At the same time, in Astraea.

White light flared.

Seraphina collapsed onto the polished starsteel floor of Astraea's teleportation chamber, her knees giving out as the residual glow of teleportation peeled away from her body.

The first thing the attendants saw was blood.

Burn marks scorched across her arms and side, her once-pristine uniform half-melted, mana still leaking from her like heat from dying embers. Her breathing was ragged and uneven.

For half a heartbeat, the chamber froze.

Then chaos erupted.

"Healers—NOW!"

"Call the medical wing!"

"Is that—Lady Seraphina?!"

Hands reached out, carefully steadying her as healing arrays snapped to life. Green and blue light washed over her wounds, steam hissing as flesh began to regenerate.

And then—

WHOOSH.

The air folded.

A tall man stepped out of warped space, silver-white hair flowing, crimson cloak snapping sharply as if struck by a phantom wind.

Supreme Valerius.

He had sensed Seraphina's presence the moment she teleported, and feeling the instability in her aura, he had moved here as fast as he could.

And the moment his eyes landed on her, something hard flickered beneath his stern expression.

His fists clenched.

He didn't rush forward.

Didn't embrace her.

But the aura leaking from him—barely restrained—made the entire chamber creak as if under sudden pressure.

"Who did this?" He asked coldly.

His gaze swept the room, then locked back onto his daughter.

"Was it the demihumans?" His voice sharpened. "Was it them?"

Then Valerius, who had assigned the mission, looked around once again, and not seeing the twins made him frown.

"And where are the twins?"

Seraphina took a shaky breath, forcing herself upright despite the healers' protests. She looked into her father's eyes—steady, unflinching.

"…Sir Supreme," she said hoarsely, "it would be better if I told everything before the other Supremes."

The chamber went silent.

Valerius' jaw tightened.

"…Very well."

.........................

Minutes later, in the Supreme's gathering hall.

The hall was vast and circular, carved from a single piece of starstone, its walls etched with ancient runes that hummed faintly with power.

Eight thrones stood evenly spaced.

And right now, all of them were occupied.

Four figures looked young—barely past their twenties—yet their presence alone bent the air. Eyes sharp. Their auras compressed and lethal.

The other four radiated weight.

Valerius sat straight-backed, expression carved from stone.

Beside him, a broad, scarred man in his forties leaned back slightly, arms crossed.

Another—fifty or so—sat with eyes half-lidded, calm to the point of unreadability.

And at the center was an old man.

Supreme Caelum.

His hair was white as snow, his posture relaxed, but the room itself seemed to orbit him.

Seraphina stood at the center of the circle, fully healed—but the memory of pain still lingered in her eyes.

She took a breath.

"I encountered a dragon."

Silence.

Then—

A scoff.

"That's bullshit."

The voice came from the scarred man.

He leaned forward, eyes sharp with disdain. "Dragons are extinct. Every last one. We've confirmed that fact for centuries."

His gaze cut toward Valerius—then back to Seraphina.

"Let me guess," he continued coolly. "You lost to the demihumans. An even fight. And now you're inventing fairy tales to cover your failure."

The room shifted uneasily.

No one agreed.

No one denied it either.

Seraphina clenched her fists. "I'm telling the truth. The twins—Caelis and Caelia—died because of him. The power we detected hours ago—the one I went to investigate—it was the dragon."

Another scoff from the scarred man.

"Stop with the lies."

His aura flared as he said those words.

The pressure slammed into the hall like a tidal wave.

Seraphina staggered—

And Valerius, who saw this, stepped forward, placing himself between her and the oppressive force, his own aura erupting outward in retaliation.

"Enough," he growled.

The scarred man grinned faintly, a pleased expression crossing his face.

It seemed like a fight was about to break out, and the scarred man was more than happy to continue with it.

But then—

Caelum raised a hand.

The pressure vanished instantly.

"Silence," the old man said softly.

Every Supreme obeyed.

Caelum looked at Seraphina, his gaze piercing but not cruel.

"I do not believe dragons exist," he said calmly. "We searched every corner of the world. If even one remained… we would know."

Valerius tensed.

The scarred man smiled wider.

Seraphina's face paled, desperation flickering across her eyes.

"…But," Caelum continued, "that does not mean I believe you are lying."

The scarred man's smile faded.

Caelum folded his hands. "There is only one way to resolve this."

The room stilled.

"We will examine her memories."

Valerius surged forward. "Absolutely not."

He didn't want anyone looking into his daughter's memories.

And he didn't want his daughter questioned like a prisoner.

Caelum raised his hand again. "I understand your concern."

His eyes met Valerius'.

"That is why you will do it."

The artifact levitated from the center of the hall—an ancient crystal lens, humming softly.

It was an artifact crafted by Supreme Caelum himself, and it was one of the most secretive artifacts of Astraea.

It was an artifact that could help one look into the memories of anyone they wished to, and its best function was to pinpoint a memory.

One could think about the memory they wish to see, and it would show them just that.

"You will see only what you wish to see," Caelum continued. "The incident she speaks of. Nothing more."

Seraphina didn't know anything about the artifact, so she swallowed, as no one wanted their memories touched.

But she straightened, knowing she didn't have another choice right now.

"…I agree."

Her voice was quiet.

Steady.

"Because this is the only way you'll believe me."

The artifact pulsed.

Seraphia looked into her father's eyes, and seeing him nod, she stepped forward, touching the artifact, while Valerius did the same.

For a while, the artifact pulsed, its lens glowing brighter and brighter.

Then, after less than ten seconds, the crystal lens dimmed.

Valerius staggered back half a step as he saw everything that had happened in those ten seconds.

His breath came sharp and uneven—an unfamiliar thing for a man of his stature. His eyes, usually cold and composed, were wide, pupils trembling as if the image before him had burned itself into his soul.

His hands shook.

Not from exhaustion.

From shock.

He turned slowly toward Caelum and deactivated the artifact with a snap of light, the lens falling silent as if it, too, understood the weight of what had been shown.

"…It's true," Valerius said.

His voice was hoarse.

Every Supreme felt it—the fracture in his composure, the way his aura trembled instead of dominating.

"There is a dragon," he continued, swallowing. "Alive. Black-scaled. Golden eyes. Golden horns. The power Seraphina described—it wasn't exaggerated. If anything…"

He trailed off, jaw tightening.

"…it was restrained."

The hall tensed.

Auras stirred. Throats went dry. Even the younger Supremes straightened, expressions no longer sharp but wary.

All—

Except one.

"Tch."

The scarred man scoffed loudly, breaking the silence. "Impressive," he said lazily. "You're even acting shaken now. Going this far to protect your daughter's reputation… I'll admit, Valerius, you're committed."

Valerius slowly turned his head.

His expression hardened.

"You think I'm lying?"

"I think you're desperate," the scarred man replied coolly. "And willing to embarrass all of Astraea for—"

Valerius raised a hand.

Mana surged.

"Then I'll make this simple."

Light gathered, sharp and brilliant, condensing above his palm. It elongated, refined itself—until a floating sword of pure light hovered before him, humming softly.

Valerius' voice dropped.

"I swear upon my magic," he said, each word resonating with ancient authority, "that if I am lying about the existence of that dragon—about what I saw in my daughter's memories—then may my magic abandon me forever."

The oath was sealed.

The sword remained.

Steady.

Brilliant.

Alive.

Silence slammed into the hall.

The scarred man's smirk vanished.

For the first time, his expression turned grim.

"…So it's true," he muttered.

Murmurs erupted.

"A dragon…"

"The last one…"

"If the demihumans know—"

"Wait, were the demihumans there—"

Valerius' voice cut through the noise. "They escaped while the dragon was fighting Seraphina," he said sharply. "If we delay, they'll act first. And if they succeed—"

His eyes burned. "We lose him."

"For once," the scarred man said, teeth grinding, "we agree."

Several Supremes stiffened.

"You want to capture it?" One of the younger women asked sharply.

"We need him," the scarred man snapped. "A dragon is power incarnate. Letting him roam free is irresponsible."

"And provoking him could doom us," another countered. "He's not a resource—he's a living calamity."

"Yes," another nodded. "It might be weak enough for us to capture it right now, but don't forget, the dragons grow as long as they live. One day, it will be stronger than us."

The arguments clashed, pressure building, voices rising.

At the center—

Caelum remained silent.

His gaze was distant, thoughtful. Old.

"…Even I don't know what the right path is," he said finally. "I was not alive when dragons ruled this world."

Valerius stepped forward. "Then we cannot hesitate."

The scarred man exhaled slowly. "I'll go," he said. "I'll stay hidden. Observe. Ensure he ends up here."

Caelum closed his eyes.

Then opened them.

"…Proceed, but make sure not to attack him," he said quietly. "We don't want him hating us before he even knows what we want."

Were they taking the right step, or were they in the wrong?

Caelum didn't know yet, but he didn't want to stay still while the demihumans took the dragon away, as that would be a wrong step.

What he knew was that if bringing the dragon here was the wrong move, then they could send him back.

So, for now, he let the plan continue.

'How good would it be if everything went peacefully?' Caelum muttered inwardly, closing his eyes.

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