Titania closed her eyes, recalling the shadow of ash that had smiled with its three mouths.

  If not for Nature, I would have never known the name of the Devourer that attacked us.

  She lifted her face, her gaze settling on the unmistakable sphere of fire.

  My core still remembers the flames burning my flesh.

  Her eyes, lost in the crimson sea spreading before them, gleamed with quiet sorrow.

  “Mother?” Karteira’s voice pulled her back. “Are you alright?”

  The concern in her tone was obvious, mirrored by the twins’ unsettled gazes.

  “It is nothing.” Titania shook her head lightly and drew a slow breath, forcing the memories aside. “As you heard, I recognize this scenery.”

  Sensing the tension radiating from her, the others exchanged a brief, worried glance.

  Titania continued as Lucensia carefully veered to the left, keeping close to the cavern wall.

  “The day I last spoke to my mother, this fiery sphere appeared out of nowhere and ravaged everything.” Her fingers curled unconsciously.

  Karteira clenched her fists tightly, her teeth grinding together.

  Mia and Nia held hands, their eyes lowered to the white scales beneath their feet. A bead of sweat traced a slow path down each of their cheeks.

  With every step Lucensia took, the heat intensified—even several kilometers away from the source.

  “I believe I was standing right beside her,” Titania went on, her head tilting slightly as she looked toward the burning trees. “But what followed was not a battle.”

  “Before I could do anything, it was already over.” Her voice lowered. “That is what merely encountering a Devourer means.”

  Embers drifted from the endlessly burning forest, floating into the cavern and slowly spiraling toward its center.

  As the conversation fell into silence, something else made itself known.

  While still absorbing Titania’s words, Nia frowned.

  “Isn’t Lucensia slowing down?” She turned toward the dragon’s head, catching her breath. “Are you alright, Lucensia?”

  Her dragonfly wings fluttered as she left her sister’s side, flying closer to the great beast.

  Hearing the dragon's breath grow louder, they let Nia inspect Lucensia.

  “Karteira,” Mia said quietly, her expression grave. “Do you feel heavier all of a sudden?”

  “I do.” Karteira lifted a hand to her chest. “It’s getting harder to move, and my breathing feels shallow.”

  Both turned toward the white sphere suspended at the cavern’s heart.

  “Is this also because of that?” Karteira asked, opening and closing her hand to fight the growing stiffness.

  “What we’re feeling could be gravitational pressure,” Mia said, eyes narrowing as she searched her memory.

  “I know about gravity,” Karteira replied. “Orion explained it long ago. It has something to do with… a planet’s core?”

  “Yes,” Mia said. “But it isn’t limited to planets. A sun follows the same principle. Which means—”

  Her gaze darkened as she watched ash crumble strangely from a distant tree's bark.

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  “The closer we get to that sphere, the harder it will be to move.”

  Nia returned to their side, finishing the thought.

  “We should stop for now,” she said, worry evident in her voice. “Lucensia needs to rest.”

  Titania walked between Karteira and Mia, her arms crossed.

  “Resting will not be enough.” All eyes turned to her. “You likely feel the burning in your lungs. It will not subside unless we find a way to leave this place.”

  The three fairies lowered their gazes, struggling to think.

  Lucensia, however, looked close to collapsing.

  Their footing suddenly failed as the soot-covered dragon slammed her tail violently against the cavern wall.

  “Woah!” Nia fell onto her butt while the others dropped to one knee to keep their balance.

  Rocks cascaded down as a tail-shaped crater formed in the stone, cracks spreading like spiderwebs from the impact.

  Seeing the concave fracture, Lucensia staggered backward.

  Her eyes flared a vivid yellow, rimmed in white. Her throat filled with pale energy that spilled from her jaws like thick sludge.

  “Lucensia?!” Karteira grabbed onto a scale to keep herself from falling as the light in the dragon’s mouth intensified by the second.

  At the same time, something stirred within her.

  Thoughts that were not her own flooded Karteira’s mind.

  Hot.

  Hard to breathe.

  Fire… rest…

  Simple sensations. Simple needs.

  Simple enough for her to understand.

  Light magic surged within Karteira’s core, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.

  Through contact, her magic flowed into the dragon.

  Titania blinked in astonishment as she felt the shift in her daughter.

  The sludge pouring from Lucensia’s mouth thickened as Karteira’s awareness dulled.

  She closed her eyes and let the energy move freely.

  A low growl rumbled from Lucensia’s chest, growing steadily louder.

  At its peak, the dragon reared onto her hind legs. Titania, Mia, and Nia were forced to take flight, staring in disbelief as Karteira remained firmly anchored—as though she had always known how to ride a dragon.

  Their breathing fell into perfect synchronization—two beings moving as one, sharing the same rhythm.

  Lucensia’s forelegs slammed into the ashen ground, her claws cracking stone beneath the thick layer of soot.

  Her neck flattened. Her jaws opened.

  Power surged.

  The sludge merged with Karteira’s light magic, condensing into a sphere of overwhelming force.

  Lucensia aimed it at the fractured wall and unleashed it.

  VRRRRRRRRRRRRR

  The high-frequency blast struck the stone like a battering ram.

  Instead of rebounding, the sphere burrowed into the rock, disintegrating everything in its path through vibration alone.

  Karteira straightened, her eyes still closed.

  She walked along Lucensia’s neck without sight. Under the anxious gazes of her mother and the twins, she raised her right hand.

  The sphere drilled deeper until it reached sufficient depth.

  “Expand.”

  The single command altered its nature.

  Karteira opened her eyes and swept her hand aside.

  The energy bloomed outward, hollowing a massive section of stone.

  Then it vanished.

  In its place remained a cavern wide and deep enough for Lucensia to enter.

  The pale sludge crystallized, coating the surrounding walls in a white, shimmering layer.

  “It’s done,” Karteira said, exhaustion finally catching up to her. “You can go in, Lucensia.”

  Her strength gave out. She sank onto the dragon’s back as Lucensia lumbered into the chamber, smoke trailing from her jaws.

  “Incredible…” Titania followed, her wings carrying her inside. Her feet touched the cool, pristine surface of the white coating.

  Mia and Nia entered after her, eyes wide with awe.

  “This material…” Mia knelt, pressing a hand against it. “Is it fireproof?”

  “It’s so much cooler,” Nia said, drawing a deep breath. “My lungs don’t hurt anymore.”

  “There’s also this… earthy smell,” she added, inhaling air finally free of ash.

  Her breathing uneven and her core drained from overexertion, Lucensia collapsed at the rear of the chamber, falling instantly into deep sleep.

  Then Nia stiffened.

  “I can still feel the heat outside.” She frowned, thinking hard.

  Mia watched silently—until Nia’s eyes lit up.

  “I know!” She dashed to the entrance, boots clattering against the hardened surface. “Watch this!”

  She raised both hands.

  A pool of water formed beyond the opening. Columns surged upward, sealing the entrance completely.

  “That’s smart,” Mia said with genuine approval. “I’ll focus on oxygenating the cave. That’s manageable.”

  The sisters exchanged a nod, the crackling of distant fire replaced by the calming sound of running water.

  “It’s much better than constantly shielding ourselves from heat and suffocation,” Karteira said weakly from the center of the chamber, where she sat down. “This way, you won’t have to keep burning magic.”

  Closing her eyes, the link between her and Lucensia severed, relief the last sensation she felt from the dragon.

  I wonder what that was all about, she thought.

  Titania, silent until now, clapped her hands once, drawing attention to her.

  “Then it is decided. Lucensia has given us a chance to rest—so we will take it.”

  She joined Karteira on the soft, white floor.

  “Good idea,” Mia said, pulling Nia along with her.

  At last, after four days of relentless wandering, they allowed themselves to sleep.

  Unaware of the danger gathering beyond the sealed chamber, they remained hidden—recovering their strength in borrowed safety.