"Two completely different people..."
Those words echoed over and over as the transformed Valerius stood motionless, his body poised for battle...
Daniel pointed toward him, confusion filling his voice...
"What...??? Are you saying he's our enemy now???"
Round let out a slow, sorrowful sigh...
"Unfortunately... yes."
His eyes never left Valerius...
"He is no longer human."
"...Nor alive."
"...Nor truly dead."
Before anyone could interrupt, he continued...
"He sees everything around him as an enemy. He's lost himself completely... All that's left is a weapon made only to kill."
Daniel frowned...
"What kind of nonsense is that??? Does something capable of doing this even exist???"
Round silently assumed a fighting stance...
"Yes."
His gaze drifted toward the collapsed body of Agnyr...
"Only dragons possess the power to manipulate the hearts and emotions of others so effortlessly..."
"...but turning someone into... this..."
"...that is the work of no one but a vile, despicable dragon like Daim."
The scene shifted once more to Agnyr...
His enormous dragon body had reached its limit...
A dragon completely exhausted.
Broken...
As though something essential inside him had long since shattered.
His right eye twitched faintly.
Almost as if he were about to awaken.
Then...
A voice echoed deep within his mind.
"Valerius..."
"Were we truly never meant to meet again???"
"Was it truly wrong... for a human and a dragon to stand on the same side???"
And with that...
The memory he had buried countless times surfaced once again...
No matter how desperately he tried to forget...
It always found its way back...
From a forgotten age...
""Near a prosperous mountain city...
Three dragons suddenly descended into exile...
Gyre, the Twisted Dragon...
Aculeus, the Thorn Dragon...
And...
Agnyr, the Dragon of Wrath...
Gyre roared furiously.
"What happened??!"
"Were the accusations against us actually accepted??!"
Aculeus slammed his massive tail into the ground...
"That damned bastard... Daim!!!"
"We were this close to exposing his true intentions!!!"
"Did he move before we could???"
Agnyr shared the exact same emotion.
Pure rage...
"What do we do now???"
"How are we supposed to return???"
"How do we clear our names???"
Gyre asked, his voice filled with uncertainty...
Aculeus answered without hesitation...
"It isn't over yet."
"And Agnyr..."
"We'll rely on your plan."
Agnyr immediately snapped...
"And why are you saying that as if this is my fault??!"
"Your movements were painfully obvious, you damned porcupine!!!"
Aculeus glared back...
"Who are you calling a damned porcupine, you idiot??!"
Within seconds...
The two dragons were fighting...
But this was no ordinary quarrel...
Black storm clouds swallowed the sky.
Flames erupted in every direction.
The earth trembled violently.
Explosions echoed through the mountains.
It resembled a full-scale war.
Not far away...
Lay the mountain city of Crag...
The citizens quickly noticed the terrifying disturbances...
Fear spread through every street.
Soon...
Hundreds gathered before an enormous fortress...
Its gates bore the carved image of a warrior blocking blazing flames with nothing but his bare arms...
The people demanded an immediate scouting expedition...
The gigantic gates slowly opened...
Dozens of highly trained guards marched out in perfect formation...
Walking before them...
Was a man in his early forties...
His black hair had already begun turning gray...
A thick beard framed his stern face.
His muscular physique reflected years spent on the battlefield...
One of the guards raised his voice proudly...
"Bow before the ruler of Crag!!!"
"The source of our strongest warriors!!!"
"The great king..."
"Griem!!!"
Instantly...
Every citizen knelt without hesitation...
As though they had practiced the gesture their entire lives...
King Griem slowly raised his left hand...
"My beloved people..."
"Allow me to once again thank you for placing your trust in me..."
His voice remained calm and composed...
"And because I have always spoken honestly with you..."
"I shall do so again..."
"I, too, am deeply concerned by what is happening."
"However..."
"For reasons beyond my control..."
"I cannot send my royal guards."
"They have never been trained to survive disasters of this magnitude."
A brief silence followed...
Then Griem continued...
"So tell me..."
"What if we selected volunteers from among yourselves instead???"
"I shall provide them with everything they need... and more..."
The crowd immediately erupted into whispers...
Some opposed the idea...
Others supported it.
After several minutes...
The majority agreed...
The decision had been made.
Meanwhile...
In a quiet corner of the city...
Lived a simple farmer and his only son...
They were among the last to hear the news...
Only after several villagers gathered outside their home.
The farmer stepped outside and spoke with them briefly before returning inside.
He glanced at his rough, cracked hands...
Years of labor had left their mark...
Then he raised his voice...
"Hey, Valerius!!!"
"Come here, quickly!!!"