Kael woke up screaming.

"WHY AM I SO WEAK?!"

The cry tore out of his throat as he bolted upright, lungs burning as if he'd been drowning.

But before he could think of anything, his hands flew to his head, fingers digging into his scalp as pain—raw, blinding, and wrong—exploded behind his eyes.

It wasn't physical.

It was deeper.

As if something fundamental had been ripped out of him.

"Agh—!" He clenched his teeth, body shaking as the pain surged, peaked, and then—

Stopped.

Just like that.

Kael sucked in a sharp breath, sweat dripping down his face. His heart hammered violently as a hollow sensation settled in his chest.

Something was missing.

Not injured.

Not sealed.

It was gone.

He tried to remember. Tried to retrace his thoughts, his emotions, his last actions—

—And hit a wall.

The last clear memory he had was of Vilonder.

That absurdly strong human.

The way his mana crushed Kael like a toy. The helplessness. The rage.

Everything after that was blank.

"…What?" Kael muttered hoarsely.

Unable to make heads or tails of anything, he finally looked around.

It was then that he realized he was somewhere he didn't remember being.

He was sitting on a simple bed made of pale wood and woven grass. Around him stretched a vast, endless grassland, emerald blades swaying gently beneath a sky that glowed with soft, golden light.

The air itself felt alive—warm, soothing, and heavy with a sense of restoration that seeped into his lungs with every breath.

Too peaceful.

Too perfect.

Kael, however, frowned.

'What? Where is this?'

He extended his perception.

But no matter how far he spread his perceptive mana, he sensed nothing.

No mana signatures. No lifeforms. No distortions. No borders.

Just… grass. Sky. Wind.

Alone.

"Where the hell am I…?" He whispered.

It was then that Vilonder's words resurfaced.

'I could kill everyone you teleported away.

I would erase everything on the other side.'

Kael's breath hitched.

"No—" Panic flared instantly, sharp and suffocating. He jumped off the bed, scanning the horizon wildly. "Lyra—Evethra—Selene—!"

He turned, searching for anything, any exit, any crack in this place—

—But before he could find anything, he froze.

A hand rested gently on his shoulder.

Warm.

Steady.

"Calm down," a woman's voice said softly. "Breathe."

Without realizing it, Kael did.

The panic receded. His racing heart slowed. The terror dulled, smothered beneath a strange, overwhelming sense of safety—as if nothing bad could possibly happen while that hand was there.

He trusted her.

Instinctively.

Completely.

And that terrified him.

So, the next instant, as soon as he realized that his emotions were manipulated in that split second, Kael twisted away in a flash, leaping back as his fingers transformed mid-motion, scales rippling as draconic claws snapped into place.

"Don't touch me," he growled, his eyes finally registering the woman who stood there, unperturbed.

She looked… ordinary.

Long dark-green hair that shimmered faintly like leaves under sunlight. Warm brown eyes filled with something ancient and endlessly gentle.

She wore a simple white dress that fluttered softly despite the absence of wind.

"Who are you?" Kael demanded. "Where am I? Did you bring me here? And what happened to that human?"

For a brief moment, surprise flickered across her face.

Then she laughed softly.

"…Oh?" She murmured. "You broke free already."

She tilted her head, studying him with clear interest. "No one has ever shaken off my Mother's Embrace that quickly."

But then, she shook her head, smiling to herself. "I suppose I should have expected as much from a dragon."

Kael didn't relax.

"If you don't answer me," he said coldly, "I'll assume you're an enemy."

The woman walked past him calmly and sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing her dress as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

"You don't need to keep your guard up," she said gently. "If I wanted to harm you, you wouldn't be here at all."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

She looked at him.

"My name is Eiravel," she said. "Though most know me as the World Tree. The mother of the Mystic Domain, as humans like to call it."

Kael's breath paused for a second.

"…World Tree?" He whispered.

"Yes." She smiled. "And this place—" she gestured around them "—is your mind."

Silence.

Kael stared at her.

"…My mind?"

Eiravel giggled, covering her mouth lightly. "That reaction never gets old."

Then she nodded, telling Kael more about the situation. "Your body is healing outside. Quite violently, I might add. So I decided it would be… productive to speak with you here, where interruptions are impossible."

Kael frowned deeply.

"If this is my mind," he said slowly, "then I should be able to change it."

"Of course, you can," Eiravel nodded before raising a finger in warning. "Though I would be careful, as one should never push their mind too much."

Kael ignored her warning and focused.

The grassland warped.

In an instant, towering stone pillars rose from the earth. The sky darkened into a storm-lit void. Heat rolled through the air as molten cracks split the ground beneath their feet.

Eiravel's eyes widened slightly.

Then she smiled—bright, proud.

"…Impressive," she said. "To gain control this quickly."

She looked genuinely delighted. "You really are talented. Even among dragons."

Kael stiffened.

She continued, her voice thoughtful. "Most dragons only reach this level after decades of training—mostly because they are too lazy. Others only if they are innately superior. But you…"

She looked at him closely. "You are both. You might be the strongest SSS-rank dragon I have seen, if we exclude a few."

Kael's eyes narrowed as he realized that Eiravel might be way stronger than he could guess because he was sure that dragons had died thousands of years ago.

Just surviving for that long was already a big deal, but she seemed to know the dragons as if they were her friends.

But because he knew that, he decided that this was enough probing.

He raised his hand.

The world obeyed.

Invisible force slammed into Eiravel, pinning her in place. Space locked around her, crushing, absolute.

Kael stepped forward, his eyes cold.

"I won't pretend I could do anything to you outside," he said flatly. "Anyone with World in their title isn't something I can handle right now."

He already knew that he wasn't as strong as he thought he was. The words left by Rue and Rina about how Kael wasn't the strongest seemed so true that it hurt him.

But because of that, he decided that it was time to get more serious than he had ever been.

His claws flexed.

"This world, however, is my mind."

He smiled thinly as he stared at the ground, causing it to crack as if responding to his will.

"And here," he said, causing thunder to rumble all around. "I'm the strongest."

But as Kael saw Eiravel, he saw how she wasn't struggling.

There wasn't a hint of panic in her eyes.

She merely looked at him—

—And smiled back.

Warm.

Unafraid.

Almost… fond.

And Kael realized that something was wrong, as that wasn't the face of someone cornered.

"...What am I missing here?" He asked, and Eiravel giggled.

Light. Musical. Almost fond.

"You said it yourself," she replied. "One does not earn world as a prefix merely by existing. Yet you are trying something like this."

She tilted her head.

The storm vanished.

Thunder unraveled into birdsong. The molten ground cooled, stone dissolving into soil. The pillars crumbled into roots, thick and ancient, rising upward until they formed a massive tree whose canopy spilled emerald shade across the land.

Bright sunlight filtered through the leaves.

And suddenly—

Kael was no longer standing.

He lay beneath the tree, his head resting on something warm and soft.

Her lap.

He stiffened, claws twitching—

—But a hand was already in his hair.

"Relax," Eiravel said gently.

The word carried weight.

This time, Kael couldn't fight it.

His thoughts slowed, resistance slipping through his fingers like sand. The tension drained from his limbs against his will, his body sinking into the grass as her fingers brushed through his hair with steady, unhurried strokes.

"…Tch," he exhaled sharply. "What did you want?"

"I don't want to fight you," she said calmly. "So, I'm just stopping you."

Her hand paused, resting lightly atop his head. "The part of me within your mind is instinctual, Kael. If you attempt to destroy it, it will protect itself. That reaction alone could fracture your mind."

She looked down at him, her eyes warm but serious. "I don't want to break you, Kael."

Silence stretched.

Then she continued, softer. "I only wish to talk. To explain. And to help. I already am—your body is healing as we speak."

Kael stared up through the leaves, his jaw tight.

"…Even so," he muttered, "I don't have time for this."

Her fingers stilled.

"My people are out there," Kael said. "In danger. Injured or worse. If that human—if anyone—touches them while I'm lying here…"

He took a sharp breath, clenching his fist weakly. "I'll talk to you later. I need to go, even if I'm broken, even if I die."

Eiravel hummed, thoughtful.

"That devotion," she murmured. "It truly is draconic."

Then she tilted her head slightly. "There is a solution."

Kael frowned. "…I'm listening."

"I can send others," she said. "From my domain. They can bring your people here, where they will be safe. Healed. Beyond reach."

She met his gaze. "Would that be acceptable?"

Kael hesitated.

Normally, he would have refused outright because he still wasn't sure what Eiravel's plan was.

But his thoughts were slow. Heavy. Wrapped in warmth and exhaustion. The constant pressure of Eiravel's presence smoothed his sharp edges and dulled his instincts.

"…If they're safe," he said quietly. "Then… yes."

Eiravel smiled. "Good. I'll need the coordinates."

Kael opened his mouth—

Then froze.

"…I don't know them."

She blinked once.

"…You don't?"

"I just… go," Kael admitted. "I remember places. I feel them. I teleport or fly."

For a heartbeat, Eiravel stared at him.

Then she shook her head, laughing softly. "Dragons…"

"Just show me," she said. "Think of it. Let me see."

Kael closed his eyes.

The image surfaced easily.

A forest clearing. A huge lake. Familiar faces. Lyra's quiet smile. Evethra's calm presence. Alenia with her notepad.

The world shimmered.

Eiravel watched it all, nodding once. "I've sent them."

Relief loosened something deep in Kael's chest.

And then—

Darkness claimed him.

Not unconsciousness.

Sleep.

Deep. Total. Even his mind sank into rest.

Eiravel looked down at him, surprised.

"…Sleeping in your own mind," she murmured. "You truly pushed yourself past the edge."

Her hand resumed its gentle motion, fingers brushing through his hair with reverent care.

"Rest, little dragon," she whispered, smiling softly. "The world is shifting again."

She glanced up at the endless sky beyond the leaves.

"…Probably for the better this time."

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