Arin woke up peacefully.
For once.
No strange dreams.
No whispers.
No feeling of being watched by cosmic management.
He blinked at the ceiling.
"…Morning."
He raised his hand lazily.
The faint distortion formed above his palm, quiet and obedient as ever. Space thinned slightly, like a sigh that never became sound.
Arin squinted at it.
"Good morning, cutie."
The distortion trembled faintly.
He smiled.
"Please behave today. Let's not cause theological debates before lunch."
He closed his hand gently and sat up.
Today felt… good.
Which meant something was probably wrong.
But he chose optimism.
After dressing and finishing breakfast—carefully ignoring how two attendants whispered when he passed—Arin walked toward the Divine Hall with light steps.
He was halfway there when—
"Arin."
He stopped.
Caelum stood behind him, as if he had always been there.
"The Goddess wishes to see you."
Arin stared at him for a long second.
Deadpan.
"This was going smoothly."
Caelum said nothing.
"Of course my lady wishes to see me. Out of nowhere. Naturally."
He sighed dramatically.
"Let's go."
They began walking.
After a few steps, Caelum spoke calmly.
"You are getting bolder day by day."
Arin glanced sideways.
"I prefer the term 'progressively reckless.'"
"That is not better."
"I know."
—
The throne hall felt colder than usual.
Or perhaps it was just him.
The pillars stretched upward like silent witnesses. Light filtered from unseen heights, bathing the chamber in quiet brilliance.
And at its center—
She sat.
Composed.
Effortlessly elegant.
Time itself seemed reluctant to move too quickly in her presence.
Arin immediately straightened.
Polite. Respectful. Slightly fragile.
"My Lady."
Her gaze rested on him.
Not heavy.
Not light.
Simply absolute.
"You will assist in tending the Azure Flame Wyrm."
Silence.
Arin blinked once.
Twice.
"…Assist in tending," he repeated carefully.
"Yes."
He hesitated.
"…Tending implies closeness."
"Yes."
"To… something alive."
"Yes."
He swallowed.
"My Lady, with utmost respect, I believe there has been a clerical error."
Caelum remained perfectly still beside him.
"I am physically underqualified for most living things larger than a house cat."
Silence.
"I lack field experience."
Silence.
"My magical situation is… under investigation."
Silence.
"I trip on flat surfaces."
Silence.
"And if this creature breathes anything remotely warm, I will simply cease."
Still silence.
Arin inhaled slowly.
"I humbly request reassignment to something safer. Like organizing scrolls. Or observing from a very respectable distance. Or perhaps moral support from behind a reinforced barrier—"
"Arin."
Just his name.
Not louder.
Not sharper.
But something in the way she said it—
Made the air still.
His spine straightened instantly.
Every argument dissolved.
"…Understood."
Caelum watched him carefully.
Arin bowed his head slightly.
"I will carry out the instruction."
The Goddess gave a faint nod.
"Caelum will guide you."
Of course he will, Arin thought. Witness to my demise.
—
They walked in silence through descending corridors carved into luminous stone.
The air grew warmer.
Arin frowned slightly.
"…It's a plant, right?"
Caelum did not respond.
"A very enthusiastic plant?"
Silence.
They stopped before enormous gates of reinforced celestial alloy.
Arin blinked.
"…That seems excessive for plant."
The gates opened slowly.
Heat rolled outward.
Not violent.
Just vast.
Arin stepped inside.
And froze.
At the center of the cavernous chamber—
Curled atop a bed of glowing crystal—
Was something colossal.
Crimson scales layered like molten armor.
Wings folded, each larger than a cathedral arch.
A tail coiled lazily around fractured stone.
The air shimmered faintly around its resting form.
Arin stared upward.
Up.
And up.
And up.
"…That," he said faintly, "is not a plant."
One massive eye opened.
Golden.
Ancient.
It focused on him.
The chamber grew still.
Arin did not breathe.
The creature watched him.
The air should have ignited.
The ground should have trembled.
It did neither.
Instead—
The great being tilted its head slightly.
Not aggressive.
Not hostile.
Just… observant.
Arin blinked.
"…Hi."
The eye narrowed.
Then—
To Caelum's subtle surprise—
The immense creature lowered its head.
Not in submission.
Not in attack.
Simply closer.
Studying him.
The air around Arin thinned faintly.
Almost imperceptibly.
The creature's nostrils flared once.
Then it settled back down.
Calm.
Silent.
Unbothered.
Arin turned slowly toward Caelum.
"…You didn't say it was a dragon."
Caelum's expression remained neutral.
"It is smaller than some."
Arin looked back at the colossal being.
"…I would like to file a complaint."
Behind them—
High above—
Unseen—
The Goddess observed through a thread of time.
And for the briefest moment—
Her gaze sharpened.
Interesting.