“Did something happen for you to come visit me in my dreams?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes. There’s something I need to tell you about the dragon lying in this labyrinth—the Umbra Dragon.”
I stood there, confused. She had just shared some pretty damn important information with me. “The Umbra Dragon? So you’re telling me one of the Eternal Dragons is trapped in here?”
“Yes. But it won’t be easy to free him. Only someone as strong as Reinstar could subjugate and release him.”
“Based on what you just said, I assume I’m going to need to fight him. What kind of dragon is the Umbra Dragon?”
“Take a look around. Haven’t you noticed?”
“Huh? Uh...” I did as I was told and glanced around. “Now that you mention it, it looks a bit like the land near Rockford. Did I get that right?”
The Spirit of Dusk paused before saying, “I’m going to show you the past. Try to think of a way to purify the Umbra Dragon.”
“What do you mean?”
She didn’t answer and looked up at the sky. Faced with no other choice, I raised my gaze as well and was met with the sight of a pitch-black dragon about to use a breath attack from up in the sky. I tried to cast Area Barrier only to realize that I couldn’t use magic. Not only that, but I noticed that my body was transparent. This was when I realized that I was indeed in a dream.
A slash of light hit the dragon straight on, interrupting his attack.
“You dare attack me? Who are you?” the dragon’s voice echoed in my head as thick bloodlust that made my skin prickle filled the air.
This must have been the true power of a dragon. It seemed that the ones I had encountered so far had gone easy on me, and not just a bit. As I mentally thanked them for sparing my life, a young man appeared, flying in the sky. It was unmistakably Lord Reinstar.
“Umbra Dragon, why do you want to destroy the world?” he asked.
“Do you truly believe that I owe an explanation to a mere human?” the dragon replied before firing a dark-purple breath attack, this time not at the ground but at Reinstar. The flames reached him in an instant, engulfing him completely and piercing the mountain that stood behind him.
“It’s all because you humans keep trying to get in my way,” the Umbra Dragon rumbled, preparing to cast yet another breath at the land below.
But then, a radiant light as intense as the attack the dragon had unleashed earlier flooded the scene and engulfed him. Looking in the direction the light had come from, I saw Reinstar hovering in the same exact spot as he’d been in before, a spherical barrier surrounding him. It was at that moment that I realized Lord Reinstar wasn’t human anymore. There was no way in the universe that he and I were the same species.
“You... You’re not a simple human, are you?!” the dragon asked, smoke billowing from his body.
“Apparently, I’m a hero or something. After I, surprisingly easily, killed the Demon Lord, humanity has finally started to work together to progress and grow, so I can’t exactly let you wipe them out, you know?”
“You killed the King of Darkness?! The balance of this world will be thrown into chaos!” the dragon exclaimed. He sounded more distressed than angry.
“It’s not like I eradicated demons altogether. I’ve erected a strong barrier to prevent them from coming into human cities, but they should be able to develop in their own territory.”
“If you disrupt the equilibrium of this world, humans will start fighting each other,” the dragon warned him.
“I won’t let that happen as long as I’m alive. I’ll create a world where children won’t ever have to see blood; a world where nations strive to outdo each other in the pursuit of knowledge.”
“If that is your desire, then prove it to me. Reflect on the meaning of the destruction I have unleashed upon this land as you face your end.”
The dragon’s words marked the beginning of an intense combat between him and Reinstar. Light and darkness clashed, both sides unwilling to back down. However, neither was able to gain the advantage. Then, Reinstar made his move. He brandished his sword, which began glowing, likely with mana. The next instant, he was behind the Umbra Dragon, and blood was gushing from his opponent’s back. I understood that Reinstar had attacked him, but it had been so fast that I hadn’t seen it myself. Before I could process what had happened, he vanished into thin air once more, perhaps to prepare his next strike.
However, the Umbra Dragon wasn’t about to stay still and do nothing as Reinstar attacked him. To my amazement, scales began detaching themselves from his body one after the other. They flew around the dragon, gradually gaining speed, forming a protective barrier that prevented Reinstar from closing in.
The fight went on for quite some time until Reinstar eventually managed to knock the Umbra Dragon to the ground by enlarging his glowing sword, which was followed by a mana cannon attack, bringing the battle to an end. As I surveyed the devastation of the surrounding mountains, I realized that this land was where Rockford would later be founded.
“I shatter this world, and the Radiance Dragon breathes life back into it, allowing the other Eternal Dragons to be reborn. This is how we have prevented Galdardia from decaying since the dawn of time,” the Umbra Dragon said.
“Aren’t you bored with just destroying everything all the time?”
“If I don’t, the people will kill each other, ravage the land, and disrupt the balance of this world until the planet itself has lost its powers. If that were to happen, no life-form would be able to survive here any longer.”
“I understand your concerns,” Reinstar said. “I can’t promise that it won’t happen, but I vow to do everything in my power to prevent that fate. I will seek wisdom from all civilizations to protect this world. So please, will you stop your destruction?”
“I have lost. I will cease my actions for as long as you are alive. However, if you fail to create the world you envision, I shall become the avatar of destruction once more.”
“Then I’m going to need you to work hard for me to prevent that fate from happening.”
The Spirit of Dusk turned to me. “Luciel, the Umbra Dragon has honored the promise he made to Reinstar and refrained from causing destruction all this time.”
“Can I ask why you wanted to show this to me?”
“The Umbra Dragon never goes easy on his opponents, and he has no tolerance for those who don’t fight fair. Be aware that he won’t let himself be freed as easily as the other dragons. He will unleash breath attacks so powerful that they could incinerate your body until nothing is left. Just thought you should know.”
“Got it,” I said after a brief pause. “I’ll try to think of a way to earn his respect and will decide if I should challenge him or not based on that.”
“I pray that you won’t make a decision you’ll come to regret—for Estia’s sake as well.”
With that, I felt my consciousness rise to the surface and finally woke up. Realizing that I was sweating as if I’d just had a bad dream, I cast a quick purification spell on myself. Based on the fact that I could see the labyrinth’s ceiling from where I was lying, I confirmed that I was back where I’d fallen asleep. Letting out a sigh, I began to think of a way to deal with the Umbra Dragon waiting for me within the labyrinth.