“Why… is Mother here?”
Gazing at the Dark Dragon who seemed to have sunken into an eternal sleep, Erin couldn’t conceal her bewilderment. Angelina shifted her gaze from Erin to the Dark Dragon, but didn’t say a word as she sauntered to the side. As an ex-citizen of the Country of Darkness, it went without saying that she understood the higher authorities of the country well. Just like how dragon soul heirs of the Country of Law were born from the Spirit Tree, dragon soul heirs of the Country of Darkness were born from the dragon family. However, the number of wyverns was small, with less than 20 remaining in this generation. Besides, the wyverns basically spent most of their time sleeping. Unless it involved a moment of life and death for the Country of Darkness, they would never show themselves. If Erin weren’t Ion’s younger sister, she would only be one of the wyverns, sleeping away and wouldn’t roam the world.
Angelina more or less knew who Erin’s mother was. After all, Erin’s mother was the one who gave birth to a Creator Dragon, so she naturally was one of the revered figures in the Country of Darkness. It was said that she died of a serious illness but now, it turned out that she was actually imprisoned here. Well, Angelina wasn’t too surprised by how the truth played out. After all, her family was also destroyed by her own relatives—no, perhaps such ruthless family plots were common occurrences for vampires in the Country of Darkness. That was why Angelina went to the side silently. Anyway, this was Erin’s private affair, so Angelina was better off not interfering and acting as though she didn’t see anything.
“Mother?!”
At that moment, Erin wasn’t in the mood to care about Angelina anymore. She stared at the Dark Dragon in shock. She was aware of the news of her mother succumbing to a serious illness and didn’t feel like anything was amiss. That was because even though dragons were vigorous, whenever they were sick, it was always caused by a serious illness. When Erin heard news about her mother’s illness and rushed back home to visit her, she was already dead. It was Ion who was responsible for arranging matters. Back then, Erin was frustrated by her mother’s passing, so she passed everything to Ion’s care. It was then when Ion received the inheritance of the dragon soul and officially became a dragon soul heir.
But now, it seemed like the truth was otherwise. Erin was certain that it was her mother right in front of her now and not an illusion. The familiar scent, aura, appearance, and everything. She was sure that it was indeed her mother!
“… Who is it…”
As though she heard Erin’s call, the seemingly-unconscious, enormous dragon lifted her head slowly, opening her eyes and gazing ahead. She looked with dazed eyes for a few moments, before barely gaining clarity and locking onto Erin dubiously.
“… Who is it…”
“Mother! It’s me, Erin! Why are you here…? And why did you end up like this?!”
Looking at the Dark Dragon who was covered with wounds, Erin bit her lip tightly and her head was in a total mess. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t naive. She instantly guessed the actual issue after facing her mother. Back then, she was also present at her funeral. According to the customs of dragons, all dead dragons would be sent to the Dragon Valley for burial, which was why Erin didn’t see her corpse. According to Ion, their mother died a horrible death to the illness and it was hard to look straight at her. Erin didn’t wish to see the unfortunate state of her mother, which was why she accepted Ion’s advice. But now, she recalled that the funeral was full of loopholes.
She had heard rumors and gossip, but they were gone entirely after Ion became the dragon soul heir who ruled the Country of Darkness. Erin thought the rumors about her big brother were spread by jealous people, which wasn’t uncommon in the Country of Darkness, after all. Besides, there also wasn’t any concrete evidence to back up the rumors. Of course, everyone was prohibited to head to Dragon Valley and dig up the corpse because only dragons who were on the verge of death could open up and enter the sacred venue. In other words, Erin would need to bash herself up thoroughly in order to enter Dragon Valley and investigate the rumors, which was naturally impossible…
“… Erin…?”
Upon hearing this name, the Dark Dragon’s eyes glinted, before drastically turning dim.
“… Erin… I have heard… this name… from… somewhere…”
“Mother?”
Gazing at the condition of the Dark Dragon, Erin gnashed her teeth and swept glances at the surrounding swiftly. Shortly after, she discovered moss-green radiances flickering from the large steel chains binding the Dark Dragon. They were apparently the reason why her mother turned into this state! Erin hesitated no more. She extended her arm to draw the sword, leaped up abruptly, and raised the sword high. She targeted the steel chains and flourished the sword with might!
Clang!
To Erin’s astonishment, the moment the tip of the blade came into contact with the steel chain, a powerful energy exploded from the surface and deflected the blade strongly. Erin was stumped, but didn’t give up just yet. She gripped the hilt with both hands and a dazzling ray as pure as moonlight erupted from the blade. She brandished the sword from above but in a loud clang, the blade glanced off again.
It failed again?
Erin stared blankly at the trembling steel chain. She had given almost all her strength in that attack, but couldn’t even shatter it once. The only gain was that she knew the steel chains weren’t entirely unbreakable as there was dent from her attack, albeit it being the size of a fingernail. Erin was out of ideas as she looked at the steel chains that were as thick as arms in comparison to that almost undetectable dent. At that moment, the Dark Dragon opened her eyes again and looked at her.
“There’s no need… to waste your energy… You are of a dragon race, right? These steel chains are enhanced with runes, strong enough to resist any dragons. Even if you use all your might, you may not be able to cut them off…”
The Dark Dragon looked at the young lady with a gentle gaze.
“How strange… Your presence feels familiar… I once had two children, and your presence seems similar to my daughter… Maybe she will grow up to be just like you…”
“Mother…”
Upon hearing the Dark Dragon’s words, Erin bit her lip. She discovered that even though the Dark Dragon was somewhat awake and rational, her memories seemed to be all over the place. Erin was clearly standing before her and yet, the Dark Dragon couldn’t recognize her. Erin felt an excruciating pain in her heart, but what else could she do? She gripped the sword in her hand and gazed at the Dark Dragon with a complicated expression. However, the Dark Dragon seemed to stop caring about Erin as she lifted her head to the sky, as though she were in the state of a dream.
“… I once had two children who were really outstanding… They were obedient, clever, and quick-witted. They were my pride, especially my daughter… She inherited the best abilities of the Dark Dragons. Whenever I look at her, I can’t help but be filled with pride. We believed she would surely become the next excellent ruler to help this country of eternal darkness prosper just like her ancestors, leaving behind her very own legacy in the history of the Country of Darkness…”
“Huh?”
Erin and Angelina were stunned. What was going on? According to this Dark Dragon, it seemed like she saw Erin as the prospect for being the next dragon soul heir and not Ion? How was that possible? Erin and Angelina exchanged looks with each other, spotting the doubt in each other’s eyes. At that moment, Angelina let out a cough and asked curiously.
“Erm… Madam Dark Dragon? Didn’t you have two children? Why are you sure that it is your daughter who will receive the inheritance of the dragon soul?”
“Oh…”
Upon hearing Angelina’s question, the Dark Dragon squinted and lifted her head once again. It was apparent that her consciousness had entered a state of trance and she would answer everything she knew. Perhaps due to years of imprisonment, her mental health wasn’t normal anymore. Or maybe she wasn’t answering Angelina’s question, but thought that she was questioning and answering herself instead.
“Because… I have two children… but there can only be one… dragon soul heir… They need to put in hard work to prove that they are worthy of being the heir. Among my two children, even though the older one is capable, he is too stubborn and extreme in his ways. I don’t think he is suitable to become the ruler of the Country of Darkness. In comparison, my daughter is gentler and smarter. With her around, she can surely bring the Country of Darkness to a greater height, just like our ancestors. But…”
“But…?”
“But… she… No—he… he… wasn’t willing… to accept… fate… He…!”
All of a sudden, the Dark Dragon seemed to be suffering in agony. She lowered her head, shuddered, and after a few moments, she slammed her claws on the ground.
“… That is why… I’m here…! Because… If I’m not around… he will not be qualified for the inheritance!”
“What?!”
Erin and Angelina were flabbergasted.
