The silence of the academy, after everything that had happened, felt almost alien.
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I was sitting on the roof of the building.
The wind was calm.
Too calm for someone who had recently been tearing through the dungeons and pushing their own limits.
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Kuroyami was lying next to me.
Silent.
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SHRAM was silent too.
And it was… suspiciously pleasant.
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'Finally, a break…' I said quietly.
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And at that moment—
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footsteps.
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Light.
Confident.
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I didn't turn round straight away.
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'You've let your guard down too much,' a woman's voice said.
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I sighed.
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'Do I know you?'
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'Not yet.'
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A pause.
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'But now — yes.'
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I turned my head.
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And saw her.
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A girl.
Calm.
Confident.
Too confident for an ordinary person.
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Her gaze was strange.
Not just curious.
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As if she… was searching.
And had finally found me.
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— So that's where you are… — she said quietly.
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And smiled.
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— I've found you.
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I narrowed my eyes.
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"The Prince?"
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She nodded calmly.
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"Yes."
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A pause.
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I tilted my head slightly.
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— Wrong address.
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She smiled quietly.
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— No.
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— I'm not mistaken.
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She took a step closer.
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And the wind around her seemed to change.
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— You carry royal blood.
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I froze.
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— What?
---
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She looked at me calmly.
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— Dragon blood.
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— But not ordinary.
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'The highest.'
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Kuroi flinched slightly.
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For the first time in a long while, SHRAM spoke immediately:
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'Interesting…'
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The girl continued:
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— In the ancient records, there is a line of beings.
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— Those who do not simply become dragons.
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— But those who control their evolution.
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I slowly stood up.
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— And you're saying that I'm one of them?
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She nodded.
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— Not just one.
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— You are the last active bearer.
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A pause.
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I smiled.
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— Sounds like a problem.
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'It's not a problem,' she said calmly.
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'It's a title.'
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She moved closer.
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And her expression grew serious.
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'Prince of the Broken Line.'
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I froze.
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— And what does that even mean?
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She looked up at the sky.
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— It means that your power…
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— doesn't belong to you alone.
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A pause.
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— You can lead others.
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— Or destroy everything connected to this world.
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Silence.
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The wind picked up.
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I looked at my hands.
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— Great…
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— That's all I needed.
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SHRAM chuckled quietly:
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— A prince, then.
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— Sounds funny.
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The girl tilted her head.
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— I didn't come here to argue.
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— I came to serve.
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I looked at her sharply.
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— Serve?
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She nodded calmly.
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— As the guardian of the line.
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— You have awakened.
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— Which means… the era begins.
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I exhaled.
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— I just wanted to rest.
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She smiled.
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— Princes don't rest for long.
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A pause.
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I chuckled.
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— In that case, it seems…
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— I'm in trouble.
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She turned and walked away.
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And added as she left:
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— Soon you'll realise for yourself why they found you.
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I stayed on the roof.
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Watching her go.
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And for the first time in a long while…
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rest no longer felt like rest.
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SCAR whispered quietly:
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— The real story is beginning.
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I sighed.
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— Yes…
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— It looks that way.