Percival stared at the sky for days.
He couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Could barely breathe. His body was paralyzed, broken beyond recognition. The snow never stopped falling, and the cold never stopped biting. He had defeated death twice but now, lying there on the summit of the Black Mountain, he wondered if this was where it ended.
He didn't know how much time had passed. Day bled into night. Night into day. The sky never changed. Neither did the silence.
Then, when all hope had drained from his chest, someone appeared.
A figure stood at the edge of the summit, looking down at him.
White hair. White eyes. Both glowing in the wind.
Percival blinked.
"B-Brother…?"
The words barely escaped his lips.
Percediel didn't speak. He simply stepped forward and placed a hand over Percival's forehead. A soft light bloomed from his palm, engulfing Percival's body. Warmth spread through him not just on the surface, but deep inside. Bones realigned. Flesh mended. The pain began to fade.
Percival's eyes widened. Of all people… it was his brother who had come to save him.
Even as the light worked its miracle, his limbs remained heavy. He couldn't move. Couldn't stand. So Percediel lifted him onto his shoulder.
Just as he prepared to fly away, Percival stirred. With all the strength he could muster, he raised one trembling arm and pointed toward the beast's torn chest.
Percediel followed his gaze. The nightmare core still pulsed inside the dragon's remains.
He sighed, walked over, and pulled it free. The core vanished into his stash.
Then he took to the skies, carrying his brother away from the mountain.
They returned to the human realm.
Percival wanted to complain. He didn't belong here. But he said nothing. He was too tired to argue.
The little girl stared at him with wide eyes. Her mother smiled kindly. Percival's ears were still ringing, his hearing muffled. He couldn't make out what they were saying around the table.
Percediel worked on him every day. Gentle stretches. Healing magic. Quiet encouragement. It took nearly two weeks, but eventually, Percival regained full control of his body.
And in that time, something changed.
He grew closer to his brother than he ever had before. He bonded with Lucy the girl with her father's glowing white hair and her mother's bright blue eyes. She was kind. Curious. Fiercely protective of her family. Percival respected that.
He started to understand what his brother had meant all those years ago.
He ate with them. Laughed with them. For a while, he forgot about the nightmare realm. Forgot about the throne. Forgot about the weight he'd carried for so long.
But peace never lasts.
The dragon's core radiated too much power. If left unchecked, it could bring calamity to the human world.
He had no choice.
He had to return.
"You really are going to leave, brother?" Percediel asked, his voice low.
Percival nodded.
"Sorry, brother. I must return. This core… being here is a danger to you and your family. A danger that belongs in the nightmare realm. I'm sure I can find some use for it."
He smiled.
Lucy peeked out from behind her father's leg.
"Will Uncle really be leaving us?"
"Yes, child… he will, sadly."
She ran forward and wrapped her arms around Percival's leg.
"I don't want you to go! Please don't leave!"
Percediel's wife watched with a soft, sad smile.
Percival knelt down and placed a hand on Lucy's head.
"Now, Lucy… I won't be gone for long. After I'm done with what I have to do, I'll return here. And this time, I'm sure I won't leave again."
"You promise?" she asked, wiping her tears.
"I promise," he said, smiling a smile that even he didn't realize was contagious.
Percival stepped forward.
"There's always something I wanted to ask you."
Percediel looked up.
"Ask away."
"How did you know I was dying up there on the Black Mountain?"
Percediel chuckled.
"How did I know? Oh, easy. An old man pleaded with me. Said you'd surely die atop the Black Mountains. So I flew as fast as I could. Took me a few days to get there."
Percival looked down, resting his chin in his hand.
That damned old man doubted me from the start…
He looked back up at his brother.
"Thank you."
Then he took off, wings slicing through the sky.
He returned to the nightmare kingdom a place hidden deep within the realm of shadows.
The old man was waiting.
"Well, you damn sure did take your time!" he barked as Percival landed in the alleyway.
"Sorry. Forgive me. But I brought you the core. Can you really forge me a weapon that will help me grow limitlessly?"
The old man grinned.
"Trust me, boy. I'm the greatest blacksmith to ever live. For I am the immortal god known as Artis!"
Percival froze.
Artis.
The undead god of legend. The one who forged weapons for the most powerful warriors in history. Some said their strength came not from bloodlines or training but from the spirit energy Artis poured into his creations.
"You're Artis? Why didn't you just say that from the start? You led me on for five years!"
"Ha! It was more fun that way. Besides, I didn't expect a demi-human like you to actually defeat that arrogant bastard."
He turned and walked into the forge.
The hammer came down.
Each strike echoed like thunder. Sparks flew. The nightmare core pulsed with every blow, reshaped by divine hands. Hours passed. The forge glowed brighter with each slam, until finally…
The weapon was born.
A black dagger.
Jagged. Asymmetrical. Radiating menace and mysticism. Its core shimmered with deep violet, streaked with black and slashed through by golden lightning patterns. The hilt was sleek and angular, wrapped in black leather veined with glowing purple light. It looked alive like it was waiting to be unleashed.
Artis took a second blade sharp, ordinary and slid it into a groove along the dagger's edge. It clicked into place like it had always belonged there. The moment it connected, the blade shimmered with a violet hue, charged by the dagger's energy.
"There you have it. Your dagger."
He sheathed the katana-dagger and handed it to Percival.
"Why does the dagger need a blade? And why does it resemble a katana?"
Artis smirked.
"You'll see once you use it in combat."
Then he turned.
And vanished into the darkness.
Never to be seen again.