The cavern trembled with every thunderous snore of the Storm Dragon.
Storms curled lazily around his body, coiled in eternal slumber.
Then—space itself split.
A shimmering portal bloomed open, spilling harsh light into the darkness.
From it stepped a woman with long blue hair flowing like water, clad in a maid's outfit. She glanced nervously at the sleeping giant, cleared her throat—then nearly screamed when his golden eye snapped open.
Veldora (groaning, annoyed):
"Who dares disturb my sacred nap time…?"
A wave of aura washed over the cavern. Stones cracked, the ground shook.
The maid stiffened, flapping her arms desperately.
???: (flustered)
"Ahhh! Wait, wait, wait! Don't eat me! I-I'm not tasty! I—I mean, I'm here with a message! Important message! Really important!"
Veldora squinted at her, tilting his head lazily.
Veldora:
"Blue hair… maid outfit… hmm… Aqua? No, wait… Sapphire? Azure? Eh… something like that."
The woman's eye twitched.
???: (stomping a foot, puffing cheeks):
"It's Rain! The Blue Primordial! R-A-I-N! Don't call me Aqua!"
Veldora (snorting):
"Hmph. Rain, huh? Right, right. Totally remembered."
Rain (muttering under her breath):
"You so didn't…"
Straightening, she puffed out her chest, clearly trying to regain dignity.
Rain (formally, or at least trying):
"I have come on behalf of Lady Velzard with grave news."
Veldora's lazy expression sharpened slightly at the mention of his sister.
Veldora:
"Sister? Hmph. What does she want with me now?"
Rain shifted, biting her lip. Then, in the most awkward way possible, she blurted it out:
Rain (rambling):
"Um, well… how do I say this… Lord Veldanava and Lady Lucia are… um… kind of… dead. Like, actually dead. Completely gone. Sorry."
The cavern froze.
Even the faint crackle of lightning around Veldora stopped. His golden eyes widened, then darkened with grief.
Veldora (murmuring):
"…Brother. Sister-in-law…"
He lowered his head, claws biting into stone.
Veldora (thinking):
"How could I forget? Their deaths… that day when everything collapsed. Because of my soul merge with that otherworlder—Sandeep—my memories blur. Even though I knew something like this happened, I still forgot… Damn it."
His storms swirled faintly, carrying sorrow and regret.
Veldora (thinking):
"Brother gave humanity freedom, souls, and choice… and for that, he weakened himself. Humans betrayed him.
Rain shifted uncomfortably, then hurried to fill the silence.
Rain (quickly, too fast):
"A-ah, b-but Lady Velzard, Lady Velgrynd, and Lord Rudra are holding council now in the Kingdom of Nasca! They're deciding what to do with Milim. And—um—Lord Guy Crimson is also there with Lady Velzard, so, you know, everyone important's there except you."
Veldora's eye twitched.
Veldora:
"Guy too, huh? That crimson show-off always sticks his nose where it doesn't belong."
Rain, thinking she still had more to say, leaned forward nervously.
Rain (blurting out):
"Oh, and also while you were snoring for decades the Super-Sorcery Kingdom kind of declared war on the Kingdom of Nasca. And, uh, their king got possessed! By some creepy spirit—Jahill, I think? The so-called ancestor of humanity. So, um, yeah. Big war. Ghost king. Super scary. Also, sorry for dumping all this at once."
Veldora stared blankly at her.
Veldora (deadpan):
"You really just delivered Brother's death, Milim's fate, a world war, and a haunted king… all in the same breath?"
Rain (pouting, flustered):
"W-well, it's a lot! And I'm trying my best! Messages are hard, okay!?"
Veldora groaned, covering his face with one claw.
Veldora (sighing):
"You truly are Guy's servant. No sense of pacing whatsoever."
Rain (defensive):
"H-hey! Don't insult me! I'm just the messenger!"
Veldora paused, then suddenly chuckled. A deep rumble shook the cavern.
Veldora (grinning):
"Bwahahaha! Fine, fine. You've done well enough, little maid. Tell Sister and Guy this—I'll come. Not because they ordered it, but because I need to see Milim with my own eyes."
He rose, his colossal wings unfurling. Winds roared, storms swirling anew.
Veldora (thinking):
"Brother… Lucia… I failed you once. I won't fail her."
Rain scrambled to stabilize the portal, muttering under her breath.
Rain (grumbling):
"It's Rain… not Aqua… stupid dragon…"
Veldora (teasing, smirking):
"Still sounds like Aqua to me."
With that, the Storm Dragon stepped through the portal—toward Nasca, where Velzard, Velgrynd, Rudra, and Guy Crimson awaited.
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To be continued.
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Authors Note:
Thank you for reading this chapter.
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