The mansion was quiet except for the soft whisper of night wind slipping through the window. Moonlight spilled across the wooden floor like silver water, painting long shadows that swayed whenever the curtains breathed. Reider lay on the bed near the center of the room, chest rising and falling slowly, every breath sounding fragile—too fragile for someone who fought like he did.
Mei sat near the window, the glow outlining her silhouette, hands loosely folded in her lap. Vael sat on the opposite side of the room, back straight, arms crossed, golden eyes never leaving Reider's sleeping form.
A silence heavier than stone stretched between them.
---
Mei broke first.
Her voice was quiet, but edged with something sharp.
"You know, Vael… you could do all of this alone, couldn't you?"
Vael didn't even blink. She didn't acknowledge the question, didn't flick an ear. Just kept watching Reider breathe.
Mei exhaled. "With what you are… your power… you could crush the Church and Aldric if you wanted to. So why allies? Why us?"
For a long moment, Vael didn't answer.
Then finally—soft, almost a whisper—
"Maybe I could."
Mei waited, but she didn't let Vael dodge it with half-chosen words.
"…That's not what I asked."
Vael slowly leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. When she spoke again, her voice was steadier, firmer.
"But that's exactly why I won't."
Mei frowned, confused but listening.
---
Vael's gaze finally shifted from Reider to Mei.
Her expression was serious, carved from something older than any kingdom still standing.
"If I went to war alone," she asked quietly, "what do you think the world would see?"
Mei opened her mouth, then closed it again when she realized the only answer that made sense.
Vael answered for her anyway.
"A dragon," she said. "A monster."
The words hung between them like a blade.
"I've lived long enough to know how people react to things they don't understand. Even if I'm right—if I strike first—they'll unite against the thing they fear most."
Her voice softened, becoming almost tired.
"And that's me."
Mei lowered her gaze, absorbing that.
---
"But if they hurt Reider… or us?" Mei whispered.
"You expect yourself to just stand back?"
Vael's fingers curled into her palms, knuckles whitening. A dangerous flicker crossed her eyes—anger, ancient and lethal.
"If they do," she said quietly, "there won't be a kingdom left to stand against."
Mei felt a chill run through the room.
For a moment, she saw it—Vael unrestrained.
A force that could erase nations.
Vael leaned back with a slow breath, the moment passing.
"But until that day," she murmured, "I want to believe there's another way. A path where Reider doesn't inherit a world drenched in blood."
Mei looked at the boy—no, the grown man who was still just a child inside. Her heart softened.
"You think that's possible?" she asked.
Vael let out a faint, bitter smile.
"I don't know. But it's what Dain would've wanted."
Mei's breath hitched.
"And what Reider deserves."
---
Silence again. Softer this time.
Mei's voice trembled when she finally spoke.
"Dain… he always wanted to protect everyone. Even if it cost him everything."
Vael nodded slowly.
"He wasn't just a warrior. He had a kind heart. Reider has that too… even if he doesn't show it the same way."
Mei smiled sadly.
"Sometimes I wonder if Reider even understands what he feels."
Vael smirked.
"You call him your son now, but don't pretend you didn't almost pass out when he carried you onto that boat."
Mei flushed instantly.
"Don't remind me."
Vael's smirk widened.
The tension melted into warmth for a moment.
---
Eventually Mei straightened, her expression returning to something quieter, gentler.
"So… you want allies because you want to fight as a person, not as a monster."
Vael looked out the window, moonlight catching her eyes.
"If I'm going to burn the Church and Aldric to ash, I want the world to understand why. I want them to see who the real monsters are."
Her gaze drifted back to Reider.
"If he's going to live free, it has to be in a world that accepts him. Not one that fears him… or hunts him."
Mei breathed out slowly, understanding sliding into place.
"You really are something else, Vael."
Vael stretched lazily, flashing a smirk.
"Careful, Mei. Don't fall for me. You've already got enough trouble with one man in this house."
Mei groaned.
Vael laughed softly.
The room finally felt lighter.
---
Outside the mansion — two figures sat on the cliff's edge.
Juno leaned forward, elbows on his knees, watching the stars scatter across the night sky like fractured light.
Eryndra sat beside him, hands behind her for support, legs stretched out, expression thoughtful but still wearing that amused smirk she carried like armor.
"I didn't think he'd be that fast without a core," Juno said.
Eryndra chuckled quietly.
"Yeah. He moves like a phantom. Scary part is… he doesn't even know how dangerous he is."
"If he had a core," Juno murmured, "he would've beaten me."
Eryndra raised a brow.
"You think so?"
"No," Juno said. "I know."
For once, she didn't tease.
---
He sighed, looking upward.
"You remember that dungeon I destroyed?"
"How could I forget?" Eryndra smirked. "Five dimensions packed into one space. Half the world thought you died."
"So did I," he said dryly.
They sat silently for a moment.
"Even then," Juno continued, "Reider forced me to take him seriously. And his body gave out before he could finish."
Eryndra's expression dimmed into something more serious.
"That last move… the way he absorbed the leftover mana… That wasn't human."
"No," Juno agreed. "It wasn't."
---
Eryndra crossed her arms, leaning forward slightly.
"Maybe that's why Vael's protecting him. Maybe she's even scared of him."
Juno scoffed.
"Vael? Scared? Of a kid?"
Eryndra shook her head.
"He's not a kid. You saw his eyes. They looked like they've seen centuries of death."
Juno's gaze darkened.
"…Yeah. Empty. Too empty."
"No wonder the Church wants him dead," she muttered.
"Or controlled."
Eryndra looked up sharply.
"You think they know what he is?"
Juno shook his head.
"If they did, they'd send armies. Not disposable knights."
Eryndra muttered under her breath—
"So what is he…?"
Juno glanced sideways at her.
"You're really curious about him, huh?"
Eryndra smirked.
"Wouldn't you be? Pretty boy with no emotions and no core who can toss knights around like furniture? Yeah, he's interesting."
Juno snorted softly.
"Seems like he's got that… effect on people. Even Vael and Mei."
Eryndra groaned.
"Don't remind me. And don't get me started on when he introduced them as his 'wives.'"
Juno choked.
"He WHAT—?!"
Eryndra burst into laughter.
"Dead serious. The look on their faces? I swear, I almost died."
Juno wiped a tear, still laughing.
"Maybe he is a monster."
Eryndra smirked.
"Yeah… but it makes him fun."
Juno gave her a side-eye.
"Dangerous taste you've got."
"Better than boring," she shrugged. "Besides… we're gonna need him if we're going against the Church and Vaelthorne."
"Someone who doesn't fear them," Juno agreed.
Eryndra stared up at the moon.
"I just hope he survives long enough."
Juno stood, stretching.
"We'll make sure he does."
They both turned toward the city.
"Besides…" Juno smirked.
"Now I want to see what he can really do."
They walked back toward the mansion, moonlight casting long shadows behind them.
The wind whispered like a warning.
And the world would soon witness it too.The city lights faded behind them as Juno and Eryndra approached the mansion gates. The guards barely glanced at them—Juno's aura still clung to him like a warning sign, and Eryndra's presence was sharp enough to keep anyone from asking questions.
Inside, the house was quiet. Too quiet.
Juno slowed first.
Eryndra noticed his shift. "What?"
He didn't answer—just lifted a finger to his lips.
Eryndra raised a brow but followed silently as they stepped inside.
The hallway was dimly lit, moonlight pooling across polished floors. Voices murmured from Reider's room—soft, but serious.
Juno and Eryndra exchanged a glance and approached.
---
Inside the room, Vael's voice was the first thing they heard:
"…so if they push him again, his body won't hold."
Juno's jaw tightened.
Eryndra's smirk vanished.
Vael, Mei, and Reider were all in the room—Reider asleep, the two women guarding him like a pair of wolves.
Vael's gaze flicked up the moment Juno entered.
"You're back."
Juno nodded. "We talked."
Eryndra stepped in beside him, arms crossed. "And we've got thoughts."
Vael's eyes sharpened. "Let's hear them."
---
Juno walked to the bedside, studying Reider's sleeping form.
Even unconscious, the kid's breathing was uneven, heartbeat faint like a dying ember.
"…He burned himself out," Juno murmured. "Badly."
Vael nodded with a tight expression. "I could feel the damage spreading through his nerves. If he pushes ambient mana into his body again within the week—"
"He'll tear himself apart," Juno finished for her.
Mei flinched, looking away.
"…He's too young for this," she whispered. "I keep forgetting he's only two months old…"
Eryndra muttered, "Yeah, well… his body doesn't look two months old."
Vael shot her a glare.
Eryndra lifted her hands. "I'm just saying."
---
Juno studied the kid a moment longer.
His expression softened—just slightly.
"He's dangerous," Juno said quietly.
"But that's not the problem. The problem is he doesn't understand how dangerous."
Mei let out a shaky breath. "He's never had a childhood… never had a moment to just—grow."
Vael's voice lowered, almost guilty.
"And now the world is hunting him."
Eryndra leaned against the wall, eyes focused.
"So what's the plan?"
---
Vael straightened.
When she spoke, the softness vanished.
The dragon in her resurfaced.
"First," she said, "we find out why he doesn't have a core."
Juno nodded. "And if that means finding his mother…"
Mei reached into her pocket, pulling out the old letter once again.
"…then we go where this points us."
Eryndra scoffed softly. "A land from a hundred million years ago? Sure. Why not. Sounds fun."
Vael ignored her sarcasm.
"Second," she continued, "we gather allies. Quietly. Carefully. People Aldric and the Church can't buy or scare."
Mei nodded. "People who can protect him."
"And third," Vael finished, voice cold, "we take back control of the board. Before they force our hand."
Eryndra raised a brow. "Meaning?"
Vael met her gaze, golden eyes glowing faintly.
"…meaning we choose the battlefield. Not them."
Juno smirked.
"Finally speaking my language."
---
Mei looked at them—these warriors, killers, survivors—and something in her expression softened.
For the first time since losing Dain… she had help.
Real help.
Not hope—hope was fragile.
But strength.
Strength that chose to stand with her son.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
Vael didn't look at her, but her tone softened.
"We're not doing this out of kindness, Mei. Reider is one of us now."
Eryndra shrugged. "Also, I want to see where this goes. Kid's too interesting to die early."
Juno snorted. "Understatement of the century."
Mei gave a shaky laugh through her tears.
---
Suddenly—Reider's hand twitched.
Everyone froze.
His breathing hitched, body tensing, brows knitting as if he were fighting something in a dream.
Mei jumped to her feet. "Reider?"
Vael immediately leaned in, one hand on his shoulder.
"Easy," she whispered. "You're safe."
Juno stepped closer, aura shifting.
Eryndra moved to the foot of the bed.
Reider's eyes fluttered open—barely.
His pupils were dark, unfocused, like he wasn't entirely present.
He stared at nothing.
Through them.
Past them.
"—mother…" he breathed.
The word sent a shiver across the room.
Mei's heart cracked.
Vael's eyes sharpened.
Eryndra straightened.
Juno's jaw set.
Reider's hand lifted weakly—searching the air.
Then his voice broke, soft as a dying candle:
"…don't… leave me…"
Mei pressed a hand over her mouth, tears spilling.
Vael closed her eyes, pain flickering through her expression.
Even Juno looked away.
Eryndra whispered, voice low:
"He's… dreaming."
No.
Vael shook her head.
"He's remembering."
---
Reider's fingers curled into a trembling fist.
He whispered again—barely audible:
"…I'll… find you…"
A heartbeat passed.
Then he stopped moving.
Completely.
Not dead—just drained.
Fallen back into unconsciousness so deep he looked carved from moonlight and shadows.
Vael slowly lifted her hand from his shoulder, her expression unreadable—and dangerous.
"Then we'll find her," she said quietly. "Wherever she is. Whenever she is."
Juno nodded.
Eryndra smirked.
Mei wiped her tears and grabbed the letter tight against her chest.
---
Vael looked at all of them.
The fierce.
The wounded.
The broken.
The loyal.
The dangerous.
"We start tomorrow," she said.
"And we don't stop," Juno added.
"Until the truth is ours," Eryndra finished.
Mei touched Reider's hand gently.
"…until he's safe."
A silent agreement bound the room.
Moonlight washed over them, silver and cold—
a witness to the moment an alliance was born.
A dangerous alliance.
A necessary one.
A world-changing one.