Black ViSage walked quietly toward the small room where Liriya was resting.
Liriya slowly opened her eyes and looked at the unfamiliar figure standing near her bed.
Her voice was weak, but curious.
"Dad… who is he?"
Walker gently sat beside her and replied softly,
"He is a friend of your brother."
Liriya looked at Black ViSage for a few seconds.
She did not look afraid.
Instead, her eyes were calm—almost too calm for a sick child.
Black ViSage met her gaze.
He understood immediately.
He said nothing.
After making sure Liriya was asleep again, Walker and Black ViSage stepped out of the room and quietly closed the door.
Black ViSage spoke in a low voice,
"Hey… Liriya is not your real child. She is adopted. Am I right?"
Walker's face stiffened.
He quickly whispered,
"Please… say it quietly."
Black ViSage replied calmly,
"Don't worry. She is sleeping."
Walker sighed deeply, as if a heavy secret had been exposed.
"Yes… Liriya is adopted. But I love her as if she were my real child."
At that moment, Black ViSage felt something strange.
He turned his head slightly toward the closed door.
An aura.
Faint, but abnormal.
Black ViSage's eyes narrowed behind the mask.
This presence…
She is not an ordinary girl.
Before he could say anything, the front door opened.
A boy's voice echoed through the house.
"Father? Where are you?"
Zak had returned.
He stepped inside—and the moment his eyes landed on Black ViSage, his entire body froze.
"A-Ahh! Who is he?!"
Zak stepped back in fear.
Walker immediately stood up.
"Calm down, Zak."
But Zak couldn't calm himself.
The black mask.
The silent presence.
The overwhelming pressure.
Zak trembled.
"He's scary…!"
Black ViSage observed quietly.
Interesting, he thought.
His sister didn't fear me at all… but he does.
Now I'm sure.
That girl is not normal.
Black ViSage spoke slowly, his voice controlled.
"Hey, kid. Don't be afraid. I'm an adventurer."
Zak swallowed nervously.
"P-Please… open your mask. It's scary."
Black ViSage shook his head slightly.
"Sorry. I have my reasons for not removing it."
Zak looked at his father desperately.
"Father… how can you trust someone like this?"
Walker placed a hand on Zak's shoulder.
"Calm down, Zak."
Then he turned toward Black ViSage.
"I'm sorry about that."
Black ViSage replied without hesitation,
"No problem."
The next day.
Black ViSage left the village alone.
His goal was clear.
The Ghost Dragon.
As he moved through the jungle, a low growl echoed.
Marrowbane Tigers.
Several of them emerged from the shadows.
Black ViSage didn't draw his sword.
He simply released a gas spell.
The Marrowbane Tigers staggered, their movements slowing, their bodies weakening.
One by one, they collapsed.
No struggle.
No noise.
Black ViSage continued forward.
Marrowbanes this close…
That means the Dragon's body is nearby.
Soon, he found a cave.
The moment he stood before it, an abnormal energy washed over him.
"This place…"
He stepped inside.
What he saw made him stop.
Human Marrowbanes.
Too many.
Dozens—standing silently like statues.
Black ViSage's thoughts raced.
Why aren't they moving?
Why are they not leaving the cave?
He clenched his fist.
This area is pure jungle.
If a dragon had died here, human bodies shouldn't exist.
So why are there so many human Marrowbanes…?
Then—
He saw one figure clearly.
A familiar face.
"Zak…?"
His eyes widened.
"No… that's impossible."
Zak was at home.
His breath slowed.
Realization struck him like lightning.
That's not Zak.
That face…
"Ooh…"
Black ViSage whispered under his breath.
Helen Walker.
Now I understand.
Black ViSage quietly stepped out of the cave.
He did not attack.
He did not interfere.
Not yet.
Everything is connected, he thought.
But this is not the time.
Without leaving a trace, he returned to Gargolos Village.
He already knew the truth.
Tomorrow was the Night Dragon Festival.
And tonight—
Tonight must be the end.
As darkness slowly covered the village, Black ViSage activated camouflage magic.
His presence vanished completely, as if he no longer existed.
Silently, he moved through the streets and stopped in front of the village leader's house.
He slipped inside like a shadow.
From behind a wall, he listened.
The village leader spoke with confidence, his voice filled with greed.
"Tomorrow," the leader said,
"I will announce to the villagers that the Dragon has spoken again."
He paused, then continued with a false tone of reverence.
"I will tell them that the Dragon demands more humans next week.
Ten more sacrifices."
A merchant sitting nearby stiffened in shock.
"T-Ten humans?" the merchant asked nervously.
"That's too many…"
The leader smirked.
"The villagers will obey.
They always do."
The merchant hesitated, then asked carefully,
"But… how do you control the Marrowbanes?
They move exactly as you want."
The leader's expression darkened instantly.
"That is none of your business," he said coldly.
"You don't need to know such things."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Now leave."
The merchant swallowed hard.
"Huh… o-okay."
He quickly stood up and left the house.
The door closed.
Silence filled the room.
Then the village leader laughed quietly.
"What a foolish merchant," he muttered.
"He doesn't know anything."
He lowered his voice, speaking to himself.
"I control the Marrowbanes using the mysterious Dragon Stone."
Behind the wall—
Black ViSage listened.
And understood everything.
So this is the core of the rot, he thought.
Tomorrow night… this nightmare ends.
Black ViSage made his decision.
This ends now.
Meanwhile, inside the village leader's house, Robert Robinson was laughing loudly.
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with mockery.
"Pathetic villagers," Robert thought.
"I have never seen fools like them.
They believe in a ghost dragon, worship fear, and hand me their own people on a silver plate."
His laughter echoed through the room.
Just then—
A messenger rushed in, breathing heavily.
"Leader!" the messenger said urgently.
"I heard something important."
Robert frowned.
"What is it?"
The messenger hesitated before speaking.
"I heard that Walker has hired an adventurer."
Robert's smile vanished instantly.
"Ooh…" Robert muttered.
"That is not good."
His eyes narrowed.
"Do you know who this adventurer is?" he asked sharply.
The messenger shook his head.
"I don't know, sir."
Fear crept into Robert's expression.
If a powerful adventurer gets involved, he thought,
controlling this situation will become difficult.
He slammed his hand on the table.
"Capture Walker immediately," Robert ordered coldly.
"Do it fast.
Before anything spreads."
The messenger straightened.
"Okay, sir."
He turned and hurried out of the room.
Above them—
On the balcony of the garden—
Black ViSage stood silently.
No one could see him.
His camouflage skill erased his presence completely, even his shadow.
Every word had reached his ears.
Black ViSage's eyes darkened beneath the mask.
So you're making your move, he thought.
Then I will move faster.
He turned away from the balcony.
This is the moment.
I must protect Walker.
And with that—
Black ViSage vanished into the night.
That night, the messenger and several bandits moved silently toward the Walker house, intending to capture their target.
Inside, Walker knelt beside Liriya, his face full of sorrow and regret.
"I… I am so sorry, Liriya," he said, voice trembling. "I am sorry that I have given you nothing but pain all these years. I am truly sorry… For me, your life is also in danger because of my decisions. I am… I am sorry that I could never give you a proper life. I failed you."
Liriya looked up at her father with gentle eyes, shaking her head. "Father, please… don't say that. It's not your fault. I am happy to live with you, and I don't blame you for anything. Please… don't say it is your fault."
Walker's chest tightened as he held back his emotions.
At that moment, the bandits burst into the house. Panic filled the room.
Walker froze, fear cutting through him like a blade.
Zak stepped forward, anger and defiance in his eyes. "Who are you? What do you want?"
The bandits hesitated for a moment, remembering Robert's strict instructions.
"Don't harm Zak," Robert had warned. "He is a sacrifice. If you even lay a finger on him or deal him a critical blow, the villagers will realize the Ghost Dragon is a lie. They must believe the Ghost Dragon protects the one who is chosen."
One of the bandits lunged toward Zak, but before he could reach him, a torrent of fire shot from nowhere, blasting him backward.
It was not Black ViSage.
The source of the flame revealed itself—Liriya Walker.
Her eyes blazed, and her aura radiated overwhelming power. "Do not try to harm my family," she warned, her voice steady despite the fever that made her body tremble.
She extended her hands, and a massive Burning Flame Black Hole erupted, engulfing the intruders. The bandits were thrown aside, unconscious before they even realized what had happened.
From a distance, Black ViSage watched silently, moving swiftly but without interference. He wanted to see this display of power fully, to understand the mage's strength firsthand.
Then his sharp eyes caught something—the mark on Liriya's neck. The faint symbol glowed faintly in the firelight.
So she is a mage, he realized.
Mages always bear the signs of their power… and this confirms it.
But even as Liriya released the massive attack, Black ViSage noticed something troubling. Her body shivered violently, beads of sweat forming on her brow. Her energy was waning—her health clearly compromised. The Burning Flame Black Hole had drained her to her limit.
Black ViSage stepped forward, voice calm but commanding. "Follow me."
Zak opened his mouth to question him, but Walker placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Zak," Walker said softly, "we go now. Any questions we have, we ask Black ViSage later. Just stay quiet and move."
Without another word, they followed him into the dense jungle outside the village.
After a few moments, Black ViSage spoke, his voice cutting through the quiet night. "Do you know about your child, Liriya?"
Walker shook his head. "No… I don't. Please… tell me who she is."
Liriya, slumped against her father, remained unconscious, her chest rising and falling weakly.
Black ViSage's gaze hardened. "If you do not know, then perhaps it is better that you remain ignorant. For her sake, and yours."
Zak's voice rose, demanding, "Why? Why can't we know?"
Walker quickly silenced him with a firm glance. "Quiet, Zak. If Black ViSage chooses not to tell, you cannot force him. Sometimes, silence is for our own protection."
Black ViSage's voice was steady, but heavy with truth. "I will not tell you because you do not yet understand the stories of Mages and Sages. Their history is a secret, bound by laws and dangers far beyond your comprehension. For now… it is safer that you do not know."
Walker nodded solemnly, gripping Liriya's hand tightly. Zak, though frustrated, remained silent, trusting the wisdom of the masked adventurer who had already saved them from certain death.
And as they continued deeper into the jungle, the night air filled with both tension and anticipation—for the secrets of Liriya's power, and for the storm that was still to come.