Catherine's golden eyes dimmed, the light within them flickering as she exhaled softly.
"To tell you what I came here to say," she murmured, "I'll have to start with a story. One that no one in the current four-kingdom alliance knows. The truth that was buried a long time ago."
Raven tilted his head slightly, curious.
"This story," she continued, "belongs to a time when there was a five-kingdom alliance. Back then… before gods and dragons warred openly, before the balance was broken, before Velmoria was even known for the Vaise family."
Her fingers brushed absently through his hair, her gaze distant—like she was watching something only she could see. "That was the era when the black dragon first appeared in this world."
Raven blinked once. "You mean the black dragon? The one that was hiding under the Vaise ruins?"
She nodded faintly, though a touch of surprise crossed her face. "Yes. Though I didn't expect you to already know its story."
