The next morning, everyone sets out toward the north. After a few hours:

  -Corey: "If we keep this pace, we'll get there in two days."

  -Norik: "Alright, is there any town or village along the way?"

  -Corey: "Unfortunately not. It's a pretty remote place."

  -Norik: "So we'll have to sleep out in the open then. I still can't believe you're the son of a dwarf because your height seems average to me."

  -Corey: "Well, I take more after my father, who is human."

  -Norik: "A cross between races?!"

  -Corey: "I know, everyone has the same reaction as you. Once you trust me more, I'll tell you the details," he said jokingly.

  Elsewhere, Undying seemed unwell:

  -Undying: ()

  -Marin: "Are you alright, Undying?"

  -Undying: "I am, it's just that this path brings back some memories I'd rather forget."

  -Marin: "If you'd like, I can listen to you or pray for you."

  -Undying: "That's not necessary. Speaking of praying, what you explained to me about the Origin's religion since we left Orpin explains a lot about your ideals and actions."

  -Marin: "Yes, I've been through many bad things, Undying. However, my faith in the Origin is what keeps me moving forward. Just as she didn't reject those who called for her salvation, I want to do the same for those in need."

  -Undying: (I've seen many give up for various reasons, but the people in this army persist for different reasons... It's refreshing)

  While the two converses, Otto asks Garret:

  -Otto: "If I may ask, why do you want to be the best archer in Kradlos?"

  -Garret: "You've always been good at throwing knives, but you never let me touch them. So, I decided to dedicate myself to the bow and arrow to make you proud of something."

  -Otto: "I'm glad you're being more honest with me, but just having someone to call family is already a reason to be proud."

  -Garret: "Ugh! Here comes the mushy stuff again!"

  A moment of silence passes between the two:

  -Garret: "Hey, Otto. About that man you were looking for, who’s my biological father..."

  -Otto: "Hm? Why the sudden interest?"

  -Garret: "Only if I meet him, I will settle the score."

  -Otto: "You sound serious. I’ll tell you, as long as you don’t risk your life."

  -Garret: "I promise I won’t put my life at risk."

  -Otto: "Well, from what I found out: he’s alive and is a rather influential noble in Grinus who did everything he could to erase his name from the records."

  -Garret: "Thank you, Otto. Don’t worry: that’ll only happen if I find him."

  Otto smiles, though internally he knows that if he stays with the group, the day will come when Garret will meet him. Otto tries to think of something else to distract himself from his anxiety. The day passes, and everyone stops in a forest with tall trees and full canopies. Akana builds a campfire while Marin and Otto prepare the food. Rendell sits near the fire and begins reading one of several scrolls. Seeing the sheer number of them, Keith asks:

  -Keith: "What’s all that?"

  -Rendell: "These are scrolls that teach the ancestral healing magic. Queen Jósal gave them to me before I left Ydillia, and I forgot to mention earlier: I’m glad you and Marin are getting along now."

  -Keith: "And I also forgot to thank you. If you hadn’t encouraged me that day, we’d still not be speaking to each other."

  -Rendell: "I just did what friends do: help."

  -Keith: "Friends, huh? That’s something peculiar about this group. In every job I’ve done, we were just hired soldiers and nothing more. Here, people talk to each other amicably and genuinely care about one another. Honestly, when it’s all over, I’ll miss this."

  -Rendell: "I don’t have the same experience as you, but I’ve noticed that the atmosphere has changed a lot since I joined. Even Undying has been making eye contact with me and others!"

  -Keith: "I really didn’t expect such a bloodthirsty assassin to have such a gentle face. Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time. Happy studying."

  Rendell thanks him as Keith leaves to assist Marin and Otto. After the meal, everyone lies down to rest and continue the journey the following day. Morning comes, and nine hours later, the group reaches the entrance to a forest with tall trees, yellow trunks, and long, thin, pointed white leaves:

  -Norik: "Is this the place, Corey?"

  -Corey: "It is. Rather strange, isn’t it?"

  -Marin: "This place... it was mentioned in the ancient scriptures of the Origin. 'When the rain turns white, the original power will emerge.'"

  -Norik: "Original power? It must refer to Balmung. Then we’re on the right path. Let’s go."

  Right after Norik says this, Koldarin rolls her eyes. A little while after entering the forest, they notice the presence of other people, who have not yet detected the group’s arrival. They hide behind the trees. Upon seeing one of the individuals, Keith clenches his right fist and grits his teeth:

  -Keith: ()

  -Undying: "They seem to be slavers and some mercenaries."

  -Marin: "I-Is that a dragon?!"

  -Akana: "Yes, but judging by the size, it seems to be a child... Do you know anything, Undying?"

  -Undying: "Some slavers are more 'lucky' and manage to capture dragon children, whom they force to transform to fight for them. I just don’t understand why the children don’t revert to their human forms afterward."

  -Norik: "Undying, it’s because... children are still immature and unable to induce their power through their essence. That’s why they are trained from a young age to learn to control their power. Otherwise, they end up becoming feral dragons incapable of reasoning. The same applies to adults and elders who were never trained."

  -Undying: "I apologize. I didn’t know that."

  -Norik: "It’s alright. You’ve taught me many things. I’m happy to teach you as well. Now, since they haven’t noticed us yet, I believe it would be best to set up an ambush."

  -Otto: "I agree. The problem is the dragon—we need to figure out how to get His Highness to it."

  -Garret: "What are you planning, Otto?"

  -Otto: "Since Prince Norik is a light dragon, he can pacify dragons forced into transformation. Even so, it won’t be easy to get him to something without its own reasoning."

  -Koldarin: "I can transform and hold it down."

  -Akana: "By the way, you mentioned in Eflessia that the devices don’t work on you, correct?"

  -Koldarin: "To block the transformation of light and dark dragons, they would need essences from those same dragons. That’s why it’s fortunate these slavers only have one dragon."

  -Norik: "Wouldn’t it be risky for them to see you transforming into a dragon?"

  -Undying: "When traveling or in a village, it would be because there’d be other people watching. But since it’s just them here, I believe there won’t be any issues because they’ll likely either be killed or captured anyway. With everything ready, let’s go."

  Everyone position themselves according to the planned attack and strike. Koldarin transforms and holds down the small light brown dragon. It struggles to break free while Norik runs toward it. Despite its struggle, Koldarin’s strength prevails, allowing the prince to touch its left leg, causing it to glow white until it turns into a small white-skinned boy with black hair and wearing torn clothes. Before the child could fall, Norik catch him in his arms.

  -"A DARK DRAGON AND A LIGHT DRAGON?!"

  -"CAPTURE THEM! THEY'LL FETCH A FORTUNE!"

  -Undying: "Not before rotting in jail."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Undying quickly strikes the two in the legs, making them fall. One of the mercenaries tries to get up, but Corey hits him hard on the head. Garret hits several of them with arrows, and those he misses, Otto finishes off with stabs to the stomach. Rendell and Marin run to the child to heal him. Koldarin returns to her human form and strikes the mercenaries Norik can't hold back with bursts of lightning. Meanwhile, Keith fights fiercely with someone who appears to be the leader of the mercenaries:

  -"Well, if it isn't Keith! Missed me?"

  -Keith: "As if I'd miss scum like you! Have you forgotten when you burned down an entire city just because you were paid to do it?!"

  -"Business is business, Keith. You've always been too much of a goody-two-shoes. When you joined us, you were all innocent, wanting to help and trust everyone."

  -Keith: "It's true that Kradlos is full of filth like you, but let me tell you something: I fight to give a better future to the children in the orphanage where I was raised and for Marin! Unlike you, who only thinks about wasting the money you earn on brothels and booze!"

  -"Ha! If you think you're so superior, show me how determined you are for your 'cause.'"

  The mercenary charges at Keith with an axe, which Keith swiftly dodges to the right, sweeping his opponent's leg. The man jumps, but Keith manages to graze his right foot with his sword. The man picks up his axe and grazes Keith's left arm. In that brief moment, Keith strikes his sword into the man's chest, finding a small opening between the mercenary's arms. The man collapses:

  -"Heh, you've improved. But how long will you fight for this...?"

  Keith briefly looks at everyone gathering around the child and replies:

  -Keith: "Until I die."

  The man lets out a disapproving sigh and dies. Keith joins the others:

  -Keith: "How is he?"

  -Marin: "He's a bit weak, but with proper care, he'll be fine."

  -Rendell: "Keith, you have a small wound on your arm! Let me heal it."

  -Keith: "Thank you, Rendell," he says with a tone of relief.

  -Akana: "What shall we do with the surviving slavers and mercenaries, Your Highness?"

  -Norik: "There's a large cage, right? We can put them in there until we reach the next city."

  -Corey: "The nearest one is Orpin. Since we got here quickly from Lémia, it'll take us a day."

  -Marin: "That's great! There, we can leave this little boy at the orphanage."

  -Undying: "Since it's a day until we get there, we should assign two or three people to guard at night so they don't escape."

  -Norik: "True. It's a good idea to split into two groups to search for Balmung: one keeps watch over them, and the other searches for the sword. If no one in the second group manages to retrieve the sword, we'll switch places."

  Everyone agrees to the plan, and the group tasked with finding the weapon is guided by Corey. The group left on guard duty consists of Undying, Akana, Rendell, Koldarin, and Otto. Undying looks toward the south, deep in thought:

  -Undying: (It’s been so long since I’ve been here, and... still, it feels like this place hasn’t changed, like it’s frozen in time. But... I used to be like that too...)

  Memories of her journey flash through her mind, and an older memory resurfaces.

  ?? Years Ago

  In the same forest, a young girl runs joyfully among the white leaves:

  -Undying: "Elder! Elder!"

  -Elder: "Oh, little _____! Were you playing?"

  -Undying: "Yes! I found lots of different fruits this time!"

  -Elder: "How wonderful! Your parents would be very proud of that!"

  -Undying: "Elder, what were they like?"

  -Elder: "Ah, I believe this is the first time you’ve asked about them. Your mother, Lani, was a strong, wise, and very generous woman. Your father, Galdum, was a caring and kind man. If I’m not mistaken, he’ll be returning from D’vel soon."

  -Undying: "Yay! I can’t wait to meet him!"

  Present Time, 16:39

  -Undying: (Days later, slavers attacked and destroyed the village, yet the joyful feeling I had back then—I feel it again now with these people. Could it be... that I can tell them the truth? Deep down, I still feel like I can’t, but... why was Norik the first person I thought of sharing this with?)

  -Otto: "Undying, are you okay? You’ve been standing still for several minutes."

  -Undying: "Ah yes, I’m fine."

  -Otto: "Are you thinking about the tear in your hood? When I was an assassin, I didn’t hide my face, but when I revisited Eflessia, many wore hoods or masks! I guess I’m getting too old to be surprised by changing fashion, haha."

  -Undying: "By the way, you were known as 'Upright.' How did you get that name? Most assassin work tends to be dirty."

  -Otto: "Well, it was because..."

  -Akana: "HEY! YOU IN THE CAGE! QUIET DOWN!"

  Undying and Otto hear Akana’s shout and rush to help. Upon reaching the cage, they see Akana arguing, with Rendell trying to calm her and Koldarin sitting on a rock reading a book. The two sigh and assist Rendell in calming Akana. Meanwhile, the other group reaches a large tree with thick roots. Embedded in one of them is a long, slender silver sword with a golden hilt that shines under the sunlight. Each person tries to lift it in the following order: Norik, Corey, Marin, and Garret. When it’s Keith’s turn, he easily pulls out the sword, to his surprise. Everyone rejoices and begins their return. During the return:

  -Marin: "I’m glad you managed to take out the sword, Keith."

  -Keith: "Yes, I just didn’t expect it to be me. Corey told me the sword chooses its wielder."

  -Marin: "Have a little more faith in yourself. You’re someone who still believes and fights for a good cause."

  -Keith: "That’s true, Marin. Since I rescued you that day, you’ve always helped me during moments of self-doubt. That’s why..."

  -Marin: "...You fell in love with me? I noticed that as soon as we faced the last enemies, you were tense and stressed. I understand how important support is during tough times. Since we feel the same about each other, would you like to date me?"

  Keith's face turns bright red, and he simply nods while Marin chuckles lightly. Corey observes the scene:

  -Corey: "Great, now he has a beautiful woman, and me? When will I find a lovely damsel for myself?"

  -Norik: "Is it so important to find someone?"

  -Corey: "Says the man who has a crush on a woman too!"

  -Norik: "Wha-?! Well... it's true that I like her a lot and..."

  -Corey: "Enough of that! You love her, and here's a piece of advice: it's better to say it soon because no one knows what tomorrow will bring."

  -Norik: "I-It’s easy to say that..."

  -Corey: "Well, at least it seems you trust me a little more, because you’ve listened to my complaints. So here are the details I promised: my parents worked at a forge in a caravan, my father assisting my mother. The two fell in love, left the forge, and decided to live in a village called Afol, near D’vel."

  -Norik: "Wow, your parents must have had open minds to not let prejudice affect them. When I succeed my father, I want Hagam to be free from intolerance as well. The first step would be opening the country."

  -Corey: "At least you’re on the right path, though it’s not easy to break a societal paradigm."

  -Norik: "I know, many still think that if the Origin made us different, we should live apart. That’s sad." (Now that I’m thinking... amidst all this conflict, where is the Origin?)

  Hours pass, and everyone reunites to celebrate obtaining Balmung. After the brief celebration, the group heads toward Orpin. A day later, upon arriving, they hand over the slavers and mercenaries to the governor. Shortly after, Koldarin mentions needing to quickly fetch something from her house and asks them to wait for her. Undying turns to Marin:

  -Undying: "Marin, do you know any tailors here? My hood has a tear and needs fixing."

  -Norik: "But why do you need to fix it? You have such a beautiful face, so why hide it?"

  -All (except Undying): ()

  -Undying: "Er... well..."

  -Norik: "If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay."

  Undying notices Norik's concerned expression:

  -Undying: "If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to discuss this in a more private place."

  -Marin: "Koldarin asked us to wait here, but I believe there’s no issue. We can take the rescued child to the church and lay him in a bed since he’s unconscious."

  Everyone walks to the church, where they enter. Marin lays the boy on one of the beds and goes to the room where the others are. Undying begins to speak hesitantly:

  -Undying: "Assassins started hiding their faces to prevent others from identifying them, but I have my own reasons. I used to live in a small, remote village. It was peaceful until a slaver attacked and captured most of its villagers, including me. I still remember the man who bought me; there were times when he dragged me to a cage and stared at me as if I were a beautiful object, always commenting on how my eyes and hair were colors no one had ever seen. Years later, I managed to escape and decided it was better to hide my face so no one would ever look at me that way again."

  As soon as she finishes speaking, she feel one hug after another, with many saying everything would be alright. Undying cries as she receives the group’s warm acceptance. An hour passed, and Koldarin arrives looking annoyed:

  -Koldarin: "Didn’t I tell you to wait for me there?!"

  -Norik: "Sorry, we had to leave the child here."

  -Koldarin: "Well, it doesn’t matter because I figured you’d be here. I came back to get a book and show you something. For that, it needs to be somewhere else."

  -Norik: "Ah, alright."

  Akana sees Norik going with Koldarin to the chapel and tries to follow, but Undying stops her:

  -Undying: "Calm down, she’s just going to share some information with him. I talked to her."

  -Akana: "Huh, alright. I want to apologize again. You’ve been through so much, and I feel even worse when I remember how I treated you."

  -Undying: "Forget about it, especially since I should’ve moved on a long time ago," she says, lowering her hood.

  Akana gives a big smile, and the two continue chatting. Meanwhile, in the chapel:

  -Koldarin: "Read this part of the book. Consider it a reward for sharing important information with me."

  -Norik: (I just told her a few things about my life...) "Alright, thank you...?"

  Norik takes an old, slightly dusty book and reads the part Koldarin pointed to. After reading it, he lets the book fall to the floor and says in shock:

  -Norik: "LIGHT AND DARK DRAGONS WERE BORN FROM THE SAME SOURCE OF POWER CREATED BY THE ORIGIN?!"

  -Koldarin: "Yes, just as fire, earth, and water dragons came from a different source of power. The only thing that differentiates light and dark dragons is their respective blessings that the first ones chose: the first chose draconic purification, and the second, manipulation by blood."

  -Norik: "So... we’re not so different."

  -Koldarin: "It depends: as dragons? Yes. As people? Completely different."

  -Norik: "What do you mean?" he asks in a confused tone.

  -Koldarin: "There are so many things I could say, but I’ll limit it to this: your love is still here, while mine has long been gone. The only thing I can still do for her is reunite her lost family. If I were you, I’d tell her how you feel soon."

  Koldarin picks up the book and leaves the chapel. As she exits and sees Undying’s face, her eyes widen, and she thinks to herself:

  -Koldarin: (So, this is your face under that piece of cloth. I was right: it looks nothing like hers.)

  She leaves the entrance hall while the prince remains deep in thought in the chapel:

  -Norik: (That’s the second person to tell me this... It’s true that humans’ lives are shorter compared to dragons, and Undying... When will be the next time I’ll get to sit and talk with her after the war? I’ll be so busy with the reconstruction of Hagam that, even with her living there, decades could easily pass before I fix everything)

  Norik thinks a little more and leaves the chapel. In another room of the church, Rendell is studying:

  -Rendell: "Phew! I finished this one. If there are corrupted ones in the next battle, I’ll use this magic."

  -"Er... are you Mr. Rendell?" said a nun holding a letter.

  -Rendell: "Yes, that’s me. Is this letter for me?"

  -"Yes, it is."

  She hands him the envelope and leaves the room. Rendell opens and reads the letter. However, as soon as he finishes, he grabs the scrolls and runs out of the room.

  Church Entrance Hall, 16:08

  Undying and Akana continue talking. Norik approaches the two:

  -Norik: "Undying, you’re not wearing your hood anymore."

  -Undying: "I decided to leave some things behind."

  -Norik: "That’s great! Er... Akana, could I speak with Undying alone?"

  Akana gives a smile as if she know what is about to happen and leaves the hall:

  -Undying: "What do you want to talk about, Norik?"

  -Norik: "W-Well, I’ve been thinking about the f-f-future and... and... I wanted to know..."

  -Akana: "Hey, Rendell! Why are you in such a hurry? You’re not supposed to enter there..."

  Rendell rushes into the hall:

  -Rendell: "Your Highness! I have bad news!"

  -Norik: "What happened, Rendell?"

  -Rendell: "There’s an enraged dragon destroying everything near Ydillia!"

  -Norik: "What?!"

  -Undying: "Call everyone, quickly! We’re leaving immediately!"

  How can I improve my story?