Moonlight shimmered across the garden lake as the two continued walking along the quiet stone pathway.
The royal ballroom now felt distant behind them.
Far away from politics.
Far away from noble smiles.
Here—
it was simply two warriors speaking honestly beneath the night sky.
After a brief silence, Ebruhan finally spoke again.
"Then I must wonder something myself."
General Aerys glanced toward him calmly.
Ebruhan's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"How about you?"
A faint breeze moved through the gardens.
"You serve a kingdom built upon conquest."
No hostility.
No accusation.
Just direct curiosity.
Ebruhan's gaze remained steady on the human general.
"What is it like living beneath that banner?"
Aerys was silent briefly afterward.
Not offended.
Not defensive.
Simply thinking.
Then he answered quietly.
"…Heavy."
Ebruhan's eyes shifted slightly.
Aerys continued walking calmly beside him.
"Conquest sounds glorious in stories."
"But in reality…"
His gaze drifted toward the distant palace lights.
"…it is mostly responsibility."
The answer surprised Ebruhan slightly.
Aerys continued:
"Every war means:
soldiers who may not return
civilians displaced
cities damaged
resources strained"
His expression remained composed.
"But weak kingdoms are eventually consumed regardless."
Ebruhan listened silently.
Aerys' voice stayed calm and measured.
"Norvoss believes strength creates stability."
"Conquest is not pursued for pleasure."
"It is pursued because fractured nations eventually destroy themselves through weakness."
That statement carried conviction.
Not propaganda.
Not blind nationalism.
Actual belief.
Ebruhan studied the man more carefully now.
"…And you agree with this?"
Aerys answered immediately.
"I believe chaos kills more people than order ever will."
The fountain nearby echoed softly in the silence afterward.
Then Ebruhan gave a faint hum.
"A dangerous philosophy."
Aerys nodded once.
"Yes."
No denial.
No shame.
Just acceptance.
The dragon's gaze drifted upward toward the moon for a brief moment.
"…Yet strangely honest."
Aerys finally glanced toward him again.
"I could say the same about dragons."
That earned the smallest hint of amusement from Ebruhan.
Then General Aerys calmly added:
"And of course…"
His gaze remained forward.
"What is the point of strength…"
A faint pause followed.
"…if there is nothing worth fighting for?"
The words settled heavily within the quiet garden.
Ebruhan glanced toward the human general briefly.
Aerys continued calmly.
"A sword unused eventually rusts."
"A nation unwilling to defend itself eventually collapses."
"And warriors without purpose…"
For the first time tonight—
the faintest shadow crossed his expression.
"…become empty."
Silence followed afterward.
Not awkward silence.
Understanding silence.
Because Ebruhan understood that feeling more than most humans ever could.
A dragon's strength was overwhelming.
But strength without purpose?
Without bonds?
Without something precious to protect?
It became meaningless very quickly.
The blue dragon exhaled softly through his nose.
"…You speak like someone who has spent his entire life on battlefields."
Aerys answered simply:
"I have."
Ebruhan's golden eyes narrowed slightly with thought.
Then unexpectedly—
he gave a small laugh.
Low and quiet.
"You humans truly are strange creatures."
Aerys glanced sideways.
"Oh?"
Ebruhan looked toward the distant palace where music still faintly echoed beneath the night sky.
"So fragile."
"So temporary."
"Yet somehow…"
A faint smile touched the dragon's face.
"…you continue chasing meaning harder than most immortal beings."
Aerys actually looked mildly amused at that.
"Perhaps because humans know time is limited."
General Aerys slowed his steps slightly as the moonlight reflected across the quiet lake.
His voice remained calm.
But heavier now.
"Unlike dragons…"
He glanced briefly toward Ebruhan.
"…humans are born with limits."
"We do not live long."
"We are not born with natural mana overwhelming enough to shake battlefields."
"No scales."
"No ancient bloodlines."
"No overwhelming power gifted at birth."
The night wind rustled softly through the trees around them.
Aerys continued quietly.
"We do not have centuries to pursue what we desire."
"So humans adapt."
"We build kingdoms."
"We sharpen weapons."
"We train."
"We conquer."
His eyes narrowed faintly.
"Because standing still means extinction."
Ebruhan remained silent.
Listening carefully.
Aerys looked toward his own hand briefly.
Scarred knuckles.
Battle-worn fingers.
Human hands.
"Dragons are born powerful."
"Humans…"
A faint exhale escaped him.
"…must claw strength from the world with bleeding hands."
The honesty in his words carried no jealousy,
Ebruhan's golden eyes studied him quietly afterward.
Then the blue dragon finally spoke.
"And yet…"
His deep voice echoed softly through the gardens.
"You still managed to stand here."
Aerys looked toward him calmly.
"Beside dragons."
That statement carried meaning.
Because Ebruhan was not the type to acknowledge humans lightly.
Especially not warriors.
The dragon's gaze remained fixed on him.
"You humans truly are fragile creatures."
A faint smile appeared on Ebruhan's face.
"…But your kind possesses terrifying determination."
For the first time tonight—
Aerys allowed the faintest hint of a smile himself.
"Survival tends to create that."
"…Tell me something, Ebruhan."
Ebruhan glanced toward him calmly.
Aerys' expression remained composed as always.
Yet there was genuine curiosity behind his eyes now.
"What does it feel like…"
A faint pause followed.
"…to be a dragon?"
The question lingered softly in the cold night air.
Ebruhan actually looked slightly surprised.
Not offended.
Just… caught off guard.
Because most humans asked dragons:
about power
about combat
about treasure
about fear
Not existence itself.
The blue dragon looked upward toward the moon for several quiet seconds before answering.
"…Heavy."
Aerys blinked faintly.
Ebruhan's golden eyes reflected the pale moonlight.
"Humans see dragons as symbols of power."
"As legends."
"As disasters."
A small breeze passed through the gardens.
"But few consider what it means to carry that existence."
His voice grew quieter.
"Everywhere we go, people fear us."
"Watch us."
"Depend on us."
"Or desire our strength."
Ebruhan's gaze shifted toward his own hand briefly.
"A dragon is rarely allowed to simply exist."
That answer made Aerys unexpectedly thoughtful.
Ebruhan continued:
"We live long lives."
"We watch kingdoms rise…"
"…and disappear."
"We remember wars long forgotten by humans."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Sometimes immortality feels less like a blessing…"
His eyes drifted toward the distant palace lights.
"…and more like carrying endless memories."
Silence followed afterward.
Then Aerys quietly spoke.
"…That sounds lonely."
Ebruhan looked toward him.
For once—
the dragon did not answer immediately.
Because perhaps…
it was.
General Aerys looked toward Ebruhan quietly for a moment after hearing his answer.
Then the faintest hint of amusement appeared on the general's face.
"…You are rather wise for a dragon still considered young among your kind."
Ebruhan gave a small scoff through his nose.
"I will decide whether that was praise or insult later."
Aerys' expression barely shifted.
"Praise."
That answer came surprisingly fast.
The dragon glanced sideways at him briefly before looking ahead again.
Then Aerys spoke once more.
"And what about the black dragon?"
His tone remained calm.
Curious.
Measured.
"How exactly does a creature that rare end up within Lumeris?"
The atmosphere subtly changed after that question.
Not hostile.
But careful.
Ebruhan's golden eyes narrowed faintly.
For the first time since entering the gardens—
he took longer to answer.
Because Mia was not merely:
a military asset
a rare species
a kingdom weapon
To him?
She was something more complicated now.
Finally, Ebruhan spoke.
"…Fate, perhaps."
Aerys looked mildly unconvinced.
"That is not a very tactical explanation."
That earned a small laugh from Ebruhan.
"She was found as an egg years ago."
"Purchased before worse people could claim her."
The dragon's expression softened faintly afterward.
"She grew up within the Vinson estate."
"Among humans."
Aerys listened silently.
Ebruhan continued calmly.
"She learned loyalty before power."
"Compassion before dominance."
"Which is… unusual for dragons."
That part genuinely interested Aerys.
"Most dragons are not raised alongside humans?"
Ebruhan shook his head once.
"Most dragons would never allow such a thing."
His gaze shifted toward the distant palace.
"But Mia…"
A faint pause followed.
"…has always been different."
The general remained quiet for a moment afterward.
Then finally asked:
"And what do you believe she will become?"
Moonlight reflected within the lake as silence settled briefly between them once more.
Ebruhan's expression grew thoughtful.
Then slowly—
a faint smile appeared on the blue dragon's face.
"…That," he admitted honestly,
"is something even I do not know yet."
General Aerys let out a faint breath that almost resembled a quiet laugh.
"…It always surprises me."
His gaze drifted toward the distant palace lights.
"That a being like you choose to remain among humans."
Ebruhan glanced toward him calmly.
Aerys continued:
"With your power…"
"With your lifespan…"
"With the freedom dragons possess…"
His expression remained thoughtful.
"You could rule mountains."
"Claim territories."
"Live beyond human politics entirely."
The general's eyes narrowed faintly.
"And yet you stay."
"Protecting a kingdom of what your kinds believe to be fragile creatures destined to die long before you."
No mockery existed in his voice.
Only genuine curiosity.
Ebruhan remained silent for several seconds afterward.
Then finally—
the blue dragon gave a faint smile.
"You humans misunderstand dragons in one particular way."
Aerys listened quietly.
Ebruhan looked upward toward the moonlit sky.
"You assume power removes the need for bonds."
A small breeze passed through the gardens.
"But even dragons…"
His voice softened slightly.
"…grow attached."
That answer lingered quietly in the night air.
Ebruhan's golden eyes drifted toward the palace where:
nobles laughed
music played
Mia awkwardly survived conversations
Leo proudly attended his first grand royal event
"This kingdom gave me purpose."
His expression remained calm.
"Not as a weapon."
"Not as a beast."
"But as someone trusted."
Aerys studied him carefully now.
Because those words carried something important.
Dragons were feared everywhere.
Yet Lumeris had somehow convinced one to stay willingly.
That alone explained why the kingdom remained standing despite dangerous neighbors.
Ebruhan gave a small exhale through his nose afterward.
"And besides…"
A faint trace of amusement appeared on his face.
"Humans are strangely entertaining after all."
That actually earned the slightest smile from Aerys.
"…That much," he admitted,
"I can agree with."