Only two sounds echoed through the caverns.

  The crackling of burning wood, and the deep, rhythmic rumble of Lucensia’s steps.

  After four days of aimless wandering, the group had reached its limit—starting with Lucensia, whose steps grew slower the longer she walked.

  Soot had settled on the dragon’s white scales, mixing with the sweat of the women on her back, casting dark smears across otherwise peerless skin.

  “No, seriously… where are we?” Karteira asked again, lowering her gaze toward Titania.

  The question lingered unanswered. After a long minute of silence, her mother finally replied.

  “How would I know?”

  The bluntness made Karteira sigh as she grabbed her head with both hands.

  “It’s been four days. At least that’s what my body is telling me.” She shook her head slowly.

  “I haven’t seen the sun once. I’m going to lose my mind at this rate.”

  She exhaled weakly.

  “These never-ending burning trees… the smell of ash doesn’t even register anymore. I can’t hear the crackling either.”

  Leaning back, she collapsed against the white scales beneath her, covering her face with her arms.

  “It’s been the same since we entered. How much longer is this going to last?” Her voice came out dull and dispirited.

  Titania lowered the hand she had been waving through the air and straightened. Her eyes settled on Karteira, taking in the tension radiating from her.

  “I cannot believe that a few days without Orion could reduce the three of you to this.”

  Mid-sentence, her gaze shifted forward—to Mia and Nia.

  Nestled between the dragon’s collarbones, the twins stared silently ahead, eyes fixed on the path stretching endlessly before them.

  “For Nia to lose her smile and remain this quiet…” Titania closed her eyes briefly.

  “That alone tells me how heavily this weighs on you.”

  “Of course we want to see Orion!” Karteira snapped upright, her voice ringing through the cavern.

  The twins startled at his name and turned around instantly, their pointed ears twitching.

  Titania only shrugged.

  “I have my daughters with me,” she said calmly. “It could be far worse.”

  There was no bitterness in her tone—only quiet honesty.

  Karteira froze, her gaze dropping to her hands resting on her thighs.

  “…That’s true,” she admitted after a moment. “At least we’re not alone. And we still have you.”

  She exhaled slowly. “I shouldn’t complain.”

  She shook her head, drew in a deep breath, letting the heat fill her lungs. Then she slapped her cheeks hard enough to refocus herself.

  “Instead of sulking, I should look forward to when we meet again. After all this waiting, it’ll be even better.”

  She lifted her head, her visible eye settling on the twins.

  “Right?”

  Mia sighed, while Nia looked down.

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  Both of them looked drained—physically and emotionally.

  But the image of Orion waiting for them surfaced at the same instant.

  They knew he would scour the world to find them if necessary. And yet… he had chosen to trust them enough to act on their own.

  “Sis…” Nia said quietly, tilting her head toward Mia with a faint smile.

  Mia sighed again.

  “I know. We can’t disappoint him.” She glanced away. “Or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

  A sudden surge of energy rippled through them both.

  They gasped softly, hands rising instinctively to their chests as warmth spread through their cores.

  “…?”

  They looked at one another, then nodded in silent agreement.

  The shift was subtle—but real.

  The three fairies felt their focus return. The monotony had almost made them forget what mattered.

  Realizing that without Titania’s steady presence they might have already broken, they smiled.

  “Thank you, Mother,” Karteira said, her cheeks faintly flushed.

  “Think nothing of it,” Titania replied. “It is my role to remind you why we are here.”

  The words made all three pause.

  Mia turned fully around, confusion written across her face.

  “Wait… why are we here again?” she asked. Nia blinked beside her.

  “Well, we were escaping the burning forest above,” Nia said slowly.

  “It was unbearably hot, so we went underground. It’s cooler here, at least.”

  She scratched her cheek as realization dawned.

  “Are you three being serious right now?” Titania lost her composure for a brief moment, her eyes widening.

  “Did you truly forget why we came here in the first place?”

  “…”

  The three exchanged blank looks.

  Titania stared at them for a long second… then lowered her head with a quiet groan, rubbing her brow with two fingers.

  “We are here to face the Devourers. That is the sole reason we followed Orion to this remote world.”

  Titania looked at Karteira with clear disappointment.

  “Oh…” The fairy scratched her nose awkwardly. “I’m not gonna lie… I kind of forgot about that.”

  Hearing her daughter’s genuine remorse at forgetting the goal they had set before leaving Horizon, Titania could only sigh.

  “We… forgot as well,” Mia admitted.

  “Seeing this endless sea of red somehow made us lose sight of our objective,” Nia added, both twins looking at Titania with guilt in their eyes.

  “It is not wrong to think of reuniting with Orion,” Titania said, lifting her head, her gaze softening as it rested on them.

  “If that thought alone kept you from losing yourselves entirely, I will not belittle you for it.”

  Then her expression hardened slightly.

  “But you must not lose awareness of your surroundings. Who knows what beast we might have encountered?” Her hands pressed together.

  “To be unprepared is to invite disaster. Many beings would exploit such weakness without hesitation.”

  Ash and embers drifted past her face as she finished her lecture.

  “I cannot wholly blame you,” she added quietly.

  “This monotony has weighed on my own mind as well.”

  Karteira stood, her gaze fixed on the path ahead as her mother breathed a sigh of weariness.

  We need to do better.

  Her eye narrowed as frustration tightened her features.

  Seeing this, the twins rose as well.

  “We should have been supporting you,” Mia said, kneeling before Titania and gently cupping her hands.

  “We failed in that. And we’re sorry.”

  Her disappointment was genuine.

  “She’s right,” Nia added, clenching her hands.

  “After everything that happened, we should have focused on caring for you.”

  Magic flowed from the twins.

  A soft green aura enveloped Nia, while cool blue light gathered around Mia.

  Together, they eased Titania’s discomfort—gentle breezes tempering the heat, cool water soothing the strain.

  “…”

  Titania closed her eyes, allowing herself a brief moment of relief.

  Nearby, Karteira lifted her foot from Lucensia’s scales.

  A white aura gathered around her leg before she brought it down firmly.

  The energy spread instantly across Lucensia’s body.

  The dragon lifted her head, turning one luminous eye toward the fairy.

  “Feeling better?” Karteira asked, a small smile forming.

  “Grrrr~”

  Lucensia rolled her neck in response, light gleaming brighter in her eye.

  Karteira gave a thumbs-up as the dragon’s pace steadied.

  With their focus restored, the group entered a new branch of tunnels.

  …

  After another hour of relentless travel, something finally changed.

  “Hm?” Titania opened her eyes as the air shifted.

  The three fairies stood immediately, expressions sharpening.

  “Do you feel that?” Karteira asked, clenching her fists.

  “This heat—it’s different.”

  The twins nodded.

  “Yes,” Mia said, eyes fixed ahead.

  “This isn’t the same heat as the burning forest. It’s unnatural.”

  At the same time, Nia pointed forward.

  “Look—there’s light on the wall!”

  A pale glow stretched along the cavern’s surface.

  “This might be an exit,” she said, bracing herself.

  Titania rose slowly from Lucensia’s back.

  “I doubt it,” she replied, her voice heavy with certainty.

  As Lucensia picked up speed, they rounded the final corner and entered the light.

  “…"

  The three women’s minds went blank the instant their eyes found its source.

  Titania only confirmed her suspicion as she closed her eyes.

  “What… is this?”

  Within a tremendously colossal crater—its edges ringed by a forest burning pure white—

  Floating kilometers above its center—

  Hung a white sun.

  So vast it could swallow regions whole.

  A light that promised not warmth…

  …but annihilation.