The retreat horn continued to echo across the battlefield.
Norvoss forces withdrew in disciplined formation, carrying their wounded as quickly as they could.
Among them...
Several elite soldiers carefully supported General Aerys.
Every step left droplets of blood behind.
His abdomen had been split open by Tai's hatchet.
blood continued to seep through the bandages.
His face had become frighteningly pale.
A short distance away...
Tai sat with his back against a shattered boulder.
His breathing was slow and ragged.
"...Huff..."
"...Huff..."
His right shoulder was a mess.
The axe wound had nearly split through the muscle.
He pressed one gloved hand firmly against it, trying to keep it from reopening.
His black steel hatchet rested beside him.
Too heavy to lift again.
One Norvoss soldier noticed him.
"...General."
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"He's still alive."
The soldier began walking toward Tai.
"If I kill him now—"
"No."
The voice was weak.
But unmistakably firm.
Everyone stopped.
Aerys slowly lifted his head.
His eyes locked onto the soldier.
"...Leave him."
The soldier frowned.
"...Sir?"
Aerys drew a painful breath.
"If you kill him..."
He coughed, blood staining his lips.
"...I'll personally execute you."
Silence.
The soldiers stared at their commander.
Aerys looked once more toward the exhausted wolf beastfolk.
"He fought..."
"...with honor."
Tai let out a tired breath.
"...Huff..."
A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"...Guess..."
"...that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
Neither man smiled.
They simply looked at one another for a brief moment.
Two warriors.
One battlefield.
One duel that had ended without either truly standing victorious.
Then...
The Norvoss soldiers turned away.
They carried their general back toward their retreating army.
Tai watched them disappear over the battlefield.
Only after they were gone did he finally allow himself to lean his head back against the stone.
"...Damn..."
"...Everything hurts."
Several minutes later...
A group of Aegis soldiers came running across the battlefield.
The moment they spotted him, their expressions changed.
"Captain Tai!"
"By the gods..."
"Hurry!"
They rushed to his side.
"Easy!"
"Watch his shoulder!"
"Don't move him too fast!"
Two soldiers carefully lifted him to his feet.
The instant they touched his injured shoulder—
"ARRGH!"
Tai winced, his ears flattening against his head.
"Easy!"
"I'm trying!"
"...There..."
He hissed through clenched teeth as they adjusted their grip.
"...There goes..."
He took another painful breath.
"...my cardio for the week."
Despite everything...
Several soldiers couldn't help letting out exhausted laughs.
Even battered and bleeding...
The Phantom still found time for a joke.
And somehow...
That was exactly what everyone needed.
The battlefield gradually fell silent.
The clash of steel had faded.
Only the groans of the wounded and the distant footsteps of retreating soldiers remained.
From atop a small rise, Princess Selene watched the orderly withdrawal of the Norvoss army.
Her golden eyes slowly lifted.
Far across the battlefield...
Two dragons stood amidst the wreckage.
Ebruhan.
And Mia.
For a brief moment...
Their gazes met.
Even from such a distance, Selene could feel the weight behind those sapphire-blue eyes.
Mia looked at her.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them moved.
Then...
Mia's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Not hatred.
Not anger.
A warning.
A silent declaration that this battle was over...
But the war wasn't.
A moment later, she turned away.
"...Leo."
Her voice was quiet, almost hurried.
"I need to check on him."
Beside her, Ebruhan gave a weary rumble.
"Grrah... rwarr."
Mia nodded once.
Without another word, she spread her wings.
Woosh
A gust of wind swept across the battlefield as the young Abyss dragon launched into the sky, racing toward the Lumeris camp.
Ebruhan remained where he was.
He silently surveyed the battlefield one final time.
Broken siege engines.
Burning mana-restraining cannons.
Abandoned weapons.
Countless fallen soldiers from both sides.
Victory...
Never came without a price.
After a long moment, he finally turned back toward Lumeris.
His left wing still hung at an unnatural angle.
Healing magic had begun mending the fracture, but it was far from recovered.
Deep bite marks covered his neck, shoulders, and forelegs.
Heavy chains still dangled from parts of his body, clinking softly with every step.
The great Storm Dragon walked home...
Not as an untouchable legend.
But as a warrior who had survived.
Far behind him...
Selene continued watching until both dragons disappeared from sight.
Only then did she quietly fold her arms.
"...They're truly troublesome."
There was no frustration in her voice.
Only calm acknowledgment.
She had just witnessed exactly why kingdoms feared dragons.
And why defeating them would never be simple.
The Lumeris camp was unrecognizable.
Victory had come...
But it had come at a terrible cost.
Exhausted soldiers limped through the camp, many supporting wounded comrades over their shoulders.
Others lay on stretchers, groaning in pain as healers rushed past.
The medical tents were overflowing.
Mages worked without pause, sweat soaking their robes as healing circles glowed one after another.
No one had the luxury of resting.
A gust of wind swept across the camp.
Mia descended from the sky.
Before her feet had fully touched the ground, her body shimmered.
Black scales dissolved into light.
Moments later, she stood there in her human form.
Her blue eyes searched frantically.
"W-Where's Leo?"
The nearby soldiers immediately understood.
One silently pointed toward a large medical tent.
"There."
Mia didn't even thank him.
She ran.
Faster than she ever had.
The tent flap flew open.
Inside...
Three senior mages stood around a bed, their hands raised as streams of pale mana flowed continuously into Leo's unconscious body.
His face was frighteningly pale.
His breathing was so faint it was almost impossible to hear.
Mia instinctively took a step forward.
"...Leo..."
A hand gently stopped her.
Vinson.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
Tear stains still marked his face.
His voice was quiet.
"...Not yet."
"They're still healing him."
Mia slowly looked up at him.
Her lips trembled.
"W-What..."
"...What happened to him?"
Emma slowly stood from beside the bed.
She looked exhausted.
"He..."
She swallowed.
"He took a direct hit from a mana-restraining cannon."
Silence.
Emma lowered her eyes.
"...To protect you."
Mia froze.
"...What?"
For a moment...
She simply stared.
Unable to process what she'd heard.
Then her voice broke.
"W-Will..."
"...Will he be okay?"
Emma hesitated.
That hesitation alone terrified Mia.
"We're doing everything we can."
"The cannon drained an enormous amount of mana from his body."
"Far more than any human should ever lose."
"We've stabilized him..."
"...But now..."
"...We have to wait."
The words struck harder than any blade.
Mia's knees weakened.
"...No..."
Her hands began shaking.
"So..."
"So he's..."
Her breathing became uneven.
"...He's like this..."
"...Because of me?"
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I..."
"I should've..."
"I should've woken up sooner..."
"I should've protected him..."
"I..."
Her voice collapsed into sobs.
"It's..."
"It's all my fault..."
Before she could say another word—
Two warm hands rested gently on her shoulders.
Vinson knelt before her.
Despite the grief in his own eyes...
His voice remained steady.
"No."
Mia looked at him through blurred vision.
"...It isn't your fault."
He repeated it more firmly.
"Don't carry that burden."
"He made his choice."
"He chose to protect someone precious to him."
"Just as I would've."
His eyes drifted toward Leo.
A faint, bittersweet smile appeared on his face.
"That's the kind of person my son is."
Mia bit her lip.
Tears streamed freely down her cheeks.
"But..."
"I..."
"I couldn't protect him..."
Her shoulders trembled.
"I'm sorry..."
"I'm so..."
"So sorry..."
Unable to hold herself together any longer...
Mia's shoulders shook as she cried.
She tried to hold it back.
She couldn't.
Without another word, Vinson stepped forward and gently pulled her into his embrace.
"It's alright..."
He slowly stroked her hair.
"There, there..."
His own voice was trembling.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Mia."
He pulled back just enough to look into her tear-filled eyes.
"Look at me."
She slowly lifted her head.
"...Leo wouldn't want to see you blaming yourself."
"He'd want to see you smiling."
"So..."
His expression softened.
"...don't cry anymore, alright?"
Mia bit her lip.
"...Y-Yes..."
"...Sir..."
The tears didn't stop.
But they came more quietly now.
Then—
"...Mia."
It was barely louder than a whisper.
Her eyes widened.
She turned so quickly she almost stumbled.
"...Leo!"
The boy had opened his eyes.
They were still weak.
His face remained pale.
Even lifting his head seemed impossible.
Yet...
He was looking at her.
Vinson rushed to the bedside.
"Son!"
Mia dropped to her knees beside him.
"Leo..."
Her voice cracked.
"Stay strong, okay?"
"Please..."
"Don't...you.."
Her words stuck inside as Leo gave the tiniest smile .
"D-Don't.."
He struggled for every breath.
"...worry..."
"...I'll..."
"...be..."
"...fine..."
Fresh tears spilled down Mia's cheeks.
Leo slowly raised a trembling hand.
Even that small movement looked painfully difficult.
His fingertips gently brushed away the tears running down her face.
"...You..."
"...look..."
"...beautiful..."
A weak chuckle escaped him.
"...when..."
"...you cry..."
He smiled again.
"...But..."
"...I like..."
"...your smile..."
"...more."
Mia laughed through her tears.
It was shaky.
Broken.
But it was a smile.
Unable to stop herself, she leaned forward and buried her face against his chest.
"I'm sorry..."
"I'm so sorry..."
"I..."
"I couldn't..."
Leo slowly rested his hand on her head.
"...Heh..."
"...I..."
"...kept..."
"...my promise..."
"...right?"
Mia nodded over and over.
Her tears soaked his shirt.
"You did..."
"You idiot..."
"You really did..."
She tightened her grip around him.
"You kept it..."
The room became quiet.
The three mages standing nearby silently lowered their eyes.
None of them spoke.
They simply turned away...
Giving the siblings the privacy they deserved in that fragile, precious moment.
Night had fallen over the Lumeris camp.
The battlefield outside had finally gone quiet.
No more clashes.
No more explosions.
Only the occasional footsteps of soldiers changing shifts and the distant sounds of healers continuing their work.
Inside the medical tent...
Mia sat beside Leo's bed.
She hadn't moved much since sunset.
Leo was asleep now.
His breathing was still weak, but steady.
A small sign of life that Mia kept watching over.
Nearby, the mages slowly lowered their hands.
Their faces were pale.
Exhaustion was obvious in every movement.
The head mage let out a tired breath.
"That should be enough for tonight."
Mia immediately looked toward him.
"How is he?"
The old mage glanced at Leo.
"He needs rest."
"Considering he was able to wake up and speak..."
He nodded slightly.
"That is a very good sign."
Mia looked back at Leo.
Her expression softened.
Then...
A question she had been holding back finally escaped.
"How long..."
"How long until he recovers?"
The head mage became quiet.
He knew she wouldn't like the answer.
"We don't know for certain."
Mia's hands tightened.
"..."
"Maybe two weeks."
"Maybe three."
"It depends on how quickly his body restores what was lost."
Her eyes lowered.
Three weeks.
To Mia, who had spent years watching time pass differently as a dragon...
It suddenly felt unbearably long.
Then the head mage's expression became serious.
"However..."
Mia looked up.
"Miss Mia."
"Do not even think about giving him your dragon mana."
Her eyes widened.
"But..."
"No."
The mage interrupted immediately.
"No buts."
His voice softened slightly.
"You need to understand."
"A dragon's mana is not the same as a human's."
"Your body can contain that level of energy because you were born with a dragon's core."
"Leo was not."
Mia looked at the sleeping boy.
The boy who had stood in front of a cannon for her.
The boy who had promised he would protect her.
"If you force your mana into him..."
The mage shook his head.
"...you might hurt him instead of helping him."
Mia remained silent.
Her fingers gently touched the edge of Leo's blanket.
The same hands that could destroy armies...
Could do nothing for the one person she wanted to protect most.
The head mage sighed.
"Trust him."
"He survived because he is stronger than you think."
Mia stared at Leo for a long time.
Then quietly whispered...
"...Idiot."
The medical tent gradually grew quiet.
Most of the mages had already left to tend to other wounded soldiers.
Only the gentle glow of a mana lamp illuminated the room.
Mia remained seated beside Leo's bed.
She watched his sleeping face for a long time.
"..."
A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
Staying in her human form felt... wrong.
She wanted to stay close to him.
Just like before.
Just like when she had been nothing more than a tiny hatchling.
An idea suddenly crossed her mind.
"...Maybe..."
She stood up and took a few steps back.
Closing her eyes, she gathered mana into her body.
Carefully.
Slowly.
Instead of returning to her full dragon form...
She imagined something much smaller.
Much younger.
Much more familiar.
"...Come on..."
A soft puff of smoke filled the tent.
Poof.
When the smoke dispersed...
A small black dragon, barely a meter and a half long from snout to tail, blinked her sapphire-blue eyes.
Mia looked down at herself.
She flexed her tiny claws.
Flicked her tail.
Then gave an approving little nod.
"...Perfect."
With surprising care, she climbed onto the bed.
The mattress dipped slightly beneath her weight.
She circled once...
Twice...
Before curling herself gently across Leo's chest, careful not to disturb his injuries.
A soft rumble escaped her throat.
Warm.
Comforting.
Just like it had years ago.
Within minutes...
The little dragon was asleep.
---
Some time later...
The tent flap quietly opened.
Vinson stepped inside, intending to check on Leo before getting a little rest himself.
Instead...
He stopped.
His tired eyes softened.
There, beneath the warm glow of the mana lamp...
Leo slept peacefully.
And curled protectively atop his chest...
Was a small black dragon.
Only a meter and a half long.
Just like the little hatchling she had once been.
Vinson couldn't help but smile.
"...Some things never change."
He gently pulled the blanket a little higher over the two sleeping siblings.
Then, without making a sound...
He stepped back outside.
The tent flap closed.
Leaving only the quiet breathing of a boy...
And the tiny dragon who refused to leave his side.