Quang! Clang! Clang!

Loud noises erupted one after another in front of a translucent shield.

Shaik repeatedly struck the barrier, made of the toughest mineral, until cracks appeared on his sword.

The blue dragon watched the scene dumbfoundedly and murmured in disbelief.

“That guy… is he crazy?”

The young blue figure, without any expression, kept pounding down the transparent barrier.

The audacity of the guy who dared to request to be taken to the sanctuary and ended up here was beyond comprehension.

Among the three barriers, the last barrier pushed out those who weren’t dragons.

Even the dragons couldn’t force members of other species into that barrier.

Well, of course, if one entered through unofficial routes, species other than dragons could also enter.

However, such places where it was possible were scarce in this world.

So, the only way for a human with the aura of that fairy to enter the sanctuary was through here.

‘But this place is not easy to pass through. It’s not a place anyone can go just because they want to.’

But… even if you fly or crawl as much as you want, you won’t be able to enter the sanctuary.

That’s why he was brought here to show.

Yet, that guy claims he will break through that barrier.

His palm was already torn.

Even the tough sword had cracks, so how could his arm and bones endure?

“That guy might end up dead.”

The blue dragon, who was absent-mindedly looking at him, shook his head with a worried expression.

The reason he brought him here was because he seemed to know who that guy was.

‘He’s the one that Drea likes, right?’

The blue dragon was one of Drea’s five uncles.

When Drea was young and invaded the sanctuary, he was the one who teased that child and caused a fuss.

‘Drea said she won’t come to the sanctuary even if she dies, but she hasn’t left the sanctuary for over a month, and it seems to be because of that guy…’

When she first entered the sanctuary, the naive uncles teased Drea, saying, ‘Wow, Drea, you’ve grown quite bold.”’

But as time passed, they realized that Drea was deeply hurt, and they stopped teasing her.

‘But his face doesn’t look like someone who received Drea’s affection… If anything, he seems to be on bad terms with her.’

If only he looked affectionate.

“Hmm…”

The blue dragon, who had been observing, entered the sanctuary.

“Who’s there?”

“A handsome guy with black hair.”

Upon hearing the words of his blue-haired uncle, Kenok, Drea dropped the corn she was holding.

Drea mumbled in disbelief.

“Lies…”

“It’s true. Right now, we are competing to see if the third barrier will be broken or if that guy’s hand will be severed.”

“Yes?”

Drea opened her eyes wide and looked at Deme.

Deme nodded as if confirming something.

Since Demetri’s oath was embedded in the sanctuary’s barrier, she could feel its power whenever someone tried to pass through it.

Of course, the force attempting to break the barrier was the same.

“Why don’t you go?”

Deme lightly tapped Drea’s shoulder.

Drea, who had been stubbornly glaring at some point in the empty space where the barrier continued, turned her head with a defiant expression.

“I’m not going. I’ve decided not to see him for a while. And why would Shaik come looking for me? I’m probably the most annoying presence to him.”

Drea’s voice sounded sullen as she puffed up her cheeks unevenly.

She fiddled with a ripe corn cob but couldn’t enjoy it as much as before.

Ah, now that she’s finally getting used to being apart… Now she has less time to think about Shaik as soon as she wakes up…

Now, when she finally lies down to sleep, tears don’t well up at the thought of Shaik…

Now, finally, now.

“…I’m not going. I don’t want to see him. If I do, I’ll just get shaken up again. Shaik is so handsome. Whenever I see his face, my heart weakens like a fool.”

Understanding herself very well, Drea muttered weakly, dropping corn kernels one by one.

Kenok, the blue dragon, who was quietly observing her, shrugged his shoulders.“Then I’ll tell that to him. Drea doesn’t want to see you.”

“…”

When Drea looked up in surprise, Kenok appeared to smirk wickedly.

See, so you care? That was the expression on his face.

Drea puffed up her cheeks and turned her face away.

“Do as you please.”

“Oh, really? Alright then. I’ll pass on the message.”

Kenok chuckled and spread his wings, swiftly flying away.

Drea tried her best not to look at where Kenok flew off to.

* * *

“Drea doesn’t want to see you.”

The blue dragon, who had suddenly stepped out of the barrier, mentioned Drea’s name.

It had been a while since he heard news about Drea, but it wasn’t the response he had hoped for.

“…I see.”

“What will you do? Go back and wait for her?”

“No… I have to go and find her.”

Shaik adjusted the grip on his sword handle with a hesitant hand.

‘…This feels like it’s going to break. Should I use the sword I borrowed from my mother? But… I can’t afford to break that either.’

His shoulders twitched, but he hardly felt any pain.

The only regret was that his grip on the handle kept slipping due to the blood from his torn palm.

Shaik roughly wrapped the sword handle with the bandage he had brought.

The tightly grasped sword rose again into the air.

He infused even stronger energy into the sword than before.

He had to break the barrier before the sword broke…

Bam! Clang! Bam! Bam!

“Hey, you! If you keep going like this, you’ll break before the barrier does!”

Despite the nagging blue dragon’s words, Shaik silently struck down with his sword.

His head was dizzy from several sleepless nights, and his empty stomach felt nauseous.

But once he passed through here, he knew that all this painful process would come to an end, so he couldn’t let go.

‘Drea.’

Everything was dull.

Even the ‘Black Dragon’ who had brought him here seemed to have faded from his mind.

‘Drea.’

The little one who used to be the first thing he saw in the morning was no longer there.

The one who laughed with ice cream in her mouth was no longer there.

He couldn’t even feel the gaze that used to steal glances at him.

When he let his guard down, he no longer felt that touch on his fingertips.

His chest tightened.

‘…It’s not fun.’

Life wasn’t enjoyable.

He didn’t know why he had to eat or why he had to get up.

The Black Dragon? What was that nonsense?

The world would continue to function fine even without him, but without Drea, Shaik couldn’t taste the sweetness of life.

As it turned out, Shaik’s world was filled with Drea’s colors.

That little white dragon had painted Shaik’s world with various hues.

‘And now you want to leave me? Now you’re telling me I was wrong and abandoning me?’

Shaik’s face contorted miserably.

‘…You should have scolded me earlier. You should have left me earlier. It was you who accepted me, whether I was angry or annoyed. It was you who made me into a fool who can’t feel anything without you, Drea.’

He tried to blame Drea in his choked-up heart, but in the end, only one phrase came to mind.

In the end, there was only one thing that surfaced in his thoughts.

I’m sorry.

I was wrong.I’m sorry for not treasuring you more.

I’m sorry.

…So please come back.

“…Come back, Drea.”

Please.

Clang!!!

With a powerful strike, the sword finally shattered.

Due to the recoil from the forceful strike, sharp fragments exploded in all directions, and his hand was mangled like a rag.

Pik! Pheeek!

A few broken pieces of the sword grazed Shaik’s cheek and near his eye, but he didn’t even blink.

Despite the sensation of his injured body twisting, there was no exhilaration.

“Hey! Are you insane?!”

Startled, Kenok flinched and stepped back.

He thought Shaik would give up once the sword broke, but that crazy guy with the pretty face summoned a new sword.

His body staggered as if it had suffered significant internal injuries.

Even the cold sweat on his smooth forehead looked far from normal.

Kenok’s eyes widened to the point of popping out.

“Hu, huhu… that crazy bastard knows how to go crazy in style.”

Even the barrier shook every time he struck.

At this rate, whether the barrier broke or he died, it seemed like one of them would meet their end.

Kwaang.

Shaik struck with his sword again.

His head briefly spun from the force pushing against him, but he was still fine.

He had only been striking for half a day.

‘Until tomorrow… somehow…’

And if that didn’t work, he would have to come back and try again.

Shaik steadied his dizzy vision and tightened his grip on the sword.

His palm throbbed, and his shoulders twitched.

Just one more strike, and then he would need to drink a potion.

At that moment, someone urgently burst out from outside the barrier and shouted.

“Shaik! Are you insane?”

A resonant and clear voice.

Pause.

Shaik’s sword halted.

Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head towards Drea.

Sweat dripped down from his forehead, and droplets of blood fell from his tightly gripped hand.

“You… you…”

Drea, at a loss for words at Shaik’s appearance, pursed her lips and froze.

In just a month of not seeing each other, Shaik’s condition was beyond words.

“What… why are you such a mess? Did a war break out while I was gone or something…?”

Drea’s heart sank as she observed Shaik, who had become unrecognizable.

“Drea…”

“You… wha-what happened to you?”

She had planned to calmly tell Shaik to stop and go back while she was at it, and perhaps ask him to break the imprint.

But all the prepared words vanished.

Drea approached Shaik with determined steps as if she were about to run.

“Drea…”

Clang-

Shaik dropped his sword.

“Shaik, are you insane? What happened to your hands…”

Then, he reached out his arms towards Drea, who had come so close.

His body, wobbling and bending as if about to collapse, awkwardly pulled Drea into a tight embrace.

Startled, Drea’s body stiffened.

What is happening now? What… why is he doing this…

While Drea stood frozen, Shaik rubbed his cheek deeply into her hair and murmured in a voice filled with released tension.

“I found you.”

…My Drea.