The snow dragon did not attack.
It stirred.
The ground trembled softly as the massive creature shifted in its sleep, frost sliding off its scales like falling petals. Its breath fogged the air. Slowly, one enormous eye opened — calm, ancient, and aware.
Lily stepped forward immediately, mana flaring around her like a shield.
"It's awake," she whispered.
The dragon lifted its head, not hostile, but alert — as if something long forgotten had called it back.
It tested them.
A burst of cold wind. A swipe of its tail. A breath of freezing mist that turned the grass white.
Lily took the lead, her magic blooming like light against the cold. She moved with precision, keeping its attention on her, redirecting its power away from Eira.
Eira did not use magic.
He fought only with his sword.
Each step he took was deliberate. Each movement grounded. He felt the forest, the cold, the beast — and himself — as one.
Then the dragon cornered him.
Ice surrounded him. Pressure weighed down his limbs. The air felt too thin.
His mind went silent.
Not fear. Not panic.
Stillness.
Something deep inside him opened.
He let go.
Mana surged.
Cold exploded outward.
Snow fell from a clear sky.
The forest froze in a single breath — branches glazed in ice, wind turning sharp and beautiful, frost blooming across the ground like flowers.
Power gathered around him in a spiral of white and blue.
He lifted his sword.
"Snowfall Despair."
He charged.
The dragon roared — not in anger, but in recognition — and met him halfway.
Their powers collided.
Light and cold clashed against ancient frost.
Then everything vanished.
The pressure was gone.
The cold softened.
In front of them, where the great dragon had been, stood something small.
A baby dragon.
White scales tinged with pale blue, wings still too small for flight, eyes glowing gently.
It looked at Eira.
And bowed its head.
Lily stared. "…It recognized you."
Eira slowly approached.
The little dragon moved closer instead.
It pressed its forehead against his chest.
He felt warmth.
---
They built it a small shelter near the forest edge.
The next morning, Eira heard a voice.
You can hear me.
He froze.
"…You're speaking?"
Only to you.
The dragon explained.
Snow gods had existed five thousand years ago. The great hero had fought alongside its mother. When the war ended, the hero had preserved the hatchling — sealing it into slumber.
He told me he would return, the dragon said. Or I would wake when someone with pure snow mana appeared.
It looked at him.
You have light and darkness in equal measure. That is why it took me time to understand who you were.
The dragon admitted it had been storing mana for centuries — enough to split the world.
But there are others stronger than me. I can sense them.
The weight of that settled heavily in Eira's chest.
They wrapped up their journey quietly.
The walk back to the academy was peaceful.
Lily walked close.
Too close to be accidental.
She leaned her shoulder into his once.
Then again.
"You did well," she said softly.
"I couldn't have done it without you."
She smiled.
"That's kind of the point."
They stopped once near the path.
She adjusted his collar for no reason.
Then paused.
Then did not move her hand away immediately.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Then she stepped back.
"We should go," she said, cheeks faintly pink.
Eira nodded.
But he smiled the whole way back.