As the ashes of the Ifrit were scattered by the wind, the mana channels the mage had painstakingly woven over the years began to ache. It felt as though the world of an 8th-ring mage was collapsing around him.
"Pure fire..." Galm muttered,
The dragon took a few steps toward Galm. With every step, the ground cracked under its immense weight. Grosol lowered his head and blew his hot breath onto Galm's face.
"Have you seen what your pride has led to, wizard?"
"There is only one reason I'm leaving you alive here, wizard," said Grosol. He turned his head toward the child lying on the ground a short distance from the battlefield.
"I made a promise to that child lying behind me. No matter how much you wanted to kill him, he stubbornly chose not to harm you until the very end. Even as he placed his hope in my power, he begged me to spare your life."
Grosol drove his claw into the ground right in front of Galm. The ground split open like a deep fissure under the dragon's weight.
"If it were up to me, I would have turned you to ash right here! But I respect his will, wizard!"
Grosol fixed his golden eyes on Galm's.
"Choose your decision wisely, wizard. This is the first and last chance granted to you. Next time, neither that child's words nor your wizard's rank will protect you. Know that I won't spare you then."
When the black dragon vanished, the atmosphere fell silent for a momentWhen Kael opened his eyes, he didn't see the training grounds—only the sunlight filtering through the silk curtains. His body ached.
When he turned his head, he saw Lyra. The young girl's eyes were brimming with tears.
The moment she realized Kael had opened his eyes, she couldn't hold back her sobs, rushed forward, and clung tightly to him.
"Kael! Thank God... You're finally awake!"
Kael murmured, his voice still struggling to process what was happening, "Lyra... You?"The door to the room burst open. Lyra's mother, Lina, entered. Her face bore a mixture of anger and shame unlike anything seen before. When Lyra stepped away from Kael and stood up, the immense disappointment she felt toward her father was evident in her voice.
"I'm the one who brought him here, Mom!" Lyra said, her voice trembling.
"I begged Dad to guide him, to teach him something. But he... what did he do? He practically tried to kill Kael!"
Lina came to the edge of the bed and placed a damp cloth on Kael's forehead. She turned her gaze to her husband, Galm, who stood by the door like a guilty shadow. Galm, having lost his pride, was afraid to meet his wife's eyes.
"How could you do this, Galm?" Lina said.
"How could you do this to our guest—to this child who trusted us enough to enter our home? Have your rings blinded your eyes, or is it that endless lust for power?"
Galm opened his mouth to speak, but Lyra's piercing gaze choked the words in his throat.
"Don't even try to explain yourself to me, Father," Lyra said, her voice as cold as ice.
"I will never forgive you!!"
The atmosphere in the room had grown heavy. Despite all the battles he had won throughout his life, Galm was now tasting his greatest defeat—in his own home and in the eyes of his own family. Kael, watching the tension unfold at the bedside, struggled to make sense of what was happening.
"Lyra... Mrs. Lina... Can I speak with Master Galm alone?"
Lyra paused for a moment, as if she couldn't believe what she'd heard. Her anger toward her father was still fresh. She immediately stepped forward and took Kael's hand.
"No, Kael! I won't let you," she said harshly. "You saw what he did to you. I won't leave you alone with him while you're in this state. What guarantee do I have that you won't succumb to his arrogance again?"
Kael squeezed Lyra's hand gently, trying to reassure her.
"Lyra, please..."
Galm stood in the far corner of the room, his shoulders slumped. Every word Kael spoke left a devastating impact on the wizard's mind. Kael used the bed for support to straighten himself up a bit and gestured with his hand toward the chair beside him.
"Please don't stand there—come sit beside me, Master Galm..."
Galm approached the edge of the bed with heavy steps. He couldn't bring himself to look at Kael's face;
"Kael... I... I'm truly sorry. I just—"
"I know how devoted a father you are to your family and your daughter," Kael interjected, his voice more mature than he had expected.
"I also know that your threatening attitude toward me stems from the fear that the unknown aura I emit might harm them."
Galm lifted his head and looked into Kael's eyes.
"Kael, I—"
"Master Galm, please listen," Kael said with calm determination.
"I will tell you the truth..."
Kael showed the seal ring on his finger.
"I am a half-breed, Master Galm. That dark magic I carry within me is a legacy left to me by my demon father."
Galm's eyes widened in shock.
"A—a demon?"
Kael described the efforts he had made to suppress that power and the seal beneath the ring, one by one.Galm's world was crumbling around him. The 15-year-old boy sitting before him was the bearer of a burden far heavier than he could ever have imagined.
"By the gods... I... I tried to kill a child who bears the weight of the world. I will never forgive myself."
A brief silence fell over the room. Galm took a deep breath and suddenly struck his right fist against his chest, right over his heart. This was the most sacred oath a wizard could take upon his honor.
"Today you've shown me just how irresponsible, how blind a man I am, my son," said Galm. His voice no longer trembled,
Kael started to speak up to soften the situation, "I didn't mean to—" but Galm raised his hand to silence him.
"Don't worry, Kael. This secret will remain between you and me. Today I realized that the dragon who spared my life was actually your mercy. I, Galm, the royal wizard, swear that this secret will go with me to the grave. I will be a shield behind you until the end of my days! I swear it on my noble blood!"
For the first time, Galm looked into Kael's eyes with gratitude and genuine respect. Kael was no longer a "guest" or a "threat" to him, but a child he would protect at the cost of his own life.
"Tell me, my son," said Galm, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"That dragon fighting alongside me... What is it? I've seen many creatures in my life, but I've never encountered a being like this before. Is it in your service?"
Kael leaned back against his pillow a little more as he recalled that day.
"No, Master Galm. Actually, it all began during a summoning class at the academy."
Kael described that ordinary day at the academy, when everyone in the class was waiting to summon simple spirits, and Grosol suddenly appeared. Galm held his breath in astonishment as he listened to the story.
"Grosol chose me that day," Kael continued.
"To be honest, I still don't fully understand how he became my guardian or why he appears at my command. All I know is that he's saved my life from death several times. I'm grateful to him; because when I couldn't protect myself, he stood as a shield in my place."
"What exactly he is, or from which dimension or time he comes—believe me, I don't know either. The bond between us isn't a master-servant relationship; it's more like an agreement."
Galm sank into deep thought at the answer he received. A 15-year-old boy and a dragon hiding in his shadow—one powerful enough to reduce the world to ashes... He now understood much better why Kael was so mature.