Chapter 8
To Move Forward
Earlier…
Under a sky filled with stars and the fresh ocean breeze, Eliron lay on the sandy shore, his gaze fixed on the distant castle. Acting as nothing more than a silent, protective mount, he was left alone outside.
But even from here, he'd heard Nameless' cruel, condescending tone, the demeaning words she'd thrown about.
Her tone was calm but immovable, steady and cruel.
Yet, behind her facade, he noticed her fingers tremble ever so slightly—a child forced to act like an adult in front of dangerous people, just to secure food and a place to rest for the others.
"Mister dragon, here's your food," Royce said, lugging a basket filled with fillet mignon, clearly stolen from the castle kitchen. "And these will stay here." The leaders placed knapsacks of supplies, hiding them against the rocky terrain of his back. "If anyone tries to take them, stop them. But if Georgies himself shows up, you're free to alert us however you need, okay?"
Eliron nodded.
Though some children still eyed him with lingering fear, they seemed less reluctant to approach now.
"Come on everyone, let's go to sleep." Ynez, one who was given the leader role clapped her hands quietly with a smile. "Hey… There's no need to be scared."
With a nod from Eliron the children slowly boarded the dragon's back and laid down.
However even as half an hour passed by, all of them were awake and alert.
There was a sense of wariness in the air.
They were considered runaways after all. If they calmed down, they wouldn't know when a dagger will stab them in the back or be condemned with the terrifying demon king's magic.
It was Ynez who addressed the situation. "W-we have to sleep. Nameless acted well just for us to rest. How should we solve this Royce?"
Royce sighed. He doesn't know what to do either.
Suddenly the dragon shifted slightly and everyone made short gasps.
As if he didn't care, Eliron asked. "So where is she?"
Royce scratched his neck, frowning. "Nameless is playing a game of chess with Four."
Eliron clicked his tongue.
Four, he thought with distaste.
Both the mentioned child and the game were all too familiar.
The boy who looked passive but eyes brimming with a glint of excitement to overtake others, that was the impression Four gave Eliron when they met years ago, though he can hardly remember much.
Pearce who rarely visited brought the child with him. A fellow chess player, he mentioned.
Maybe that's why it was unsettling.
Two people who felt inadequate yet desired to step on others found solace with each other through a game.
It left a bad taste that similar evil supported each other.
"Do you know how to play chess too, mister dragon?"
A tiny voice came out from nowhere.
Not only Eliron but the designated leaders of their group turned to the sound. It was the child who came with Nameless. Her name was Ayu, if he remembered it properly.
His eyes slightly moved up, gazing at her hair...
Originally she had the same purple hair as Nameless and Four, but transformation magic was used from the saintess' blessing to hide her presence. Now she had brown hair.
Though it was meant to look dull, the color seemed to shine even brighter.
He could remember how Nameless was frantic and adamant with changing her hair color even before they reached the forest. Remembering it like that and knowing that Four was around, could Nameless have sensed his presence?
But because the girl wasn't there to answer his questions, his focus went back to the child.
She was patiently waiting for his answer.
"No…" Eliron replied without thinking.
Ayu smiled and stepped closer, "Don't lie."
Eliron frowned, giving short glances at Royce to take care of the kid. The red-head noticed it and nodded, "Um, Ayu? You should go to sleep right now…"
"It's okay. I have permission to use the saintess' blessing so he can play chess with me!" Her sparkling blue eyes gave off the feeling that she won't take no for an answer.
Compared to his previous transformation, he was only tapped by a gold light from Ayu with a poke of her finger and he turned human immediately.
Ayu led everyone to the forest.
Eliron paused, a familiar cabin came into view.
His gaze locked on the crooked wooden plank above the door, faded letters spelling: Secret Place of E&P.
A memory surfaced—young Pearce beside him, struggling to hold a hammer, face flushed with effort as he tried to fix the plank. Eliron had watched with amusement, offering only a teasing, "You're just going to break it."
Determined, Pearce huffed and, after endless adjustments, finally nailed it in place, pride gleaming in his eyes. Then he'd dipped his hands into paint, smearing messy letters on the wood as a sign.
To anyone else, it might've looked sloppy, but to them, it had been perfect.
"Are you okay?" Royce noticed Eliron's complexion, "You turned pale and stopped all of a sudden."
The young dragon shook his head as if it was nothing but he felt sick.
He had only seen the exterior of the cabin but a memory hit him this hard, how will it fare if he came in?
Eliron was even more reluctant not to play chess anymore but Ayu opened the door for everyone and eyed him specifically. Seeing that expectant gaze made him sigh, "Well anyway, let's go in."
When they stepped into the cabin, a warm, familiar coziness greeted them.
It was just a small living room, but each piece of furniture seemed to hold a memory. There were four worn, mismatched couches—red, green, yellow, and blue—formed a rough circle around a low table in the center, each color chosen with care, echoing the bright and adventurous personalities that had once occupied the space.
In the middle of the table sat a chessboard, roughly hand-carved. Its squares were uneven, some slightly askew, with faded black and white scribbles marking each square.
Eliron's gaze lingered on the board, recalling countless games he'd played with Pearce there, the two of them using anything they could find as makeshift pieces—acorns, buttons, small stones, even tiny carved sticks Pearce had whittled himself.
It wasn't a masterwork, but it was a labor of care.
Ayu plopped onto the yellow couch, followed by the children, who nestled in and watched with curious eyes.
Eliron, taking the familiar blue seat across from her, placed his fingers on a pawn and felt the rough texture of the wood against his skin.
He remembered watching Pearce painstakingly scratch out each square, his fingers smudged with ink, jaw clenched in concentration. "It doesn't have to be perfect, you know," Eliron had said, amused by his friend's determination.
Now, sitting in the cabin again, each quiet creak of the wood and gentle breath of dust reminded Eliron of the joyful sanctuary they'd shared.
Here, they'd told stories late into the night, whispered dreams they'd barely dared to say aloud, and made promises they'd both hoped would last forever. Or was it?
Eliron lowered his gaze to the board, recalling the daunting presence Pearce had and how fanatically he looked at the demon king, or how hateful his eyes have grown to become.
Ayu moved her piece, eyes bright with excitement, and Eliron matched her with a contemplative silence that only made her more eager to play.
As the game continued, Eliron allowed himself to sink fully into the nostalgia, the warmth of the cabin wrapping around him like an old friend, as if trying to forget the horrors he'd experienced in that fortress.
This place, untouched by the desolation of Gashu, felt like a secret treasure—a part of his heart, untouched by time.
The children watched, some attempting to follow along, others simply enjoying the sight of the board and the unusual pairing at play.
One by one, they began to doze, lulled by the quiet atmosphere and the warmth of the cabin.
When Eliron finally glanced around, Ayu's eyelids were starting to droop, and the other children was already asleep, curled up on blankets nearby.
With a sigh, he helped her set the pieces aside.
The small human hands in his view, he remembered his beautiful and happy past. Memories flickered through him as he watch the chessboard, the couch, the fireplace on the back and even the one window of the cabin.
A past that could never be brought back even if he sold his soul to a higher power.
"Hrmh...!"
Groaning noises reached him and he saw one of the kids crying in his sleep. It was probably a nightmare, or the reality of their situation.
He walked over, sitting down on the couch and patted the boy back to his calm sleep.
Eliron's gaze softened.
His eyes skimmed through every child. From the smallest child to the leaders of the group: Royce, Loyd, Keith and Ynez. They were children he had just come across with on his journey for freedom, but maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to want to protect something else than yourself, Eliron thought.
His thoughts wandered back to another child.
Nameless.
She was peculiar in all sides.
He couldn't read her nor sense what her goal was. Maybe it was freedom too, similar with the children. But seeing her brave through her fears with a calculative mind, he wondered if she wanted to do more than just free these children.
It was the same as him, though probably not as deep as Nameless' hidden goal.
Maybe it was time to move on... Eliron clenched his small fist, he was surprised at his idea and leaned back on the soft couch. He wished that he could dream about the past.
A dream so vivid that he'd feel like he traveled back in time... Just one time... one last time before deciding on what to do...
Eliron, buried in his thoughts, seemed to be lulled by the calm and quiet of the cabin. Though he wanted to guard the children, before he realized, he had already closed his eyes and succumbed to sleep.
Inside the cabin where everything seemed to freeze in time, there came soft breaths of children. It was something that existed before but had only come back now.
Minutes of silence passed by for a while then three children stood.
Their figures tense in the quiet cabin.
One by one, they rose from the couches, glancing nervously around to make sure everyone else was asleep.
They moved awkwardly as they sneaked around, nearly stumbled over a creaky floorboard and freezing in place, hearts racing. After a few beats of tense silence, they glanced at each other, relieved but still wary.
"Wait... I think I heard something," one whispered, holding up a hand to pause the others.
They strained their ears, listening to each noise magnified in their minds. But the cabin remained still, its silence heavy.
"Come on," urged another, his voice an urgent hiss. "We have to go before the numbered gets here."
They glanced toward the front of the cabin, then clutched at his pocket, checking a pocket watch and ensuring the time. Reassured, he nodded, though their hands trembled slightly.
Someone else made a reluctant grunt. "Um... will the saintess' plan really work?" he murmured, his uncertainty breaking through his attempt at confidence.
The first kid sighed. "Stop worrying. We just follow her instructions, and everything will be fine."
They slipped through the back exit, one by one, stepping into the cool sand.
Shadows swallowed them as they made their way around the castle, sticking close together, the vast ocean stretching out in the distance under the sunless sky.
Their footsteps, though careful, were clumsy, almost exaggerated in their attempt to be silent. Small sounds betrayed them—a crunch of leaves here, a clink of a loose buckle there.