A high-pitched dragon roar echoed across heaven and earth, thick with inexplicable sorrow. The golden Giant Dragon spread its wings, blotting out the sun.
As if answering its rage and grief, thick clouds swallowed the sky. Light dimmed like dust-covered glass. Trees snapped under the crushing pressure of its Dragon Aura, snow erupting in its wake. Even the fiercest beasts and dreaded monsters cowered on the ground, trembling.
Below in the canyon, the golden glow faded. White mist crept back, swallowing the faint light. Darkness deepened fast. The dim glow filtering through the thick fog turned the depths pitch-black.
The stone passage jutting from the cliff face had shattered in the dragon’s gale. Only the far end collapsed—luckily not where the girls stood. But their section crumbled slowly.
Chilus stumbled as she ran, nearly falling. Quick-eyed Rena grabbed her hand just in time.
"Careful! Hold my hand, don’t look down. Nothing to fear! I’ll get you home, Chilus. Trust me!" Rena shouted.
"Okay," Chilus whispered, shaken. She matched Rena’s frantic pace. Suddenly, a crack split the path ahead, widening fast.
"Watch out!"
Rena’s face twisted with panic. She calculated: if she jumped now, she could clear the gap. But Chilus—always buried in books at home—lacked her springy legs.
Two choices flashed: abandon her friend or risk death together. Yet no choice existed for Rena. Only guilt for dragging Chilus here, and the fierce need to save her.
"We’ll make it—" she thought. But the path shattered beneath them. Weightlessness seized them as they plummeted.
"Ahhh!" Chilus cried. Her vision spun—smooth stone walls, then clear water far below. A fall from this height meant certain death.
"Mom… Dad…" Her mind went blank. Then a hand yanked her up. Through tear-blurred eyes, she saw Rena braced against the cliff, one hand gripping her, the other clutching a rope. In that instant, Rena’s restless energy saved them—she’d thrown a climbing hook from her winter coat, anchoring it above.
Chilus couldn’t see Rena’s face through tears, but felt her trembling arm. She knew she was dead weight. "Rena… I don’t want to die. Save me," she begged softly.
"Don’t worry. I’ve got you," Rena gasped, sweat beading on her forehead as she strained.
Seconds crawled by. Chilus’s arm felt ready to snap, her face pale with terror. Rena tried climbing several times—each attempt failed.
"What do we do?" Chilus whimpered. Rena forced calm into her voice, but exhaustion creased her brow. Chilus saw it. She regretted ignoring her father’s advice to learn self-defense.
Regret was useless now. Her muscles burned. Her fingers slipped. Fear and despair swallowed her whole.
"Chilus… remember our first meeting?" Rena smiled gently, asking the unexpected.
Chilus blinked, nodding dumbly.
"Good." Rena nudged her with her chin. "My left pocket—a Scroll. A small Spatial Magic teleport. Take it. We can escape."
Like dawn breaking through a frozen night, hope flooded Chilus. She blinked in disbelief.
"I wanted to save it… Dad’ll scold me if he knows I used it. He bought it ’cause I wander too much. But… better not waste it now," Rena added sheepishly, sticking out her tongue.
"You’re awful! I thought I was going to die!" Chilus scolded, relief washing over her. Rena just grinned.
Hope reignited Chilus’s spirit. She stopped sliding, reached up, and fumbled in Rena’s pocket. Her fingers closed on a cylinder—the Scroll. A smile broke through her fear.
"How do I use it?" she asked urgently, staring up.
"See the cord-knot in the center? Pull it. The magic activates," Rena said softly. Her eyes held cotton-soft warmth, but behind it loomed storm clouds.
Chilus missed the shadow. Joy filled her as she found the knot. Just as she tugged—
"Wait—"
"What?" Chilus looked up. Rena’s gaze held a light she’d never seen—like etching Chilus into her soul.
"Nothing." Rena shook her head slowly, voice thin with fatigue. "Go on. Use it. Let’s go home."
"Home," Chilus murmured, uneasy but blaming exhaustion.
The Scroll’s patterns unwound. Transparent light enveloped Chilus. She felt weightless, wrapped in mystery—like flying.
But only she glowed. Rena let go.
"Rena! What’s happening?" Chilus cried. Rena turned away, forcing lightness. "It’s a single-person Magic Circle. Go. I’ll meet you topside soon."
"No! I won’t!" Chilus’s youthful defiance flared. She grabbed Rena’s wrist as it pulled back. "We go together!"
Rena’s genuine smile bloomed. "Chilus… you’ll remember me forever, right?"
"Come with me!" Chilus insisted, knowing it was impossible. Rena shook her head, yanked Chilus toward her—then did the unthinkable. She kissed Chilus’s cheek. A faint floral scent wrapped around her. The world blurred.
Chilus froze, touching the damp spot on her face. Rena smiled shyly back.
"Chilus… I always wanted to tell you—"
Light swallowed Chilus whole. Rena’s face faded, leaving only her soft smile and the whispered words: "I love you."
Solid ground hit Chilus’s feet. She felt like she’d woken from a long, strange dream. Snow crunched under her boots as she stood dazed, pinching her arm to confirm reality.
The dragon’s corpse… the strange ruins… Rena’s kiss. And—
"Rena!" Chilus scanned the snowy woods. Giant trees swayed. A massive roar shook the air—the golden Giant Dragon still circled above.
Hope sparked. If she could see it, she couldn’t be far. She sprinted through the snow, straining to hear rushing water.
Then—everything stopped. The ground heaved violently. Chilus fell, rolling onto her back. Above, the dragon opened its maw, unleashing endless energy like a storm. Heaven and earth screamed in agony.
"Avalanche!" Chilus whispered, watching tidal waves of snow crash down. Her face drained of color.
The next day, search teams from town found Chilus buried in the snow. Many others vanished that day, never to return. Among them was a girl named Rena Cliff.
