The clunking sound of spoon and fork filled the silence in the dining hall. It had an immensely wide space, mostly empty. Only the lamps and candles on the long table and the cracked walls had shone on the guests inside. Tristan never touched his food, instead, he filled his stomach with the flagon of wine he kept on pouring into his cup. This was probably the worst meal he had had in his entire life. He would prefer eating those stinky seafood back on the ship to sharing a meal with these … people he had not liked at all.“Aren’t you gonna eat your stew?” Lewis whispered, who had been seated beside him.Tristan shook his head, sighing as he slid the bowl towards the young noble. His eyes went to the people eating in front of him as he sipped on his wine. His father, Silvester, was at the head of the table. His wife had been seated at his left, and Bow on his right. It irritated Tristan to share the same table with these people.“I hate carrots,” Jaerson shouted as he was being fed by

Arth stared at the vast red plains as he leaned on the ledge of the tower. Then he sighed. He had never thought it would still trouble him that much, even until now. A series of memories …dark memories had prevented him from unlocking the Path of Glacian Origin. When would he ever accept all of those mistakes that he had made in the past? No … he couldn’t. He’d never believe in change … as he had never been a born leader. He didn’t have the skills … the talent of becoming one. Even a small mistake could cause huge damage to his team.“How was it?” Elicantris’ voice came from behind.Arth shook his head. “It didn’t end up well. The general returned to his chamber so I can recover myself.”“I see,” Eli said. “Do you want my—”“No … please don’t do that,” Arth cut off, “You need to replenish your alar, Eli. But I appreciate it.”Elicantris waved a hand. “If that’s what you want … by the way, have you seen Ruby?”A strong gust of wind interrupted their conversation, blowing against their c

Kael narrowed his eyes as the branches above the high trees swayed, the leaves brushing against each other as the northern wind rose. He pulled his cloak closer to wrap him from the growing coldness. Their boots crunched the snow as they walked. He turned around to see Luna in a distance from him as they followed Magus Jade and Gared ahead. Her eyes were on her feet, her arms wrapping around herself. Kael could not forget their conversation the previous night. She almost broke into tears, and seeing her like that had crushed Kael’s heart. He had no idea ignoring her would affect her that much. And he regretted it.Luna slowly raised her gaze to meet Kael, as she had noticed him staring at her for a long time, but he immediately returned facing forward while he walked. Should he go and talk to her? That would only make him attached to her more … and so would she, perhaps. Her words were still clear in Kael’s head. That she didn’t want this. She wouldn’t want to grow her feelings for him

The islands emerged on the horizon. Tristan’s eyes narrowed, mesmerized by the beauty, though still far. The winds had been kind to them as they all shared the same direction since last night. He could see the tall mountains but was not sure if they were. It had been said that Draconos Isles comprised volcanoes, even in the depths of the ocean beneath them.Tristan breathed in the scent of the sea breeze, brushing his hair into a flail. Lewis came up beside him at the head of the ship and looked at the view ahead.“This view is not as pretty as it looks …” the noble young man said. “We’re going to get killed.”Tristan snorted. “Are you trying to scare me? I have never seen a dragon in real life … but I’ll do whatever it takes to survive if I have to.”“I’m not talking about the dragons, Tristan.”Tristan turned to look at Lewis, whose brown eyes gleamed in the sunlight. “I forgot to ask. What did you and Silvester discuss? It took you so long to return … it must’ve been something.”Lew

Dust itched and dried Arth’s throat as he coughed it out of his mouth. As the blurry sight of the dark smoke rising towards the skies grew clearer, he lifted himself from the ground. The intense heat of the enormous flames ahead caused burning pain in his skin, making him wince. Ruby … where is she? Arth looked around where light dust surrounded him. A faint figure of the woman caught his eyes. As Arth approached, he glimpsed Ruby on her knees, her eyes wide and red, staring at flames. Arth followed her gaze and there laid a torched dragon like a black mountain, covered in hellfire. He clenched his fists. The pain he felt was the same thing he had when he witnessed the death of those men back in the cave, far worse than the burning heat on his skin. Naomi had meant the world to Ruby. This made Arth recall Alice, seeing how the long spear pierced through her heart, right in front of his eyes. It was the worst feeling that destroyed him and his world. Ruby punched the ground, crying, s