The gust of wind carrying grains of sand collided against the walls of the city's buildings.
In the middle of a city surrounded by desert, a magnificent palace stood, and in one corner of the palace, a woman with thick golden hair walked confidently.
Her height, surpassing most beings, was one of her defining traits. The white cloth wrapped around her body only covered what needed to be covered, leaving the muscles of her arms, abdomen, and legs exposed.
Her predatory golden eyes still shone as the orange light slowly faded, her tiger ears constantly catching every detail of sound, and her tail swayed back and forth.
The woman walked toward a room, guarded by two iron doors.
One of her golden brows lifted; in front of the room stood two people.
She approached, and the two lowered their heads.
One of them was a man with silver hair, a gray robe draped over his shoulders.
The woman looked at him first.
"Yo… Tyler. You've got a lot of free time, huh?"
Tyler looked at the woman, letting out a sigh.
"Free time? Of course I do…"
One of Tyler's brows lifted.
"...after months on the front lines, I should have some free time, Saint Azara."
Saint Azara chuckled.
"You've only been on the front lines for three months and you're already complaining."
Saint Azara sighed, her ears twitching as she turned her golden gaze to the other person.
She had dark red hair and blue eyes, her face cold.
Katarina slightly lowered her head in greeting.
"Nice to meet you again, Saint Azara."
Saint Azara's eyes narrowed as she looked Katarina up and down, then stepped closer, making Katarina slightly uncomfortable.
Saint Azara sniffed Katarina's neck, then slowly pulled back.
One of her brows lifted.
"How strange… your scent is mixed with something familiar… but I don't know what it is."
Katarina's heart pounded, her eyes widening.
"Maybe it's because I've been in the desert for several days…."
Saint Azara chuckled, spreading her arms.
"What is this… the princess who used to cry when she came here, now enjoys being in the desert?"
Katarina fell silent, unable to respond.
Saint Azara's face turned serious.
"What are you doing getting close to the Golden Desert? Have you no regard for your life? O human princess?"
Tyler's brow twitched as he tried to speak.
But Katarina spoke first.
"It was a small journey, but we failed at several points…."
Saint Azara clicked her tongue, brushing through her thick golden hair.
"That's why you shouldn't act outside your habits… princess."
Saint Azara looked at the double iron doors.
"Is he already inside?"
Katarina nodded.
Saint Azara walked past Katarina and Tyler, stopping in front of the iron doors.
The doors opened with a mechanical sound, and a cold air greeted the three of them.
Katarina spoke again.
"Can we talk later tonight, Saint Azara?"
Saint Azara clicked her tongue and stepped inside.
"You ask for a lot, don't you? Come at midnight. That is, if you're not asleep, brat."
The two iron doors closed, leaving Tyler and Katarina outside.
Tyler sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Hufft…"
Katarina looked at him.
"Thank you, uncle, for helping."
Tyler shrugged.
"The king did it, I just lent a magical helicopter…"
Tyler looked at Katarina.
"How about we meet the others?"
Katarina nodded, and they walked away from the iron doors.
Inside the room, Saint Azara's footsteps echoed. The cold temperature did not affect her skin, and the metallic smell did not bother her.
She walked past neatly arranged compartments attached to the walls.
Saint Azara passed them all and headed toward a cold iron table.
On top of it lay the body of a young boy, his skin pale, wounds covering his body—especially a slash across his chest, burns, and stab wounds that pierced through him.
Saint Azara stood there, observing the body, then clicked her tongue.
"What can be done with a human who's already a corpse?"
Saint Azara scratched her hair.
"Channel holy energy? Would that help?..."
She crossed her arms.
"...have they never learned?"
Saint Azara sighed heavily.
She closed her eyes, golden energy forming around her body. The energy turned into golden mist that slowly crept toward the boy's body. Slowly but surely, the boy's body was enveloped in the same golden energy as Saint Azara.
After a few moments, Saint Azara felt nothing. She was about to stop, but suddenly, her ears and nose—capable of sensing things from unimaginable distances—detected nothing.
No sound. No scent.
Startled, Saint Azara opened her eyes, and all she saw was darkness.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
She looked around, but found nothing—only darkness.
Her feet touched nothing.
Saint Azara swallowed, only able to speak in her mind.
'What is this?'
She floated in the darkness for an unknown amount of time.
She began to feel uneasy, not knowing what to do.
After an immeasurable moment, a point suddenly appeared. Saint Azara looked at it.
Her brow twitched slightly.
She did not move, but her body was drawn toward it.
Saint Azara entered the point, and gradually, she could smell and hear again.
Her skin was hit by a powerful wind. Her golden eyes slowly opened, then widened instantly.
She was falling.
Saint Azara clicked her tongue.
She could hear her voice again.
"Damn…"
As she prepared to land, her golden eyes caught sight of a silhouette on the ground.
There, a teenage girl with lavender hair was holding the body of a young boy. From her palm emerged something familiar.
Saint Azara's golden eyes widened, goosebumps rising.
"Holy energy?"
As Saint Azara neared the ground, she channeled her beastman power into her legs.
When her feet touched the ground, no sound was heard.
She immediately moved swiftly behind the lavender-haired girl.
The girl, still focused on what she was doing, realized too late.
As she tried to turn—
Saint Azara, two meters tall with glowing golden eyes, was already looking down at her.
The lavender-haired girl screamed loudly.
"Huaahhh…!"
Her startled scream echoed through the space with a black sky.
Saint Azara simply stared at her with a blank expression.
The girl's hand still channeled holy energy into the boy's body.
Saint Azara stared intently.
"Who are you? And what are you doing?"
Saint Azara looked at the holy energy flowing and then at the boy.
She paused slightly upon seeing him.
The boy's body was exactly the same as the one she saw in the morgue—only here, without wounds.
The lavender-haired girl was confused. She looked around, avoiding eye contact.
"I… I don't know. I'm just here."
Saint Azara tilted her head.
"Don't know?"
She looked at the girl, who still refused to meet her gaze.
Saint Azara chuckled and crouched down beside her.
Her breath formed mist as it reached the girl's face, her golden eyes glowing.
"I don't know who you are… but you know who I am, don't you?"
Sweat dripped down the girl's forehead.
"N-no. I don't know who you are. Are you lost?"
Saint Azara chuckled, pointing at the holy energy flowing into the boy.
"What's that? That's holy energy, right?"
The girl swallowed.
She looked at her own hand.
"This? No, it's just a light source."
Saint Azara chuckled, then slowly sat on the black ground.
"You call holy energy just a light source? Are you ready to be shackled?"
The lavender-haired girl's eyes widened, and she hurriedly explained in panic.
"No, no! I never said holy energy is just for lighting!"
Saint Azara nodded several times.
"So it is holy energy?"
The girl lowered her head.
Saint Azara chuckled.
"I didn't expect to see that energy used by someone other than me."
The girl looked like she was about to cry.
"Forgive me, Saint Azara! Please don't shackle me!"
Saint Azara almost burst out laughing.
"So you do know who I am…"
She chuckled again.
"So this is why that princess insisted on asking for my help…"
The girl raised a brow.
"Princess?...."
Saint Azara pointed at the boy.
"Katarina was very persistent in making me check on this kid."
The girl nodded in understanding.
"I see…."
Saint Azara rested her cheek on one hand.
"I didn't expect to find something this interesting after so long…."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"...Is he still alive because you're holding him with your cute little holy energy?"
The lavender-haired girl nodded hesitantly.
Saint Azara sighed.
She wanted to ask who the girl really was, but the situation stopped her.
Her body began to glow, golden mist dispersing.
Saint Azara clicked her tongue.
"Damn… my time here is running out…"
She looked at the girl.
"...Are you keeping him alive with your holy energy so I can help bring him back?"
The girl swallowed and nodded firmly.
Saint Azara stepped closer, holding the back of the girl's hand, which still emitted holy energy.
She smiled as her body continued fading.
"I don't know who you are, but your scent is very pleasant…"
She chuckled.
"...like the scent of a mother."
The girl simply stared at her.
Saint Azara poured all of her holy energy into the boy.
A light illuminated the darkness, golden mist weaving into fine threads that slowly entered the boy's body.
Saint Azara gradually disappeared.
"Hey… I still don't know your name."
The girl hesitated, then spoke.
"Krystal… my name is Krystal…"
Saint Azara nodded before vanishing, her voice heard one last time.
"See you again, Krystal… I'll be visiting that boy often…"
In a cold room, a young boy lay on an iron table. Wounds covered his body, but slowly they began to close, and his chest, once still, began to rise and fall.
Beside him stood Saint Azara.
Her holy energy, now thinning, slowly returned into her body.
She sighed, a smile forming as her eyes slowly opened.
Saint Azara looked at the boy, whose pale skin was gradually returning to normal.
'That was an extraordinary experience….'
She chuckled.
'...to meet a being as remarkable as the Dragon King.'
Saint Azara stretched her body and pressed her smart bracelet.
A voice responded.
"What is it, Saint Azara?"
She spoke.
"Pick up this boy, Kyle."
Kyle, on the other end, suddenly became frantic and shouted, but Saint Azara immediately cut the connection.
She looked at the boy, now fully healed.
Saint Azara slowly turned toward an empty corner of the room.
"Millo…"
For a moment, there was no response.
From nothingness, a chameleon beastman suddenly appeared. His small body and camouflage ability made him unnoticeable.
He stood on two legs, though his form remained that of a chameleon.
He bowed.
"Millo hears Saint Azara's command…"
Saint Azara looked at him.
"Come here, Millo…"
Millo extended his long tongue to the edge of the iron table.
Clack.
His tongue latched on and pulled him up onto the table, where he stood beside the boy.
Saint Azara pointed at the boy's face.
Millo followed her gesture.
"Remember this boy's face and watch him…"
Millo nodded.
"Yes…"
One of Azara's brows lifted.
"And keep what you saw here a secret…"
Millo looked up at Azara's towering figure.
Azara sighed.
"...the elders will make a fuss and talk if they find out I can bring the dead back."
Millo blinked.
"Isn't that exactly what happened, Saint Azara?"
Saint Azara chuckled.
"No… not exactly. Just don't let the elders know."
Millo nodded.
Azara's ears twitched as mechanical sounds and hurried footsteps approached.
Saint Azara smiled and stretched her stiff body.