Liam advanced deeper into the cave with me in his arms, using the light of my tail as a guide. Now that he had made a contract with the Lord of Darkness, the cave had become completely ordinary. As we followed the river, the smell of rot began getting stronger.
Loud, grating groans reverberated against the cavern walls, shaking the ceiling so violently it was as if the rock itself were rumbling. I clung onto Liam, whose grip on me tightened in response.
Ahead of us, a small waterfall blocked our path, tiny water droplets spraying from the high ceiling. And it was there, behind the waterfall, that a large dragon of nearly ten meters was lying down, growling in pain. Scattered around it were its shedded diamond-shaped scales, creating the terrible smell as they began to rot.
If left unchecked, those scales were sure to produce monsters. The outbreaks of monsters in the area were caused by the rotting scales sliding into the river and being carried out into the world.
Liam and I weaved our way around the waterfall, careful not to get wet as we stepped past it. Soon, we were face-to-face with the dragon. Its body was white with some dull purple spots, and its legs were bent. It looked at us, then snarled while spreading its wings threateningly.
I had Liam put me down and addressed the dragon.
“I heard from Lord Reineke about your sickness,” I said, waving my fox ears and shining tail around.
“You have a contract with him?” the dragon asked.
“That’s right. Do you know why you’re sick?”
“Once my hibernation was over, I ventured out of the depths of the cave to go outside, but the royal family and House Renard blocked the exit in order to seal the Lord of Darkness. That stopped me from leaving too.” The dragon shifted about but seemed unable to move the purple parts of his body. “I can only feed on what’s within the cave, and my limbs hurt from lack of sunlight. I am suffering.”
“That almost sounds like rickets. It’s a condition that develops due to lack of sunlight and calcium. Dr. Guillotin taught me about it.”
“Lune, are you talking with the dragon?” asked the confused Liam.
I turned to him in surprise. He had heard the Lord of Darkness, so I thought he could hear the dragon too.
“You can’t hear it?”
Liam shook his head.
“Then maybe it’s thanks to my fox ears?” I wondered, moving them about.
“That’s right. Foolish humans cannot hear my voice,” the dragon asserted.
Liam didn’t react to the rude remark, so I knew for sure that he couldn’t hear.
“We need to find a way to get out of this cave. Can we return the same way we came?” Liam asked, looking over his shoulder.
“My brother made a contract with the Lord of Darkness, so if we go back that way, he’ll be able to undo the seal by the entrance,” I told the dragon.
“Perhaps, but I cannot move very well because of the pain,” the dragon responded, gazing wistfully at the waterfall. “In the past, there was no ceiling here. I used to be able to see the sky, but now it’s all covered up and the entrance is blocked off. The Lord of Darkness told me that the royals and House Renard are to blame.”
The dragon looked at Liam. An ominous sensation wafted from the Eclipse Blade’s scabbard, where the Lord of Darkness was sealed. Liam grasped it tightly, and the ominous feeling vanished. But the dragon’s black eyes were boring holes into him.
“The Eclipse Blade... This boy is one of the Renards—those who trapped me here!” he roared, suddenly rising to his feet.
“Brother!” I exclaimed, quickly stepping in front of Liam.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, covering me in turn.
The dragon was unable to support his own body weight. He collapsed back down with a thud, his breathing labored.
“We’re not here to fight you!” I said, approaching his snout. I held out the gentian liqueur. “This isn’t a cure, but Lord Reineke said it’ll return some vitality to you.”
The dragon sniffed the liquor.
“Ah, what a nostalgic aroma. Reineke gave me this a few times in the past.”
He opened his mouth, and I poured the liquid inside. He drank down every last drop, then grimaced.
“So bitter,” he murmured.
Liam cupped his hands and collected some water from the waterfall, presenting it to the dragon.
“It looks uncomfortable. Maybe this will help?” he asked, glancing at me.
The dragon growled, startling Liam. But after releasing an exasperated sigh, he opened his mouth and allowed Liam to give him the water.
“Mmm, delicious and refreshing,” the dragon said, looking at Liam with less hostility.
He sprawled back down on the ground, then gazed up at the ceiling. He didn’t say anything, but it was clear that he longed for the sky.
“Apparently, the royal family and House Renard blocked off the ceiling here,” I explained to Liam.
He nodded. “According to legend, this cave once had both an entrance and exit. This must’ve been the exit. I hope Bal and the others manage to uncover it.” Liam pulled the Eclipse Blade out. “Well, I’d better do my part too.”
He pointed the sword at the ceiling and drew a pentagram.
“O darkness, cleave through!”
At his words, the magic circle on the ceiling was disabled. It shattered, and shimmering fragments sprinkled down like sunlight filtering through the trees.
The dragon sighed. “How beautiful.”
“You’re right, it’s so pretty,” I said.
But then the soil from the ceiling began falling down too.
“Eek!” I covered my head with my arms, and Liam shielded me with his body.
The dragon spread his wings, holding them over us protectively.
An earth tremor rumbled through the ground, raising a cloud of dust. A moment later, flickers of sunlight peeked in from up above.
“Hey! Is anybody down there?” Bal’s voice echoed.
“Bal! We’re here! Liam and I are both okay!” I shouted back.
“Thank goodness! I’ll be right there! Wait for me!”
I looked up and saw Bal’s silhouette in the sunlight, waving his arms. Liam and I squinted our eyes at the brightness.
“Light...” the dragon murmured.
I tilted my head, unsure of what he meant.
Because Liam had disabled the magic circle, the others were able to enter too. Theo used his magic to create a simple staircase along the side of the cave. He and the others must’ve found a way to open up the ceiling from their side. Bal came rushing down the stairs, with Dr. Guillotin not far behind. Theo followed after them shakily, perhaps having used too much magic. Lastly, the massive Lord Reineke leaped down into the cave, landing with a thud that shook the ground. The dragon scoffed at that.
At first, Bal cowered at the sight of the dragon. In contrast, Dr. Guillotin swooped right past him, beelining straight for it.
“Ahhh! It’s real! A real, living dragon!!!”
The dragon looked put off by his excited shouting.
“What is going on with this human?”
“He is the best doctor in our kingdom,” I answered.
“Lady Lune, you can talk to the dragon? Isn’t this amazing? Yes, indeed, it’s incredible! Those cute little ears aren’t just for show, are they?!”
Dr. Guillotin flung himself in my direction, but Liam blocked him.
“Why are you here?” my brother asked, vexed.
“That would be because Theo needed a magic amplifying potion and a recovery potion. In fact, he asked me to let him use the forbidden amplifier.”
“What?! I heard that using that potion shortens your life!” I exclaimed, staring at Theo.
He looked down sheepishly. “When we heard that you might be in danger, even Marquis Renard granted us permission to use it.”