Pandora's awakening didn't stay locked within Silva's soul.
The instant her ancient mind stirred, an unseen ripple swept across the world.
It made no sound. Kingdoms went on as usual, soldiers kept watch at their borders, and ordinary folk lived their lives, oblivious to any shift.
For those who carried the remnants of dragons, there was no doubt—an ancient presence had returned. One by one, they felt it stir within them.
High in the northern mountains of Dacian region, a volcano smoldered beneath a darkened sky. Near its summit, where the heat alone would have ended any ordinary life, a figure sat by a stream of molten rock, eating without a care. One arm looked human, the other did not—dark scales ran from shoulder to fingertips, catching the lava's orange glow. His hand stilled as a ripple passed through him. He glanced northward, and for an instant, something ancient stirred in his eyes. He knew that presence. He took another bite. Whatever had awakened in the north could wait.
South of the Dacian heartlands lay a desert vast enough to swallow whole armies. In a quiet settlement amid endless dunes, a golden-haired woman stood outside a modest home. Her emerald eyes suddenly sharpened as the wind shifted, drawing her gaze north. She froze, gripped by an odd sense of familiarity—darkness, ancient and immense, like a memory without an image. Then it slipped away. She kept staring north until a scent from inside caught her attention, softening her expression.
"Doba! Dinner's ready!" she turned back toward the house as if nothing had happened, though the strange ripple lingered at the edge of her mind.
Far to the south, a ship battled through a violent storm. Waves crashed hard against the deck as sailors struggled to keep the vessel from tipping. Among them stood a veiled woman, her only visible features a pair of eyes—one green, one blue. The veil hid a face so striking it often drew unwanted attention, which was exactly why she kept it covered. Lightning flashed across the sea, and then she felt it.
Her mismatched gaze shifted north, and for an instant, her control slipped. Mana burst from her, the rain transforming into hard crystals that quickly became snow. Within moments, snowflakes swirled across the deck despite the raging tempest. The sailors gaped in shock, but the woman barely noticed, her attention locked firmly to the north.
Something had stirred—something she couldn't quite place, yet somehow remembered.
Far away, a young woman soared above roads, horses, and carriages, guided only by the wind. Weightless, she drifted through the clouds, with air currents swirling beneath her feet, carrying her effortlessly across the open sky.
Her flight faltered, and she froze midair, clouds parting as she turned toward the far north, her gaze sharpening. A ripple shivered through the air, and for a moment, even the wind seemed to pause.
A sharp screech split the silence. She turned just as a wyvern burst from the clouds.
Her seriousness melted away.
"Oh?"
Their eyes met. The wyvern swerved aside. A grin tugged at her lips.
"Wait!"
Wind surged at her back. The wyvern accelerated—so did she.
Whatever ancient mystery had stirred could wait; there was a chase to finish.
In another place , an old man crouched behind a garden wall, eyes fixed on a nearby bathing area where steam curled above a wooden fence.
He snickered to himself—until the ripple hit. His grin vanished, and he straightened, his foolish look replaced by sudden seriousness. "That presence…" His eyes drifted north as old memories surfaced—dark scales, endless shadows, a dragon whose darkness once consumed the skies. "Pandora?" CRACK! Lightning slammed into him, sending him flying from his hiding spot, smoke rising from his singed clothes. A furious woman stormed after him.
"You pervert!"
Another bolt blasted the ground beside him, and he took off. "STOP RIGHT THERE!" she shouted, giving chase. "Today's the day I castrate you!" His face went pale, and somehow his legs carried him even faster.
Pandora's return was suddenly the second most important problem in his life.
In the stillness of a quiet forest, a silver-haired figure lounged on the branch of an ancient tree. Nero had been dozing—until the ripple reached him. His golden eyes flew open just as the branch gave way beneath him.
"Ah—"
He landed flat on his back against the forest floor, lying still for a few seconds before exhaling a weary sigh.
"Not again." Pushing himself upright, he rubbed his head, a faint light flickering in his eyes as he glanced toward the nearby academy. Unlike the rest, he didn't need time to figure out where the awakening had taken place. Only one name came to mind—Silva. That strange familiarity he'd felt around the boy suddenly made perfect sense.
Tilting his head toward the sky, golden light flashed briefly in his gaze. "It's about time." The glow faded, and Nero leaned casually against a tree as if nothing of note had happened. Elsewhere, the other incarnations reacted in much the same way. Some ignored the ripple entirely.
Some questioned it, some ignored it, some recognized it, and others remembered only fragments. Yet all of them had felt it.
Back at the academy, the mist around Nella began to fade. In her true form, she glanced down at Silva one last time, her golden-blonde hair streaked with black drifting softly in the thinning fog. Silva had a thousand questions, but she gave him no chance to ask. Her figure started to dissolve with the mist, edges turning translucent as if she'd never truly stood there at all. Before vanishing entirely, she offered him a small smile.
"I hope the next time I see you, you'll be much stronger."
Silva opened his mouth. "Nella—" But it was too late. The final wisp of mist disappeared, and so did she, leaving no trace of her mana behind.
High above the arena, the silver-haired demon woman stood beside Emperor Darius, her golden eyes locked on the spot where Nella had vanished.
For a few moments, she remained silent before finally saying,
"Change of plans." Darius glanced at her, but before he could respond, she added.
"I need to leave," and swiftly disappeared into the corridor.
Whether she was chasing Nella or heading for the Secular Oak Forest, Darius couldn't be sure—but it was clear the elf had made her rethink her original intentions. Below, an uneasy silence settled over the arena until the principal stepped forward.
"Due to unforeseen events and outside interference, this year's entrance examination is cancelled." Shock rippled instantly through the crowd of applicants.
After making it through the Secular Oak Forest and the chaos of the battle royale, the last thing they wanted was to be told it had all been for nothing. The principal didn't bother to explain, just turned on his heel and hurried out of the arena, leaving the instructors to face the furious applicants and their families.
June and Julie were among the few who didn't care much. They hadn't really come for the academy—they were here for Silva. But Silva stayed where he was, Nella's words still weighing on him. Dragons. Mana Devourers. Ancient incarnations. A danger that had once nearly wiped out the world. Just yesterday, his biggest worry was passing an entrance exam. Now he carried the remnants of an ancient dragon and the burden of knowing he might one day have to face something powerful enough to threaten the entire world.
"Grow stronger."
Easy for Nella to say.
Somewhere deep in his soul, the darkness stirred.
From it, Pandora's voice rose.
"There is no need to ponder something you cannot change."
Silva remained silent.
"Whatever will be, will be."
That wasn't the advice Silva expected from an ancient dragon.
Pandora continued.
"You cannot fight tomorrow's enemy today. So look forward and deal with tomorrow when it arrives."
Silva lifted his head slowly. Julie stood by the arena exit, waving impatiently for him to hurry. June was there too, waiting quietly at her side.
"Silva!"
He exhaled slowly.
Pandora had been right.
Standing here, fretting, wouldn't change a thing.
Silva adjusted the strap on his wooden staff and took off after the twins.
Tomorrow could wait.
In the Secular Oak Forest, far from the academy's chaos, Nero sat near an ancient oak branch, waiting. Leaves rustled, and his golden eyes opened as someone approached. From between the trees emerged a silver-haired demon woman, her expression far more serious than it had been at the academy. Upon seeing him, she lunged forward, embracing him tightly, pressing his head to her bosom. Her cold, wintry demeanor melted into a warm, summer-like affection.
"My cute boy," she murmured.
"So?" Nero asked.
Still holding him close, she said, "The situation has changed. She was stronger than i expected." The playfulness in Nero's eyes faded.
She glanced back toward the distant academy. "During the battle royale, for a moment, even her presence disappeared."
Intrigued—especially after the strange ripple he'd felt, the awakening, the familiar darkness—Pandora—Nero listened as his mother went on, "Our original plan won't work anymore. We need to rethink everything before making a move against her."
After a pause, Nero stepped out of her embrace with a smile. "Fine by me." Hands behind his head, he wandered deeper into the forest, tossing one last word over his shoulder: "Let's go, Mother."
For the first time, their bond was revealed. The silver-haired demon woman glanced back as Nero's golden eyes glimmered beneath the canopy. Without another word, mother and son vanished into the ancient shadows.