Chapter 11
"Arthur?!"
Shin stares at him, shock freezing his body.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
Arthur's expression is tense.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"…About what?" Shin asks cautiously.
Arthur takes a breath.
"I want to save my sister. But there is no cure."
Shin steps closer.
"There might be one. At least… we believe so."
Arthur looks up sharply.
"What do you mean?"
Shin explains everything the curse, the Spirit Stone, the Spirit Garden, and the Nature Continent.
Arthur listens without interrupting. When Shin finishes, Arthur nods slowly.
"I understand," he says. "Then I'm coming with you."
Shin doesn't hesitate.
"Of course. She's your sister."
Arthur exhales in relief.
"Then how do we get there?"
Shin's voice darkens.
"Only by sea. The Spirit Continent lies beyond the ocean. But the sea route is impossible right now."
Arthur smiles faintly.
"That won't be a problem."
Shin and Ray exchange looks.
"I know someone," Arthur continues. "Someone who can take us there another way."
Before dawn, they finish packing.
No guards. No witnesses.
They slip through a narrow back alley and leave the kingdom behind.
As they walk north, Ray finally asks,
"So… who is this 'someone'?"
Arthur only replies,
"You'll see."
After nearly one kilometer, they stop in front of a massive cave.
Arthur steps forward and calls out loudly.
"Reinzahn!"
The ground trembles.
A colossal white dragon emerges from the cave. His scales shine like frozen moonlight, and his teeth look sharp enough to shatter diamonds.
Shin and Ray freeze.
Arthur speaks calmly.
"Reinzahn, I need you to take us to the Spirit Continent."
The dragon snorts.
"I refuse."
Shin steps forward and pulls out a bright, glowing crystal.
Reinzahn's eyes narrow.
"…That crystal."
He pauses, then sighs deeply.
"Very well. I will take you."
Arthur nods.
"There will be stops along the way, correct?"
"Yes," Reinzahn replies. "The journey will take three days. The distance is great."
They accept.
Moments later, they climb onto Reinzahn's back.
With a powerful beat of his wings, he takes off.
As they rise into the sky, Reinzahn speaks.
"I will activate my ability: Perception Disturbance. No one will be able to track us."
The world below shrinks.
Five hours pass.
Cities disappear beneath them. The sun sets. Night falls.
Reinzahn descends into a quiet forest to rest.
They dismount and prepare to sleep.
Suddenly BOOM.
The ground shakes violently.
A monstrous figure appears from the darkness.
An Emperor Goblin so massive it cannot be knocked over by force alone.
In an instant, the creature sees all four of them.
Reinzahn growls.
"Do not worry. I will handle this."
Arthur turns to Shin.
"Reinzahn is an extremely powerful dragon."
Shin and Ray watch in awe.
Reinzahn gathers the energy of nature. The air grows cold. Frost forms on the ground.
A massive sphere of energy forms before his mouth.
With a single breath
The Emperor Goblin is erased.
Silence returns.
Reinzahn lands calmly.
Shin stares.
"…What was that?"
Reinzahn answers,
"That breath was Neutral Blast. It belongs to Ancient Magic."
Ray speaks in disbelief.
"Emperor Goblins are incredibly strong. How did you defeat it so easily?"
Reinzahn snorts.
"It was not fully developed. It was still in its growth phase."
Exhausted, the four of them lie down.
Under the silent stars, they fall asleep.
The journey has truly begun.
Will they arrive?