#188

Many things Cullen had believed in had always failed him, yet there was one belief he still held onto.

Dragons never die.

He was someone who had witnessed the immortality and strength of Dragons more clearly than anyone. Even if they were injured, it was only for a fleeting moment. They always maintained their noble appearance, never showing any wounds.

But at the moment he saw the robe stained scarlet, something wavered.

The doubt that had been gnawing at him had become a reality. The reason he had paid attention to the subtle changes in the Dragon, the price of his salvation, the root of his constant worry surfaced in his mind. Combined with a trivial remark Black had made, an absurd hypothesis arose.

What if… the Dragon no longer possessed the same strength as before?

There had already been several incidents proving that premise. The moment he recognized it, Cullen moved without hesitation. His body moved first, just as it had reacted that morning when he saw the Dragon falter. He didn’t even know what drove him. But the Demonic Beast wouldn’t let him.

Kieeeak!

The Demonic Beast, sensing a different aura, let out a ferocious cry as a warning. Then, as if taking advantage of the current lull, it spread all the long legs on its back.

Sensing the unusual momentum, Cullen drew his bow. He had to find a weakness. A weakness, he had to find…!

But before he even had time, the Demonic Beast unleashed another attack he hadn’t anticipated. The thorns attached to its long, spider-like legs grew longer.

It was similar to when it had burst the red liquid earlier. The Demonic Beast was about to shoot all these thorns… He immediately scanned his surroundings, but there was no space to evade.

This was the Demonic Beast’s hunting method. Destroying everything around without a place to hide, killing all life in the vicinity.

The moment he realized this, the ground trembled. Though he sensed death, Cullen felt nothing. He simply calmly assessed the reality. Yes, this was what he had wanted.

The composure that would protect him in any situation.

Everything appeared to slow down simultaneously. Sharp, heavy black thorns shot out from all directions, several flying towards him. Believing he would be pierced through the head, just then…

“Cullen!”

A cry close to a scream was heard, and someone embraced him. Naturally, the expected pain did not come. There was no feeling of being pierced, only the warmth of a body. A large embrace, soft and firm, that enveloped him.

Cullen fell backward. Pushed by the impact of being embraced and pushed away, he rolled on the ground, seeing scattered golden hair. The long strands tickled his cheek, followed by a pale face. Behind the Dragon’s scorched wings, countless thorns embedded in his back were visible.

He opened his lips. Blinking his wide eyes, Cullen stared blankly at the scene. He knew it wasn’t the time, but his mouth moved.

It was like his father, who had died embracing his mother. His father, with his entire back pierced by spears, dying like that…

He overlapped with Kiyen.

To Kiyen, who was in front of him.

Kiyen.

Cullen whispered his name silently. As if hearing the quiet echo, Kiyen vomited blood. Following the sound of coughing, bright red blood gushed from his pink lips. His chest was redder than before.

Despite his condition, Kiyen reached out and touched Cullen’s cheek. His blue-gold eyes contorted tenderly.

“You’re not hurt, hah….”

As the voice of relief echoed, his heart felt like it would explode. He couldn’t understand why, but he felt a ‘feeling’ of going mad. He felt forgotten emotions rising.

“Take the children and flee. With ordinary Magic…”

Kiyen coughed up blood again. It was incomparably more blood than when he had embraced me from Kia. If he were human, he would have died long ago. No, even if not human, the wounds looked fatal. Even for a Dragon, it looked fatal.

“It seems impossible to kill. Don’t get caught, run… hah…”

The Dragon, catching his breath, composed his expression and slowly stood up. Realizing his attack hadn’t worked, the Demonic Beast twisted its long body and let out a roar, ‘KRAAAAH!’ Thorns flew again. However, this time, a red membrane blocked them.

“Cullen-nim, we have to go.”

Lasano, who seemed to have rushed over, extended his hand with a serious expression. The power he used had the color of Akesis, which he had witnessed before.

He had brought the three Young Dragons with him, perhaps having followed them while Kiyen and Cullen were under attack. Their tear-streaked faces were visible, and even Black, who usually maintained a stoic expression, looked hardened with shock and anxiety.

“We must leave this to Kiyen-nim.”

But…

His head understood, but his body felt heavy. The judgment that he couldn’t delay any longer pushed him. Forcing himself, he placed his palm on the ground and retreated.

Seeing him move, Kiyen slowly raised his eyelashes and, staggering, stood up.

“Go far away with Cullen. Immediately.”

Kiyen said to Black, who stood rigidly, his expression hardened. The child’s hand trembled.

“But, Guardian-nim…”

“With the three of your power, you can cast spatial distortion. If you go down to the campsite, it will be enough.”

Meanwhile, the Demonic Beast had disappeared into the ground. Cat, who had been crying, managed to say,

“That kind of, sob, power is something we haven’t tried yet, I, I don’t think I can do it…”

“You can. You are merely afraid and avoiding it.”

The vibration approached his feet. The moment Cat was about to shake his head, Kiyen shouted,

“Don’t make the same mistake I did!”

With the shout, the ground collapsed with a ‘KWAANG!’ As his body swayed and threatened to fall, Cullen unconsciously grabbed Kiyen’s robe. He hadn’t grabbed him first since his return.

Kiyen’s eyes widened as he saw Cullen’s hand. But he couldn’t see what was behind him. As the ground gave way and his feet floated in the air, light spread out.

A blue light exploded between them, vast and immense. A refreshing energy shook his entire body, and dizziness washed over him. With a feeling of floating, his consciousness slowly returned.

He saw a pitch-black night sky. Black clouds, devoid of a single star, spun around, and then, unlike before, he saw bare ground surrounded by trees. It was where they had been. Seeing a calmly burning campfire, as if the events they had just experienced were unbelievable, Cullen stood up, staggering.

In front of him were the Young Dragons, who had collapsed. White had a blank expression, frozen, while Cat wiped away tears, breathing heavily. Black stood blankly, staring in the direction Kiyen had been.

Cullen watched the direction Black was looking, his gaze fixed on the hand that had let go of his robe. The events that had transpired in such a short time swept through his mind like a torrent. Kiyen, who had been spitting up blood, impaled, would not leave his sight. He looked as if he would die at any moment.

As if he would die at any moment.

“I will go back up.”

Unlike himself, Cullen said so and surveyed his surroundings. As he strode forward fiercely to retrieve a weapon from the extra luggage, Lasano stumbled and rushed over to stop him.

“There is nothing humans like us can do. Kiyen will return.”

“But didn’t you see!”

His voice rose. The deep, resonant tone that echoed was chilling. Cullen himself was bewildered. The composure he had maintained even when facing death was shaken in an instant. Why, why, why…!

“We might not be able to face it alone.”

“But we might be more of a hindrance by going. That just now had an unbelievable size and power among the Demonic Beasts I’ve seen in the past three years. Besides, Cullen-nim…!”

Lasano gestured towards the Young Dragons and said.

“We can neither leave them behind nor take them with us. They are terrified.”

Lasano, who spoke words Cullen himself might have uttered, slowly brought him back to his senses. Cat, who had Kiyen’s exact face, silently swallowed her tears and clenched her fists tightly, while Black looked dazed.

In such a shocking situation, the Young Dragons would not be able to contribute to their strength. Nor would he.

Moreover, it was uncertain whether he, who had been revived, would be immune to the Magic Kiyen used as before. As he said, if he got caught up in it… he would only be a burden.

Logically, it was right for him to wait here for the situation to resolve. There was no reason to act emotionally. He couldn’t feel emotions, so of course, that’s how it should be.

Clenching his fists until they felt like they would crush, Cullen caught his breath. Forcing himself to persuade himself, he tried to soothe the Young Dragons. But as if to mock his resolve, a roar echoed from afar.

KWAOOO—!

A white flash formed a circle and spread out like an exploding sun. It was a light so bright it momentarily turned night into day.

The entire mountain shook. The intense power, which seemed to have blown away and melted everything nearby, affected them here as well. The wind blew like mad, and branches were torn away.

“……The energy is gone.”

At that moment, White, who had been staring blankly, said softly, looking in the direction of the light. Black continued.

“I can’t feel it anymore.”

Hearing that, the strange churning in his stomach settled just a little. He forced his trembling fingers to grip tightly and Cullen asked.

“Is he alright?”

He had been calling his name repeatedly in his mind until just now, but he couldn’t actually say it out loud. Despite the vague reference, Cat turned her head and looked up at Cullen. Then, her large eyes curved sadly. Tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks.

“Guardian-nim, I can’t feel you either….”