Chapter 5 : The Guard's Desperate Struggle
The moment stretched unbearably long.
Noah panicked. His mind raced for a way out—any way out. But his body wasn't listening. His throat felt locked, his voice cursed to repeat only one phrase.
The red dragon's golden eyes burned into him, filled with growing fury. The ground beneath Noah's feet sizzled, heat distorting the air around him.
His instincts screamed at him—DO SOMETHING!
So, out of sheer terror, he did the only thing he could.
"Welcome to the castle!"
The words burst out of him, loud and clear. Then again.
"Welcome to the castle! Welcome to the castle!"
He frantically pointed at himself, acting out his role as a guard. He stomped his foot, straightened his back like a soldier, and gave a firm, official-looking salute.
"Welcome to the castle!"
Then, he exaggeratedly pointed at his own mouth, shaking his head wildly, his eyes pleading—'I can't say anything else!'
He kept going, desperate to make them understand.
He pounded his chest. "Welcome to the castle!"
He spread his arms wide. "Welcome to the castle!"
He gestured between his lips and throat, miming a 'no' sign. "Welcome to the castle!"
His arms flailed. His legs moved in exaggerated motions, a chaotic mess of signals.
To the five mighty dragons watching, it was the most ridiculous scene imaginable.
The blue dragon, watching in silence, suddenly choked on his own breath. His entire body shook, his chest rising and falling in erratic bursts.
Then—he exploded into laughter.
"Pffft—HAAAAAH!!"
The sound of his thundering laughter echoed through the ruined city.
The green dragon covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling violently as he struggled to contain his own laughter. The black dragon turned away, muttering something under his breath, but his tail flicked wildly, betraying his amusement.
Only the red dragon looked absolutely livid. His wings stretched slightly, his entire body radiating anger.
"ENOUGH!" His voice boomed, shaking the very earth.
The laughter died instantly.
But before the red dragon could unleash his wrath, the silver dragon—who had remained silent the entire time—finally spoke.
"Wait."
Her voice was calm, composed. Yet, there was something in it that made even the red dragon pause.
Noah, sensing his one chance, immediately nodded intensely, pointing at her with all his might.
"Welcome to the castle! Welcome to the castle!"
His frantic gestures screamed—'SHE'S RIGHT! LISTEN TO HER!'
The silver dragon's silver eyes studied him for a moment before she finally spoke again.
"He's trying to tell us something."
The ruined marble city stood in silence, the tension thick enough to suffocate. The laughter from moments ago had vanished, leaving behind only the weight of the red dragon's fury.
Noah, still frantically nodding, pointed at the silver dragon again, his eyes pleading for her to continue.
"Welcome to the castle! Welcome to the castle!"
He stomped his foot and gestured wildly, his body moving in exaggerated motions—anything to make them understand.
The red dragon's claws dug into the ground, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously. "Are you playing games with us, human?" His voice was calm, but the sheer power behind it made the ground tremble.
Noah's heart skipped a beat. He could feel it—one wrong move, and he was dead.
But before the red dragon could act, the silver dragon spoke again.
"No."
Her voice was firm, carrying a weight that demanded attention. Even the red dragon hesitated.
She turned her piercing silver gaze toward Noah, studying his panicked gestures, the frantic way he repeated those same words, his desperate attempt to communicate.
"He isn't mocking us," she continued, her voice calm yet certain. "He is bound."
Noah froze.
The dragons all turned their attention back to him, their eyes narrowing as realization started to set in.
The silver dragon's expression remained unreadable, but there was something in her gaze—understanding.
"You… cannot speak freely, can you?" she asked, her tone almost gentle.
Noah nodded aggressively.
"Welcome to the castle! Welcome to the castle!"
He pointed at his throat, then made a cross with his arms, signaling 'no.'
The silver dragon let out a small sigh. "I see."
The red dragon's expression shifted, his fury not entirely gone but replaced with something else—thoughtfulness.
The black dragon, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "A curse?"
The green dragon tilted his head. "Or… something even stranger?"
The blue dragon, still grinning, added, "Well, whatever it is, it's hilarious."
The red dragon, however, was not laughing. His gaze locked onto Noah once more, this time not with blind anger, but with curiosity.
"Then tell us, silver one," he rumbled. "What kind of existence stands before us?"
The silver dragon didn't answer immediately. She simply continued to watch Noah, as if weighing the truth of his very being.
And then, finally, she spoke.
"A soul that should not exist."
The silver dragon's voice carried through the ruins, her words heavy with meaning. "He doesn't have divinity, but…" She narrowed her eyes at Noah. "The laws of the world are rejecting him."
The other dragons turned to her, their expressions shifting from curiosity to something more serious.
"Rejecting him?" the black dragon repeated, his deep voice laced with intrigue.
The silver dragon nodded, her gaze never leaving Noah. "As if he is an intruder… something that was never meant to be here."
"He doesn't belong here."
The moment those words left her mouth, Noah's body reacted on its own.
"Welcome to the castle! Welcome to the castle!"
He nodded aggressively, his entire being screaming for them to understand. He pointed to himself repeatedly, desperate, frantic, his movements growing wilder with each passing second.
The dragons watched in silence, their eyes gleaming with an ancient understanding far beyond Noah's comprehension.
The blue dragon, who had been smirking before, now looked genuinely intrigued. "Huh… that's new."
The green dragon furrowed his brows. "If he doesn't belong here, then where does he belong?"
The red dragon remained silent, his gaze locked onto Noah, his expression unreadable. But the atmosphere around him felt… tense.
The silver dragon exhaled softly, closing her eyes for a brief moment before speaking again.
"Now, that is the real question."
Noah gulped. He had been trying so hard to survive, to adapt to this world, to not get killed—but had he ever once stopped to ask himself that same question?
Where did he belong?
And more importantly…
Why was he here?
The red dragon scoffed, his voice laced with irritation. "Why don't you use that so-called ability of yours on him? Maybe it'll actually be useful for once."
The silver dragon rolled her eyes, unfazed by his remark. "I was going to do that anyway. I don't need your advice."
The silver dragon stepped forward, her towering form casting a shadow over Noah. As she lowered her massive head, her shimmering silver scales reflected the dim light filtering through the ruined city.
Without hesitation, she pressed her forehead lightly against his, her voice echoing softly, "Let's see what you're hiding, outsider."
—Skill: Echo of the Truth—
A surge of energy pulsed through Noah's body, his mind suddenly laid bare before her. The silver dragon's eyes glowed with an ethereal light as visions flooded her consciousness—images of a world unlike their own.
A strange pressure filled Noah's mind, as if something was prying into his very soul. Flashes of his life—his apartment, his job, the game—rushed through his head like a dream slipping away.
She saw towering buildings of glass and steel, strange devices that flickered with artificial light, and a young man dressed in unfamiliar clothing, sitting before a glowing screen, engrossed in a game.
She saw his life as Kazuya Yamamoto—the mundane routine of his job, the nights spent immersed in his favorite game, and finally, the moment he fell asleep, only to awaken as Noah, a mere gate guard NPC.
As the visions faded, the silver dragon pulled away, her gaze unreadable.
The red dragon scoffed, but there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
The green dragon tilted his head, deep in thought.
The black dragon's tail twitched, a rare sign of his impatience.
As the silver dragon lifted her head, her usually composed expression faltered for the first time. She blinked slowly, her golden eyes reflecting a storm of emotions—shock, curiosity, and something unplaceable.
The other dragons noticed the change immediately.
The red dragon narrowed his eyes. "What did you see?"
The black dragon, who had been watching in silence, let out a low rumble. "Why are you hesitating? Speak."
But the silver dragon didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned to look at Noah—truly look at him. Not as an intruder, not as a human, but as something... beyond her understanding.
Noah, still disoriented from whatever she had done, felt an overwhelming sense of unease. He swallowed, waiting for her to speak, knowing that whatever she said next could decide his fate.
Finally, the silver dragon exhaled, as if grounding herself, before speaking:
"He does not belong to this world."
A heavy silence followed.
The blue dragon, breaking the tension, scoffed. "We already figured that out, sister. Tell us something new."
But the silver dragon shook her head.
"No, you don't understand. He is from an entirely different world. One that is not bound by our laws. A world where magic does not exist, where the concept of fate is written by human hands."
The moment she said those words, Noah's breath caught in his throat.
'She saw everything...'
The silver dragon's expression shifted—her eyes narrowing as if struggling to comprehend what she had just witnessed. A world without mana? Without dragons? It was absurd… and yet, undeniable.
To be continued-