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Night had fallen.
Thin curls of cooking smoke rose above the small town, filling the air with the aroma of food.
Ian sat at the Buds' dining table, looking at the steaming dishes laid out before him. Even though he was already full, he couldn't help feeling moved; he hadn't eaten such a warm, home-cooked meal in a very long time.
In the Great Hall at Hogwarts, mealtimes were like battlefield maneuvers, full of schemes and hidden motives. As Ian was feeling sentimental, he overheard the way Bud addressed the five-year-old boy.
Odin?
The name instantly struck a nerve with Ian. Bud and her younger brother, Odin, were busy bringing dishes to the table, chatting and laughing as if they hadn't noticed Ian's strange expression.
"Odin, don't just eat meat. Have some vegetables, too." Bud spoke softly as she set out the bowls and chopsticks, handing a huge bundle of cabbage to the little boy.
The little boy immediately began gnawing furiously with an obedient look on his face.
However, Ian had already glanced at him several times. In the end, he couldn't hold back any longer and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Odin? You mean your younger brother is named Odin?"
It wasn't unreasonable for Ian to react this way. After all, he had met the Greek gods not too long ago. Upon hearing the question, Bud froze for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, is there something wrong?"
Ian opened his mouth but didn't know how to answer for a moment. Of course, he had questions, as this name was far too familiar. Even in this world, he had heard it countless times:
The king of the Norse gods.
Who didn't know that name?
A being who could sit at the same table as Zeus.
"Your parents...don't tell me they're called Borr Son and Bestla?" Ian asked tentatively. Those were the names of the parents of the Norse All-Father.
Bud shrugged.
"Nope."
She dismissed his guess outright.
"It just sounded nice, so Dad and Mom changed his name."
The boy who was eating meat chimed in brightly. He sounded so much like a filial child that Ian now looked at him with suspicion.
"Dad and Mom are really powerful trainers. They have lots of strong partners." Sensing Ian's stare, Odin spoke again. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unmistakable pride.
"And where are they now?" Ian asked.
Odin looked toward Bud causing a trace of longing to flash in Bud's eyes.
"They went out adventuring." Her tone was full of yearning, too.
"Went out adventuring?" Ian repeated, sounding hesitant.
"And left just the two of you at home?"
He still didn't understand the cultural norms of this place.
"Yeah, it's perfectly normal. We can take care of ourselves once we turn two, and there's food everywhere outside." Bud shook her head as she spoke, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "In this town, every adult chooses to leave after having children and sets out on a journey with their magical creature partners.
"It's our tradition, we must spend at least half the year traveling."
'Good grief.' This left Ian completely speechless. 'This really was a faithful recreation of a game world and it was strange in every sense.'
He still didn't know why the Titan had created such a place.
Was it boredom?
Or was it something else entirely?
"It's been three months already... almost half a year." Odin nodded lightly. "Dad once said that a true trainer is never trapped by any storm, nor will any distance block the road home."
There was a firm resolve in his voice.
Hearing this, Ian nodded as well. The people here seemed accustomed to separation and waiting. The rhythm of their lives and their values were entirely different from anything he knew.
After dinner, Ian was settled onto the sofa in the living room.
"Odin, huh..."
He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts tumbling endlessly. If this was only a coincidence, then it was far too strange. Yet, if it wasn't a coincidence, then what exactly was hidden behind it?
He had no answer. He could only continue to observe.
Night deepened.
The chirping of insects drifted in from outside the window. Ian closed his eyes, trying to relax. Just as he was about to fall asleep, however, a deafening roar tore through the silence.
It shattered the tranquility of the night.
"What happened?!" Ian shot upright from the leather-and-cotton sofa. The roar caused the windows of the wooden house to rattle violently. Piercing screams and the thunderous crash of collapsing buildings came from the distance.
The roar seemed to come from the heavens themselves and carried a suffocating, bone-chilling pressure.
Then, the ground began to quake violently. The glass windows inside the house shattered with crisp cracks, and the dishes on the table clattered to the floor and shattered.
The two childrens, who had been sleeping soundly, jolted awake in terror.
"An invasion!"
They were horrified.
"It's an Ancient Dragon. I know that sound all too well." Ian rushed to the window. Through the rising smoke and dust on the east side of town, he saw a massive silhouette unfurling wings that blotted out the sky.
Sure enough, it was an Ancient Dragon.
Its obsidian-like scales gleamed with a cold light, and the bone spurs along its back were like sharpened blades. Every flap of its wings whipped up violent gales. The flames spewing from its jaws melted the bell tower into glowing molten iron in an instant.
"All units assemble! The eastern district needs support!"
On the street, the townspeople were already forming a defensive line. Some quickly summoned their magical creature partners in an attempt to stop the sudden catastrophe.
A gigantic flaming bird soared upward and unleashed fire at the Ancient Dragon. The dragon effortlessly dodged the attack and swatted the bird down with a single claw, slamming it into the ground.
Ancient Dragons.
Even in this era, they were the ultimate predators. Most magical creatures could never hope to be their match; after all, most magic had little effect on them.
In terms of physical size, dinosaurs were little more than snacks to them.
"We have to hide!" Bud grabbed Odin's hand with panic written all over her face.
"That dragon must've wandered off from Dragon Island up north."
She made her judgment quickly and pulled Ian outside the house. The streets were already in chaos, with residents fleeing in terror.
"Damn it! Evil dragon!" Pulled along by his older sister, Odin's eyes flashed with anger and frustration. He didn't speak further, only gripping his sister's hand tightly.
Ian scanned the surroundings.
More than a dozen trainers had brought out their magical creatures to fight, but against this Ancient Dragon, they were almost completely powerless. Every attack was effortlessly neutralized.
Some trainers were knocked to the ground with their partners, and their fate was uncertain.
"We can't let this go on. The magical creatures in your town can't stand up to something like that." Ian said in a low voice, his eyes flashing with determination.
Bud grabbed his arm anxiously.
"Your partner is just a bird. He definitely can't beat a Dragon."
Bud truly believed that the Raven was Ian's partner. Even as a child, she understood how limited a bird's combat power usually was.
"I don't just turn into a bird. I'm also a wizard." Ian smiled lightly, his tone calm yet brimming with confidence.
"What is a wizard?" Bud and Odin looked completely confused.
Ian didn't answer.
"You've treated me kindly, so it's time I did something for you."
He simply drew his wand as he spoke and in the next instant, his figure shot upward, his robes snapping in the wind.
He flew to hover over the battlefield. The situation was now extremely dire. More than a dozen of the town's strongest magical creatures had formed the last defensive line, but the Ancient Dragon was pushing them back step by step.
The siblings hurriedly followed.
"That's your guest, isn't it?!" Someone recognized Ian and asked them.
But Bud and Odin had no time to respond.
Because the very next second, before the stunned gazes of the siblings and everyone else, Ian swept his wand and a blazing surge of fire erupted upward.
It was blue fire, not a chaotic wave, but rather, fire condensed into the form of a massive raven.
The Raven circled Ian in the sky.
The Fiendfyre had manifested!
Under his transfiguration spell, the fire took the form of a being of pure elemental life, spiraling above him with wings unfurled.
The deep blue flames illuminated the night like a newborn sun. Its molten, searing eyes locked onto the rampaging Ancient Dragon and it let out a shrill, piercing cry.
"This is what a wizard is." Only now did Ian answer Bud.
With a flick of his fingers, the Fiendfyre raven responded instantly, diving downward. The raven, formed of pure magic, let out a high-pitched cry and rushed straight toward the dragon destroying houses.
"What...what is happening...?" The injured town chief muttered in disbelief on the ground.
"ROAR!"
Sensing the threat, the Ancient Dragon bellowed and opened its jaws, unleashing a beam of blazing white dragonfire. The scorching energy tore the ground apart like a volcanic eruption.
But Fiendfyre was far too fast. It twisted gracefully in the air, dodging the attack, then swept its wings with immense force.
A tidal wave of heat swept outward, carrying dust and rubble high into the sky.
"Boom!"
The moment the flames collided with the dragonfire, the entire sky seemed to ignite.
Blinding light reflected off every face, and it felt as if the world was ending. A shockwave blasted outward, uprooting trees and ripping tiles from rooftops.
People had to clamp their hands over their ears, hiding from the clash between beings of overwhelming power.
"Hrrraaah!"
The Fiendfyre raven did not falter. Its feathers blazed with deep blue fire, and every beat of its wings unleashed a storm of flames that blocked the Ancient Dragon's attacks one after another.
In the next instant, the Fiendfyre let out a roar that shook the heavens. Its body swelled dramatically, transforming into a colossal bird of living flame whose wings blotted out the sky.
Waves of heat rolled from its burning form... and it was as if the sun itself had fallen to Earth.
"It's over." Ian slowly raised his hand as though delivering a divine decree as Fiendfyre plunged downward with the fury of annihilation, diving straight toward the struggling Ancient Dragon!
The ancient dragon roared and charged head-on, its claws slicing through the air with enough force to tear stone apart. But Fiendfyre's speed was now far beyond anything it had shown before.
Its wings spread open, like a blazing solar corona suspended in midair.
This time, the dragon's breath was completely overwhelmed by Fiendfyre's flames.
A torrent of scorching fire engulfed the dragon's body, and its scales cracked under the intense heat, making sharp, splintering sounds. The dragon shrieked in agony and beat its wings wildly in a desperate attempt to break free. However, Fiendfyre's flames moved with a will of their own.
They burned hotter and hotter until they consumed everything.
The dragon's scales began to melt, dripping like liquefied wax.
Fiendfyre condensed into a brilliant pillar of light that pierced heaven and earth. Within that blazing torrent, the silhouette of the Ancient Dragon shuddered violently. It managed only one final, anguished roar before...
When the flames finally dispersed, the massive beast had turned into a charred statue, frozen in mid-struggle in the sky.
A passing breeze swept over it, and countless ashes drifted into the air.
The sky fell silent once more, and only faint shimmering embers lingered before fading away.
Ian floated in midair. The air around him was still scorching hot. The townspeople stared up at him in utter astonishment, as though their minds had yet to catch up with what they had witnessed.
The entire town was silent.
Everyone looked upward; they looked at the unfamiliar outsider who now stood suspended in the dawn light like a deity. Bud and Odin watched from nearby, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Is... is that even a human?" Someone whispered, voice trembling.
"How could a human possibly wield such power?" Another trainer asked, eyes wide with shock.
"Did you all see it? That little stick! He used that stick to summon that phoenix-like creature!" An elderly man spoke excitedly—his eyesight was surprisingly sharp.
"But that didn't look like the ability of a trainer at all," A young girl said, frowning. "It looked more like the power of a magical creature itself."
"You mean...he's a magical creature?" Someone nearby gasped.
"That's impossible, isn't it? He clearly looks human!"
"Then who can explain how he flew into the sky? Or how he summoned a fire creature of that level from nothing?" The girl remained firm in her opinion.
"Unless...he's a Legend-tier magical creature in human disguise."
The moment she spoke those words, the crowd fell silent.
If that were true then it would be beyond incredible.
Bud and Odin stood at the front of the crowd, gazing up at Ian.
For a moment, neither of them could find their voice.
"He must be a Legend-tier magical creature! I knew it! Legend-tier magical creatures can take human form." Bud recalled the events from when she first met Ian by the seaside.
Her conclusion, which had already been shaken, shifted yet again.
"He's a wizard," Odin said suddenly, his tone firm.
"A wizard? But what even is a wizard?" Bud was stunned.
"I don't know either, but he's really amazing." It was Odin's first time hearing the word, too.
He stared fixedly at Ian, who was floating in the sky. His eyes burned with excitement and fervor. No one here understood what a wizard was, but Odin felt something stir deep inside him, as if he had found the path he wished to pursue. It was as if a seed had been planted in his heart.
The scene from moments ago replayed in his mind:
His elder sister's friend.
With fire swirling around the boy's body.
He looked like a war god descending from the divine realm.
His silhouette, illuminated by the fading flames, stood tall and enigmatic as if he were not of this world.
The sight left a profound impression on the young Odin.
With a mortal body, standing shoulder to shoulder with magical creatures.
That was the true path a man should walk.
(End of chapter.)