While they were watching Abel, he suddenly woke up and sat bolt upright in bed. Ard and Eva flinched back while Xeria immediately went on high alert, stepping forward to shield them both. Abel's eyes snapped open, and they were entirely filled with a blinding white light.

"This is a warning for you. Abandon your journey to the Dragon God's domain, or I will continue to assault this village and slaughter every elf who lives here," Abel said, his voice replaced by the booming roar of a woman.

"So, it's Goddess Ophelia... go ahead and attack this village. We elves will not surrender that easily."

Ard, Eva, and Xeria turned around to see Eledar standing behind them, his face calm but vigilant.

"Do not interfere, Elf Chief. Sooner or later, I will wipe you all out," Ophelia said.

"Are you afraid of Eva and me meeting the Dragon God again?" Ard asked, deliberately mocking her.

"Silence, Ashton! You have no idea what you've done. Because you sealed half of my body, this world has fallen into chaos," Ophelia screamed.

"If that's the case, then why did you attack our village in the first place?" Eva demanded.

"Because entities from another world entered this realm... you... it is you two who have made a mess of everything here. If only you didn't remember who you were, none of this would have happened," Ophelia answered.

"Hmm... that's your only reason for killing our parents, slaughtering our neighbors, and destroying our home? You're just afraid of us, aren't you?" Ard said, his tone becoming even more taunting.

"Whoever brought us to this world from Earth, that's none of our business. But because you destroyed our village, we're going to settle the score with you—right after we finish off the half of your body we're about to find," Eva said.

"Fine. Since you refuse to listen or negotiate, I will destroy the elven village and the world right now," Ophelia declared.

Instantly, the ground began to shake violently. Ard and Eva ran to the window and looked up; their eyes widened as they saw the sky beginning to crack. What started as small fractures quickly grew larger and larger, as if the world was about to split in two. Eledar and Xeria looked out from the adjacent window, their faces turning pale. Ophelia truly intended to destroy the world without a shred of mercy.

But suddenly, the bedroom door flew open, and two shadows leaped inside. A vampire—who turned out to be Dimitri—immediately grabbed hold of Abel's body, while an old man who looked like a hermit placed his hand on Abel's head.

"Aaaah... damn it... damn you! Don't interfere, Bedryt!" Ophelia screamed.

"Silence, Ophelia. Get out of this young man's body and leave them alone. Do not blame them for your own past actions. If you intend to destroy the world, there is no way I will just stand by and watch," said Bedryt, the old man who looked like a hermit.

"Aaaaaah... damn you! I will get my revenge! Just wait until I merge with Malekh, the other half of my body... I will finish you all off!" Ophelia screamed hysterically.

Suddenly, the shaking stopped. Ard and Eva breathed a massive sigh of relief and reached out to hold each other's shoulders. Eledar and Xeria also found themselves instinctively embracing. A white light, like smoke, poured out from the crown of Abel's head through the gaps in Bedryt's fingers and vanished into the air. The mark on Abel's chest gradually faded until it disappeared completely. Seeing the wise old man before them, Ard and Eva began to tremble, and they instinctively dropped to one knee by the side of the bed.

Eledar and Xeria also bowed their heads and slowly knelt upon seeing Bedryt. Even Dimitri, having released Abel, joined them in kneeling to show his reverence.

"Rise... especially you, Ace and Edith," Bedryt said.

Ard and Eva stood up instantly, their eyes fixed sharply on Bedryt. It had been a very long time since anyone had called them by the names they used back on Earth. Eledar, Xeria, and Dimitri stood as well. Bedryt lifted his hand from Abel's head; Abel's body slumped backward, but Xeria caught him and gently laid him back down on the bed. Then, Bedryt turned to Ard and Eva and smiled.

"It has been a long time since we last met. I will wait for you at my home. I must leave now; in this form, I cannot stay here for long. I hope you understand," Bedryt said.

"Thank you... Dragon God," Ard said.

"There is no need to thank me. Well then, I'll take my leave," Bedryt replied. He then turned to Eledar, Xeria, and Dimitri. "Please watch over this young man and care for him. Ophelia won't be returning here."

"Yes, Dragon God," Eledar, Xeria, and Dimitri replied in unison.

Bedryt's body began to fade into transparency, eventually vanishing and leaving the room in a heavy silence. No one spoke as they stared at Abel; the marks of Ophelia's possession were gone, leaving behind only the physical toll of his wounds. Suddenly, Dimitri looked at Ard and Eva.

"How are you, Prince Ard and Princess Eva? Finally, we meet again," Dimitri said, breaking the quiet.

"We're doing well, Count Dimitri. What brings you here?" Ard asked.

"Yes, and what's the status of the Empire?" Eva added.

Dimitri went silent for a moment. He glanced at Eledar, who gave a small nod of approval, before turning back to the pair.

"A great war is coming, and I had to choose a side. I chose to be here. I've brought my people and my troops to the elven village. I just arrived and saw the Dragon God hovering in the air heading this way. I rushed in with him when I saw the sky start to crack," Dimitri explained.

"So, you've decided to support the kingdoms of Fredonia and Rellios?" Eva asked.

"No. We vampires will stand with the elves and keep watch over the world. We will only formally join a kingdom if you two are the ones to found it," Dimitri answered bluntly.

"It's the same for us elves," Eledar added. "For the time being, we remain neutral, though we will assist from behind the scenes."

"The demons will also join you. I speak on behalf of Baalbel," Xeria chimed in.

"Alright, I understand. Right now, our plan is to meet the Dragon God at his home to ask for guidance—and, of course, to eliminate those two bastards who have been throwing the world into chaos," Ard said.

"Exactly. So please, wait for our return," Eva added.

"Of course we will wait. But there is one thing I want to ask," Eledar said. "What was the Dragon God talking about just now?"

"Ah, that... well, it's a long story. The gist of it is this: Ashton and Esmeralda, Azroth and Evelina, and now Arden and Evangeline... we aren't originally from this world. We are reincarnations from another place," Ard explained.

"A world called Earth. Though, to be honest, we don't have many memories of our lives there," Eva added.

"Hmm... I see. That explains why Ophelia mentioned entities from another world being the reason she leveled your village," Eledar mused.

"So that's the truth... I'm just hearing this for the first time," Xeria added.

"And now I understand why the Empire is attacking the Kingdom of Ateras," Dimitri said thoughtfully. "Their target is the Hellgate situated behind it. The Ateras Kingdom are the gatekeepers."

"Yes. Ophelia wants to reunite with Malekh to become whole again. If that happens, they will be incredibly difficult to defeat. According to legend, it took five primordial dragons—including the Dragon God—just to take them down and separated them," Eledar noted.

The room fell silent again as everyone processed the weight of the situation.

"For now, Eva and I need to focus on speaking with the Dragon God. We need to get his advice and decide on our next move. If we have to release every dragon in the world to fight Ordione, then that's what we'll do," Ard declared.

"But Githiess, the Ruler of the Skies... no one knows where she is. The Dragon God said she was killed during the fight with Ordione long ago, and also we didn't seal her three thousand years ago," Eva countered.

"No... Githiess is still around. Before they fought Ordione, she left her egg somewhere. But there's a catch—legend says that egg is hidden somewhere within the territory of the Durnhill Kingdom," Dimitri revealed.

"Uh... right. That's definitely going to be an issue, considering the current state of that kingdom," Xeria added.

"Enough for now. There's no use overthinking it tonight. You two should get some rest here. You can head back to Rellios tomorrow. I've prepared your rooms and asked some villagers to bring food up for you," Eledar said.

"Thank you, Chief. We appreciate it," Ard replied.

With that, they all left the room to continue their conversation in the main living area, leaving Abel to rest in peace.

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