The darkness continued to spread.
It crawled across the ground like ink poured into water.
The villagers screamed.
Soldiers stumbled backward.
Even the dragons became restless.
---
Elsa remained on one knee.
Her fingers dug into the earth.
Her breathing grew heavier.
---
**Awaken.**
The voice returned.
Deep.
Ancient.
Almost like something speaking from inside her bones.
---
"No..."
Elsa whispered.
"I don't want to."
---
**You are not human.**
Her body trembled.
---
"I know."
---
**You are not dragon.**
---
"I know."
---
**Then why do you cling to their weakness?**
---
Elsa's eyes widened.
Images flashed through her mind.
Edward smiling.
Edward cooking.
Edward falling asleep beside the fireplace.
Edward carrying her after she injured her foot.
Edward teaching her how to read.
Edward calling her—
*"My daughter."*
---
Her trembling stopped.
---
"Because..."
She slowly raised her head.
---
"...that's what makes me me."
---
The voice went silent.
---
Elsa stood.
Her horn had turned dark red.
Her golden eyes remained unchanged.
---
The Dragon King stared at her.
---
"Elsa..."
---
She looked at him.
"I'm alright."
---
"No."
His voice was unusually serious.
"You're resisting it."
---
"Resisting what?"
---
"Your blood."
---
He looked toward the shattered black crystal.
---
"That crystal didn't awaken your power."
---
His expression darkened.
"It awakened something that has been sleeping inside your blood since birth."
---
Elsa clenched her fists.
---
"What?"
---
The Dragon King hesitated.
---
Before he could answer—
The masked commander laughed.
---
"Finally."
---
Everyone turned.
---
The commander stood among the darkness.
His mask had cracked.
Behind it was an ordinary human face.
No demonic appearance.
No monstrous features.
Just a man.
---
"This is what we wanted."
Jack raised his sword.
"You deliberately awakened her?"
---
"Of course."
The commander smiled.
"We needed proof."
---
"Proof of what?"
---
"That the prophecy is true."
---
He pointed toward Elsa.
---
"The Dragon-Blood will become the Calamity."
---
The villagers looked at Elsa.
Fear began returning to their eyes.
---
Elsa noticed.
Her chest tightened.
---
The commander continued.
---
"Look at her."
"Her horn has changed."
"Her aura is swallowing the land."
"How long before she loses control?"
---
Elsa lowered her eyes.
---
The words hurt.
Not because she believed him.
Because she was afraid others would.
---
The little girl who had given her the flower crown stepped forward.
---
"Big sister..."
---
Elsa looked at her.
---
The child was crying.
But she didn't run.
---
"Are you going to hurt us?"
---
Elsa's heart broke.
---
"No."
---
Her answer came immediately.
---
"I promised."
---
The little girl wiped her tears.
---
"Then I believe you."
---
The commander stared at her.
---
"Foolish child."
---
He raised his hand.
The remaining Purification knights prepared to attack.
---
Jack stepped forward.
---
"You heard her."
---
The soldiers behind him raised their weapons.
---
"She made a promise."
---
Rowan grinned.
---
"And Edward never raised a liar."
---
The spear warrior stood silently beside them.
---
The Dragon King spread his wings.
---
For one moment—
Elsa looked around.
Humans.
Dragons.
Soldiers.
Villagers.
People who had once feared one another.
Standing together.
---
Her father's dream.
---
She closed her eyes.
---
"Father..."
---
A warm memory answered.
---
*"If you're scared..."*
*"Take one step."*
*"You don't need to know where the road ends."*
*"Just take the next step."*
---
Elsa opened her eyes.
---
One step forward.
---
The darkness around her began to retreat.
---
Another step.
---
The red glow around her horn faded.
---
Another.
---
Her flames returned to gold.
---
The commander stared in disbelief.
---
"No..."
---
Elsa looked directly at him.
---
"You wanted me to become a monster."
---
Her voice was calm.
---
"But you forgot something."
---
She touched the flower crown on her head.
---
"My father taught me who I am."
---
The commander stepped backward.
---
"And he..."
Elsa smiled.
---
"...was very stubborn."
---
Golden flames erupted.
Not toward the villagers.
Not toward the soldiers.
---
Only toward the black crystal's remaining fragments.
---
They burned away.
---
The darkness vanished.
---
The battlefield became silent.
---
Elsa stood in the middle of it.
Exhausted.
Bleeding.
But still herself.
---
The little girl ran toward her.
---
"Big sister!"
---
Elsa caught her.
---
The child hugged her tightly.
---
"I knew you wouldn't hurt us."
---
Elsa closed her eyes.
She hugged the child back.
---
"Thank you."
---
Behind them, the spear warrior watched silently.
His eyes remained fixed on Elsa.
---
For reasons no one understood...
His expression was troubled.
---
He remembered something.
Something from sixteen years ago.
Something about the day Edward found the dragon.
---
But he pushed the memory away.
---
Not yet.
---
There were truths that needed to remain buried.
---
At least...
Until the time came when Elsa could survive hearing them.