As I entered the large door, a space where Flora’s traces remained intact was revealed.
I carefully reached out to the shelf where the magic tools were organized.
I opened the bag of unknown depth and searched inside.
I felt smooth leather, cold metal, and soft fabric at my fingertips.
I picked out useful items such as an old mirror, a shining crystal ball, and a sharp silver dagger and threw them into the magic bag.
A pair of gloves on one side of the shelf caught my eye.
They were gloves with a clear rose pattern embroidered with dark red thread.
There were traces of meticulous stitching, but there were a few places where the threads were loose and hanging out, as if they were not yet finished.
Next to the gloves was a notebook where Flora wrote something every time she experimented with me and kept it as if it was precious.
‘To fix Peridot’s heart…’
My heart beat stronger once more.
It was Flora’s writing.
My heart ached as I remembered why she had made these gloves, why she had gone to such lengths for me.
When I put the gloves on, the soft texture of the fabric enveloped my hand.
But the momentary peace was soon shattered.
My heart pounded violently, and the suppressed dragon’s magic began to race madly as soon as it touched the gloves.
A sharp pain as if my heart were going to burst swept through my entire body.
I instinctively tried to throw the gloves off, but it was too late.
A hot aura rose up my wrist, and spread throughout my entire forearm like a living snake.
This heat was not simply body temperature or an illusion.
It was the dragon’s essence, unstoppable magic, burning like flame.
The alien power that rose up through my veins as if holding them back was being sucked into my fingertips that made contact with the gloves.
A strong red glow rippled from my fingertips, growing stronger and stronger.
I felt so oppressed that I couldn’t even breathe.
It felt as if the magic power inside my body was being absorbed by the gloves.
A sudden pain hit the back of my hand as if it were stabbing me, and soon a sharp electric shock-like sound spread from the gloves.
I unconsciously raised my palms toward the ceiling due to the tremendous magic power that seemed to burst from my fingertips.
The next moment, the ceiling shattered with a loud noise.
A huge shockwave swept through the room, and dust flew into the air.
I instinctively covered my face to avoid the falling debris.
Drip…
drip…
Warm liquid flowed down my lips.
The nosebleed that I absentmindedly wiped with my wrist spread, leaving a dark red stain.
My heart beat as fast as if it was going to burst, and my whole body staggered from the inside out in excruciating pain.
Every time I inhaled, it felt like my ribs were being crushed by something.
It was a pain of a different level than when Dragon Heart’s magic was simply raging in my chest.
It was as if my body itself was screaming that it could not accept this power.
Is this the price for forcibly using power that is not allowed as a human?
A terrible pain as if my heart was being ripped out spread from deep within my chest.
At that moment, the light flowing out of my chest began to permeate my entire body.
As if Dragon Heart was protecting me by itself, Hot magic filled my body.
The light spread out from my chest and flowed throughout my entire body.
The invisible life force flowed through my blood vessels,bringing a strange sense of relief even in the midst of the pain.
I could tell.
The wounds that had torn me apart were slowly being sewn together from the inside.
I could feel the severed muscles being reconnected and the damaged cells being regenerated.
Dragon Heart was rebuilding my body, struggling to stay alive in pain.
It wasn’t just a simple healing, Hardy.
The magic of Dragon Heart seeped into every corner of my body, as if it were forcing a sense and vitality beyond human limits.
The hot power saved me, while leaving behind a strange sensation that was slowly destroying my existence.
I grabbed my staff.
I tried to force myself to hold on to my fading consciousness.
But I couldn’t stop my eyelids from falling, and my consciousness went dark.
I was standing in a burning castle.
The blackened walls came into view.
I couldn’t tell if the castle itself had burned down, or if it had been painted black from the beginning.
It felt strange and eerie.
It wasn’t a fancy palace, nor was it a fortress built for defense.
The strange patterns covering the walls, the inefficient structure, and the twisted design seemed to tell me that this castle was not a normal castle.
It seemed as if it was designed to induce fear.
The debris falling from above hit the ground with a dull sound.
Smoke rose.
The vibrations reached my feet, but it didn’t feel real.
I realized that it was a dream.
I didn’t feel any heat from the flames, and even my legs, which normally wouldn’t listen, now moved smoothly according to my will.
I walked into the castle.
It wasn’t hard to find the way.
As if to prove that someone had passed by, the blood-stained road stretched out like a red carpet.
The corpses of the demons who had been cut down were piled up like mountains around me, and broken and damaged weapons were scattered around.
There were sharp scars all over the walls and floors.
Everything showed signs of chaos and fierce battle.
As I stepped onto the bloody road, a strange sense of incongruity rose in my mind.
Even though I knew it was a dream, this sight felt so real.
A sense of wavering between reality and fantasy enveloped me, and made me quicken my steps.
At the end of the red-stained road, I saw someone’s back.
His armor was covered in blood and ash, and his blond hair had lost its luster, covered in blood and ash.
The tattered and worn-out cloak felt like it had been torn countless times in the battlefield.
And the sword in his hand.
The sword was so clean and dazzling, contrasting with all the chaos around him.
I realized who he was.
A warrior.
He was different from the past I knew.
Wearing silver armor and with a determined look, he swung the shapeless blade called ‘justice’, and showed no sign of hesitation in cutting down evil.
The tip of the sword was shaking.
A stream of blood was flowing down the sword.
I couldn’t see who had been stabbed by the warrior’s sword.
I took a step closer to the warrior.
But everything around me began to blur.
The flames, the blood-soaked path, and even the warrior’s figure all faded away and disappeared.
The touch of the cold floor was clear to my feet.
The feeling of the leash wrapped around my neck brushed past me, and the feeling of soft gloves came from my fingertips.
The surroundings were dark as if it had already become night, and the moonlight was shining into the room through the hole in the ceiling.
I lifted myself up, leaning on my cane.
The magic power spreading out from my chest was still throbbing like crazy.
I could clearly feel that my body was not in normal condition.
A strange energy welling up from deep within my chest and a heavy feeling of fatigue enveloped my entire body.
But what confused me even more was the dream I had just had.
Even though it was just a dream, it lingered vividly in my head as if I had experienced it myself.
Even though I knew that everything was an illusion, I could not erase the emotions that were constantly ringing in a corner of my heart.
But there was no time to care.
I tried to push away the scenes that came to mind, and tried to focus only on what I had to do at this moment.
Even at this moment, I couldn’t know what kind of pain Flora was going through, held captive by the Demon King.
Her face came to mind.
Her purple eyes, bright red hair, and the faint scent of roses enveloped me.
I called her name with a trembling voice.
“Flora…”
There was no answer.
If only I could get her back, I didn’t care if my body broke and my heart stopped.
I staggered forward, taking one step at a time.
I turned around and took one last look at the mansion.
It was once a paradise for Flora and me, far from all the pain and confusion of the world.
But paradise without her meant nothing.
I remembered her face smiling brightly at me.
I heard her voice whispering sweetly in my ear like an auditory hallucination.
I gripped my staff tighter.
I raised my head and looked at the dark forest.
The branches that covered the sky felt like giant hands, and darkness came rushing in as if trying to swallow me up.
The cry of an owl rang out from somewhere, and I saw the eyes of a beast shining in the darkness.
But I wasn’t afraid.
Because the most frightening thing for me had already happened.
Without Flora by my side In fact.
The possibility that I might not find her again.
There was nothing more frightening than that.
I felt like I finally understood the dark, intense longing I had felt when I was with her.
The longing to hold her in my hands and not give her to anyone.
The desire to lock her away in a safe paradise and spend eternity in our own world.
It was love.
I whispered to myself.
“I’ll come find you, Flora, wait for me.”
And I took another step into the forest.
The darkness closed in on me as if swallowing me up, but I could move forward with my eyes closed.
Because she was waiting for me.
The corners of my lips turned up and a smile formed.