Shinju took a deep breath. There was both fatigue and reproach in his voice.
> "You didn't even listen to us. You attacked before we could even speak."
"I… I'm the one who lifted that curse."
The dragon's pupils narrowed.
> "The one who lifted the curse?"
"But I can smell that curse on you — very strongly.
How can a dragon carry such a vile power inside of them?"
Shinju tilted his head slightly.
> "First of all…" he said slowly.
"That power doesn't control me. On the contrary, I control it."
They took a step toward one another, eyes locked.
> "Second… I am not a dragon."
The dragon growled; the sound rolled across the mountain like thunder.
> "Lies! I smell dragon from you."
"Don't deny it — that aura could not belong to any other being."
Shinju smiled — ironic, almost provocative.
> "I appear as an ordinary human.
You're as big as a mountain. Really, can't you tell the difference?"
The dragon squinted. Then a thin curl formed at the corner of her mouth.
> "What could be simpler than this?"
In an instant, a golden light wrapped her body.
Her huge wings folded, her scales turned to light.
Before anyone could blink, she transformed into a young woman with red hair and red eyes.
Koharu stepped back, stunned. Only one word escaped Shinju's mouth:
> "Wha— is that even possible?"
Swen stepped forward cautiously, clasping her hands together and bowing with exaggerated respect.
> "Honorable dragon, it's perfectly natural that you sense dragon from Shinju."
"He has absorbed Mikail's Spear — that is, Elisyum ore."
"Elisyum is essential for the birth of dragons."
Swen stroked her chin thoughtfully and spoke with calm authority:
> "On some volcanic peaks, flowing magma brings traces of the planet's core to the surface."
"If the conditions are right, Yang beasts — dragons — can form."
"It seems this mountain is one of those rare places."
She paused, her expression turning serious.
> "But there's something I don't understand…
If dragons once lived here, how did Mikail manage to conquer this world so easily?"
The dragon lowered her head.
> "My name is Aurelia."
"We… were arrogant, and we paid the price."
> "We dragons can only reproduce on certain sacred summits.
Our eggs will not mature anywhere else."
> "For years, we fought humans.
Then we made an agreement:
As long as they stayed off our mountain, we would never attack them."
She fell silent for a long while; then sorrow laced her voice.
> "But one day, a strange energy appeared in the lands of humans."
"The Dragon Council gathered. 'We are powerful,' they said."
"'If we wanted, we could destroy them all in an instant.'"
"And so… they did nothing."
> "Then the sky darkened," Aurelia continued.
"And that malignant energy came."
> "That black mist made us sick.
We lost our strength… dizziness, nausea, trembling…
Dragons began collapsing one after another."
A chill ran through Shinju.
The dragon lifted her eyes to the sky.
> "We tried to intervene.
But the human lands were shielded by a golden barrier.
We couldn't pass."
Tears welled in her eyes.
> "Dragons began dying, one by one."
"I… climbed to the summit. I sealed myself to protect the last of my kind."
Swen suddenly stepped forward, her voice firm yet passionate.
> "It's not over yet, great dragon.
Those who brought that curse will return soon."
Aurelia clenched her teeth.
> "I'd love nothing more than to make them regret it," she said softly.
"But I can't leave this place. Here… I have a duty far greater than vengeance."