#162

The moment Cullen collapsed, light began to seep from the sword. The purplish aura enveloped Cullen’s corpse and shot towards the sky. It was a massive beam of light, as if it had descended from above.

Strangely, this beam of light was visible to everyone in the world. To Ulli, who was far away, collecting Arne’s body with Lasano, and to those who had left the capital, it appeared as if it were close by.

The beam of light soon spread across the entire sky. The night clouds, which had turned black, were pushed away as if in retreat. The sky was soon dyed white.

The white night had arrived.

People murmured and gathered at the inexplicable phenomenon. Everyone on the continent gathered to gaze at the light shot from the Imperial Palace.

The Dragon, at the center of the mystical phenomenon, stood blankly, staring at the pillar of light. More precisely, he was looking at the fallen human, obscured by the light. His golden eyes, wide with disbelief, gradually began to show a blue hue.

Just then, the goddess’s voice echoed.

‘The time of judgment has ended.’

The Dragon raised his head in the direction of the voice. His face was shocked by the scene he had just witnessed. His wildly shaking eyes scanned the empty air.

‘Your 1500-year trial has also ended with this. You have been given another chance, by the choice of the child of destiny.’

The voice echoed from all directions. The Dragon’s golden-blue eyes moved slowly. Then, he parted his lips.

“Child of destiny…?”

He murmured to himself, and the goddess personally replied.

‘Destiny is something even gods cannot stop. Only a child born from the cracks of such destiny has the right to save you. You were chosen by that child on the last day before annihilation.’

The Dragon, as if unable to comprehend the goddess’s words, frowned and remained silent. His face was filled with chaos. As he continued his long silence, the light flickered, undisturbed. The Dragon, looking down at the ground where blood had begun to seep, asked again.

“I made a contract with Carias. Destiny and annihilation are unrelated matters.”

Light particles leaked from the pillar of light. The flickering lights, like fireflies, coalesced into one, forming the shape of a radiant woman. The formless light, with only a silhouette, fluttered and settled before the Dragon.

‘Since you passed the trial, you should at least have the right to know the truth.’

The goddess spoke, rising slightly. As she extended her hand, a beam of light formed a shape. The Dragon followed her gaze. There, he saw a sight he had never witnessed before.

Within the shape, beings like himself were abundant. They were of various colors. Including a giant Dragon with golden scales similar to his, there were also those with black and white scales. They were of a size incomparable to the small Dragons he had met. They breathed fire from their mouths.

‘You are not the first Dragon. You are the last Dragon I left behind.’

The Dragon’s eyes slowly widened. Regardless of whether he was shocked by the unimaginable story, the goddess cruelly continued.

‘You are the first beings Akesis created. Magic is a shared power between him and me, so it was naturally given to you. After that, Akesis took on the nature of destruction, and I, as a gift for him, bestowed Immortality and healing upon you. You were incredibly powerful beings, never to be seen again. Until humans came into existence, you were beloved creatures. Only things not much different from yourselves lived upon the earth.’

As the goddess waved her hand, the forms changed. There were many other things, similar in build to Dragons, but unlike any she had seen. One was familiar. It was the giant golem that had appeared in human territory. Alongside them, Dragons breathed fire upon the land. Screams echoed from below.

‘Humans were born into our land one day, through the flow of fate. Humans, born without the touch of Akesis and me, were small and insignificant compared to what he and I had created. I regarded the newly formed beings with wonder, but Akesis and his children did not. He delighted in the suffering of the small humans. Like a child who crushes small ants with their fingers. Especially, yes, you did. I wanted to give humans power, but it was impossible because they were not beings originating from me.’

The goddess pointed a finger at the Dragon. He flinched and retreated. The Dragon, who had lived for so long and was greater than anyone on this land, seemed as lost and confused as a child.

‘Do you know the number of humans you killed for amusement? The number of humans you killed over 1500 years was the number your kind killed in a single day. The cycles grew longer. Humans, as beings born of fate, were tenacious, but their numbers dwindled day by day. Annihilation was near.’

She sighed, then soared into the air once more.

‘Then, a child emerged from the cracks of fate. You know her too, don’t you? Carias is not my child. She was a variable created by fate. She spoke of the destruction of humans and sought my cooperation. I disliked the actions of Akesis and his children. At first, I tried to persuade him. I warned his children and tried to stop them from taking lives for amusement. By now, you must understand.’

She looked directly down at the Dragon.

‘It was useless. They all ignored my words and continued their slaughter. Foolishly, they did not realize that if they continued like this, they would be caught in the vortex of fate, and even we gods would die. I made a choice. I showed them the same lesson as those who killed lives for amusement. However, Carias, like this child now, was compassionate. She wanted to give them a choice. She wanted to give you another chance. She thought that if born and raised in a different environment, they might learn the value of life.’

The goddess spun in the air and soon left the Dragon, approaching the halo of light.

‘So I left you. I killed all the Dragons, leaving only a small egg. I had to fight a long battle with an enraged Akesis. Unable to kill him properly, I was forced to sacrifice the humans living on the island.’

As the goddess finished speaking, the Dragon clenched his fists. Anger and pain surged within him at the secret surrounding his own birth, which was too much to bear. The terrible loneliness and wounds he had endured flashed through him. His delicate face contorted with resentment.

“Why me?”

The Dragon’s voice cracked.

“Of all the Dragons, why, why me, who hadn’t even been born! You should have just killed me. If I had just died, knowing nothing, I would have been much happier!”

Watching him wail, the goddess spoke. Bitterness tinged her voice.

‘Fate is something even I cannot control. The great energy that governs the entire dimension, not just this place, is beyond the reach of even us gods. You were a being chosen by fate. I decided to return the 1500 years your kind spent slaughtering humans, and Carias wanted to give you a choice during that time. Last Dragon, you had no power to choose. You were bound to this trap-like contract not because of your Dragon Speech.’

The goddess’s voice echoed cruelly.

‘It was simply your destined fate. If you had not accepted the contract, you would have died on the spot. Even undertaking the trial was your trial. So rejoice. You are free from everything.’

As her words ended, she reached out her hand. Three streams of light emerged from the halo and were placed before the Dragon. Overwhelmed by the weight of the truth he had heard, the Dragon stared blankly at the halo of light. Beneath his hollow expression, a round shape began to form.

‘I will return the species you so desired. You are no longer alone. The future of the Dragon race now rests with you. I will not interfere with your destiny. That is what the child of fate wanted. Unfortunately…’

The goddess glanced at the egg placed before the Dragon, then turned and walked into the halo of light. As she walked, the light spread, illuminating Cullen’s corpse.

‘This child, even at the moment of death, was thinking only of you.’

The goddess slowly reached out and touched Cullen’s torn heart. A single, purplish jewel was created by her hand. It flowed from Cullen’s heart.

‘That was the condition for your release, but…’

At those words, the Dragon, who had been frozen in place, opened his mouth.

“What does that mean?”

The goddess turned back. She had no face, yet her expression seemed sympathetic. The Dragon spoke again.

“The condition was death by free will. Nothing else.”

The goddess silently held the jewel she had retrieved from Cullen’s heart. Then she approached the egg made of light that she had created. As she reached out, the jewel split, and one was placed into each of the three eggs.

‘You have been with humans for so long, yet you still know nothing of love.’

The goddess rose.

‘Only a being who loves you can truly do such a thing. That was the contract you made, young Dragon. A human who truly loves you, proving your worth by sacrificing themselves.’

Her body began to fade.

‘That was the condition for your survival.’

As if she would say no more, the goddess disturbed the halo of light. The quickly scattered light returned to its pillars and mixed, then was slowly drawn up into the sky. The Dragon’s dwelling, bathed in intense white light, instantly became quiet. The white sky shone down through the ceiling, which still illuminated the outside.

The Dragon gazed at the spot where the goddess had departed. Despite the eggs of his desired species at his feet, he stared at the corpse of the human who had died, instead of touching them.

Strangely, he could not tear his eyes away. He tried to look away, but he couldn’t. Among the countless shocking words the goddess had left behind, the last one kept echoing in the Dragon’s mind.

This child, even at the moment of death, was thinking only of you.

The Dragon stared blankly at the human corpse whose blood had begun to congeal, then suddenly recalled a fact. He slowly raised his head and looked at the sky. It was the white night.

The white night, meaning today… was the second birthday of the human who had told him they loved him.

He didn’t know why, or how, that had come to mind. He had no reason to remember such things. Yet, the moment he recalled it, the Dragon felt as if he had lost something immense. He didn’t know what it was, but it was truly precious.

But he couldn’t possibly know. The Dragon looked up at the sky, then shifted his gaze back. There lay Cullen’s corpse, fallen as if to embrace the unconscious Princess. He unconsciously raised a hand, touching the hollow beneath his collarbone.

It felt empty. As if a hole had been punched through his chest.

An unfathomable sense of loss washed over the Dragon as he looked at the dead human. But the Dragon didn’t know why. He simply stood there, gazing down at the human with closed eyes, unable to comprehend.

For a very long time.