At the same time, while the dragon was listening to Asher explain what he had done...
On the Human Continent.
Inside a luxurious room decorated with elegant furniture and intricate golden carvings, a woman sat quietly on the balcony. She possessed long, pale-blonde hair that flowed gently with the breeze and a pair of large sapphire-blue eyes that carried an air of quiet elegance. Dressed in a graceful light-colored gown, she calmly held a delicate porcelain teacup in one hand as she sipped her tea.
Her gaze remained fixed on the vast garden stretching before the balcony. Colorful flowers bloomed in perfect harmony, while neatly trimmed hedges, elegant fountains, and ancient trees created a peaceful scenery. The gentle wind carried the fragrance of flowers through the air, making the entire estate feel tranquil and serene.
Then, suddenly, the woman’s sapphire-blue eyes turned blank, as though she was no longer looking at the beautiful garden before her.
Because she wasn’t.
A vision had appeared within her mind.
In an instant, she found herself standing high in the sky. The first thing she noticed was the heavens above. The sky itself had shattered, and an enormous crack stretched across space as though reality had been torn apart. From that endless fracture, an unfathomable amount of black fog continuously poured out, descending toward a single point at the center of the sky.
There, suspended in the air, stood a humanoid figure completely enveloped by the endless black fog.
The woman slowly lowered her gaze toward the ground.
What she saw made her heart tremble.
The land below had become a world of complete devastation. Mountains had collapsed, cities had been reduced to ruins, and the earth itself was stained with blood. Corpses covered the battlefield as far as the eye could see. Among them, a few surviving humans remained alive, all staring toward the black humanoid figure in the sky. Their faces were blurred, impossible to recognize, yet every one of them knelt upon the ruined ground as though they had completely lost the will to live.
The entire world was in turmoil.
On one side of the battlefield, countless bolts of lightning intertwined with brilliant pillars of holy light, tearing through the endless horde of demons advancing toward the center. Every clash illuminated the darkened heavens, yet despite the overwhelming destruction, the demonic tide continued to surge forward without end, as though nothing could stop it.
She tried to understand what she was witnessing. What had happened to the world? Who was that black humanoid figure standing at the center of the sky? Was it the one responsible for all this destruction... or was it the only one trying to stop it?.
Countless questions filled her mind, but before she could find even a single answer, the vision suddenly began to collapse. The shattered sky, the endless black fog, the ruined battlefield, and the countless corpses all dissolved into darkness.
The next instant, she was back. The peaceful garden once again appeared before her eyes, the gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of blooming flowers as though nothing had ever happened. For a brief moment, she simply sat there, her breathing uneven.
Then, the porcelain teacup slipped from her trembling hand and shattered against the marble floor of the balcony, scattering broken pieces in every direction. She didn’t even notice. Her pale face had already lost all color as she stared blankly ahead, her heart beating violently inside her chest. Because She knew that this wasn’t an ordinary vision—it was a possible glimpse of a future that had yet to come.
Before the woman could think any further about the terrifying vision she had just witnessed, a gentle knock echoed through the room.
A respectful female voice came from the other side of the door.
"Is everything alright, Saintess Cassie? I heard something break. Do you need me to come in and clean it?"
Cassie remained silent for a brief moment before turning her gaze toward the closed door. Her expression had already returned to its usual calm, though the shock in her heart had yet to subside.
"There’s no need," she replied in a composed voice. "My hand just slipped. It’s nothing for you to worry about. You may leave."
The maid didn’t question her any further.
"Understood, Saintess."
Her footsteps gradually faded away as she quietly left, leaving Cassie alone once again.
The room returned to complete silence.
Only the shattered porcelain scattered across the marble floor remained as proof that something had disturbed the normally unshakable Saintess.
Cassie lowered her gaze toward the shattered porcelain scattered across the marble floor. She quietly raised a hand, and without the slightest fluctuation of mana, the broken pieces suddenly began to move.
Time itself seemed to reverse.
The fragments slid backward across the floor, the tiny cracks sealing themselves one after another. The scattered shards rejoined perfectly, until the teacup was restored to its original form, as though it had never fallen or broken in the first place.
The cup gently floated back onto the small table beside her, completely intact.
Suddenly, the door to the room swung open without warning.
Cassie turned toward the entrance.
Standing there was a young girl who appeared to be around twelve years old. She possessed the same pale-blonde hair and brilliant sapphire-blue eyes as Cassie, making the resemblance between them unmistakable. Her innocent face was filled with excitement, completely unaware of the heavy atmosphere lingering within the room.
The moment she saw Cassie, her face lit up with a bright smile.
Without waiting for permission, she happily ran across the room and threw herself into Cassie’s arms, wrapping her arms tightly around her.
"Mom!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "What are you doing? Come on, let’s play!"
Cassie’s mind was still occupied by the terrifying vision she had just witnessed. Countless questions continued to linger in her thoughts, refusing to fade away. But the moment she looked into her daughter’s bright, carefree eyes, she gently pushed those thoughts aside. Whatever that vision meant, she would think about it letter since it was only a possibile future not guaranteed like many other she has prevented in past.