In the quiet, deep hours of the night, around 2 a.m., Leon, who had been dozing fitfully while leaning against a tree, was roused by excited shouts echoing from the forest's edge.
"Dad! Teacher Mevis! We found it! We found the token!"
Leon quickly stood, blinking away the last traces of sleep, and turned toward the sound, a smile instinctively gracing his features.
Noah and Helena were running toward the campsite, wide, triumphant grins on their faces, their energy undimmed by the late hour. In Noah's upraised hand gleamed the coveted object of their test: the St. Heath's Academy emblem token, a bracelet engraved with the intricate dragon totem.
"Looks like my eldest daughter knows how to get things done efficiently," Leon thought proudly, his chest swelling with a warm, paternal pride that momentarily pushed all other concerns aside.
His gaze flickered toward Mevis, who had been sitting in serene silence on the other side of the dying campfire. Her calm, composed expression suggested she had expected this successful outcome all along.
"Teacher, we've completed the task!" Noah announced, slightly breathless.
Noah handed the token to Mevis, who took it and inspected it carefully under the faint moonlight before nodding in firm approval. She glanced at the timer stone in her other hand.
"Well done. You managed it in about ten hours, which is an excellent time, placing you in the top percentile for similar tests in previous years."
Mevis reached out and patted both Noah and Helena gently on their heads, a rare gesture of open praise.
"You two worked wonderfully together."
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Helena giggled, nudging Noah playfully. "But honestly, Noah did most of the heavy lifting! I almost fell asleep staring at the map riddles half the time."
Mevis chuckled softly. "Teamwork is about every member playing their part, Helena. Your support and morale are just as valuable. Don't sell yourself short."
Leon, watching the heartwarming scene, finally chimed in, "Alright, champions, let's rest for a bit and have something to eat before we head back at sunrise."
"Great idea!" Noah and Helena agreed in cheerful unison.
Mevis opened her large, seemingly bottomless bag, pulling out several neatly packed, insulated ration containers. To Leon's astonishment, the food inside looked far more sophisticated and appetizing than the simple roasted fish from earlier. They contained balanced portions of seasoned meat, fresh-looking vegetables, and grains, clearly designed for both nutrition and taste.
"This one's for you, Noah, and this one's for Helena. Just a quick heat over the embers, and they'll be ready to eat," Mevis instructed, handing them out.
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Leon stared at the food enviously, his eye twitching slightly. His mind raced with indignant confusion.
Why did Teacher Mevis bring perfectly good, pre-prepared rations, yet earlier I was fed a fish that might have been swimming in toxic pheromones mere hours before?! Was that some kind of test? Or a strange joke?
His internal complaints must have been written plainly all over his face because Mevis noticed his expression and smiled a small, knowing smile.
"Here, Prince, this one is for you," she said, handing him another identical ration pack.
Leon perked up immediately, his momentary grievance forgotten. "Oh? You even saved one for me, huh? I guess I can be magnanimous and forgive the earlier... questionable fish situation."
He opened the pack eagerly, his mouth already watering, only for his face to fall into a mask of pure betrayal.
"Carrots? Why are there so many carrots?! This is a betrayal of trust!" he exclaimed, staring at the offensive orange vegetables as if they were his mortal enemies.
He froze, his triumphant return to proper food utterly ruined.
"Dad, why aren't you eating?" Noah asked innocently, tilting her head as she warmed her own meal.
"Uncle Leon, you don't like it? Do you not eat carrots?" Helena teased, her mischievous grin adding metaphorical salt to the wound.
Leon stammered, caught between pride and his lifelong distaste for the vegetable, "No, no, it's not that... I just..."
Just as he was ready to declare his vehement distaste, Mevis intervened smoothly, holding out a different ration pack.
"Oops, my mistake. My apologies, Prince. That one was mine. I must have mixed them up. Here is yours."
Leon hesitated, suspicious of such a convenient error, but swapped the packs with her. Opening the new one cautiously, he blinked in surprise. Inside were slices of perfectly cooked, juicy steak, paired with creamy mashed potatoes and buttery greens. Not a single, dreaded carrot in sight.
"Teacher Mevis... is there nothing you don't think of?" he muttered, slightly embarrassed by his earlier dramatic assumptions and deeply curious about how she could have possibly known his food preferences.
Mevis simply smiled enigmatically and didn't reply, turning back to help Noah and Helena warm their food properly. The warm, flickering glow of the rekindled fire reflected on the trio as they chatted and laughed softly, their easy bond evident and natural.
Leon sat quietly a short distance away, watching them with an inscrutable expression as he ate his surprisingly delicious meal. He eventually turned his gaze to the fire itself, his eyes losing focus as he got lost in thought, the pieces of the Mevis puzzle swirling in his mind without forming a clear picture.
.
.
.
Two Weeks Later – Silver Dragon Sanctuary
In the grand, sunlit hall of the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, Rossweise set down her pen, finishing the last of her morning reports, and looked up at Leon, who had been waiting patiently.
"So, you've decided? You're going to visit the ruins of Mevis's old clan?" she asked, her silver eyes sharp and perceptive.
Leon nodded, his expression serious. "Yes. She claims to be from the Black Moon Dragon Clan, but all records indicate they were completely wiped out decades ago during the continental war. If that's true, there shouldn't be anything but dust and ghosts left to see."
"But something about her story, her demeanor... it doesn't add up," Leon continued, pacing slowly before her desk. "I can't explain it logically yet, but there's something in the details—the little things she does, the things she knows, that faint, damned familiarity—that feels off. If I can't investigate her through normal channels without tipping our hand, then I'll have to go to the source myself."
Rossweise's luminous eyes softened as she considered his words. She trusted his instincts implicitly; they had saved their family more than once. After a moment, she gave a firm nod.
"Alright. Then I'll go with you. We leave tomorrow."
Leon blinked, surprised by her immediate and unreserved agreement.
"I trust your instincts, Leon," Rossweise said simply, as if it were the most obvious truth in the world. "If you feel there's something wrong, then there is. And I will be there to face it with you."
Her determination was clear and unwavering. As both a mother and a queen, Rossweise wasn't about to let any potential threat, no matter how shrouded in mystery, jeopardize their family or their hard-won peace.
The following morning, the two set out on dragon-back for the remote, mountainous ruins of the Black Moon Dragon Clan's former territory.
The journey was a quiet one, Leon lost in thought for most of it. Rossweise, understanding his temperament, refrained from breaking the silence with unnecessary chatter. She knew her husband well enough to let him process his thoughts and observations without interruption, a silent pillar of support.
"Rossweise..." Leon finally spoke, his voice low, breaking the long stillness as they flew over a barren stretch of land.
"I'm listening," she replied, her voice calm and steady.
"I have a feeling... that this is leading to something much bigger than just one mysterious teacher," he said, his tone grave and laden with foreboding.
"Something bigger than Mevis?" Rossweise asked, though it was not really a question.
Leon nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the ruins lay. "Much bigger. It feels like we're pulling on a single thread, and an entire tapestry is beginning to unravel."
The wind swept through his dark hair as he gazed into the distance, his deep black eyes reflecting both his unwavering resolve and the heavy, intuitive weight of the battles he knew were yet to come.