The wind whispered across the shattered kingdoms, singing an elegy no one could understand. Millions of rifts in time and space resembled tear tracks, meandering across the torn sky.
The deity who had once burned the heavens was collapsing like a mountain, its black-flame-like blood cooling and congealing.
In the boundless shadow cast by the drooping dragon's head, two people looked at each other in silence, savoring this heavy victory. Then, their gazes moved past one another to stare together at the great loser who would soon be buried by time.
He gazed at the dragon's slowly closing eyelids.
Those golden eyes, once brimming with the aura of death and destruction, were now as dim as dying ashes.
He spoke softly, his voice almost swallowed by the wind, "So, the final chaos ultimately returns to silence."
— "Elegy of the Black Sun: Final Chapter"
They made a brief stop in the town and soon set off again. Neither of them brought up what had happened earlier.
Su Cheng was quite satisfied with this.
She rather enjoyed the pleasant time they spent together and had no desire to dwell on anything that would spoil the mood.
"...But where are we going? And how are we getting there?"
They stood on a path through the fields. In the distance were rolling, dark green mountains, while on the other side, the towering walls of the imperial capital were hidden in the mist.
As Su Cheng looked up, she suddenly heard the rush of wind in her ears.
Amidst the sound of stretching fascia and expanding bones, a massive black shadow suddenly unfurled, enveloping her from the side.
She turned her head in surprise.
Kai had slightly undone his cloak. The heavy fur slid back, revealing broad, muscular shoulders and arms that swelled like mountain ridges, along with a pair of wings slowly spreading behind him.
The pitch-black membranous wings were like a vast night sky. Vigorous sinews and bones supported a silhouette full of power, and sturdy, sharp bone spurs sliced through the air, letting out a chilling whistle.
He was already tall, and his wingspan was astonishingly large. She estimated it to be perhaps five or six meters long, maybe even more—
The next second, Su Cheng was gently wrapped in the spread black wings.
The moment the black wings folded around her, the world became narrow and dim. The inside of the wings was slightly warmer than she had imagined, and the tightly packed, neat scales looked like some kind of exquisite craft.
Beneath the exoskeleton, there seemed to be a layer of fine down, which was now lightly brushing against her cheeks and eyelids.
Her eyelashes couldn't help but flutter.
"Let's fly there."
Kai's deep, powerful voice rang in her ear, his tone still remarkably gentle.
He leaned down, extended his arms, and then pulled them in, gathering the slender girl into his embrace.
With the familiar sensation of lifting into the air, Su Cheng relaxed and leaned back, nestling into the man's arms.
Her back was pressed tightly against his half-bare, muscular chest, and her tailbone rested against his well-defined abdominal muscles.
Her hair was pressed between their bodies, with a few strands catching on his leather straps and tangling in the metal buckles.
"...Hiss."
Su Cheng drew a soft breath and tilted her head, trying to pull her hair free.
"Sorry."
Kai said softly. He raised a hand to help her extract those few strands of fine black hair. His movements were so light and careful, as if he were afraid of breaking even a single one.
Through the thin fabric on her shoulder, the man's gloved, long fingers brushed against her shoulder blades.
For no reason, Su Cheng felt a slight tickle.
She zoned out for a few seconds, perhaps longer, and was then jolted awake by the sound of flapping wings. Violent air currents rushed at her face, followed by a sense of weightlessness.
Wind mages were most familiar with this feeling, not to mention she had traveled long distances riding flying magical beasts, so she didn't feel much discomfort now.
But it was still too fast.
With a light flap of those massive black wings, the two of them almost shot into the clouds. The rapidly receding ground turned into an abstract oil painting.
The fierce high-altitude winds whipped up her hair, and her back rubbed even more closely against the man's chest.
The leather straps pressed against her spine, and her tailbone could even feel the contraction of his core muscles. Beneath every inch of taut skin, there seemed to be a wellspring of power.
Su Cheng: "Have you always been able to fly?"
Her voice was torn to shreds by the strong wind, yet the other person clearly heard it.
"Yes," he nodded. "It's just... I always felt there was never really an urgent time, so there was no need to."
Su Cheng couldn't help but look sideways at him. "So we're in a hurry? What happens if we're late? Oh my god, then I shouldn't have delayed earlier—"
"No," Kai said helplessly. "Nothing will happen if we're a little late. I just didn't want it to affect your return to school for classes."
Su Cheng: "..."
Everyone knew that a protagonist's fortuitous encounters all happened during adventures; a single one could be worth decades or centuries of hard training for anyone else.
Su Cheng: "...That's not very important."
Kai thought for a moment. "I also think human schools have limited things to teach you, but you seem to be enjoying it quite a bit, so I didn't want to—"
"You didn't," Su Cheng interrupted him. "I'm also enjoying this right now."
After saying that, she felt it sounded a bit strange. "I mean... this is very novel, and I also, um, really like spending time with you."
Oh my god.
That sounded even weirder.
As her words fell, before she could even silently roast herself, a low chuckle came from above her head.
"I know," the man behind her said, "and so do I."
Su Cheng suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
She didn't want to say anything more; she just reached out to wrap her arm around his neck, quietly and relaxedly leaning into his embrace.
This journey didn't last too long. Perhaps after ten minutes or so, as they crossed over a snow-capped mountain with pale peaks, Kai lowered their altitude.
Holding her, he dived into the foothills.
On a slope heavy with tree shadows, a long, vertical black-purple halo floated in mid-air. The surrounding space twisted inward, as if a vortex existed within it.
Before Su Cheng even had time to see it clearly, she was carried headlong into it.
The entire world seemed to begin losing its color.
The surrounding air became thin and cold, carrying a lingering smell of rust.
She straightened up slightly from Kai's embrace and first saw a dim, hazy gray sky. Countless black fissures swirled above, like a swarm of writhing worms.
The surrounding trees were bare and scorched black, their bark resembling charred scales. Their crooked branches pointed toward the sky, looking from a distance like countless claws trying to struggle and climb.
Not a hint of green could be seen on the ground. In the crevices of the rocks clung dark vegetation that closely resembled moss; stepping on it would cause a black, oily slime to ooze out.
Su Cheng: "...This stuff on the ground isn't poisonous, is it?"
Kai looked down at his feet. "It is, but it doesn't matter. Look ahead—"
He leaped up lightly, passing through a narrow rift valley that looked as if it had been cleaved open, and the view ahead suddenly cleared.
It was a rugged, uneven valley. Leaden-gray clouds hung low, draping down like a heavy curtain, and sharp, knife-like peaks rose and fell in a jagged line.
The ground was still piled with rubble, and toxic moss clung to the gaps between the stones.
"This is the Canyon of Lament."
He lifted his sharply contoured jawline, gesturing for the girl in his arms to look forward.
Su Cheng saw a graveyard.
Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of massive skeletons were scattered across every corner of the valley.
Most of them had been stained a grayish-white by time and some unknown power, their surfaces covered with dark moss and bizarre crystals.
A pile of massive ribs, curved like crescent moons, lay on the open ground ahead of them, resembling a series of arches leading to purgatory.
Coiled among the daunting bones were withered, weathered vines.
They seemed dead as well, yet still clung tightly to the remains, looking at first glance like a pile of shriveled intestines.
A little further away, a skull two or three meters high was half-buried in the rubble, revealing hollow eye sockets, its broken jawbone lying nearby.
...These are all dragons. Su Cheng said softly, What happened?
She suddenly remembered what she had heard at the auction. The host seemed to have said that the ruler of the dragons had fallen while fighting against the evil gods of the Void Outlands.
War, Kai said in a low voice, It is not much different from the stories of humans.
Really? Su Cheng looked up. I am someone who has taken history classes now. No matter how you look at it, humans slaughter each other a bit more.
He paused for a moment, then chuckled. That is true... but the dragons are actually about the same.
Kai did not rush their journey, instead carrying her in his arms as he walked at a leisurely pace.
Su Cheng had wanted to get down, but then she remembered the commander mentioning earlier that the moss was poisonous—perhaps someone with dragon blood was immune?
No wonder he was still carrying her.
So she comfortably nestled into the man's solid embrace. So what exactly happened?
The dragons you see now...
Kai thought for a moment. Most of them died killing each other. They were just ordinary dragons, instinctively submitting to the Ancient Dragons and following their orders. So, if a disagreement arose between the Ancient Dragons, it would spark this kind of war. However, I cannot describe the exact scenes, since I was not there.
For some reason, Su Cheng felt a slight urge to laugh.
Even though this was supposed to be a serious topic and setting.
But his tone was very relaxed, and his expression showed no heaviness or sorrow.
Of course, thinking about it carefully, if he was a dragonborn, he was merely a creature with dragon blood, which was not the same as being a true dragon.
Some dragonborn considered themselves dragons, some desperately wanted to become dragons, and some could just watch a tragedy unfold with the mindset of enjoying a joke.
Based on her understanding of Mr. Commander, this man was very considerate to the companions around him, but he did not seem to have much sympathy for those who were irrelevant.
Naturally, Su Cheng appreciated this trait; otherwise, their interactions might have become troublesome.
...How did you get in?
People all know there are unstable rifts in the western wasteland, but in fact, this kind of thing has always appeared across the northern and southern continents—rifts that do not have fixed locations and do not last long.
Kai paused. I have always been able to sense their presence, it is just... only now can I clearly distinguish some of the differences between them, like exactly where they connect to. The auras are different.
This topic was way beyond her understanding.
Su Cheng looked at him silently for a few seconds. Did those bones give you that?
It is related to that, but you cannot exactly say it like that, he paused, lifting the person in his arms a little higher. So I must thank you again.
Su Cheng wanted to say that he really did not need to say it so many times.
However, their distance was now even closer.
Amidst the mountain of accumulated bones, in the dead and desolate ruins, within the remnants left by a war thousands of years ago—
She did not hurry to observe those rare sights or search for any valuable items.
Instead, she could not help but look at the person in front of her.
That exquisitely handsome face was now close at hand.
His dark curly hair was slightly tousled by the wind, making him look even more untamed and wild.
Yet his eyes were very gentle, like some kind of tamed large beast, all its danger temporarily hidden out of obedience to its master.
You are... you are welcome...
Su Cheng spoke with some difficulty, You once said you lost a part of your memory. You knew who you were, but you forgot the details of certain experiences. Have you gotten them back now?
More or less, Kai gave a slight nod. I always knew I fell asleep, and it was a rather long period of time. I also generally knew what happened before that.
Hmm?
There were two people. They defeated me, and I fell into a deep sleep.
He thought for a moment. Now I remember who they are.
Su Cheng's eyes widened. Are you going to seek revenge against them? Where are these two now? Wait, are they even still alive? Why did they attack you?
They— Kai sighed. Their current state probably would not be considered alive. Back then, they wanted to get something from me.
Oh, Su Cheng curled her lips. I thought it was a duel of honor, but that would have been one-on-one.
Kai chuckled lightly, looking as if he harbored little resentment, as if talking about someone else's business. They had to gang up on me to win.
...Were they friends?
Back then, they were probably just temporary collaborators. Now, they seem to share a blood feud, completely irreconcilable.
