground trembling faintly under its weight. The guards tightened their grips, breath misting in the cold air.
Then the shape broke through the fog of falling snow as the figure finally came into full view. Drenched in sweat and steam rising from his body in the freezing air.
He staggered to a stop before them, chest heaving, breath pouring out in thick clouds.
"Hah… hah… evening, Marius, Otto." he managed, offering a tired but familiar grin
"Reinhardt! Unusual to see you here so early."
Marius lowered his spear and stepped forward, extending a hand.
Reinhardt clasped it firmly, still catching his breath.
"Yes. I've finished my haul—and I'm heading back for seconds."
Otto blinked, stunned, and offered his own hand.
"Two hauls in a single day? Doesn't one take twelve hours on its own?"
Reinhardt shook Otto's hand as well, then swung his backpack around just enough to show the jars packed tightly inside.
"That's true, my friend. Which is why I need to get going before the sun sets."
Before either guard could reply, Reinhardt turned and jogged off, his massive frame moving with surprising ease as he disappear into the village.
"I've never seen Reinheardt this anxious before," Otto muttered, breaking the silence.
"Must be his daughter," Marius replied with a frown.
Otto turned his head, worry tightening his expression.
"That child—eh, I mean that adventurer who arrived a week ago… wasn't she a Saint Mage? Didn't she take a look at the girl?"
"She did," Marius said, lowering his spear fully. "But the symptoms only got worse. That's why Reinheardt doubled his shift."
Otto glanced back toward the snowy path Reinheardt had come from.
"That reminds me… shouldn't those two children be with him?"
Marius raised an eyebrow and shot him a sideways look.
"Despite how intimidating he looks, Reinhardt would never leave those kids in danger. They should be fine.
-----Sebastian POV-----
Matheus and I crouched behind a large rock, barely breathing as we watched the giant creature sprawled across the stone floor. Red scales shimmered like molten metal, its wings folded tight as it guarded the cave entrance with a slow, heavy breath.
The dragon's head shifted toward the far side of the cliff.
Without a hint of hesitation, Matheus lowered himself and slipped into a crouch‑walk, moving to the next boulder. I followed close behind, matching his pace, keeping low enough that my knees scraped the cold stone.
We repeated the pattern—wait, move, freeze—inch by inch.
With every step, the dragon's breaths grew louder, deeper, vibrating through the ground and into our chests. By the time we reached the last rock, we were so close that each exhale made our bodies tremble.
Matheus reached for a loose stone.
I knew exactly what he intended.
Before he could throw it, I grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
He shot me a confused look—until he saw me raise my hand.
I whispered a short chant and released a burst of wind magic toward the far corner of the cliff. The spell struck a distant boulder, shattering it into pieces with a sharp, echoing crack.
The dragon's head snapped toward the noise, its wings twitching as it lumbered to investigate the disturbance.
The moment its attention shifted, Matheus and I slipped out from behind the rock, moving fast and low.
We darted past the creature's massive tail and into the cave entrance before it could turn back.
Since I'd lived here before, I took the lead. But the deeper we moved into the cave, the more the air changed. The walls narrowed, the cold thickened, and those familiar sinister echoes slithered through the darkness.
Each sound tugged at old memories I didn't want to relive.
My steps slowed.
"M‑Mat…"
Matheus stopped just behind me.
"Uhm? Did you find it?"
I swallowed hard, my voice trembling.
"M‑maybe we should turn b‑back."
He frowned, confusion slipping into irritation.
"What's gotten into you? We talked about this already."
I felt my steps slow to a stop, my feet refusing to move any farther. Matheus noticed immediately and gave me a firm shove between the shoulder blades, forcing me forward.
"Find your bag, THEN we get out of here."
"W‑we might run into a dragon! We should've waited for Reinheardt!"
"Come on, Sebas! We both know Reinheardt would never let us do this if he were here!"
"P‑perhaps he's right! W‑why do we have to do it oursel—"
A vein pulsed on Matheus's forehead.
Before I could finish, his hand clamped down on my shoulder.
He spun me around with a sharp jerk, the force nearly knocking the breath out of me.
Suddenly his face was inches from mine, his eyes blazing with frustration and something deeper... As if fear, anger, worry all tangled together.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"
His shout echoed through the cave.
Seeing Matheus act so boldly in the middle of a stealth mission completely threw me off. Before I could recover, he kept rising his voice as frustration bioled over.
"WE… NO! YOU! YOU CAN SAVE ALICE FROM DYING, SO WHY ARE YOU HESITANT?"
His fingers tightened around my shoulder, digging in hard. I flinched, instinctively grabbing his forearm as my teeth clenched together.
The pain snapped something awake inside me.
My anger surged up fast.
I should just knock him out.
"Let go—"
Growl.
A deep and heavy grunt rolled out of the shadows vibrating through the stone and straight into my bones, making my whole body tremble.
Matheus felt it too. His grip loosened on my shoulder as he slowly turned toward the darkness.
Thud.
The ground trembled beneath our feet.
Thud.
A second impact, closer this time. My breath hitched as sweat slid down my cheek. I forced mana through my veins.
Thud.
Each step echoed louder, heavier as Matheus lifted his shovel and shifted into a sword stance, jaw clenched.
Huff…
A blast of scorching air washed over us, carrying the stench of smoke and heat. Then the shadows peeled back, revealing a massive red‑scaled dragon standing only a few steps away.
"Matheus…"
"Huh?"
"RUN!"
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!
I threw my hand forward, unleashing the freezing power inside me. A wall of ice erupted from the ground, thick and jagged, just as the dragon's head snapped in our direction.
THUD!
The beast slammed its skull into the barrier, cracks spiderwebbing across the ice.
It pulled back—
then rammed it again.
Matheus clicked his tongue in frustration and darted to the side, sprinting ahead. I pushed off the ground and followed right behind him.
CRASH!
The ice wall exploded into shards, scattering across the cave floor like shattered glass. A massive red shape burst through the debris, scales gleaming with fury.
ROOOOOOOAR!
The roar shook the entire cavern, dust raining from the ceiling as the dragon charged through the remnants of my spell.
"SEBAS! WHERE IS THE BAG?"
I spun in place, eyes darting across the cavern, trying to recognize anything! But all I saw was—
STONE.
ALL STONE.
"SEBAS!"
"Eh?"
Matheus suddenly stopped running. In the same heartbeat, he lunged toward me with his shovel low at his side.
"MHPH!"
He swung it upward in a wide, desperate arc.
SHING!
Metal scraped against scale.
Right beside my face, Matheus intercepted the dragon's claw inches from ripping me apart.
The impact sent a shockwave through the air.
Matheus didn't stand a chance.
He was thrown backward like a ragdoll as his body slammed into the cavern wall with a sickening thud.
"BLERGH—!"
Blood burst from his mouth, splattering across the stone as he crumpled to the ground.
ROOOOOOOOOAR!
The dragon's fury shook the cavern, and a blinding light flared behind me—hot, violent, growing brighter by the second.
My eyes snapped toward the wall where Matheus had crashed.
Carved lines. Faded paint. Ancient shapes.
The murals!
My gaze dropped to the ground, sweeping frantically across the stone until—
There.
My traveling gear, half‑buried in dust and rubble.
I thrust my hand forward and released a burst of wind magic.
The gust slammed into the bag, sending it skidding across the floor until it slid to a stop right beside Matheus's limp form.
Behind me, the heat intensified.
The light swelled.
The air itself trembled.
The dragon was about to breathe fire.
I clenched my jaw and pulled mana into my core, forcing it to gather, compress, and swirl until my whole body vibrated with the strain.
The temperature spiked.
The cave glowed red.
I braced myself for the incoming blast.
ROOOOOAR
A massive torrent of fire erupted from the dragon's jaws, flooding the cavern with blinding red light. I thrust my hand forward casting the toughest shield spell I could image.
An arcing barrier of shimmering light flared to life before me.
The flames slammed into it.
"GRRRRRH!!!"
The impact roared in my ears. The sheer force of the blast drove me backward, my boots scraping across the stone as the shield bowed under the pressure. Heat washed over me, searing the air, threatening to melt through my defenses.
My back inched closer to the wall.
I dug my heels in, muscles straining, trying to anchor myself. But the fire kept coming—relentless, crushing—and my feet slid another inch, then another, toward the stone behind me.
The shield flickered.
The wall loomed closer.
And the dragon's flames only grew hotter
"Urgh…?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matheus stirring—his fingers twitching, his head lifting slightly. Meanwhile, my lungs burned, my vision blurred, and sweat poured down my face as the temperature in the cave climbed higher and higher. The dragon's flames hammered against my shield, and I was barely holding it back.
"MATHEUS! HELP ME!"
The desperation in my voice snapped him awake. Matheus staggered to his feet, then rushed behind me. He wrapped his arms around my torso, planting his feet wide as he anchored both of us against the torrent of fire.
"MHHHMMM—!"
"AHHHHH—!"
Together we pushed, bracing against the overwhelming force. The shield trembled, cracked, then steadied as Matheus's weight locked me in place.
Slowly—agonizingly—the flames began to thin.
Then, at last, they faded out completely.
The moment the attack ended, my shield shattered into fading motes of mana. My legs buckled, and I dropped to my knees, gasping for air. The heat was so intense it felt like I was inhaling boiling water.
Matheus collapsed beside me, hands on his knees, panting just as hard.
I snapped my head up just in time to see the dragon recovering from its attack, muscles tensing, wings spreading as it prepared to lunge again.
Panic shot through me.
I scrambled to my feet, eyes darting towards Matheus carrying the adventurer's bag as he turned to me with a frantic look.
"WE HAVE TO GO—"
ROOOOOAR!
RROOAAR!
GRRRRR—
A chorus of roars crashed through the cavern as our vision filled with flashes of red coming out of the darkness.
A whole pack of Red Dragons.
They surrounded us in a tightening ring, wings half‑spread, claws scraping against the stone as they closed in—caging us in place with no path left to run.
-----Roxy Mirgudia POV-----
Cough… cough…
I rested my hand gently on the small figure bundled beneath layers of blankets. Even through the fabric, the heat radiating from her tiny body was far too intense for a child her size.
My gaze shifted toward Ms. Eir, the elderly bionist hunched over her workstation. She had been grinding mushrooms nonstop for the past two days.
"Her fever has gotten worse," I murmured.
Ms. Eir paused, exhaling a weary sigh as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Here. Give her another dose."
She handed me a small bottle filled with the dark, bitter liquid we'd been using to treat Alice. It wasn't a cure, but it eased the symptoms.... At least enough to keep her stable.
Even though I knew nothing about alchemy, guilt twisted in my stomach. Every decision I'd made this past week replayed in my mind, each one feeling heavier than the last.
I uncorked the bottle, poured a tiny amount into a spoon, and brought it to Alice's lips.
But the moment the medicine touched her tongue, she turned her head away, weakly resisting.
Her small hand trembled as she pushed against the spoon.
"Urgh… I don't want that…"
"It's your medicine. It's good for your health… please drink it."
She resisted at first with her small hands weakly pushing against mine. But after a moment, Alice's eyes lifted to meet mine—wide, tired, shimmering with pain.
"If I drink this… will the pain stop?"
The question hit me like a blade to the chest.
My breath caught.
My mouth refused to move.
If only I hadn't used magic on her…
If only I hadn't been so careless…
She wouldn't be suffering like this.
I hurt this child.
My limbs trembled as shame crawled up my spine. But Alice kept staring at me patiently waiting for my response. I forced myself to swallow the guilt, to gather whatever strength I had left, and to speak the gentle, steady words she needed to hear.
But the words wouldn't come out.
Ms. Eir stepped toward us, carrying a small tray with bread and a cup of water. She set it gently on the table beside the bed.
"You'd better eat as well, my little Alice."
Alice turned away from us, curling deeper under the blankets. Only the top of her head peeked out.
"I'm not hungry…"
"Alice…"
BAM!
The front door slammed open, and all of us turned. Reinheardt filled the doorway as he dropped his heavy bag to the floor with a dull thud and jars clinking as he unloaded the day's haul.
The first time I met him, I thought he was nothing but a barbaric mountain of muscle. But after this past week… I've seen how gentle he is and how tender he becomes around people.
Especially around children.
The blankets beside me rustled. Alice struggled to sit up, her small hands trembling as she pushed the covers aside.
"Daddy— cough, cough—"
Ms. Eir immediately rose from her chair and hurried to her side.
"No, no, you mustn't exert yourself, Alice."
She eased the girl back down, tucking the blankets around her again with practiced, gentle hands. Alice's breathing was shallow, her eyes glassy with fever, but she kept staring toward the doorway—toward her father.
And Reinhardt, upon hearing her voice, immediately crossed the room.
I stepped aside to give him space as he knelt beside the bed.
He took Alice's small hand in his massive palm, his thumb gently brushing through her orange hair.
"Hey, my little sparrow… how are you feeling?"
Alice forced a smile, her cheeks flushed with fever.
"Just a little warm! Once I get better, I want you to take me adventuring with Sebas and Matheus!"
Reinheardt's expression softened into a tired, aching smile.
"Of course, little one… that's your dream, after all—to become an adventurer—"
A piercing shriek cut through the air.
The sound rattled the windows, echoing across the stone walls. All of us froze, heads snapping towards the door.
Ms. Eir straightened, her voice sharp with alarm.
"Those are war cries from Red Dragons."
The room fell silent—except for the distant, growing roars outside.
Even though Red Dragons never strayed this far from their territory and threaten this remote village, the shriek outside twisted something deep in my gut.
Something was wrong.
My thoughts raced, snapping together piece by piece.
Reinhardt arrived early.
A dragon's war cry.
The direction of the sound—
That's where the Darkmor are harvested.
And the boys…
The boys aren't here.
The realization hit me like a punch to the chest.
I spun toward Reinheardt. He was already staring back at me, eyes wide, posture tense, as if he'd reached the same conclusion a heartbeat before I did.
"Reinhardt!"
Reinhardt begun heading for the door as he started to roll his shoulders and stretching his arms.
"I'll go pick them up."
My stomach dropped. I snatched my staff from the corner, gripping it so tightly my knuckles turned white.
"I–I will go too!"
Before I could take a step, Ms. Eir caught my wrist. Her expression was tight with fear.
"Those Red Dragons are in a state of fury, Roxy! Reinheardt won't be able to keep you safe if you go!"
My legs trembled at the very mention of dragons. I'd never fought a real one. Everyone knew how it takes ten A‑rank adventurers to bring down a single, fully grown Red Dragon. And towards the direction of the ear-splitting screeches, multiple winged shapes circled the mountain peak.
M‑maybe I shouldn't go… Matheus will be fine—
But then her face flashed in my mind.
The way she looked at me when she entrusted her son to my care...
I couldn't abandon him.
I drew in a deep breath, forcing the fear down as something hotter took its place. When I lifted my gaze to Reinhardt, my eyes burned with resolve.
"Take me with you."
Reinheardt's lips curled into a confident grin as he extended his massive hand toward me.
"HAHA! That's the spirit, young lady! Now climb on—no time to waste!"
I blinked, tilting my head in confusion as I reached for his hand.
"Shouldn't we grab our horses—AAAHHH!"
Before I could finish, he yanked me upward with absurd ease, planting me on his shoulder like I weighed nothing. One of his hands held me firmly in place.
"Hold on tight so you don't fall!"
"Don't fall?! What do you—"
Heat radiated from his body. Steam curled off his skin. He crouched low, his feet digging trenches into the dirt as the ground trembled beneath him.
Then he exhaled.
"Total Enforcement."
Every instinct in my body screamed in danger. I clutched my staff and hat with both hands as panic exploding through me.
"W‑wait—!"
"NINE!"
"EEEEEEEEEEH!?"
Reinheardt kicked off the ground.
The earth cracked beneath his feet.
A shockwave burst outward, scattering dust and loose stones.
My stomach lurched as the world dropped away beneath us.
Wind slammed against my face, flattening my hair back.
Trees blurred into streaks of green.
The village shrank into a cluster of tiny roofs.
The mountain peak surged toward us like a rising wall of stone.
In the span of a heartbeat, we were no longer in the ground.
We were hurtling through the sky at terrifying speed.