Chapter 252: Olivia (V)
The night at the Iron Dragon Wing Palace was always this still—so quiet that even the breath of a mortal would echo. As the domain of the Red Dragon, few dared to come near, not even the most loyal followers, who merely lingered at the fringes.
In this silence, the Silver Dragon could hear her own faint breathing, a fragile rhythm beneath the weight of endless solitude. Only the gentle glow of moonlight slipped through the high windows, spilling into her pale blue-gray irises and casting a silvery sheen across her smooth scales.
How many days—or perhaps nights—had passed? Olivia had long since lost track. She had lived in a half-dream, half-waking state, her spirit teetering on the edge of despair. Yet, something within her—stubborn, unyielding—had refused to break. She had endured. She had not submitted.
She did not know when fate might finally claim her. But not now. Not yet.
Not now.
She let out a soft groan, twisting her head with effort to ease the stiffness in her bones, frozen from lying in one position for too long. The magical chains binding her burned against her skin, their searing pain a familiar torment. She had long since learned to endure it—almost grown accustomed to it.
Then, a faint rustling came from the distance. Unusual. Unexpected.
Could it be the guard bringing food?
No… It’s midnight. Too early for that.
The sound continued, creeping down the corridor leading to the grand hall. Olivia’s gaze sharpened, her pupils narrowing in surprise.
From the far end of the passage, a shadow emerged—faint, wavering, wrapped in a haze of mist. As it drew nearer, the form became clearer.
A man.
Black short hair. Golden vertical pupils glowing faintly in the moonlight. A young face of striking beauty. A noble long robe edged in gold. And beneath the fabric, the subtle shimmer of pale golden scales.
He walked slowly, deliberately, toward the chained Silver Dragon.
Impossible.
Olivia’s heart stopped.
That face—those eyes—was the one she had seen in dreams for countless nights. The one who had spoken her final words as she died. The Gold Dragon… Anher.
Her mind erupted with a storm of thoughts.
Joy surged through her—genuine, overwhelming happiness at seeing him alive. But beneath it, doubt. Confusion. Why had she followed his guidance? Why was she trapped here? Why hadn’t he come before?
Was this real? Or was it another trap—another lie spun by the Red Dragon’s cunning? Was this Anher even genuine?
Her eyes flickered between wonder and suspicion, hope and fear, until the emotions blurred into something deeper, richer—something she couldn’t name. A thousand words choked in her throat, but none could find their way out.
Then, he spoke.
“Sorry, Olivia.”
His voice was low, heavy with sorrow. His golden eyes held nothing but regret.
And in that instant, Olivia knew.
This was him.
Not a phantom. Not a trick.
The relief was overwhelming—like a lifeline thrown across a chasm. She had felt it before, when they were together: the undeniable presence of his charisma, the way his very being seemed to draw her in, to calm her soul. It was real. It was true. She didn’t know it was supernatural charisma, but she felt it—deep in her bones.
And now, at last, she was no longer alone.
The dam broke.
Tears—cold, silent—spilled from her blue-gray eyes, cascading down her cheeks like autumn streams. Her voice trembled, raw with emotion, as she poured out everything she had carried in silence:
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Why did that Red Dragon say you were dead?”
“I… I came here because I followed your guidance. I believed in you!”
“But why… why am I here? Why did you leave me?”
Her words tumbled out, broken and desperate.
Anher—no, Kai Xiusu—sighed deeply.
“Four years ago… this palace didn’t exist. The land was barren, empty. I discovered the only way to defeat the Red Dragon was the Dragon Binding Ritual. It can bind any dragon below the Ancient Tier—trapping them for eternity.”
He stared at her, his voice growing heavier.
“I set up the Rune Array here. I feared failure. So I left a final message.”
“But the ‘King of the Burnt’—he was far more cunning, far more powerful than I imagined. He saw through my plan. He slaughtered every one of my companions… every righteous soul who stood with me.”
“I should have died with them. But thanks to the grace of the Ancient Golden Dragon, Paralandaske, I was granted the ability to exist in a semi-phantom state. The Red Dragon couldn’t touch me—but I couldn’t act in the physical world either. I survived, but only as a shadow.”
“He couldn’t harm me… but he turned my Rune Array into a trap. He lured you here, using the Realm’s strange power to cut me off. Only when his vigilance wavered did I manage to reach you.”
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I dragged you into this.”
He said it again—sincerely, with every ounce of regret.
Olivia didn’t scold him. She simply looked into his eyes, silent.
She remembered the first time she entered this palace—the sudden surge of fear, the sense of warning. Now she understood. He had been trying to reach her. She just hadn’t known how.
At least now… they were both still alive.
They had escaped the Red Dragon’s claws. That alone was a miracle.
After a long silence, Olivia whispered, “Anher… what should I do now?”
Her gaze still held uncertainty—but it was no longer the abyss of despair. There was hope now. Not much, but enough. He was her last lifeline.
Anher looked at her, solemn. “I can’t fight the Red Dragon yet. He’s too strong. I… I need more. Resources. Money. Spell scrolls. Even help from other Metal Dragons.”
He paused, then added, “But whatever it takes—every coin, every spell, every drop of my blood—I will save you. I promise.”
The words rang true. Not empty. Not hollow.
He stepped closer—though his touch was only a projection, a ghost of motion. His hand—no, his presence—seemed to brush against her long neck.
But she felt nothing.
Yet still, she did not flinch.
There was no violation. No offense. Only peace. A deep, quiet comfort. To a Silver Dragon, such a gesture—so intimate, so unorthodox—was not merely forbidden by protocol, but unthinkable.
And yet, it felt… right.
Romantic.
The word echoed in her mind.
And then—she remembered.
The ancient tales. The elders’ stories. The legend of the Silver Dragon who waited a thousand years in a cave, etching her promise onto her own scales, until she became an Ancient. The vow of love, eternal and unbroken.
Silver Dragons loved with dignity. With grace. Many mates spent their entire lives together.
And Olivia, without hesitation, chose to believe.
She gave him everything—her memories, her knowledge, her loyalty. She poured out her soul, trusting that someday, somehow, he would come for her.
Perhaps to ease her heart, Anher stayed in the palace for a long time. They spoke of poetry, of forgotten legends, of spells and arcane secrets. Olivia’s vast knowledge even earned her a teasing title from him—“Teacher.”
That one word, so simple, loosened the knot in her chest.
When silence returned, the palace was still. Olivia remained bound, chains biting into her flesh.
But her eyes—once filled with despair and confusion—now glowed with calm. With resolve.
She was not lost.
Not yet.
(End of Chapter)
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