The Mysterious Forest was considered one of the strangest places on the continent of Andrastis—otherwise, it would never have been given such a name in the first place.
But what made it truly remarkable was its immense size. When Darken first looked upon it from a slightly elevated position, he could see nothing but an endless ocean of trees stretching as far as the eye could see—an awe-inspiring and terrifying sight altogether.
At that moment, King Kazler was seated on the trunk of an ancient fallen tree, weathered by time. The area around him could be described as a small, circular clearing within the forest, dotted with tiny purple flowers and many soft bushes.
Kazler's thoughts were far away when his ear twitched faintly, alerting him to the approach of someone.
Yet he showed no surprise when the newcomer arrived—for it was King Toras, wearing a small smile that seemed on the verge of fading.
And how could it not? Toras understood the weight of Kazler's loss. They were both kings… and both fathers.
"My old friend, I see you've come here to clear your mind, as usual," Toras said as he approached and sat on a rock across from the fallen trunk.
Behind the rock stood a tree, and once seated, Toras leaned his back against it and let out a long sigh.
Kazler smiled faintly at Toras's words before replying, "You know me well… and you know where to find me. But did you go to my lands and not find me there?"
It wasn't a particular question—just a normal tone.
Toras replied, "No, my friend. I came straight here because I simply felt it… I knew I'd find you in this place."
Kazler lifted his head, still smiling, though bitterness touched the edges of that smile. Yet it wasn't all bitterness. He said, "I heard from Larvio that Princess Eryl has recovered. That news brought me great relief."
He drew in a deep breath, remembering his departed son, before continuing, "Hearing that lessened the weight of what I went through. Eryl is like a daughter to me, so… I'm glad she's safe."
Toras's smile faded the moment he heard Kazler speak. He understood perfectly that what Kazler had endured was far from easy.
Though Toras wanted to comfort him, he said nothing—choosing instead to leave Kazler the space he needed to speak freely and unburden himself.
Kazler continued, "At first, when that boy named Darken came to me and told me what had happened to Eryl, I couldn't believe him. I couldn't trust him. But at the same time… "
" a part of me did believe it. Something unprecedented inside me urged me to trust my feelings—despite my habit of separating emotion from judgment. But as I've told you before… Eryl is like a daughter to me. So leaning toward what my heart chose to believe wasn't strange."
He added, "Even so, I remained cautious. I decided to test that stranger, unwilling to take risks. And if he truly was trustworthy, even slightly, I would have sent my blood immediately without delay. "
" But what happened between him and my son, and what befell the children of the valley afterward… left me unable to believe what I had witnessed."
Toras seized the nearest pause to interject, "A Celestial Dragon…"
Kazler nodded. "Yes. He was." He continued
"I didn't tell anyone at the time, so as not to stir panic among those who remained. Our kind—wolves—fear dragons instinctively. And this was confirmed when I saw my son, Angelo, retreating in terror simply because he stood before Darken at that moment. "
" And even after everything ended, I didn't tell them he was a Celestial Dragon. I simply told them he was an extraordinary human who did everything he could to protect us from something far worse."
Then Kazler asked, "What about you, Toras?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'm sure you were asked about Darken. And knowing you… you're not the type to broadcast such things everywhere."
Toras smiled, then turned to his right, where a few purple flowers grew. He gently brushed them with his fingertips before saying,
"Yes. I ordered those who know Darken to conceal his identity with a small lie—that they simply don't know his name. As for my family, I didn't even tell them his name."
" I only told them he was a Celestial Dragon. My wife knows I meant Darken… but my children do not. That was Darken's request."
"I see…" Kazler murmured, scratching behind his ear.
Silence settled between them—gentle and calm—the only sound being the whisper of wind teasing the small bushes and tall trees, producing a natural melody soothing to the nerves.
Kazler eventually broke the silence. "He's gone, hasn't he?"
Toras replied at once, "Yes. He left to find his path—to learn who he is, and to better understand the freedom he only recently experienced."
He recalled the story Darken had told him.
With a faint smile, Toras added, "My old friend, let me tell you a story—a story about the life of the Celestial Dragon who saved us from the unknown fate that nearly befell us and our people."
And so Toras began recounting Darken's story to Kazler, calmly, in a secluded place far from prying ears.
At that same moment, deep within the distant parts of the forest, footsteps crushed dry leaves, twigs, and small shrubs.
Darken was walking—continuing onward toward a destination even he did not know. .
During his walk, he stopped near a tree, placed his hand against its trunk, and looked upward where streams of sunlight pierced through the tall canopy, painting the ground with shimmering rays like a living masterpiece.
"Well… I must admit. This view is beautiful," Darken whispered before releasing the tree and resuming his steps.
Inwardly, his thoughts and inner conversations raged endlessly, as if he were speaking to someone walking beside him.
' Rape… so that's what it meant. I must have understood that word after closing my eyes deeply the last time, before reading Karl's journals. '
' Otherwise, I would never have understood what it meant or everything that happened afterward. '
' I acted purely on emotion, even though I don't personally know Eryl. Even so, I insisted on taking responsibility myself. '
' Maybe it was childish impulse—my first time experiencing such a thing. But from what I saw… I wasn't wrong. It was the right thing to do. '
' But then… I walked into a land I didn't know, stood arrogantly before their king, and demanded his blood in exchange for anything. Courage? Recklessness? I honestly don't know. '
While walking, he heard a soft sound—a newborn bird lying on the ground, still alive. Darken reached for it and picked it up gently.
He scanned the surroundings for the nest until he spotted it on a nearby, shorter tree. Inside were several hatchlings that had just emerged from their eggs.
"We've found your home, little one," he whispered before leaping upward and grabbing a sturdy branch with one hand.
"Look at that… they've just hatched. And it seems you're their older sibling—so you should stay with them," he said playfully before placing the chick into the nest.
The tiny bird gazed back at Darken with clear, peaceful eyes… almost as if it felt safe.
Darken dropped back down and continued walking, returning to the stream of thoughts that had been interrupted.
' In prison, speaking—even in a basic and understandable way—was a challenge. Words were somewhat easy in my mind, despite the difficulty of some terms… '
' But speaking them aloud? Impossible. It felt like every word turned to stone before leaving my mouth. '
' I'm grateful I can talk normally now… like an ordinary human. But… '
His thoughts were abruptly ambushed by memories—of the form he had once transformed into. A form monstrous and ruthless.
' What happened that day proved I'm far stronger than I appear. Maybe it's some unknown power… or maybe it's the power I gained after receiving this new form and this body. '
' In short… I'm not just human. I'm something entirely different. And the Dragon King surely knows the truth. '
He slowed in a sunlit patch of the forest, closed his eyes briefly, and let his thoughts flow like a river.
Aside from seeking revenge against Jabelin, I now have a new goal: to discover the truth of what I am—the truth of what that dragon turned me into. And once I uncover it…
Perhaps a new door will open, leading to yet another purpose. Until then, I have two goals: avenge myself against Jabelin, and find the dragon who helped me, so I may learn the truth from him.
But amid this calm, a faint whisper of wind brushed past his ear. The nearby bushes rustled. Darken opened his eyes and turned left toward the source of the sound.
"Unfortunately for you, you should've been more careful while trying to hide. You were far too easy to detect."
He gripped the sword on his back, drawing it with slight difficulty, and pointed it toward the left.
But everything fell silent again—until the quiet was shattered by an arrow fired from behind him. Thankfully, Darken reacted quickly, dodging the shot, which embedded itself in a tree.
"So not one… but two. Good. This is getting interesting, isn't it?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than another arrow came from the left. He deflected it with his sword, followed by another from behind.
' From the footsteps… there are two of them. One is an elf—his steps are light. The other's steps are heavier… likely a human? '
Darken scanned the surroundings before launching a counterattack toward one of the bushes. With a swift swing of his long sword, he cut it apart, scattering leaves everywhere.
' One of them was here. Likely the elf. I caught a fast movement just before I swung. But something is bothering me… '
He turned, taking a tense look around.
' Why would Toras send someone to attack me? Maybe they work for that man Arldir. Or maybe someone who saw my face back then and wants revenge. '
' Or perhaps simply someone who wasn't there that day—But all those possibilities collapse because there's a human among them… '
He quickly deflected yet another arrow.
' My last two parries were pure luck… hitting the arrowheads directly. That won't last. '
He exhaled sharply.
"You're wasting my moment of peace. This is extremely annoying. Stop this nonsense before I'm forced to kill you."
No answer came. Instead, arrows resumed—one after another, then more and more, as though the two attackers had suddenly multiplied into ten. Darken found himself in deep trouble, forcing him to sprint and weave between trees just to stay alive.
"Damn it! How many are there now? How did I fail to sense their real number?! This is insane!" he growled as he darted from one tree to another, dodging every arrow.
While running, someone lunged out from behind a trunk—a pursuer. Darken had sensed him already. He spun mid-stride and swung his sword, striking the figure—Only to freeze when he saw the face.
Or rather… the lack of one.
The figure had no eyes, no mouth, no nose—only a smooth, empty surface. He wore simple combat clothes, carried a bow, and had a quiver strapped to his back. And within seconds… the figure dissolved like a mirage.
"What…?" Darken muttered in shock, stopping entirely. "What was that…?"
The answer came swiftly.
"Forgive my copies. Some of them enjoy irritating people. Allow me to apologize… by facing you myself."
The voice came from above and behind him.
Darken turned to see someone who resembled the faceless figure—same build, same clothes—but this one had hazel eyes, a mouth, a nose… and hair matching the shade of the faceless copies, though deeper and more vibrant.
The stranger aimed an arrow straight at Darken. Darken dodged the shot instantly, even before it reached him. The stranger descended gracefully, but before he could land securely, Darken attacked with his sword.
The young man, however, flipped backward repeatedly with remarkable agility until he escaped Darken's reach.
"Tch… he's ridiculously agile," Darken muttered, watching him.
Another arrow nearly grazed him—the tree behind Darken caught it instead.
' I don't know what's happening, but I'm at a disadvantage. I need a solution or… '
Another volley rained down on him. He dodged desperately, though one arrow managed to scratch his left cheek.
' I need to get out of the forest. In an open area, they'll lose most of their advantage '
With that thought, Darken sprinted through bushes and between trees, dodging arrows as they continued to pursue him.
Then—suddenly—they stopped.
The abrupt silence brought him a moment of relief… but something felt wrong.
He halted abruptly.
A cold blade touched his neck.
It wasn't imagined. A perfectly positioned sword extended from atop a nearby tree, the precision impossibly sharp.
"Well, well… you're better than you look—at least at running and dodging. But with a sword? You're unbearable, stranger."
The voice belonged to a young woman.
Darken turned slightly to see her.
A tall female figure with long white hair, calm refined features, and beautiful wide blue eyes like pure sapphire, with faint dark circles beneath them. She wore light armor—metal covering her chest up to the collarbone, her back down to mid-spine, her shoulders to the hands, and her thighs and shins.
The joints were covered with some kind of woven fabric Darken couldn't identify—understandably so, given the blade against his neck.
Without warning, she moved from her perch, appearing right in front of him. Her expression didn't change—not even slightly.
Yet her sword never left his neck. Only the angle changed, the tip now touching the front of his throat rather than the side.
Which meant…
"One unwise movement, and this sword will enter your throat… and exit the back of your neck," she said calmly—but with unmistakable warning.
In that moment, Darken realized he had fallen into a trap set by these unknown individuals.
Now he had a choice: either heed her warning and act wisely… or make a reckless move and face an outcome he couldn't predict—or even comprehend.
From the very first glance… he could tell:
This girl was far stronger than she appeared.