Now, I walk beside Eris through the garden of our estate, hand in hand beneath a soft, quiet sky.

    It''s always dusk here. That gentle, lingering twilight that never quite slips into night, never fully returns to day. A breeze stirs the air, carrying the faint, sweet scent of blooming petals. It brushes past my dress, lifting the hem just slightly. Tiny red sparkles drift from the fabric, trailing behind me like slow-falling fireflies.

    The garden is in full bloom.

    Everywhere I look, flowers stretch in every direction. Lush, vibrant, and bursting with color. But the crimson ones catch the eye most of all, already filling the air with a sugary-sweet perfume.

    Still, there are so many others. Roses in every shade. Lilies. Strange, unfamiliar blossoms with curling petals and silvery-green leaves.

    They must''ve been planted by the Hearthcarvers Guild.

    I don''t recognize half of them. Maybe even more.

    "Well, same! I don''t recognize most of these either," Eris says with a soft giggle.

    I glance her way and fake a pout. "Ehhhh? But I thought you knew everything!"

    She laughs. "Hey, I''m not a botanist! I just know what I know!"

    "Oh yeah?" I nudge her playfully with my elbow. "Then how''d you know all about the Vanessa Lilies and the Glacierblooms, huh?"

    That part still sticks with me.

    Glacierblooms. They''re used in potions that resist cold.

    Meanwhile… Vanessa Lilies... they''re dangerous. Their petals carry the essence of winter itself, and thus, they are perfect for brewing frost poison.

    Eris was the one who taught me that.

    "Hehe". She grins. "Those are different! They are all useful dungeon flowers that are used to make powerful potions. Of course I''d know them!"

    "Oh, so anything that''s not useful just goes out of your brain?"

    "Yeah, pretty much!" she says with a teasing shrug. "I never had a reason to learn the ''just pretty'' ones, after all!"

    Then she leans in, shoulder to shoulder, her voice softer. "But if you want, we can learn more together! Not just the useful ones, but the beautiful ones, too. Let''s grow our own beautiful garden here!"

    "Nn! That''s a good idea!"

    I''m already starting to picture it—this whole place blooming even more than it already is.

    Every walk will be a new little wonder.

    And luckily, we''ve already got the catgirl maids tending the garden for us.

    All we have to do is bring home the flower seeds and garden equipment!

    "Oh! Speaking of names," Eris says suddenly, turning her head toward the glowing crimson blossoms. "What if we gave these flowers a name?"

    "Ooh, let''s do that!"

    Honestly, we can''t just keep calling them the crimson flowers forever.

    She turns to me with a grin. "Alright, your turn. You name them."

    "Eh? You''re just dumping it on me?!"

    "Yup." No hesitation, no shame, just a mischievous smile. "Do your worst."

    I pout at her, but close my eyes anyway, thinking.

    The flowers are the color of blood. They all have such a deep, vivid red. But their scent is soft and sweet. And when I tasted one earlier… it was like sugar on my tongue. Strange, beautiful. Delicate, but maybe a little dangerous too.

    Blood… crimson… sugar… honey…

    "…How about… Sweet Sanguineblooms?" I say slowly, cracking one eye open to check her reaction.

    Eris lets out a soft laugh. "Oh! That''s a good one."

    "Well, it''s just literally mean sweet blood!"

    "But it''s kinda long though. How about just Sanguineblooms?"

    "Hmm, that works!"

    And just like that, we then start calling those flowers Sanguineblooms.

    ----------------------------

    A little while later, we arrive at the fountain.

    It rests at the heart of the garden, carved from black stone veined with pale marble, the basin wide and smooth. Under the soft, eternal dusk, the water inside shimmers with hints of red and violet, like a painted mirror.

    I step up onto the fountain''s rim, arms stretched out for balance. Eris walks just below, reaching up to hold my hand and steady me as I take careful steps along the edge.

    It feels like something from a dream.

    Just the two of us, hand in hand, with the cool breeze brushing against our skin and the faint sound of water trickling beside us. Romantic in the quietest, most intimate way.

    Eventually, we settle down together at the fountain''s edge. I sit close beside her, and she doesn''t let go of my hand.

    The gentle sound of flowing water fills the space between us, soft and soothing like a lullaby.

    Then, from somewhere beneath the flowering trees, a sudden flutter of movement.

    A school of red butterflies takes flight, spiraling upward into the sky. Their wings shimmer like embers, like tiny flames dancing on the breeze.

    "Woah…" I breathe, utterly mesmerized.

    For a while, neither of us speaks. Just silence, and butterflies, and dusk.

    But I can feel it.

    There''s already a shift in her breathing, in the way her thumb brushes over mine.

    She''s preparing herself, it seems.

    Eris closes her eyes, her face calm, but I know, it''s just to shield something that stirring up within her. Her grip tightens gently around my fingers.

    Alright…

    Seeing Eris like this.

    I still really don''t think this is a good idea.

    "…Eris," I whisper, turning toward her. "You don''t have to push yourself, though. If you''re not ready to talk about it, I won''t be upset. I just… I don''t want to see you hurt."

    She opens her eyes at that, and the look she gives me is so warm—so heartbreakingly gentle.

    "Thank you, Felicia," she murmurs, gently patting the back of my hand. "But… you''ve already trusted me with your secrets. If I kept mine hidden forever, that wouldn''t be fair to you, would it?"

    "But—"

    "No buts." She gives a small smile. "I''ve made up my mind. I was just… deciding where to start."

    "Oh… okay."

    And with that, Eris exhales, a slow and deep sigh. The air stills around us. Then, she speaks.

    "What if I told you…" Her voice is quiet, steady. "That my scar… wasn''t from a monster?"

    My eyes widen. "Wait—what…?"

    She lets out a soft laugh, but there''s no humor in it, only bitterness.

    "It was caused by a human," she says, shaking her head. "Not a beast. Not a creature. A person."

    "…Eris…" My voice trembles. "What happened?"

    She looks ahead, her gaze distant.

    "I was still part of Shadow Fang back then," she begins. "My greatest mistake… was thinking of that place as a second home, as my family."

    ----------------------------

    Five years ago.

    Zehrak Desert.

    Cenarrath Dungeon Cluster.

    An A-rank dungeon—one of the most dangerous in the world.

    A place so hostile, so unforgiving, it felt like stepping into another reality altogether.

    The heat hung heavy in the air, distorting the horizon in waves. Every breath was dry, scorching, as if the wind itself had been lit from within. The sands stretched endlessly in all directions, red and black, blistered and broken. Cracks split the earth like veins. There was no life here. No trees, no grass. Only ash, and the rare cursed flameblossoms that grew from it, twisted flowers that fed on heat and ruin.

    Even standing still felt like a battle.

    Even breathing hurt.

    Most Guilds stayed far away.

    Most Guilds avoided this place, not only because the monsters were too fierce, but also because the environment was too harsh, like the very world wanted you dead. It stripped you down to your bones. Heatstroke, dehydration, mana exhaustion… it didn''t matter how strong you were. This place wore you out from the inside. Even hardened S-rank adventurers hesitated before crossing the dunes too deeply.

    But they came anyway.

    Because deep within this scorched wasteland, hidden in the heart of the dungeon cluster, was the only known source of one of the rarest materials in the world:

    Fire Draconic Scales.

    Stronger than steel.

    Infused with the primal magic of flame.

    Highly prized by master smiths, spellwrights, and nobles alike.

    Even a single scale could sell for hundreds of thousands of crowns.

    And that meant…

    The monsters living there…

    Were dragons.

    "ROOOAAHHHHH!!!"

    The roar shattered the silence, loud enough to rattle the sky, violent enough to shake the very stone beneath the sand. The dunes trembled. The air pulsed.

    A fire dragon.

    Young, by draconic standards. Barely an adolescent.

    And still, it dwarfed every wyvern that had ever taken flight. It was easily three times the wyverns'' size, with a body built like a living furnace. Scales like molten armor, eyes that burned and hurt just to look at, a beast born from the heart of flame itself.

    Its hide couldn''t be pierced by blades.

    Its strength could crush boulders like glass.

    And its fire was hot enough to melt enchanted steel in moments.

    The dragon lowered itself slowly, shoulders coiling, wings half-flared. Then it inhaled, a deep, terrible breath that made the air tighten. Mana rushed toward it, drawn in like dry leaves to a flame. The sands spun into furious spirals around its feet. The sky… seemed to hold still, like the world itself was bracing.

    Fire Dragon Breath.

    An attack so powerful it could erase a fortress from existence in a single blast.

    Against a beast like that, any sane force would send a team—at least a squad of A-rank elites. Maybe even an S-rank commander. Coordinated support. Backup mages casting layered heat wards. A full-scale operation.

    But here…

    There was only one.

    A lone figure stood in the haze, framed by swirling heat and drifting ash.

    A cat-eared Furren, her black trench coat snapping with each gust of wind. The sigil of Shadow Fang was stitched proudly across her back—the snarling head of a wolf, jaws open in eternal defiance.

    Her name:

    Ereskia Vivianne NightWhizkersz.

    Hands raised in quiet reverence, she whispered:

    "As a descendant of the NightWhizkersz clan, I call to you.

    "Darkness that swallows the light,

    the abyss that separates life and death…"

    …

    And then—

    The sky split open.

    A rift tore through the clouds, black as the void between stars. Her eyes burned with power as wind howled around her.

    "COME—SHEOL!"

    BOOM.

    A thunderous crash split the heavens.

    And from the heart of the storm, a blade descended. Sёar?h the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    A colossal greatsword, veiled in swirling shadows, plunged from the sky like a divine judgment. It struck the ground with cataclysmic force, sending shockwaves through the stone.

    Ereskia reached for it, fingers curling around the hilt.