Darkness was the first thing Utsuki became aware of.
It was not the quiet, peaceful darkness of a calm night beneath the stars, nor the gentle shadow that settled across the world when the moon disappeared behind clouds. This darkness was heavy and suffocating, broken only by the weak glow of scattered torches that had been fixed hastily along the stone walls of the underground shelter. Their flames trembled constantly, bending and twisting whenever another distant shockwave rolled through the earth above them.
And those tremors came often.
Every few moments the ground shuddered beneath their feet, as if something enormous was striking the surface of the city with impossible force. Fine dust drifted down from the cracks in the ceiling each time the shelter shook, coating the air with the dry scent of old stone and fear.
Utsuki could feel every impact.
Even deep beneath the capital, the battle raging in the sky above them had not grown distant. If anything, the sheer scale of it made the underground chamber feel smaller, more fragile, as though the stone roof above their heads was nothing more than a thin barrier separating them from the destruction outside.
The Dragon King's mana still lingered in the atmosphere like the aftermath of a violent storm. It pressed against her senses constantly, a suffocating presence that interfered with every spellcaster in the city.
All around her, the shelter was filled with people.
Thousands of civilians had been forced into the underground chamber, crowding the narrow corridors and stone platforms that had originally been meant to hold far fewer occupants. Families sat shoulder to shoulder along the walls, clinging to one another while they listened to the distant thunder of the battle.
Some people cried quietly.
Others argued in tense whispers that sometimes rose into angry voices before being silenced again.
Several children clung desperately to their parents' clothing, refusing to move even a single step away from them, while a baby somewhere deeper in the crowd had begun crying loudly enough that its voice echoed through the chamber.
Fear was everywhere.
It showed itself in shaking hands, hollow stares, trembling breaths, and the way dozens of heads instinctively turned upward each time the ground trembled again.
Another violent shock shook the shelter.
Elizabeth clicked her tongue in irritation as she glanced around the cramped chamber.
"What kind of pathetic excuse for a shelter is this?" she muttered, crossing her arms. "If the ground keeps shaking like that, we're all going to end up buried alive before the dragons even finish the job."
Melissa immediately turned toward her with a sharp glare.
"Elizabeth!"
Her voice was quiet, but the warning inside it was unmistakable.
"Don't say things like that here."
Elizabeth frowned.
Melissa gestured subtly toward the surrounding crowd.
"Look around you. These people are already terrified."
Elizabeth followed her gaze.
Now that she was actually paying attention, she could see it clearly.
The way mothers instinctively pulled their children closer.
Elizabeth sighed through her nose and muttered something under her breath before looking away.
"…Fine."
Not far from them, several knights wearing the insignias of Bernard's and Harold's divisions were trying their best to calm the crowd.
"Please remain calm!"
"There is no need to panic!"
"Stay close to your families!"
But their efforts were barely holding the situation together.
The shelter was too crowded.
The air was too tense.
And the sounds of the battle above them made it impossible for anyone to truly relax.
Utsuki stood quietly beside the wall, watching the entire scene unfold with calm eyes.
After a moment, she let out a quiet sigh.
"…You knew, didn't you, Toki?"
Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, but the name carried a strange mixture of frustration and admiration.
That infuriating man always seemed to understand situations long before anyone else realized what was happening. Even when he said nothing, even when he acted like everything was some kind of joke, there was always a reason behind the choices he made.
He had sent them here deliberately.
And now, standing in the middle of this frightened crowd, Utsuki was beginning to understand why.
While she was lost in those thoughts, she suddenly noticed several familiar figures approaching through the dim light cast by the torches.
King Mathias walked at the front of the group, his tall figure immediately recognizable even in the shadowed chamber. Beside him were Mr. Smith, Lorelay, and Old Man Felix.
Several civilians quickly lowered their heads as the king passed by them.
Mathias stopped when he reached the group.
"I'm relieved to see that you arrived safely," he said calmly.
However, his gaze quickly shifted toward Utsuki.
Concern lingered in his expression.
"Is Toki safe?"
Utsuki met his eyes.
"For the moment, yes."
The king visibly relaxed.
"The last time I saw him," Mathias said slowly, "he was fighting with the Dragon King."
Utsuki nodded.
"They reached a temporary armistice."
Before anyone else could respond, Smith suddenly clasped his hands together and blurted out—
"Thank the heavens!"
The words echoed loudly through the chamber.
Smith froze.
Realizing what he had just said, his face turned bright red almost instantly.
"I mean—"
He coughed awkwardly and tried to straighten his coat with forced dignity.
"…naturally I expected him to survive."
Lorelay raised one elegant eyebrow, clearly amused.
"Oh?"
Her lips curved slightly.
"Were you worried?"
Smith immediately protested.
"Of course not! I simply allowed him to proceed according to his own judgment!"
Felix chuckled quietly beside them.
"That boy never stops surprising me," the old man said with a fond smile.
King Mathias nodded.
"Well, the important thing is that you all reached the shelter safely."
Smith folded his arms.
"Does anyone know the current state of the battle above?"
Elizabeth snorted.
"Those three idiots sent us down here while they're playing catch with the dragons."
Melissa elbowed her immediately.
"Lower your voice!"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes but complied.
Lorelay, however, wasn't paying attention to their argument.
Her gaze had shifted toward Utsuki.
Something about her expression stood out.
Since entering the shelter, Utsuki had not changed her expression even once.
Lorelay stepped closer.
"Are you worried about him?"
Utsuki blinked.
Then she shook her head.
"No."
Her answer came without hesitation.
"I trust him completely."
But after a moment, her gaze drifted across the frightened crowd surrounding them.
"…I just don't know if I can do what he asked me to do."
Before Lorelay could respond, a quiet sound interrupted them.
A child was crying.
The sound came from somewhere near the far corner of the shelter.
Utsuki turned toward it .
Without another word, she stepped away from the group and began walking slowly through the crowd.
People instinctively shifted aside to allow her passage, though many avoided meeting her eyes.
She pretended not to notice.
Eventually she found the source of the crying.
A small girl sat curled against the stone wall, hugging her knees tightly while tears streamed down her face.
Utsuki knelt beside her.
"Hey…"
Her voice was gentle.
"Why are you crying?"
The little girl sniffled.
"I'm scared of the dark."
Utsuki glanced around the poorly lit corner of the shelter.
"I see."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Where are your parents?"
The girl shook her head.
"I lost them."
Her voice trembled.
"This place is scary. I want to go home."
Utsuki felt something tighten in her chest.
Slowly, she tore a small strip of fabric from the edge of her dress and gently wiped the tears from the child's cheeks.
"Hey… it's okay."
Her voice softened.
"It's normal to feel scared."
She extended her palm.
"But being scared doesn't mean we can't do something."
Utsuki concentrated.
Mana gathered slowly in her hand, though it resisted her slightly due to the overwhelming presence of the Dragon King above the city.
After a moment, a tiny spirit appeared.
It was nothing more than a small floating orb of light, glowing faintly like a distant star struggling to shine through fog.
The girl's eyes widened.
"Wow…"
She looked up at Utsuki.
"You're really pretty!"
The little spirit flickered once before disappearing.
Utsuki smiled faintly.
"You only say that because you don't know who I am."
Her voice carried a quiet sadness.
"Many people are afraid of me."
The girl leaned closer and placed her tiny hands on Utsuki's cheeks, carefully feeling her face.
"But you don't have fangs," she said seriously.
"And you don't have fur."
She tilted her head in confusion.
"So why would anyone be scared of you?"
For a moment, Utsuki couldn't answer.
Then she gently held the girl's hands and pressed a soft kiss against them.
"You know… there's someone very special to me who once asked me the exact same question."
At that moment, Elizabeth's voice suddenly rang through the shelter.
"Hey, Utsuki! Have you seen a lost child? These people are starting to panic!"
Beside her stood a worried woman and a man.
The girl's eyes lit up instantly.
"Mama!"
She ran straight into the woman's arms.
The woman embraced her tightly.
"My baby!"
The man approached Utsuki and extended his hand.
"Thank you for finding our little angel."
Utsuki reached out to shake his hand.
But the moment the man saw her face clearly in the torchlight, his expression changed.
Fear flashed across his face.
Slowly, he pulled his hand back.
Disgust replaced gratitude.
Utsuki quietly lowered her arm.
The man grabbed his wife and daughter.
"Let's go," he said coldly.
"The witch is here."
The little girl waved happily.
"Bye!"
Utsuki smiled and waved back.
Melissa frowned.
"He could have at least shaken your hand. That was incredibly rude."
King Mathias gently placed a hand on Utsuki's shoulder.
"May we speak for a moment?"
She nodded and followed him a short distance away.
The king sighed softly.
"Please don't take it personally. You know how people can be."
Utsuki shook her head calmly.
"There's no need to apologize. I'm used to it."
She looked upward, toward the distant sounds of battle shaking the earth above them.
"But I still need to work hard," she said quietly.
"Just like Toki."
Her voice softened.
"So that one day I can earn the gratitude of others."
Mathias smiled faintly.
"You and Toki remind me very much of my wife and I when we were young."
Utsuki instantly turned red.
"N-No! Toki is important to me but… not like that!"
She waved her hands nervously.
"We're just a good team!"
The king chuckled quietly.
"That sounds exactly like something Toki would say."
Utsuki smiled shyly....
The wind screamed in Toki's ears as the dragon beneath him tore through the sky.
Its wings beat violently against the air, each powerful movement sending tremors through the massive body beneath his feet. The creature twisted and writhed, trying desperately to shake the source of its pain from its back, but Toki refused to loosen his grip.
He glanced sideways through the rushing storm of wind and ash.
Bernard and Harold were still clinging to their own dragons, their cloaks whipping wildly behind them as the three monstrous creatures spiraled above the burning ruins of the capital.
Toki narrowed his eyes.
"Listen carefully!" he shouted over the roar of the wind. "There's only one unprotected place where we can attack these creatures!"
Bernard's head snapped toward him from the back of the neighboring dragon.
For a moment, understanding flashed across his face.
Then he grimaced.
"And how exactly is that supposed to help us?" Bernard shouted back. "That won't kill them! It will only make them angrier!"
Toki grinned.
"Just do what I do!"
Without another word, he shifted his footing, carefully repositioning himself along the thick ridge of scales running down the dragon's neck.
The creature roared again as it tried to twist away from him, its enormous body bucking violently beneath his boots.
Toki waited for the exact moment when the dragon's head tilted upward during its struggle.
Then he moved.
With a single brutal motion, he drove his sword forward.
The blade plunged directly into the creature's eye.
The dragon shrieked.
The creature's entire body convulsed in agony.
Its wings faltered.
For a brief moment it seemed to lose all control of its flight as it began plunging downward toward the ruined streets of the capital.
Bernard stared in disbelief.
Then he glanced toward Harold.
The knight was already doing the same thing.
Harold had positioned himself near the base of his dragon's skull and driven his weapon straight into the creature's eye with ruthless precision.
Bernard let out an exhausted sigh.
"I'm starting to think I really don't like your plans, Toki!"
Still clinging tightly to the scales beneath his hands, Bernard carefully crawled forward along the dragon's neck.
The creature was thrashing violently now, its wings beating uncontrollably as it lost altitude.
"Fine," Bernard muttered.
Then he drove his own blade forward.
The sword pierced straight through the dragon's eye.
The third dragon's scream joined the others.
Now all three creatures were falling.
The sky above the capital seemed to tilt as the dragons plummeted toward the earth in a jagged line, their massive bodies spiraling downward like meteors.
Toki held on tightly as the wind roared past him.
"WHEN I TELL YOU TO JUMP—JUMP!" he shouted.
The dragons continued accelerating.
The ruined city rushed up toward them with terrifying speed.
The ground was almost beneath them now.
"JUMP!" he roared.
The three men jumped.
Their bodies were thrown into the air just as the dragons crashed into the ruins.
The impact shook the entire district.
Stone shattered.
Dust exploded upward into the sky.
The sound of the collision thundered across the battlefield like the collapse of a mountain.
But the dragons were not dead.
They writhed weakly in the rubble, stunned but still alive.
Toki landed hard on the cracked stone street, rolling once before pushing himself back to his feet.
He raised his arm immediately.
"NOW, BOYS!"
His soldiers had been waiting.
All around the plaza, dozens of knights moved at once.
They swung into the already-damaged buildings surrounding the crash site. Walls that had been weakened by the earlier fighting finally gave way under the sudden assault.
One after another, the ruined structures collapsed.
Massive slabs of stone and broken timber crashed down onto the trapped dragons.
The ground trembled violently as the enormous weight of the collapsing ruins buried the wounded creatures beneath mountains of debris.
Silence spread slowly across the plaza.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then one of the soldiers laughed.
Another raised his sword.
Soon the entire group erupted into cheers.
They had done it.
Bernard brushed dust from his trousers as he stood up slowly.
He glanced toward Toki with a tired expression.
"I'm fairly certain," he said dryly, "that when I eventually die, it will somehow be your fault."
Harold chuckled quietly as he adjusted his cloak.
"Still," he admitted, "that was a good plan."
Bernard folded his arms.
"Well," he said, glancing up toward the sky, "now all that remains is for the Dragon King to keep his promise."
Toki did not answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the distant clouds where the Dragon King had disappeared earlier in pursuit of the larger dragon.
"…It's not that simple."
Bernard frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Toki's eyes slowly scanned the ruined battlefield.
His voice lowered.
"There's still someone who hasn't joined the fun yet."