Swen stepped forward, her hands clasped behind her back.
> "What duty could possibly be more important than this? The world itself is at stake. For someone like you to remain silent—it would be a tremendous loss."
Aurelia's gaze softened for a moment.
> "You may call me by my name. Just Aurelia is fine."
"In the heart of this mountain lie the last eggs of my kind. If I leave, the dragon race will vanish completely."
Koharu took a deep breath, her eyes lingering on Aurelia's stunning human form.
> "No… she shouldn't come with us," she muttered. "We already have one genius here. We don't need another rival."
Swen turned her head, raising a brow with a teasing smile.
> "Really, princess?"
"The handsome hero can barely handle a single serpent. How exactly are we supposed to fight Mikail's army—throwing rocks?"
Koharu groaned, clearly annoyed.
> "Ugh… it's impossible to talk to you."
Shinju finally broke his silence, his voice carrying the calm authority of a leader.
> "Swen's right."
He turned toward Aurelia.
"The stronger we are, the better our chances."
Aurelia studied him for a moment, her crimson eyes tracing his face.
> "There's something strange about you, Shinju. I sense both light and darkness within you.
And by the way—you're the most handsome dragon I've ever seen."
Shinju looked away, slightly embarrassed.
> "I told you, I'm not a dragon."
Aurelia stepped closer, smiling softly.
> "A journey with someone as handsome as you would've been delightful.
But I can't leave the eggs behind."
Koharu snapped, her voice rising.
> "Absolutely not! She's not coming with us—end of discussion!"
Swen quickly stepped forward and covered Koharu's mouth with her hand. Her voice turned calm yet commanding.
> "Relax, princess. Let me take a look at those eggs.
If I can handle this, you'll come with us, right? Promise me, Aurelia."
Aurelia's eyes filled with cautious hope.
> "If you can solve this… I promise. I'll do everything I can."
Swen exhaled slowly, nodding with confidence.
> "Then let's not waste another second."
They followed Aurelia into the depths of the cave.
After a while, they entered a vast chamber.
In the center stood a black stone altar, holding ten enormous eggs.
They were cold to the touch, covered with a thick layer of dust that had gathered over centuries.
Koharu frowned, unimpressed.
> "These? They've been sitting here for a thousand years and never hatched.
What are you even planning to do, Swen?"
Swen smirked and opened her satchel.
> "Just watch."
She took out the same orb she had once used to locate Mikail's Spear.
Holding it between her palms, she whispered a brief incantation.
The light inside began to swirl, and a glowing map appeared in the air.
On it, Shinju shone like a massive beacon of light.
Next to him glimmered a smaller light—Aurelia.
And deeper inside the mountain, almost invisible, faint sparkles could be seen.
Swen's lips curved into a triumphant smile.
> "I knew it! Look—this big light is Shinju, the smaller one is Aurelia.
That means both of you carry the Elisyum element.
And these faint dots here… those are Elisyum veins!"
Koharu crossed her arms.
> "That's ridiculous. Elisyum only exists in planetary cores."
Swen rolled her eyes dramatically.
> "Oh please, think for once. This is a volcanic mountain.
When magma rises from the core during eruptions, it can carry Elisyum to the surface.
Normally this orb wouldn't detect such weak signals, but since we're close—they're visible."
Her tone turned serious.
> "Our mission is clear now.
If we can extract enough Elisyum, we can bring these eggs back to life."
They worked tirelessly. After hours of digging, Swen finally found a sufficient amount of Elisyum ore.
Aurelia knelt beside the eggs, tears glimmering in her eyes.
Koharu collapsed to the floor, exhausted.
> "I hope this works… You made us dig all day for this."
Swen smiled confidently.
> "You'll see."
She held the glowing Elisyum in both hands and murmured a spell.
The stones began to glow, then melted into liquid gold.
The molten energy flowed over the eggs, seeping into their shells.
For a moment, silence filled the chamber… then the eggs began to shimmer.
When they pressed their ears against them, faint heartbeats echoed from within.
Aurelia's breath caught.
> "My brothers and sisters… you've been alive all this time…"
Tears streamed down her face.
> "Swen… I'm forever in your debt. You truly did it."
Swen grinned proudly.
> "Don't forget our deal. You'll help us now, right?"
Aurelia clenched her fists, her voice firm.
> "Of course! I'll help you—even if it costs me my life!"
They approached the cave's entrance.
Swen raised her hands, tracing runes through the air.
Blue and golden symbols appeared at her fingertips.
She whispered an incantation—the air itself thickened.
The entire entrance turned to solid rock.
From the outside, it looked as though no cave had ever existed there.
Aurelia stepped back, wide-eyed, and reached out—only to hit an invisible barrier.
> "What… what did you do, Swen? I can't get in."
Swen looked up, her expression calm but resolute.
> "Don't worry, Aurelia. The eggs are safe now.
No living being can enter.
The formation will hold until one of them hatches from within."
Aurelia took a trembling breath. Gratitude and sadness filled her eyes.
> "I owe you, Swen."
Swen smiled softly.
> "You don't owe me anything. This is just the beginning."