By the time Mia reached the palace garden, the morning sun had climbed higher,
She expected silent,
Maybe Ebruhan sitting dramatically on a bench like some wise dragon mentor.
Instead—
"…And then I simply told the minister his plan was stupid."
A group of noble girls burst into soft laughter.
Mia stopped walking.
There he was.
Ebruhan.
In human form.
Perfect posture. Calm smile. Looking annoyingly handsome.
And surrounded.
Three noble daughters stood around him near the garden fountain, clearly enjoying every second of his attention.
One of them covered her mouth politely while laughing.
"Sir Ebruhan, you truly are too honest."
Another stepped a little closer.
"We were hoping you might attend the evening dance tonight."
Ebruhan gave his usual elegant smile.
"I appreciate the invitation."
Mia stood there.
Watching.
Silent.
Inside her head:
(…Wow.)
She crossed her arms.
(Training, huh?)
(Meanwhile this guy is out here collecting fans.)
One of the girls noticed her first.
Her smile froze slightly.
"…Lady Mia?"
Immediately, the others turned.
And suddenly the atmosphere shifted.
Because standing there at the garden entrance was:
Lady Dark Flame.
The kingdom's black dragon.
Possibly the most intimidating young woman in the capital.
And she was staring.
Ebruhan followed their gaze.
He blinked.
Then smiled.
"Oh. Mia."
Far too calm.
Far too casual.
He walked over like this was completely normal.
"You're early."
Mia looked past him toward the noble girls.
Then back at him.
"…Am I interrupting your fan club meeting?"
Ebruhan coughed.
"Not exactly."
One of the girls quickly straightened.
"We were simply speaking with Sir Ebruhan."
Mia nodded.
"Mm. I noticed."
Another girl, clearly nervous now, smiled stiffly.
"We should probably leave…"
"Yes," the first agreed instantly.
"Very probably."
Within seconds, the entire group performed graceful noble exits at maximum speed.
Gone.
Vanished.
Like prey escaping a predator.
Silence.
Ebruhan watched them leave.
Then slowly turned back to Mia.
"…You frightened them."
Mia folded her arms.
"I said hello with my eyes."
"You said murder with your eyes."
"Semantics."
Ebruhan sighed like a tired father.
"Why are you like this?"
Mia pointed at him.
"No. Why are YOU like this?"
He blinked.
"Like what?"
"Popular."
"…That feels like an accusation."
"It is."
Ebruhan actually laughed.
"I was simply being polite."
Mia narrowed her eyes.
"Suspiciously polite."
He smirked faintly.
"Are you jealous?"
Mia pointed at herself with complete confidence.
"Dude. I'm still basically a twenty-two— no, wait…"
She paused.
Counted silently.
Blink.
"…Twenty-nine."
She looked mildly offended by math itself.
"Twenty-nine years old mentally."
She crossed her arms.
"There is a fully grown office worker inside this body."
She gestured vaguely at herself.
"Taxes. Deadlines. Monday depression. I have suffered."
Ebruhan nodded solemnly.
"A true ancient being."
"Exactly."
Mia pointed at him.
"So why would I be jealous of some teenage noble girls flirting with you?"
She scoffed.
"I'm spiritually a tired salaryman."
Ebruhan looked thoughtful.
"…That somehow explains many things."
"Thank you."
"But."
He lifted one finger.
"You still glared at them like you were about to challenge them to ritual combat."
Mia immediately defended herself.
"That was not jealousy."
"That was judgment."
"Different."
"How?"
"They looked like they say things like 'father will hear about this.'"
Ebruhan had to pause because unfortunately…
that was accurate.
"…Fair."
Mia nodded proudly.
"See?"
"And besides," she continued, "if I were jealous, I'd simply admit it."
Ebruhan raised an eyebrow.
"Would you?"
"No."
"…You answered too fast."
Mia ignored that.
She walked past him dramatically toward the training field.
"Anyway. I came here to suffer through mana blade training, not discuss your suspicious popularity."
Ebruhan followed behind, smiling to himself.
"Of course, Truly, I am the patient one here."
The training field behind the palace had already suffered enough.
Scorch marks.
Broken stone that she punched out if frustration
One very offended training dummy.
And Mia, standing in the center of it all, looked like she was about to personally declare war on mana itself.
She held out her hand again.
Dark mana gathered.
Focused.
Compressed.
She tried to shape it.
A blade.
Sharp. Stable. Controlled.
For exactly two seconds.
FWOOSH—
It disappeared like it got personal with Mia
Silence.
Mia stared.
"…I hate this technique."
Nearby, Ebruhan, stood with the patience of a saint and the exhaustion of a teacher nearing retirement.
"It's normal."
Mia turned dramatically.
"You have said that seventeen times."
"And I will say it eighteen."
He walked closer, arms folded.
"You're trying to force it."
He tapped lightly near her chest.
"Mana blade isn't just power. It's control."
He gestured calmly.
"You're still too young. Your mana is enormous, but your flow is unstable."
Mia groaned.
"So your professional advice is… what?"
Ebruhan smiled.
"Relax."
She stared.
"I would rather fight another red dragon."
"Understandable, but unwise."
He lifted his own hand, blue mana gathering smoothly like flowing water.
"Just breathe, and—"
A voice cut through the garden.
Cold.
Deep.
Ancient.
"Insufficient. Ineffective."
Both of them froze.
Silence dropped like stone.
Slowly—
they turned.
Perched on the stone wall nearby sat a black crow.
Its feathers were darker than shadow.
Its purple eyes glowed faintly.
Watching.
Waiting.
Mia's face immediately flattened.
"…No."
Dark smoke began to rise from the bird's body.
Feathers scattered like ash.
The shape twisted—
and within seconds, standing there in elegant black clothing with folded dark wings behind him…
was Varkryth.
Again.
Because apparently boundaries meant nothing to this man.
Ebruhan moved instantly.
SHING.
Blue mana formed into a blade in his hand as he stepped in front of Mia without hesitation.
Protective.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
His eyes never left Varkryth.
"Why are you here?"
Varkryth glanced at the blade.
Then at Ebruhan.
Then sighed like someone mildly inconvenienced by furniture.
"Oh, please."
His purple eyes glowed faintly.
"You act as though you could win against me."
Ebruhan's grip tightened.
"Answer the question."
Varkryth folded his hands behind his back and walked forward one slow step.
"Simple."
He looked directly at Mia.
"I am observing."
A pause.
"And besides…"
his lips curved slightly.
"A father should watch over his child's well-being."
Mia run her hand across her face.
"For the LAST time!"
"I am NOT your freaking daughter!"
Her voice echoed across the training field.
Ebruhan didn't move.
Still standing between them.
Still ready.
"She is not yours to claim."
His voice was low.
"She already gave you her answer."
Varkryth clicked his tongue.
"Tsk."
He looked almost offended.
"Would you mind, blue dot?"
Mia blinked.
"…Blue dot?"
Ebruhan looked personally insulted.
Varkryth continued like it was perfectly reasonable.
"I wish to speak with my daughter privately."
He tilted his head.
"Now."
The air grew heavier.
Mana pressure quietly spread across the field.
Not enough to attack.
But enough to remind everyone exactly who stood there.
Ebruhan didn't lower his blade.
Instead, he looked toward Mia.
Mia rubbed her forehead like this was somehow the most exhausting part of her week.
"…If you want to talk, then talk."
She pointed at Varkryth.
"Talk."
"Then leave."
"No dramatic villain speeches. No mysterious disappearing acts. No 'we shall meet again' nonsense."
Then she turned toward Ebruhan.
"…Ebruhan. It's okay."
He didn't move.
His mana blade still glowed faintly in his hand.
His expression was tight.
"Are you sure?"
Mia nodded once.
Firm.
"Yeah."
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then Ebruhan exhaled slowly.
The blue mana blade dissolved into scattered light.
He stepped back, though not far.
Never far.
Still watching Varkryth like he expected betrayal to arrive wearing formal clothes.
As he passed Mia, he said quietly:
"If he tries anything…"
His eyes shifted toward Varkryth.
"…I will."
Simple.
Cold.
Very clear.
Varkryth gave a faint smile.
"How touching."
Ebruhan ignored him completely and walked toward the far side of the training field, remaining within sight but giving them distance.
Now—
only Mia and Varkryth stood facing each other.
Silence stretched between them.
A strange one.
Not enemy.
Not family.
Something far more annoying.
Mia finally broke it.
"…So?"
She crossed her arms.
"You came all the way here to stare at me again?"
Varkryth looked at her for a long moment.
His purple eyes unreadable.
Then he spoke.
"You are weaker than I expected."
Mia blinked.
Then pointed at herself.
"Excuse me?"
He walked slowly around her, studying her like a professor judging a very stubborn student.
"Your mana is vast."
"Your instincts are sharp."
He stopped.
"But your control is lacking."
Mia folded her arms tighter.
"Wow"
Varkryth ignored the sarcasm with the grace of a man who had probably ignored civilizations.
"You rely too much on emotion."
"Rage. Impulse. Protection."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Useful."
"But inefficient."
Mia stared.
"…You sound exactly like him."
"Who?"
"Ebruhan. But with less emotional stability."
For the first time—
Varkryth actually laughed.
A low, deep sound.
"Interesting."
He looked toward Ebruhan in the distance.
"The blue one is loyal."
Then back to her.
"He would die for you."
Mia answered immediately.
"Yeah."
Varkryth was quiet for a moment and then , his gaze moved slowly across the training field.
He clicked his tongue once.
Disappointed.
"Your training is insufficient."
Mia immediately frowned.
"Rude."
He ignored that.
"At this rate, you will not survive your growth phase properly."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your body will mature faster than your control."
"Your mana will become unstable."
"And when that happens…"
His voice dropped.
"…weakness becomes death."
Mia crossed her arms.
"That sounds like a very dramatic way of saying I need more practice."
Varkryth shake his head
"It is a dramatic situation."
She rolled her eyes.
"That is not your concern."
Varkryth looked at her like she had just announced the moon was optional.
"It is entirely my concern."
He stepped closer.
"You are my blood."
Mia threw both hands up.
"For the love of God!"
"I am NOT your daughter!"
Varkryth shake his head again
"You may deny it."
"You may lie to yourself."
"But blood does not lie."
The air around him shifted.
Dark mana began to leak from his body
"I did not come here only to observe."
His wings unfolded slightly behind him.
Slow.
Massive.
Terrifying.
"I came to take you back."
Mia's eyes narrowed.
"…No."
Varkryth continued.
"To the Abyss."
"To your true territory."
"To proper dragon training."
His voice became colder.
"Where you will learn what it means to be a real black dragon."
Mia took one step back.
Not from fear.
From anger.
"No."
She said it again.
Clearer.
Stronger.
"My home is here."
"With Leo."
"With Vinson."
"With the people who raised me."
She pointed toward the city.
"I chose that."
"I'm not leaving because some giant dragon with father issues showed up."
For the first time—
Varkryth's expression darkened.
His aura spread wider.
The ground beneath their feet cracked slightly.
Even the sunlight felt dimmer.
He tilted his head.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"I was not asking, young one."
Just as Varkryth grab her arm
SHING!
A streak of blue mana cut across the training field like lightning.
Ebruhan.
He moved so fast even Mia barely saw it.
One second he was across the field.
The next—
his mana blade came crashing down toward Varkryth's neck.
BOOOOM!
The impact cracked the stone beneath them.
A violent shockwave blasted outward, sending dust and broken tiles flying across the garden.
For a split second—
it looked like a killing blow.
Then the dust cleared.
And Varkryth…
had not moved an inch.
Not one.
His expression remained calm.
Because with one hand—
he had caught Ebruhan's glowing mana blade.
Barehanded.
Silence.
Even Ebruhan's eyes widened.
Varkryth glanced at the blade in his palm.
Then at him.
"…Rude."
Casually—
like throwing away trash—
he swung his arm.
WHAM!
Ebruhan was launched across the field and smashed into a stone wall hard enough to crack it.
Mia reacted instantly.
She grabbed a fallen training sword and swung for his head—
fast.
Direct.
Desperate.
Varkryth simply tilted his head slightly.
The blade passed harmlessly beside his face.
He looked almost bored.
Then with one smooth motion, dark mana gathered in his hand.
A small sphere.
Swirling black mist.
"…Sleep."
Before Mia could move—
PFFFT.
The spell burst directly in front of her face.
Dark mist filled her lungs.
Her body froze.
"…what....!!?"
The world tilted.
Her legs weakened.
Everything became heavy.
She stumbled backward.
Vision blurring.
Her human form shimmered as the magic overwhelmed her.
Dark mana wrapped around her body.
She collapsed—
returning to her dragon form as sleep pulled her under.
Far away, she heard Ebruhan roar.
"VARKRYTH!"
He charged again.
This time not calm.
Not controlled.
Pure fury.
Blue mana exploded around him as he rushed forward.
Varkryth turned.
Sighed.
And took one step.
One.
Then—
he punched.
Just a single punch.
Straight into Ebruhan's chest.
BOOOOM.
The sound was like thunder.
A massive shockwave erupted from the impact.
The air itself seemed to split.
Ebruhan's body was launched backward violently.
The breath left him instantly.
His mana shattered.
He hit the far wall with enough force to leave cracks running through stone.
Then—
silence.
He didn't stand.
Varkryth lowered his fist.
"…Kids."
He looked toward Mia's sleeping dragon form lying on the training ground.
For a moment—
his expression softened.
Just slightly.
Then dark magic formed beneath his feet.
Ancient runes.
Purple light.
A teleportation spell.
Black smoke rose like living shadow, wrapping around both him and Mia.
Then—
they were gone.
Only silence remained.
And broken stone.
And one unconscious blue dragon left behind.