The pale morning light crept through the cracks in the temple's vaulted ceiling. Eins woke with a body that felt as stiff as the stone floor beneath him, though the warmth of Lysara's cloak wrapped around him offered some comfort. He adjusted his glasses and saw Lysara already standing tall, her gaze fixed on the dark corridor leading deeper into the heart of the temple.
"Are we leaving now?" Eins asked, packing the pot and the remains of the firewood into his large bag.
Lysara didn't answer. Her long ears twitched violently. Her thick-furred, hard-shelled tail moved restlessly, sweeping dust across the floor. "Eins, stay behind me," she whispered in a dangerously low tone.
"What is it?"
"Come out!" Lysara roared, her voice echoing through the prayer hall and vibrating between the stone pillars. "I know you've been there since last night. Don't hide like a coward!"
Silence followed for a moment. Then, from the shadow of the colossal pillar behind the dragon statue, a figure emerged.
Eins gasped. He expected another adventurer or perhaps a feral monster, but the figure was a girl of impossible beauty, radiating an aura of dense darkness. She possessed four sharp horns—two curving upward and two to the sides. On her back, a pair of black wings with fine, fibrous membranes folded elegantly. Her tail was jet-black and scaled, with terrifying, jagged protrusions along its length. She wore an elegant pitch-black gown with white patterns that contrasted sharply with her pale skin.
"Lysara..." the girl's voice sounded like the rustle of wind at night. "A thousand years, and you still have that sharp nose."
"Leonika," Lysara hissed. Rage and caution were etched clearly on her face.
Eins pushed up his glasses, his hands trembling as realization dawned on him. "Four horns... fibrous wings... Leonika? Wait—could she be the original form of the dragon worshipped by the ancient Elves and Gnomes?"
Leonika glanced at Eins with a condescending look. "Ah, so the little human can think. Correct. I am the one they called the Dragon God. Though in truth, I was simply bored and allowed them to build this playground for me." Her eyes snapped back to Lysara. "I'm glad to see you free from that disgusting seal, Sister. But... why are you still with human filth? Was a thousand years not enough to make you realize they are a race of traitors?"
"He is different, Leonika! He saved me without asking for anything in return!" Lysara shot back.
"Saved you? Humans only save something if they can use it," Leonika smiled sinisterly. "Let us see how precious he truly is to you."
Without warning, Leonika lunged. Her speed far surpassed anything Eins had ever seen; she moved like black lightning.
KRAAAKK!
Lysara managed to catch the strike with both hands. The collision of the two ancient beings created a massive shockwave. The stone floor beneath them shattered into fragments, and the air seemed to get sucked out of the room. Due to the sudden pressure, Eins—who was standing too close—was blown backward, his back hitting the wall with a sickening thud.
"Ugh!" Eins groaned, his vision swimming.
The battle erupted with brutal intensity. Lysara and Leonika exchanged blows at a speed the human eye could not follow. Sharp claws met hardened scales. Every missed strike pulverized the fragile temple pillars.
"Stop it!" Eins shouted, struggling to stand. "The temple will collapse! You'll be buried!"
But both Beastfolk were in a frenzy. Leonika laughed wildly while swinging her jagged tail, and Lysara countered with punches capable of leveling mountains. Stormberg Temple shook violently as dust and boulders began to rain from the ceiling.
Eins realized that if this continued, Lysara would lose herself to the rage and they would all be buried alive. Recklessly, he ran toward the center of the battlefield.
"Don't come closer, Eins!" Lysara screamed in panic.
Leonika saw her opening. While Lysara was distracted by Eins, Leonika spun her body and lashed out with her tail. Her target was Lysara, but Eins, running forward, stumbled right into the strike's arc.
SRAAAKK!
The tip of Leonika's tail slammed into Eins's chest. Though he wasn't sliced open—thanks to Lysara managing to deflect the blow slightly—the impact sent him flying into the main pillar.
Thump!
Eins slumped to the floor, coughing up fresh blood. His glasses cracked, and his breath came in ragged gasps.
"EINS!"
Lysara's roar sounded more like a monster's than a woman's. A dark purple aura exploded from her body as she attacked Leonika blindly, her rage reaching its zenith. Leonika, who had been composed, was now overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of a Lysara who no longer cared for her own safety.
"Die! Die!" Lysara screamed, grabbing Leonika's throat and slamming her into the floor repeatedly.
Leonika grunted, black blood leaking from her mouth. She used her legs to kick Lysara back with full force, creating distance. As Lysara coiled for one final, lethal pounce, Eins—with the last of his strength—crawled forward and stood directly in front of Leonika.
He spread his arms, shielding the enemy who had just wounded him.
Lysara, already in mid-air with claws bared, aborted her attack with a violent jerk. She landed heavily in front of him, the tips of her sharp claws just an inch from the surface of his cracked glasses.
"Why... why are you protecting her, Eins?!" Lysara cried out, tears of fury streaming down her face.
Eins didn't answer with words. He only looked at her with a calm, steady gaze despite his bloodied face. A second later, his body went limp. He collapsed into the arms of a panicked Lysara, who caught him instantly.
Leonika stood up slowly, wiping blood from her lip. She looked at Eins with an entirely different expression now—one of deep intrigue. "Protecting an enemy to stop the bloodshed... what a strange human. I haven't seen a creature that foolish in a thousand years."
Leonika folded her wings. "Take him away, Lysara. I'll let you go this time."
"What do you really want, Leonika?" Lysara asked, clutching Eins's unconscious body tightly.
"Just a warning," Leonika turned, walking into the darkness. "The Ancient Beastfolk are not entirely extinct. We are gathering what should have been ours. Don't let this human get caught in the middle of it."
Leonika vanished into the ruins. There, beyond Lysara's sight, a man in a round hat leaned against a moss-covered wall. He wore no armor and carried no weapons, yet his presence was unnervingly still.
As Leonika reached him, the man gave a thin smile. Leonika, the "Dragon God" who had just fought with such brutality, suddenly softened. She reached for the hatted man's hand and squeezed it tight, as if he were the center of her world.
The two walked away from the temple, leaving Lysara sobbing as she cradled Eins in the settling silence of the ruins.
To be continued...