DRAGON CHAPTER 7

“Willing to talk now?” I asked, a hint of amusement slipping through.

“What do you want?” the Dominion-ranked dragon asked, her voice edged with restrained anger.

“Let’s start with introductions, shall we?”

I glanced toward the two fallen dragons, their bodies half-submerged and motionless—alive, but unconscious.

“…”

She stared at me like she wanted to tear me apart.

“Do you really want to gamble with your fellow dragon’s lives?” I asked, shifting my gaze back to her. 

No matter how savage dragonkind was, they at least had the decency to care for those under them.

“You sealed the exit,” she said, glancing toward where the entrance once stood—now buried beneath solid rock.

“Yes,” I replied calmly. “And don’t get any clever ideas about rushing the walls to escape. I assure you—that would be the worst decision you could make.”

Even if she managed to break through the wall and trigger the <Displace> spell anchored to it—escaping into the outer lake—the crushing pressure of its artificial depths would finish what the barrier began.

And if, by some miracle, it didn’t…

The layered gravity spells woven beneath the lakebed would take hold, pinning her there—trapped for the rest of her life.

“…”

“What do you want?” she asked again, more measured this time.

“Like I said,” I replied, “introduce yourself.”

“…Cindra Volcanis.”

Volcanis.

The name hit me like a bolt.

“And why are you after me?” I asked cautiously.

“As I said, we were informed of your location by a dragon we were hunting—a fate-touched one. He claimed we’d gain greater benefit by hunting you instead.”

…So it really was him.

“Next,” I pressed, my voice steady but edged with urgency. “How were you tracking me?”

That was the question that mattered. The one that wouldn’t leave me alone. Because if she could find me once… she could do it again.

And that meant I was never as hidden as I thought.

“I don’t know what you mean. We simply followed the location we were given,” she said, her voice steady—too steady.

“Spare me the act,” I said flatly. “You changed direction the moment I tried leaving the cavern. You expect me to believe that was coincidence?”

“…”

“I’m waiting.”

She hesitated for the briefest moment before reaching into the scales along her body and pulling out a transparent crystal.

Inside it, a golden liquid swirled faintly.

“Blood?” I muttered, narrowing my eyes.

Don’t tell me—

“More specifically,” she said, meeting my gaze, “your blood. Gifted to us by that same dragon.”

…That bastard.

So he planned it the moment he bit into my arm.

For a brief second, I lost control of my emotions, anger flaring.

Of course he had. A fate-touched wouldn’t do something so reckless without purpose.

I let out a slow breath, forcing the emotion down.

“Ruthless bastard,” I said at last, my tone even.

Cindra’s gaze didn’t waver. “You should choose your acquaintances more carefully.”

“I don’t recall calling him one.”

Silence stretched again.

“Did you at least kill him?” I asked.

“No,” she replied calmly. “He escaped.”

The thought that even now he could be sending people after me out of sheer pettiness made my anger flare.

“Now,” I continued, restraining my anger, “we’ve exchanged enough pleasantries. Let’s move to real talk.”

Her expression hardened. “You do know my tribe would hunt you down if anything were to happen to me.”

“Of course,” I replied calmly. “Who doesn’t know the Volcanis tribe?”

My gaze held hers.

The tribe that leads all fire dragons. And if I wasn’t mistaken… the elder I saw on the mainland through clairvoyance was their lord.

A faint pause.

“That changes nothing,” I said quietly. “I could end this here—and I doubt anyone would come searching. Do the three of you even hold enough standing in your tribe to be worth the effort?”

A faint smirk flickered across my lips.

“And if they do send someone after me…” I murmured, “being hunted is nothing new for me.”

The water beneath us rippled faintly as the runes responded to my intent.

“So,” I said, voice sharpening just a fraction, “what will it be?”

“What?” she asked, eyes narrowing.

“Are you going to fight me to the death…” I tilted my head slightly, “…or leave my territory quietly?”

A flicker of surprise crossed her face.

“You would allow us to leave?”

“Just because I’m used to being hunted doesn’t mean I enjoy it,” I said calmly. “There would be conditions—mana oaths, for one.”

Silence followed.

This time, it wasn’t suffocating.

It was measured. Calculating.

Cindra’s gaze shifted—toward the unconscious dragons, the steaming water, the cavern walls etched with invisible death.

Weighing.

“…Mana oaths,” she repeated slowly.

“Yes.”

“And if I refuse?”

The runes beneath the water pulsed faintly—a quiet warning that refusal was not an option.

“You won’t,” I said simply.

A long pause.

The heat in the cavern fluctuated—rising, falling.

Then—

“…State your terms.”

Good.

A faint smile touched my lips.

“You will cease all pursuit of me. No tracking. No hunting. No interference—by you or your tribe.”

“I can’t follow that.”

A brief pause.

“Is that so?” I asked, studying her.

“I can’t stop members of my tribe from hunting you. I don’t control the tribe,” she said quickly, as if to prevent any misunderstanding.

I considered that for a moment.

Fair enough.

“Then amend it,” I said calmly. “You will not instigate, encourage, or assist anyone—directly or indirectly—in hunting me.”

Her gaze held mine, measuring.

“…And?”

“And,” I added, my voice lowering just a fraction, “you will not share any information about me—my abilities, my location, or what you’ve seen here.”

Silence.

Then—

“As long as you don’t show hostility toward my clan,” she said at last.

I held her gaze for a moment.

“Very well. State your oath.”

Mana gathered around her—dense, structured, binding.

“I, Cindra Volcanis, swear upon my mana and lineage,” she began, her voice steady, “that I will not pursue, track, or act against you. I will not instigate, encourage, or assist others in doing so—directly or indirectly. I will not share knowledge of you, your abilities, or this place…”

A faint pause.

“…so long as you do not show hostility toward the Volcanis clan.”

The air tightened.

The oath sank deep—into her mana heart—settling like an unseen weight. A dim glow stirred within her chest, runes briefly igniting in soft light before fading back into silence.

I exhaled slowly.

“That applies to you two as well,” I said, tilting my head toward the dragons, who were now stirring—no longer pretending to be unconscious.

A low groan escaped one as it shifted beneath the water, eyes flickering open. The other followed moments later, its body tensing as it tried to rise—

Only to freeze as pain shot through its wounds.

Cindra’s voice cut through the cavern.

“Stay down.”

They obeyed immediately.

Good.

“Repeat it,” I said, my tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re not leaving here unbound.”

One of them glared at me, a flicker of defiance in its eyes—

It didn’t last.

The faint pulse of the runes beneath the water answered for me.

“…Do it,” Cindra said coldly.

That was enough.

Mana gathered—weak compared to before, but still structured.

“I swear…” the first muttered through clenched teeth, “upon my mana and lineage—I will not pursue, track, or act against you… nor assist others in doing so… nor share knowledge of you… so long as you do not show hostility toward the Volcanis clan.”

The second followed, slower, voice strained but clear enough, repeating the same oath.

The air tightened once more.

Two more bindings.

I exhaled.

“Good.”

For a moment, no one moved.

Then I shifted slightly, suppressing the pain tearing through my body.

“Now,” I said, voice steady, “take them… and leave.”

At my will, the sealed exit groaned open—stone shifting aside as water rushed outward, carving a path.

Cindra moved first, lifting one dragon while the other struggled to stand beside her.

Before stepping through, she paused.

“…Next time, we won’t be this lenient.”

I met her gaze. 

“Threatening me before you’ve even escaped?” I asked, as if questioning her sanity.

Silence settled between us.

Her expression cooled as reality set in.

“My blood,” I demanded flatly. “You’re not keeping it.”

A brief pause.

Then—

She tossed the crystal toward me.

I caught it without looking away.

Only then did she turn.

And the next moment, they were gone.

The cavern fell silent.

Only the faint echo of receding water remained… and the slow, uneven rhythm of my breath.

“…That was a close one.”

My body gave out.

The strain of holding everything together finally collapsed, and I fell to the cold stone as blood pooled beneath me.

My vision blurred.

Darkness crept in.

And even as it took me—

one thought remained.

…That was closer than I would have liked.