The soul-deep sense of being watched and the faint warning gradually faded away, but Melita and Noreta did not fully recover until several minutes later. At that moment, even mighty dragons could recognize one fact with absolute clarity: though dragons were regarded by mortals as the rulers of the skies, lofty supernatural creatures from legends, in essence, dragons... were merely a mortal "human" race.
"Was that... a direct warning from a god..." Noreta said, her face looking terrible as she bit her lip and frowned. "It felt different from soul punishment, but it was just as awful..."
"That was only the mildest form of 'reminder,'" the Speaker's voice came from the Mind Throne, sounding as though it had aged even further. "Children, you would not want to face a god's true 'warning.'"
After several seconds of silence and hesitation, Melita could not help speaking up. "...What exactly was that signal? Why were we not supposed to hear it?"
Speaker Andal gave the young blue dragon a deep look.
Melita was one of the more outstanding and bolder members of the younger generation. Her many years of activity in the human world had cultivated a personality unlike that of most dragons, allowing her to ask one more question even in circumstances like these.
Yet the dragon race needed young dragons like her.
"In this world, every race has only one chance to raise its head and look upon the stars," the aged Speaker said in a low, solemn voice, lowering his head to look at the two young dragons. "Miss it, and it is gone forever."
Heragol lowered his head respectfully and humbly. The Dragon Priest, who wore the appearance of a middle-aged man, stood beside the golden-haired god, his lips pressed tightly together as though he did not dare