Alister gently patted her head, his smile softening as he held her close. “I’m sorry, Miyu. I didn’t mean to make you worry. But I’m here now, alright? I’m not going anywhere.”
Miyu pulled back just enough to look up at him, her tear-streaked face filled with a mixture of joy and lingering fear. “Do you promise?” she asked, her voice shaky. “No more scaring us like that. No more… just disappearing at night like that.”
“I promise,” Alister said. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Miyu sniffled, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand, then offered a small, trembling smile. “Good… Because I don’t think my heart can take it.”
Cinder, who had been quietly watching from the side, finally spoke. “Lady Miyu, you should have seen yourself. Dropping the plate like that…”
Miyu glanced at the broken plate and the scattered apples on the floor, her cheeks flushing red. “W-Well, I was just… shocked, okay?”
Alister chuckled again, his eyes soft with warmth. “It’s alright, Miyu. I appreciate the sentiment—and the apples. Though, it seems they didn’t survive the reunion.”
Miyu huffed lightly, but her smile widened. “Don’t worry. I’ll peel you more.”
As she began to clean up the mess, Alister looked between Miyu and Cinder, a deep sense of gratitude filling his heart.
Alister leaned back slightly, a teasing smile on his face. “Miyu, as much as I’d love for you to peel me more apples, wouldn’t it be better to let the rest of the team know I’ve woken up? I’m sure they’re just as worried as you and Cinder were.”
Miyu paused mid-motion, holding a shard of the broken plate, her eyes widening slightly. “You’re right,” she admitted, setting the shard down carefully. “I didn’t even think about that…”
She stood, brushing off her skirt and giving him a small, sheepish smile. “I’ll let them know right away.” Turning toward the door, she added, “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
Alister chuckled softly, nodding. “I’ll be right here. Take your time.”
With an intense yet skeptical look, Miyu stepped out of the room, the door sliding shut behind her as the faint sound of her footsteps echoed down the hall.
Alister’s gaze lingered on the door for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as he noticed a system window hovering beside him. But the window looked a bit different.
⫷『!』⫸
⫷『The player has yet to look through several notifications!』⫸
⫷『A Sub-user “Alameck” has been registered in the system’s database.』⫸
⫷『The player can look through their information and choose to restrict or grant them more system privileges.』⫸
⫷『The player has achieved an amazing feat in aiding the defeat of a demi-celestial!』⫸
⫷『The player has earned the title “The Celestial Eater”!』⫸
⫷『!』⫸
⫷『The player has learned a new skill: “Ether Manipulation” EX-Rank!』⫸
⫷『You have leveled up!』⫸
⫷『Current level: 70!』⫸
⫷『Next awakening pending!』⫸
⫷『!』⫸
⫷『Due to shared experience, several of the player’s dragons have leveled up!』⫸
⫷『Summon: “Terra Von Archi-Void” has leveled up significantly!』⫸
⫷『Summon: “Terra Von Archi-Void” has evolved into a Sandstorm Dragon! S-Ranked!』⫸
⫷『Both Draven Von Valor-Void and Alzuring Von Azure-Void have ranked up to SS!』⫸
⫷『Draven has evolved into a Lightning Storm Dragon!』⫸
⫷『Alzuring has evolved into a Wind Storm Dragon!』⫸
⫷『!』⫸
⫷『Summon: “Mar’Garet Von Abyss-Void” has ranked up to EX!』⫸
⫷『Congratulations to the player for obtaining an EX-ranked summon!』⫸
⫷『Mar’Garet is 10 fables away from becoming a celestial!』⫸
⫷『All Drakes have ranked up to A.』⫸
Alister was in awe at the magnitude of progress that had been made, his thoughts racing.
‘Wait… I leveled up, so did all of my summons? Aiding in the death of a celestial? Celestial Eater? Did Alameck eat Ju’Nero?’
Alister let out a heavy sigh as he thought, ‘For some reason, I’m not surprised… It sounds like something he would do.’ Alister began to recall more of his memories from past lives and the sorts of things Alameck had done eons ago.
He gritted his teeth slightly, mumbling, “That sick monster must have had a lot of fun… I should make sure to show my gratitude later.” His words hinted at subduing Alameck, reminding him who ruled over whom.
Although dragons were creatures of immense pride, they also operated on a strict hierarchy. There was no doubt Alameck hated Alister, but he still respected the ways of their race. In fact, one could say no one followed their code better than he did.
Although it wouldn’t prevent him from disregarding orders it would make him give Alister some degree of respect.
Alister noticed Cinder had been gazing at him for a while. He locked eyes with her and raised an eyebrow, smiling.
“Well, looks like it’s just us for now,” he said.
Cinder’s cheeks flushed a soft pink as she hesitated, fidgeting as she spoke. “I… I’m sorry for crying earlier, for showing you such a weak side of me,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Alister shook his head, reassuring her. “No, Cinder. It’s fine. Everyone has moments like that. You don’t have to apologize for showing your feelings.”
Cinder looked up at him with wide eyes. The faintest smile appeared on her lips before she quickly looked away again.
“Thanks, but… earlier, when I was crying…” Her words trailed off, and her fingers fidgeted nervously.
Alister smiled calmly. “Well, it doesn’t matter… Truth be told, I like that you worry a lot.”
His words caused her to blush, and she looked away to hide her face.
Alister noticed this and calmed a bit, his memory flashing to what she had said earlier. He then added, “But I’m curious… about something.”
“Curious? About what, my lord?” Cinder asked, her expression softening with a small hint of worry and curiosity.
Alister nodded, leaning slightly forward. “When you were crying, you said you didn’t want to be alone again and that you didn’t want to lose me the way you lost your family. Is that… related to the reason you used to hate humans? The thing you said we’d talk about later?”
Cinder’s gaze fell to the floor, her expression clouding. She hesitated for a long moment, her hands clenching into small fists. “It’s… not an easy story to tell,” she admitted, her voice shaky.
Alister’s voice softened, careful not to push too hard. “Sorry if it feels like I’m prying. But I’m curious—curious about what happened and why humans did what they did to your family. If it’s really too much, you don’t have to tell me.”
Cinder hesitated again, biting her lip. She looked conflicted. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you,” she finally said, her voice barely audible.
Alister tilted his head slightly, watching her with gentle eyes. “Do you still not trust me enough?”
Cinder’s head shot up, her expression one of shock and indignation. “Of course, I trust you, my lord!” she blurted out, her cheeks burning brighter. “It’s not about trust, it’s just… hard to talk about.”
Alister smiled softly, leaning in. “Well, if you trust me, then you wouldn’t mind sharing, right? I’m here to listen, no matter how hard it is.”
Cinder’s gaze locked with his, her breath catching for a moment. She swallowed hard, then looked away again, her fists unclenching as she took a deep breath. “Alright,” she finally whispered. “I’ll tell you…”
Cinder took a deep breath, her eyes momentarily closing as if bracing herself. When she opened them again, there was a distant look in her gaze, one that told Alister her mind was already back in the past.
“I lived with my family in the snow-covered peaks of a place that was called the Frostspire Mountains.”
“It was… peaceful. My parents were strong, wise drakes. My siblings and I played in the snowfields, chasing each other through the icy winds. We never bothered the humans—never even ventured near their lands. Father always said we should stay away from them.”
She paused, her hands clenching into fists. “I didn’t understand why at the time. I thought humans were just… another kind of creature, like the deer or wolves in the forests below. But then, one night, they came to us.”
Her voice trembled as she continued. “It started with the winds carrying strange scents… smoke, metal, something… unnatural. We saw them climbing the mountain, a group of humans, heavily armed. And leading them…” Cinder hesitated, her eyes narrowing as if she could still see him.
“There was a man. He wore all black—a long coat that seemed to drain the light around him. He had a monocle over one eye, and his other eye… I’ll never forget it. It was like a deep void, empty and endless. His hands were bare, but they were pitch black, as if charred by fire, and on the side of his face…” She shuddered.
“There was a strange skull. It wasn’t just a tattoo or a mark—it looked like it was fused with his skin, an eerie, jagged thing that almost seemed alive.”
‘A skull mark?’ Alister’s thoughts raced as he recalled seeing a skull marking on his mother in the dream he had a while back.
‘Could it be the same? Are they connected somehow?’
Alister leaned forward slightly, his expression darkening. “Did he say anything to your family?”
Cinder nodded slowly. “He did. When they reached our lair, my father confronted them, demanding to know why they had come. The man in black… he smiled, but it wasn’t a kind smile. It was cold, empty. He said, ‘By the emperor’s order, I am to find a way to grant his army the might of dragons… To create the ultimate army… So I’m here to collect rare specimens. Although only mere drakes, your family’s blood will do nicely.'”