"What will it be, little boy?" the dragon insisted, his voice echoing like thunder through the cavern.
"Can you not pursue this boy any further, Eureka?" For the first time, the girl's voice rose — calm yet commanding.
"Oh? I didn't think a mortal from this era would know my name." The dragon's grin widened, pleased that someone remembered him.
"It may seem like you're offering him the strength to protect what's precious to him," she replied coldly, "but power borrowed from an Unknown always demands a heavier price."
She certainly cut through the air. To her, such power was never a blessing — only a curse.
"Then why are you willing to protect and free this dragon?" Will gathered what courage he had to speak, his voice trembling yet sincere.
The girl did not turn to him. Though his words were meant for her, she stood motionless — her expression unreadable.
"That's not something you need to know," she said at last. "My purpose in this world is to fulfill my mission. As Eureka told you — you may seem insignificant now, but the future has a way of changing that. Eureka may be an enemy to this world, but we cannot yet tell whether his power will remain a threat… or become a salvation."
She clung to that fragile hope.
"Princess," the dragon's tone hardened, "why do you resist my plan so fiercely? If the boy accepts the sword, we gain a powerful ally. You know the Archains will soon begin their invasion."
That name — Archains — struck Will with confusion. There were no records of such a nation in history. Thousands of years ago, an unknown empire had tried to conquer Kyrtas, seeking dominion over all lands. Back then, the old gods themselves had intervened to protect the realm — yet even they could not uncover the enemy's true identity. That event had been the first time divine beings stepped into mortal affairs.
"Archains…?" Will whispered, uncertain but sensing the storm that name carried.
"There's no time left," the Princess said quickly. "I'll begin the enchantment to return you to your family."
She raised her hand, weaving sigils of light in the air. "Though the distance is great, open a door to link me to that place — in the name of—"
Before she could finish the incantation:
[Unable to complete enchantment! — The spell was canceled by a higher authority.]
"You dare cancel my magic, foolish lizard?" Her calm vanished. Crimson spears of blood formed around Eureka in an instant.
Will saw an opening and reached for the sword — but a scarlet hand burst from the air and threw him back.
"At this point, I'll simply force you to leave this place," the dragon growled. His fear turned to fury; hesitation became certainty.
[Ancient Dragon Authority — activated]
[Ancient Seal — weakening]
[Mobility and Force Magic — channeled]
Eureka's body ignited with runes of blood light. He was ready to face the very girl who had moments ago tried to protect him — all to forge a pact with the mortal.
"Until you wear the Empress Crown," he roared, "you are nothing compared to my power, Princess!"
"And you think you can defeat me?" her voice cut through his rage, calm but venomous.
"Your powers are sealed — shadows of what they were before the Hero struck you down."
[Princess Crown Authority — activated]
[Royal Buff — invoked]
[Intimidating Aura — released]
The air cracked. Two forces — divine and ancient — collided, and the world itself seemed to hold its breath.
The fog that once cloaked the space vanished in an instant, swept away by the impact of their auras. The air grew so dense that Will — a mere mortal — struggled to even move an inch.
What he saw when the fog cleared took his breath away.
The space around them stretched into infinity, yet it was utterly empty. Every sound echoed endlessly, as if rebounding through the bones of creation itself.
So this is the Hero's seal… Will thought. To create an endless world and imprison an Unknown… this isn't divine power — it's monstrous.
Only one word could describe the Hero's strength: Monster.
But for Will, it was not admiration — it was a curse of fear.
He remembered the rumors of a coming war, and dread crept into his chest. Since he ignored his duty as a guard, the consequences would not fall on him alone — his family would suffer too. That, he could never accept.
Even if it meant forming a pact with a being the world called an enemy made by old gods.
To gain that strength, he needed the sword. But to reach it, he would have to surpass an impossible opponent — the Princess.
"Hidden Class II, Rank 12 Onyx: Crimson Blood Vein — Arcento!"
Her voice rang like a blade. A hundred crimson magic circles ignited around Eureka, each one conjuring a spectral sword that pierced through him in a storm of blood light.
"Though the distance is great — open a door to link me to that place—" she began again, another attempt to send Will away.
[Unable to complete enchantment! — The spell was canceled by a higher authority.]
Eureka laughed, his voice rolling like thunder.
"Until I allow teleportation magic, you cannot use it." His tone dripped with mockery, entertained by her persistence.
"All I have to do is hold you — and the boy — until the seal reactivates," the Princess said, her voice steady as steel.
[Ancient Sealing Magic — activated.]
Dragon scales burst from the air and coiled around her like living chains. But before the seal could bind her—
"Special Hidden Class, Rank 14 Diamond: Crimson Blood Vein Art — Nothingness!"
[Ancient Sealing Magic — canceled by a higher authority.]
Eureka's eyes widened with delight.
"Amazing! For a few seconds, you even erased my authority!"
The Princess's gaze flicked across the empty expanse.
"Where's Will…?" she whispered — and realized she had lost sight of him.
"Ancient Breath."
The dragon exhaled, unleashing a torrent of crimson energy that tore through the void toward her.
"Tch." For the first time, the calm left her voice.
[Saint Authority — activated.]
A radiant aura surged from her body, colliding with the dragon's breath in a blinding wave.
"No wonder you found this place, Princess," Eureka growled — but for the first time, his confidence faltered. A single word echoed in his mind: Defeat.
Without his full powers, even he could not overcome a Saint — beings nearly divine, rivaling even the Hero who had once sealed him.
"There you are, little squirrel," the Princess said, her tone shifting — as Will's Invisibility skill flickered and faded.
[Skill "Invisibility" — deactivated.]