The children watched as Jaden dove underneath his booth, the sounds of him rummaging through something could be heard. "And finally," Jaden announced whilst shooting up, leaning forward with a smirk, "this!" He unfolded a colorful, large carnival poster from Jufuris, the vibrant colors almost jumping out at Dama. "This one is from a carnival in Jufuris. The posters there are famous for being massive and flamboyant—just like the festivities themselves. Jufuris is known as the Kingdom of Festivities. There's a festival almost every month, and people say you won't find a happier place anywhere in Eranovum."

Jaden tapped the corner of the poster as he continued. "But some people say the happiness there is almost unnatural. No one really knows much about Jufuris' ruler—hardly anyone's ever seen them, and those who go digging for answers tend to find nothing, or worse. Some say the kingdom was founded after the Dragon War four centuries ago, making it the oldest, yet no sign of the ruler ever changing has ever been recorded."

He shrugged. "And then there's Regalia. Emperor Kaiser took down two kingdoms, and forced two others into peace treaties just to avoid his wrath. Yet, he hasn't even tried to invade Jufuris. Makes you wonder why, huh?"

Jaden then handed the poster to a nearby child, who held it up with wide eyes. Dama stared at the poster, transfixed by the lively depiction of acrobats, performers, and marionettes in elaborate costumes. The intricate design reminded him of something.

His mind drifted back to a few months ago, when he had brought home the marionette Jaden gifted—and Giona's reaction. The look on her face when she first saw it was pure fear.

Giona's reaction to the marionette was something that had stuck with him. Even now, as he looked at the carnival poster, it stirred something inside him. He wished he could understand her better—how to approach and help her better.

But then, he saw it. On the capes of one of the performers posed in the poster was a symbol he knew all too well—the very same symbol Giona drew.

Before he could dwell too much on it, however, Jaden's voice broke through his thoughts. "Hold on to your seats, ladies and gents, because I haven't even shown you my prized possession!"

Jaden then carefully lifted a small, velvet pouch from the table and opened it to reveal a glistening, iridescent scale. The moment Dama saw it, his breath caught in his throat.

"This, ladies and gents," Jaden said, his voice low and full of reverence, "is a real dragon scale." He let the scale catch the light, and it shimmered with an otherworldly glow. "It's said that dragons went extinct four hundred years ago during the Great Dragon War, but I managed to acquire this from a very...trustworthy source."

The scale was unlike anything Dama had ever seen. It was large, rough around the edges, but its color shifted in the light—from deep green to a brilliant blue, then to gold. It looked almost alive, as if it could pulse with energy at any moment. Dama couldn't take his eyes off it.

"A real dragon scale?" Caera murmured, her hands finding their way to her mouth in amazement.

Jaden chuckled, noticing everyone's awe. "Yep, the real deal! Can you imagine what it would've been like to face one of those creatures in battle?"

Dama shook his head, still mesmerized by the scale. Dragons had always been a part of the stories, myths, and legends he'd heard growing up, but to see a piece of one—it felt surreal.

He was already aware of how much there was to the world outside Enohay Valley, how much he still didn't know. But now, the utter vastness of both the known and unknown of the world was just becoming clear.

One of the boys, his face scrunched in deep thought, raised his hand. "Mr. Jaden, what does 'extinct' mean?"

"Extinct is when a particular group of animals or plants entirely disappears," Jaden answered before spreading both his arms and fingers open, "gone from the face of Earth."

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The children all collectively gasped, now knowing the unfortunate fate of the great dragons of old—say for one child. The same boy that asked the previous question then raised his hand again. "What happened during the Great Dragon War? Why did the dragons go extinct?"

Jaden twirled the scale between his fingers, exhaling dramatically. "Ah, the Great Dragon War. Now that is a tale as old as time." He leaned on the booth, letting the moment settle before continuing.

"Long ago, in the period after the Holy Catalyst War and Adam's Journey, the dragons were the mightiest beings in all of Eranovum. They soared across the skies like living storms, their scales tougher than steel, their fire hotter than the sun. But with great power comes great arrogance, and soon, a divide formed among them. Some dragons, those who called themselves the 'Celestial Dragons', believed they were gods of the new world after the Holy Catalyst War." Jaden said, looking to the heavens before peeking at the group.

Seeing that he had everyone present captivated, he struck a dramatic pose with a fist in the air before continuing, "To them, all other creatures—humans, elves, beastkin, even their own kin—were meant to serve them. They saw the world as theirs to rule, and those who defied them? They were to be burned to ash!"

Another collective gasp from the children arose as they listened intently—Caera and Dama included.

"But not all dragons agreed with this," Jaden continued, "another group, the 'Draconic Guardians', believed in balance. They had lived alongside humans, fought beside them, even loved them. To them, the world belonged to all creatures, not just the dragons. And so, the war began—not between dragons and other races, but among the dragons themselves. Brother against brother, sister against sister. Entire mountains crumbled under their battles, the skies burned for weeks from their flames, and the oceans boiled with their fury. No race, no kingdom, no village in Eranovum remained untouched by their wrath."

Jaden paused, letting the weight of his words settle in. A few of the kids gulped. "And then came the one who ended it all..." He said, his voice quieter now. "Her name was Giona Dracna, the first and only Dragon Witch in history. She was a descendant of the legendary Giona Evelyn Tamaki, the very same Giona we all know from Tales of the Cataclysm."

The mention of the famous fairytale caused the children to clap in elation.

Nodding along with the applause, Jaden put a finger in the air as he continued. "It is said that Giona Dracna did not take sides. She did not see eye-to-eye with Celestial or Guardian—she only saw the suffering they had caused. And so, with a magic that no one had ever seen before, she put an end to the war. But by then...it was already too late. The dragons had torn each other apart, their once-mighty race reduced to nothing but a handful and their fading echoes. Before we knew it, they were gone."

A hush fell over the children. Some fidgeted, others looked at the scale with newfound solemnity. Then, after a moment, a girl hesitantly raised her hand. "Mr. Jaden...do you think there are still dragons somewhere out there?"

Jaden smirked, spinning the scale between his fingers once more. "Who knows?" He said with a wink. "But you know, out of all the ancient races, dragons were said to be the closest to humans. Some old civilizations even worshipped them—not because they were forced to, but because they wanted to. Maybe, just maybe, the dragons didn't disappear—maybe they live on...in us."

The children whispered among themselves, their imaginations running wild. Then, as the next booth called for them, they scampered off, their minds buzzing with Jaden's tale.

As the crowd of kids thinned, Dama and Caera approached Jaden, their expressions skeptical.

"You made that all up, didn't you?" Caera asked, crossing her arms.

"Some of that had to be true, right?" Dama replied.

Jaden chuckled, tossing the scale into the air and catching it with ease. "Even I don't know," he admitted with a sly grin, "but hey, it entertained the kids, didn't it?"

Caera, thinking on it for a slight moment, gave a contented hum, agreeing with Jaden, while Dama remained quiet, glancing at the scale in Jaden's hand. True or not, something about that story made his heart feel...heavy.

As Caera rounded up the children and moved on to the next booth, Jaden turned to Dama with a knowing grin. "I see that look in your eyes, Dama. Don't worry, the world may be big, but it's not going anywhere anytime soon! You'll have plenty of time to explore and learn about it all—if not through your own exploration, then just know you always have me and my stories."

Dama smiled faintly, nodding. "Yeah, you're right! Thanks mis—I-I mean, thanks, Jaden."

And with that, Dama made his way to the next booth, where the Yono family was preparing to teach the children about the various ores, herbs, and plants of Enohay Valley. Dama was curious to learn more about the natural world, and he couldn't wait to see what Yuyin and Moa Yono had prepared for the kids.

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Next: (Extra Chapter 31) The Eccentric Yonos

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