Elisabeth, trapped within the dragon’s claws as it soared away from the battlefield, seemed to surrender herself to whatever fate awaited her.

  Her gaze never left Sveanna’s helpless form, lying motionless below.

  Meanwhile, the condition of the knights who had fled was utterly dire.

  They took refuge behind a massive boulder not far from the scene.

  Leaning their battered bodies against the stone, they tended to their wounds with the help of the female knights, who tore strips of fabric from their cloaks to bandage the injuries.

  Gasping for breath, the knights let their pent-up emotions spill out.

  “That creature is beyond us.”

  “Its power is nothing like the enemies we’ve faced before.”

  “Do we truly have to fight it?”

  “That dragon is nearly impossible to defeat.”

  “This mission is utterly impossible.”

  Isac Galeon, his wounds still being wrapped by Sasa, could only listen to the conversation among the knights.

  Despair was clearly etched on their faces after realizing how vast the gap was between their strength and that of the dragon.

  Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed from the direction where Elisabeth and Sveanna had been.

  " BOOOOOOOOMMMMM "

  The knights jolted in shock. They quickly rose from where they lay and looked toward the source of the sound.

  “Should we go, Hersir?”

  “No. We would only become a burden to the two of them.”

  “Among us, only those two can wield magic and talent.”

  “If we interfere, we’ll only hinder them.”

  “It’s better to wait here and observe.”

  “But Hersir, we must investigate that sound.”

  “I fear for Elisabeth and Sveanna’s safety.”

  “We must wait for the right moment.”

  “For now, all we can do is entrust everything to them.”

  As they stared toward the sky—now filled with flashes of lightning and the thunderous roars of a monstrous being that shattered the silence around Mount Levuskan—the knights’ worry only grew.

  They were deeply concerned for Elisabeth and Sveanna, yet utterly powerless before the cursed dragon.

  Moments later, they looked up again and saw the creature flying away toward the peak of Mount Levuskan.

  “Elisabeth…?”

  They stared at what the creature held tightly in its grasp.

  Elisabeth was being carried toward the mountain summit.

  The knights fell into panic, horrified for Elisabeth’s safety and uncertain of Sveanna’s fate.

  “She’s being taken to the summit!”

  “We have to save her!”

  “But where is Sveanna?”

  “How is she?”

  “We need to check on Sveanna, Hersir,” Lula said to Isac Galeon, whose wounds were still being bandaged by Sasa.

  Isac Galeon nodded in agreement.

  “Very well. Let’s go check on Sveanna.”

  However, Sasa stopped him.

  “Wait, Hersir. Your wounds haven’t been fully treated yet.”

  “It’s fine. They can be bandaged again later.”

  “Everyone, let’s move—now.”

  “Yes, Hersir.”

  They left their hiding place and headed toward the open ground where Sveanna had fallen.

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  The land that had once been smooth was now scarred and devastated by the cursed dragon’s rampage.

  Chunks of earth had been torn apart, and the surrounding rocks lay shattered into countless fragments.

  From afar, they saw Sveanna lying unconscious.

  They rushed toward her at once.

  “Sveanna, wake up! Sveanna!”

  Lula shook her gently, panic evident among the knights as they took in Sveanna’s dreadful condition.

  Looking around, they could hardly imagine the deadly gamble Elisabeth and Sveanna had taken just to allow them to escape.

  “I’m ashamed of what happened to us,” someone murmured.

  “Sveanna and Elisabeth went through something unimaginably terrible.”

  “Look at this place… it’s impossible to fathom how they risked their lives for us,” Matias said quietly, his gaze fixed on the knights standing around Sveanna, who lay in Lula’s arms.

  They fell silent. Only Lula’s voice echoed as she desperately tried to wake her friend.

  “Cough—cough!”

  Sveanna stirred, coughing as she regained consciousness.

  “Sveanna!”

  “Are you alright?”

  “Are you okay?” Lula asked anxiously.

  Sveanna tried to sit up and answered softly,

  “I’m fine.”

  “I’m sorry, everyone.”

  “I lost consciousness after being struck by the dragon.”

  “It’s alright, Sveanna.”

  “For us, your survival is more than enough,” Lula said, supported by warm smiles from the knights.

  After a brief silence, Sveanna looked at Lula.

  “Elisabeth…”

  “She’s not here,” Sveanna said quietly.

  The knights lowered their heads in silence until Isac Galeon stepped forward.

  “Perhaps we’ve lost Elisabeth for now.”

  “But we will get her back.”

  “We will find a way to rescue her from that dragon.”

  “Yes, Hersir.”

  Elsewhere, Elisabeth was carried to the mountain summit, then violently hurled from above.

  She fell nearly twenty meters, crashing hard into the ground and instantly losing consciousness as the dragon circled Mount Levuskan, roaring thunderously.

  When night fell, she awoke to biting cold air and tried to flee into the darkness in search of shelter—only to be stopped by a young man’s voice.

  “You should abandon that thought.”

  The voice came from a young man sitting atop a large rock nearby.

  “Who are you?” Elisabeth asked, looking up.

  The young man jumped down and approached her.

  Elisabeth instinctively backed away.

  “Don’t come any closer!”

  “Alright.”

  “Calm down.”

  “I won’t approach you.”

  In the moonlit darkness, Elisabeth caught a glimpse of him—tall, cloaked, his face partially hidden, faintly reflecting the moonlight.

  She remembered her dream in the Elven Forest.

  “Is it… him?” she thought.

  He looked exactly like the figure from her dream.

  “Is this real…?”

  As he gazed toward the star-filled sky, Elisabeth followed his eyes, seeing countless stars scattered like grains of sand across the heavens.

  Questions stirred within her.

  What is he thinking?

  His gaze feels so deep… and empty.

  Is he lonely?

  She looked back at him and finally asked,

  “Where is that creature now?”

  A heavy silence followed.

  “I don’t know,” she thought. Will he even answer?

  Just as she considered running, he spoke.

  “It’s not here right now.”

  Relief washed over her.

  “Where did it go?”

  “No one knows.”

  “You should sleep now.”

  Something about his words felt strange.

  Who is he…?

  “Forgive me, sir,” she asked,

  “But who are you?”

  “I’ve never seen you in our kingdom.”

  “Are you from the Kingdom of Sartala?”

  “I shouldn’t answer that.”

  “I’ll warn you once more.”

  “Never attempt to escape from this place.”

  His warning struck her like a slap.

  Realizing arguing was pointless, Elisabeth decided to rest.

  “Alright.”

  “I’ll rest.”

  “Sleep in the cave over there.”

  “The dragon won’t reach you.”

  “The entrance is only large enough for a single human.”

  “You’ll be safe there.”

  “Thank you… truly.”

  She entered the small cave, moonlight faintly illuminating its narrow entrance. Where will he hide from the dragon? she wondered. Exhausted beyond measure, Elisabeth soon fell into a deep sleep.

  No answers. No name. Only unanswered questions—waiting to be revealed when the sun rose from the eastern horizon.