Lee Do-hyeon, Reyna (the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen), and Bard Arknan crossed the Twilight Valley and headed toward the bardic city of Arcadia.
Arcadia was not merely a city of music and poetry.It was one of the rare places in Elysium where divine revelation could still be heard.The bards were more than wandering minstrels—they were the voices of the gods.
As they walked the winding path, Arknan spoke softly.
"We've relied on the wisdom of the elves and the strength of mortals until now.But it's time we heard the gods' will directly."
Lee Do-hyeon gave a single nod.
"So in Arcadia, we'll be able to receive that revelation?"
Arknan allowed himself a faint smile, his fingers brushing the strings of the lute slung across his back.
"Exactly. The bards are the closest to the divine.If an answer exists, we might find it here."
Reyna crossed her arms, her voice cool, almost amused.
"Then I suppose we'll see what kind of answer the gods think we deserve."
At the heart of Arcadia stood a sanctuary—a place where only the most gifted bards could tread,where the words of the gods were heard and recorded.
Arknan stopped at the threshold, inhaling deeply.He knew this was no ordinary place.
Prophecies spoken here always came to pass.
He pushed the doors open.
Inside, the air smelled of old wood and dust.Ancient instruments rested against the walls, their strings long silent.At the center stood a singular relic—a stringed instrument called the Strings of Fate.
"This," Arknan whispered, "is where the voice of the gods will resonate."
Lee Do-hyeon and Reyna stood in silence.Arknan raised his own lute and began to play.
The first note rang clear, and with it the air shifted—a tremor, subtle but undeniable, as though unseen threads were being pulled taut.The altar awoke.
And then,
a voice descended.
❝ The earth's rings are broken, and the master of winds lies in slumber.Only the one who wakes him shall wield the power of creation. ❞
It wasn't mere sound.It struck directly into their souls.
Arknan's fingers stilled for a heartbeat.
"This is…"
Lee Do-hyeon's voice was calm but edged.
"What does it mean?"
Arknan drew in a slow breath.
"It's a prophecy… telling us to find an Ancient Dragon."
Reyna tilted her head slightly, letting the words settle.
"Ancient dragons… The beings that existed before the gods.But after the War of the Gods, weren't they all said to be gone?"
Arknan shook his head.
"Gone? No. More likely—sealed. Just like the Titans."
Lee Do-hyeon's eyes darkened.
"So if we wake this dragon… we might gain the strength to seal the dimensional rift?"
A senior bard, standing near the altar, finally spoke.
"Perhaps. But do not think that waking him will make things simple.The Ancient Dragon is not a wise old sage.He is power incarnate—he devours life itself."
Lee Do-hyeon's jaw tightened.
"Meaning, there's no guarantee he'll be an ally."
The bard's lips curved in a faint, knowing smile.
"All beings are drawn to power.If he acknowledges you, he may lend you his strength.But if he tests you and you fail… you may not leave alive."
Reyna's lips curved into a sharper smile.
"Interesting. A legend like that might be worth crossing swords with."
Lee Do-hyeon exhaled slowly, shaking his head faintly.
"You always seem to enjoy this too much."
But Arknan remained silent, his gaze distant.
Prophecies were always vague, always dangerous.
And in the quiet space between the words, another voice had slipped in, threading itself into his mind—a whisper that wasn't part of the bard's revelation.
❝ The Ancient Dragon will test you.And if you fail that trial, the master of the seal… may change. ❞
Before he could fully parse it, the elder bard gave one last directive.
"The Ancient Dragon slumbers in the Black Sanctuary.That is where you must go."
Lee Do-hyeon, Reyna, and Arknan now had their destination.
What awaited them was not another foe to strike down—but a being of legend, older even than the gods themselves.
Their fate would hinge on the trial to come.
Yet even as they left Arcadia, Arknan felt the unease burrowing deeper into him.
Erebos.
He was not just another god.He was the one who fought the Titans—and perhaps, the first who betrayed the divine order.
And in the vision that came with the prophecy,Erebos whispered again.
❝ I have seen the future.And I know this.In the end… you will face my choice. ❞
It wasn't mere foresight.
It was certainty.
And Arknan now understood—this journey was no longer just a search for answers.
It was a march toward reckoning.
****
Chapter : The Dragon's Sanctuary – Tracing the Echoes of Dragons
Lee Do-hyeon, Reyna (the Heavenly Sword Demon Queen), and Bard Arknan arrived at the Dragon Village.
From the very first step, it was clear—this was not a place like any human settlement.
The streets were alive with beings of striking forms.Some appeared almost human but bore an unmistakable, inhuman strength in their frames.Others radiated an aura of raw magic, their very presence stirring the air.
They were the descendants of dragons—or those forever marked by draconic influence.
Draconians.
They possessed bodies hardened by the blood of ancient beasts and the gift—or curse—of magic.Some bore the dragon's blood so purely that they could wield the powers of the dragonkind themselves.
But what Lee Do-hyeon sought—the true dragons,the colossal, winged lords who once ruled the skies—were nowhere to be seen.
"There are no dragons here?"
Do-hyeon's tone held a thin edge of disappointment.
The village elder, his scaled skin glinting faintly in the light, shook his head slowly.
"Those who live here are only the descendants of dragons.The 'true dragons' you seek do not dwell within these walls."
Reyna crossed her arms, eyes narrowing.
"Then where are they hiding?"
The elder's shoulders sagged with a sigh heavy enough to weigh down the air.
"They no longer reveal themselves so easily.After the war between humans and dragons,most of their kind vanished from the world."
Do-hyeon's gaze sharpened.
"Then tell me. Where are the ones who remain?"
The elder's voice turned grave.
"The dragons retreated into the Three Ancient Domains."
The Canyon of Crimson StormsOnce home to the fire dragons.A volcanic wasteland where molten rivers flow and burning winds scream.It is said at least one dragon might still stir there.
The Heart of FrostThe hidden refuge of the ice dragons.A frozen range cloaked in a deathly chill, its peaks cutting the sky.Few mortals have ever returned from its blizzards.
The Rift of Light and ShadowThe most mysterious of all.Legends whisper of dragons who still carry the power of the ancients slumbering here.But the land itself bends, warps—space is unstable, and few dare approach.
The elder's gaze grew distant as he spoke the final words.
"The ones you seek… the Five Great Aspect Dragons… are not mere beasts.They are the Ancient Ones, witnesses to the war of gods and Titans.But they were sealed away, and for countless ages, they have remained hidden."
Do-hyeon absorbed the weight of those words.
Five Great Aspect Dragons—the mightiest of their kind.To find them, they would first need to track down those who still carried their blood.
Reyna's lips curled into something between a smile and a smirk.
"So… we're dragon hunting now, aren't we?"
Arknan chuckled, his lute strings humming softly as if amused by her words.
"Not hunting—at least, not yet.Gathering knowledge first.And don't fool yourself—meeting them doesn't mean beating them."
Do-hyeon's hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword,and despite himself, a smile crept across his face.
"Maybe not.But the thought of seeing one with my own eyes?That alone is worth the journey."
****
Chapter : The Skyward Path – Seeking the Dragons
The elder of the Dragon Village spoke, his voice carrying the weight of ancient winds.
"The road to Laputa exists only through the skies.
But it is not a path that can be reached by mere airship."
Lee Do-hyeon folded his arms, brows drawn tight.
"So in the end, we'll need a dragon."
Reyna's hand rested lightly on the hilt of her blade, her eyes sharp as steel.
"Then the question is—how do we find one?"
Arknan, the bard, let out a soft chuckle.
"There are ways… but none of them come cheap. And we'll have to choose which risk we're willing to take."
They laid the possibilities bare—four paths forward.
① Convince a Draconian who can transform into a dragon.
Among the Draconians, there were a rare few who could take on the true form of a dragon—not just scales or claws, but wings that could rend clouds and fire that could melt stone.
These were the blessed—or cursed—half-bloods, born of humans and dragons, their bodies and magic fused into something beyond either race.
"If we can persuade one," Arknan said, "we might fly to the heavens on their back."
The elder shook his head gravely.
"But such Draconians are few. If they do not choose you… this path closes."
Reyna smirked with a spark of mischief.
"Then we'll make them choose us."
But even Do-hyeon knew persuasion would not come with words alone.
"Strength will speak louder than any plea. There'll be a trial—combat, most likely. And we'll have to win."
② The resurrection of a dragon's bones – binding an undead wyrm.
Within the ruins of the Dragon Village lay the skeletal remains of a dragon long dead—its bones still heavy with power.
"But," Arknan said quietly,
"that dragon is no mere relic. The magic in its marrow still stirs—it could rise again."
If they dared awaken it, and if they somehow subdued it, they would gain the most fearsome steed imaginable.
Do-hyeon's expression darkened.
"And if we bring it back, we'll need a way to keep it under our control."
The elder's tone turned solemn.
"This is the most dangerous path of all. But should you succeed… you would gain the mightiest wings in the sky."
③ The summoning ritual – call a living dragon, face its trial.
Some Draconians still remembered the ancient rites—the songs and circles that could summon a dragon.
But summoning one was not the same as welcoming it.
"Dragons do not answer to mortals," the elder warned.
Do-hyeon asked the obvious question.
"And if one comes, what then?"
"It will test you," the elder said, voice like a falling stone.
"A dragon does not meet the unworthy. If it acknowledges you… you may be invited to its side.
If not…"
Reyna tilted her head, almost amused.
"Then?"
"Then you die."
④ Tame a wyvern—or something born between wyvern and dragon.
Dragons were not the only rulers of the sky.
Wyverns roamed the high winds—fierce, predatory creatures. And among them, whispered the elder, there were hybrids, offspring of dragons and wyverns—creatures with draconic blood, but not quite dragonkind.
Do-hyeon's gaze turned thoughtful.
"This seems… the most practical path."
Arknan nodded, though his face was far from relaxed.
"Practical, yes. Easy, no. Wyverns are wild—and hybrids even more so. Approach without strength, and they'll see you as prey."
The choice weighed heavy in the firelight.
Do-hyeon closed his eyes briefly, exhaling slow and measured.
Reyna's lips curved into a dangerous smile.
"Whichever path we take—it'll be fun."
Arknan groaned, rubbing his forehead.
"You and I have very different definitions of fun."
In the end, they agreed.
Wyvern blood would be their key.
"Finding a dragon outright would take too long. Convincing a Draconian might take even longer. And raising an undead dragon…" Do-hyeon shook his head. "Too reckless."
"A wyvern will do," he finished simply. "It won't match a dragon—but it'll take us where we need to go."
Arknan added softly,
"And if we find one of the hybrids… it'll have strength—and maybe enough wit to understand us."
The elder nodded once.
"Then you will go to the Valley of Storms."
The Valley of Storms – Domain of Sky's Beasts
Half a day's journey from the Dragon Village, a deep gorge cut into the land, its cliffs wreathed in ceaseless wind.
When they arrived, the air itself seemed alive.
The sound of wings thundered overhead.
Countless wyverns cut through the air—but none bore the commanding presence they sought.
Reyna's blade glinted as she scanned the skies.
"So how do we find the one we want? With this many, it's like plucking a single scale from the wind."
Do-hyeon recalled the elder's warning.
"The hybrids… they don't just fly. They rule the sky. Look for the one they all bow to."
They found it.
A shadow darker than stormclouds.
Enormous black wings.
Scales streaked with crimson, like blood burned into steel.
Eyes that devoured the horizon.
The Black Wing that Split the Tempest.
Do-hyeon knew the moment he saw it.
That one.
The creature sensed him as well.
Its head lifted, golden slit-pupils narrowing on the intruders.
Silence.
Then—
It spread its wings.
The sky cracked open.
A single beat of those wings tore the air, hurling a gale that ripped stones from the earth.
The hybrid wyvern lunged.
Do-hyeon moved.
The world became motion—
a claw like a blade screaming toward him, air splitting in its wake.
He rolled under it, steel flashing into his hand.
"This thing isn't just a beast…"
Reyna stood back, arms folded, eyes glittering like a cat watching prey.
"Then tame it like it's not."
Arknan sighed.
"I hate that tone. Every time she says it, someone almost dies."
The wyvern struck again.
Do-hyeon didn't dodge this time.
He waited—waited until that shadow covered him whole—
And then he leapt.
Whump!
Steel boots found purchase.
Do-hyeon landed on the wyvern's back, hands locking onto the ridge of its neck.
The wyvern went wild.
It bucked.
It twisted.
The world spun—a hurricane of black wings and screaming wind.
But Do-hyeon held.
"Now…" he growled between clenched teeth,
"you'll listen."
The wyvern thrashed, but something in his grip—
in his presence—
made it hesitate.
Do-hyeon steadied himself, then reached forward, palm pressed against the creature's scaled neck.
A faint pulse of qi surged from his hand.
"I see you," he murmured, voice low but unshaking.
"And you see me.
We don't need to fight each other.
But you will not throw me."
The wyvern's struggles slowed.
The wind softened from a scream to a howl, then to a whisper.
At last, its vast wings stretched wide—not in defiance, but in acceptance.
Reyna let out a slow whistle.
"Well, I'll be damned. You actually did it."
Arknan blinked, utterly astonished.
"A human taming a hybrid wyvern… I think we just wrote a new bard's tale."
Do-hyeon smiled faintly, still astride the beast.
"We're going to Laputa."
The wyvern's wings beat once—
and the ground fell away.
The sky opened before them.
The island in the heavens awaited.
Laputa.
And this was only the beginning.