Then, without another word, he took off—his speed breathtaking.
Lyric's breath caught as the wind whipped through her hair.
For the first time that night, she felt hope.
And deep in the distance, hidden among the stars, a faint, flickering light lingered.
As if watching over them.
The dragon let out a thunderous roar, its massive jaws snapping forward like a vice, aiming to crush Noir in a single bite.
But he was already gone.
Noir's body flickered, dodging effortlessly, his crimson eyes locked onto the beast's movements.
Noir's POV
"Tch. I can dodge… but I can't keep this up forever."
He exhaled slowly, his masked breath a ghostly whisper in the smoke-filled air.
"How do I bring this thing down? My sword won't pierce through its hide—not with the seals still holding me back."
His grip on his single-edged sword tightened. A weapon once feared in the Abyss… now reduced to nothing more than a dull blade against this monster's scales.
"If I had my real strength…"
But that wasn't an option. Not yet.
The dragon's massive wings unfurled, readying for another attack.
Meanwhile—
Nimfa had already figured out the truth.
She turned to Henry, her golden eyes steady.
"Mister, please take the children away. I'll try to talk to the dragon."
Her voice was gentle, yet firm.
Henry stiffened. "Talk to the dragon?! That thing is tearing the village apart!"
He hesitated, clutching the terrified children close. "Miss, this is too dangerous! Leave the beast to the masked warrior!"
But Nimfa only smiled.
"Don't worry, I'll be careful. Now go!"
Something about her calm assurance made Henry falter. Then, with a reluctant nod, he turned away, ushering the children toward safety.
As soon as they were gone, Nimfa spread her hands wide, enchanting her spell.
"Sanctuary of Yggdrasil."
A radiant, translucent tree of light erupted from the ground, its massive branches unfurling like divine arms, encasing both Noir and the dragon within its shimmering embrace.
A sacred aura rippled outward, casting a golden glow across the battlefield.
The dragon stilled, its blood-red eyes flickering with brief hesitation as it sensed the overwhelming warmth of Yggdrasil's blessing.
Noir's POV
"A barrier… this is Sanctuary of Yggdrasil… So, Nimfa."
His gaze flickered toward the angel.
Even now, she was trying to reach something that no blade could ever touch.
But the dragon was still in fight mode.
It flapped its wings, readying itself to take off.
A mistake.
Noir saw his opening.
"Now."
"Reaper Chains."
Ghostly chains erupted from the ground, slithering through the air like living serpents.
They wrapped around the dragon's **wings, its legs, its limbs—**tightening, locking the beast in place.
The dragon thrashed, bellowing in fury as the chains drained its stamina with each passing second.
Noir's POV
"If this thing breaks free, I don't have a second chance."
His grip on the chains tightened.
And then—
A voice.
Soft, steady.
Nimfa.
She took a step forward, her silver hair shimmering beneath the golden light.
"Oh, Mother Dragon… you don't have to fight us."
The dragon's struggling halted.
"We're not here to hurt you," Nimfa continued, her voice gentle. "We only want to help you… to bring your egg back to you."
The dragon's pupils contracted.
The rage in its body—once consuming, now faltering.
A low rumble echoed from its throat.
Noir watched, expression hidden beneath his mask, but his heart—**for some reason—**felt restless.
Noir's POV
"She's actually… calming it down?"
His fingers twitched around the hilt of his sword.
"I've fought creatures of all kinds—beasts, angels, demons, men. Once they fall into rage, there's no coming back. That's what I was taught. That's what I believed."
And yet—this angel stood before a monster that should have destroyed her… and spoke as if she had never feared it at all.
Noir's gaze darkened.
"Is that… what makes her different?"
His chains loosened slightly.
And the dragon… stopped struggling altogether.
The air was thick with tension. The dragon, once a rampaging force of destruction, now stood still, its eyes locked onto Nimfa as she spoke in a gentle, soothing voice.
For the first time, it wasn't attacking.
Noir stood a short distance away, his masked gaze locked onto the scene before him. His muscles were still tense, ready to react at any moment. This was new. Unfamiliar.
But then—
A shout tore through the fragile peace.
"FIRE!"
Noir's senses screamed in warning.
From the shadows behind the burning homes, a massive ballista had been set up—its enormous iron-tipped arrow already loosed.
Straight for Nimfa.
His body moved before his mind did.
A split second before impact, Noir launched himself forward.
"Tch, again?!"
There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. His sword would be useless against something this large.
So instead—he caught it.
With his bare hands.
The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave through his body.
"UGH!" Noir grit his teeth, his arms straining as he tried to stop the arrow's momentum. His hands burned, his muscles screamed—but still, he held on.
The impact sent them both flying.
"AHH!" Nimfa barely had time to react before they crashed against the dragon's underbelly.
A loud shattering sound echoed through the air—her Sanctuary spell collapsing into glowing fragments, like broken glass falling from the sky.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then—
Cedric Draevenhart POV
"What?!" Cedric's furious voice rang out over the battlefield.
His hands clenched into fists, his blond hair matted with sweat and ash as he glared at the scene before him.
"That was a perfect shot… and that masked bastard ruined it!"
His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"Does he not realize that dragon killed our people?! And he's shielding it?! What is he thinking?!"
He turned toward the soldiers around him.
"Surround the dragon! It must be slain! Avenge the villagers!"
The remaining soldiers hesitated for only a moment before obeying, their weapons raised.
The dragon let out a thunderous roar, rearing up on its hind legs, its rage reignited.
And beneath its massive frame—were Nimfa and Noir.
Nimfa's POV
"Wughh…" Nimfa groaned, her vision blurred from the impact.
She reached up, pressing a trembling hand to her forehead.
"What… just happened?"
As her senses returned, she felt something heavy against her.
She looked down—
And her heart nearly stopped.
"Noir?!"
His body lay slumped against her, unmoving.
His head rested against her lap, his arms limp at his sides, blood dripping freely from his palms where the iron arrow had torn through his skin.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Noir! Noir, wake up!"
She placed her trembling hands over his wounds, trying to heal him, but her magic flickered unsteadily.
"There's too much blood…"
Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"Why… Why did he do that? He didn't have to—"
Then it hit her.
The arrow had been aimed directly at her.
Had he not thrown himself in front of it…
Her stomach twisted painfully.
"He shielded me… again."
Her chest tightened, a sudden, overwhelming guilt surging through her.
She swallowed hard and forced herself to focus.
"Stay with me, Noir…"
Her golden eyes glowed softly as she poured healing magic into his wounds, but deep down, her heart ached with something she couldn't quite name.
And in that moment, she realized—
She was terrified of losing him.
Nimfa's hands trembled as she pressed them over Noir's wounds, her golden eyes wide with panic.
"No! Don't leave me!"
Her voice cracked, raw with fear.
A fear she had buried deep inside her heart.
For a brief moment, she wasn't here, kneeling over Noir's wounded body.
She was back in the Celestial City.
Alone.
A small girl, sitting in an empty room, surrounded by books she didn't want to read.
A childhood of silence. Of loneliness. Of cold, strict orders from her mentor, Seriel.
"You must follow the will of the Celestial Council, Nimfa."
"You were born to uphold order."
"Do not question. Do not stray."
But now—now she had strayed.
And if she lost Noir…
Her hands clenched into fists.
No—she refused.
An ember ignited inside her, growing into a flame that burned away her fear.
She whispered an enchantment, her voice steady and strong.
"Radiant Bloom."
A burst of ethereal golden petals erupted from her hands, spiraling through the air before sinking into Noir's wounds. The petals pulsed with light, spreading warmth, knitting torn flesh together with an otherworldly gentleness.
And then—
The village began to change.
A wave of luminous energy expanded outward, washing over the burning homes, the injured villagers, the very land itself.
The flames vanished.
The cries of pain faded into gasps of astonishment.
The wounded, scattered across the village, gasped as glowing petals bloomed from their injuries, closing their wounds instantly.
The entire battlefield fell into silence.
Meanwhile—Ronan & Lyric
Ronan and Lyric were still running, the dragon egg cradled tightly in Ronan's arms.
But something shifted in the air.
Ronan's sharp instincts flared.
"Huh…?" His dark eyes flickered around them, sensing the sudden shift.
Lyric stumbled slightly before realizing—
"The ache in my stomach… it's gone?!"
She pressed a hand against her side. Just moments ago, pain had throbbed where the goblin had struck her. Now, it was as if she had never been wounded at all.
The two skidded to a halt, turning toward the heart of the village.
Ronan's gaze sharpened.
"What the hell is happening over there?"
They weren't the only ones noticing.
The flames devouring the village began to extinguish themselves.
The roaring inferno that had swallowed homes disappeared—as if the very fire had surrendered.
A faint golden glow shimmered over the village.
The soldiers who had prepared to fight the dragon now stood frozen in shock.
Cedric's POV
Cedric's eyes widened.
"What… what is that?!" he muttered.
The soldiers around him were speechless, gripping their weapons tightly.
Had a miracle just happened?
Or was this something far more dangerous?
Back to Nimfa & Noir
Nimfa didn't notice any of it.
Her focus was only on him.
Her wings, normally hidden, flickered into full view under the moonlight, their silver-white feathers shimmering in the night air.
She didn't care.
She only cared about Noir.
Beneath her, his eyes twitched.
A faint breath escaped him.
Then—his crimson eyes fluttered open.
"Noir!"
A burst of relief and joy spilled from Nimfa's lips as she leaned over him, her golden eyes shining.
Noir groaned, shifting slightly.
The first thing he saw was her.
And for a moment, the world faded away.
Her silver hair framed her face, her golden eyes reflecting the gentle glow of the petals still lingering in the air.
She looked… angelic.
"Ugh…" he exhaled heavily, blinking up at her. His vision was still hazy, but—
He saw her worry.
He saw her fear.
And deep inside, something stirred.
He smirked faintly. "Heh… déjà vu."
Noir's POV
"An angel… saving a demon."
Noir let out a slow breath.
"Are you really the kind of angel my kin are supposed to hate?"
His crimson eyes darkened.
"Why?"
"Why do you look at me like that?"
His mind flashed back to the battlefield—the thousands of angels he had slain.
The blood. The bodies. The war.
He had taken so many lives.
How could she—knowing what he was, knowing what he had done—
How could she still look at him like this?
"Stop it."
"Stop looking at me like that."
He clenched his fists, feeling the warmth of her healing still lingering on his skin.
"Damn it, Nimfa… Why are you doing this?"
Nimfa's POV
As soon as she finished healing him, her body moved on its own.
Without hesitation—she hugged him.
Tightly.
Gently.
Warmly.
Her arms wrapped around him, her fingers gripping his back, her forehead pressing against his shoulder.
"You… dummy!"
Her voice was soft, shaky, but filled with emotion.
Noir's entire body froze.
The warmth of her embrace cut through the cold inside him like a blade.
"What… is this feeling?"
For the first time in centuries, he felt something he couldn't understand.
Something he feared.
Slowly, his eyes widened behind the mask.
And for the first time—he didn't know what to do.