"Are you sure it's okay to bring these two little ones along?" Gawain shifted his gaze away from the two hatchlings and looked ahead at Melita again. "They're still just children..."
"The Azure Demon Mark reactions on them are an important clue, and an enormous mystery. If we don't get to the bottom of this, we'll only have more long-term worries," Melita said without looking back. Her tone was steady; she had clearly thought this matter through carefully. "Of all the hatchlings, Meli and Nore have the strongest Demon Mark reactions. After Speaker Andal and several ancient dragons familiar with the Azure Network examined them, they unanimously concluded that only by bringing them near the Tower of Reverse Tide would we have a chance to observe some clues—and determine why they become so restless toward the tower whenever their Demon Marks change..."
At that, Melita paused for several seconds and let out a sigh. "Of course, there's a certain amount of risk, but treatment carries risks too... That night, the Demon Marks on those two little ones doubled in size. Who knows what other changes they might undergo next time? Rather than sit around in ignorance and wait for things to develop, Noreta and I agreed that we should... take a little risk."
"...You two are their mothers, so naturally it's your call," Gawain said slowly after a moment of thought. "Just be extra careful. No one knows what state that tower is in now..."
A soft, low growl rumbled from Melita's throat. Then, as if sensing something, she turned her gaze into the distance. Under the dim sky, a faint glimmer of light could be seen along the coastline—the watchpost on the West Coast. Out over the vast sea surface directly ahead, a bright red orb suddenly shot into