Olivia (V)

The Iron Dragon Wing Palace is always so quiet at night. As this is the dwelling place of the Red Dragon, almost no mortal dares to approach it. Even the most loyal servants only dare to wander around the perimeter.

In this silence, the Silver Dragon could clearly hear its own faint breathing.

Only the soft moonlight poured down, flowing into her blue-gray pupils, and making her smooth scales reflect a silvery glimmer.

For countless days and nights, Olivia felt as if she were in a semi-conscious state. She was almost in despair, but her remaining indomitable will sustained her and prevented her from giving in.

She didn't know when she would succumb to the shackles of fate.

But not now, at least not yet.

Olivia thought this countless times.

"Hmm"

Silver Dragon struggled to turn her head, loosening the stiff bones caused by lying on her side for so long. The shimmering magical chains mercilessly burned her skin, but she could grit her teeth and endure the pain, and had even grown quite used to it.

The rustling sound came from a distance, which surprised Olivia, as it was unusual.

"Could it be the guards delivering food?"

"No, it's midnight now, obviously not the right time."

Olivia thought to herself.

The slight noise continued down the long corridor leading to the hall.

Under the Silver Dragon's astonished gaze, a blurry shadow appeared at the end of the corridor; it seemed to be a figure shrouded in mist.

As the figure drew closer, she finally saw its true face—

All that could be seen were short black hair, gleaming Golden Vertical Pupils, a handsome young face, a noble robe trimmed with gold, and faintly visible pale golden scales. At this moment, he was strode towards his bound Silver Dragon dragon.

"How is that possible?"

Olivia could hardly believe her eyes.

Wasn't that Angel, the Golden Dragon Anher who had appeared in her dreams countless days and nights and gave her his dying words? At that moment, a jumble of thoughts flooded her mind.

Olivia was genuinely happy that the other person was alive, but she also had many questions in her mind: why was she trapped here after following the guidance, and why had he never appeared before?

Could it be that Anher in front of me is also an imposter?

Was it all just a conspiracy by the Red Dragon?

Olivia's eyes first showed surprise, then tension and confusion, and finally a complex mix of emotions, as if a thousand words were stuck in her throat, yet she couldn't say them.

Unexpectedly, the other party spoke first, breaking the brief silence.

"I'm sorry, Olivia."

His tone was low, and his golden eyes were filled with guilt.

Almost the instant she opened her mouth, Olivia was certain that the other person was the real Anher, and felt a great sense of relief.

When she was with the Golden Dragon, the Silver Dragon could always feel the other's personal charm and even her own emotions were affected by it. That feeling was genuine. However, she did not know that this was because of the literal meaning of "extraordinary charm".

She was overjoyed, as if she had found her last refuge.

After a brief moment of peace, Olivia finally lost her composure and felt incredibly wronged by what she had experienced over the past few days.

Suddenly, tears welled up in her blue-gray eyes and poured down her cheeks like overflowing autumn water. With a sob in her voice, she voiced the question that had been brewing for so long.

Where have you been all this time?

"Why did that Red Dragon say you were dead?"

"Why am I trapped here by him? I came here following your guidance."

"But why..."

Perhaps due to her overwhelming emotions, Olivia was even somewhat incoherent.

Anher, or rather Keosius, let out a deep sigh.

"Four years ago, this palace was not yet built, and this place was just a desolate open space. I found the only way to defeat this Red Dragon, which is this so-called Dragon Binding Array. It can bind dragons whose life level is below that of ancient dragons, preventing them from escaping for eternity."

"So I set up a magic array here, but fearing that the operation would fail, I left a final message."

He stared at the Silver Dragon, his tone growing increasingly heavy.

"But the cunning and power of that ' Embers of the Burned King ' far exceeded my imagination. He saw through my plan and cruelly killed all my followers and the righteous men who came with me."

"I should have perished in this battle as well, but thanks to the blessing of the Ancient Gold Dragon Paralandask, I was able to enter a semi-ethereal state, rendering the Red Dragon powerless against me, which allowed me to survive by sheer luck."

"But in this state, it's difficult for me to interfere with the Material Plane, so I can only appear in front of you in this form. That Red Dragon couldn't do anything to me, but it used the magic circle I left behind as a trap to lure you here, and it also used that strange domain ability to isolate my influence. Fortunately, its power eventually weakened, and I was able to come to you."

"I'm sorry that my reckless behavior has implicated you."

Anher once again sincerely apologized.

Olivia didn't blame him; she simply accepted it all silently, meeting his gaze. She thought of the palpitations she felt when she first entered the palace—perhaps that was his warning, one she hadn't noticed.

At least for now, both he and Anher are still alive, having narrowly escaped the clutches of that terrifying Red Dragon; this is already a remarkable outcome.

After a long pause, Olivia spoke softly.

"Anher, what should I do now?"

There was a hint of confusion in her eyes, but it was much better than her previous despair. At least Anher's appearance gave her a last straw.

"Olivia, my strength is insufficient to Contend Against this Red Dragon right now; he is far too powerful. Perhaps... I need more resources."

"Money, Spell Scroll, and even aid from other Metallic Dragon..."

"But no matter what, even if it costs me everything and all my treasures, I will rescue you from here. This is my promise to you."

These words sounded especially sincere to Olivia.

Anher stepped forward, seemingly stroking the Silver Dragon's long neck. But this was merely an illusion; Olivia did not feel any actual touch.

For some reason, she did not reject this "intimate contact" that transgressed the etiquette of Metallic Dragon. On the contrary, she felt a great sense of peace and a certain heartfelt satisfaction. This promise was considered romantic in the dragon's ears.

"The Scale of Promise."

Suddenly, Olivia recalled the epic tale told by the elders of her tribe when she was still Wyrmling, a story that had been passed down to this day. She remembered the Silver Dragon in the story who waited at the cave entrance for a thousand years for his mate, engraving his promise on the scales on his chest, and his unwavering commitment until he became an ancient dragon. She thought of those experiences that moved her deeply.

Courtship among Silver Dragon is always a civilized and elegant affair, and many Silver Dragon remain together for life.

So Olivia also chose to believe without hesitation, pouring out everything she knew and possessed to "Anher," hoping that he would rescue her someday...

Perhaps to appease her feelings, Anher stayed in the palace for a long time.

They discussed poetry, anecdotes from across the continent, and exchanged knowledge about magic. Because Olivia possessed far greater magical knowledge, Anher even jokingly called her "teacher," which eased Olivia's tension considerably.

When the palace returned to silence, the Silver Dragon was still firmly bound to the ground, but the despair and confusion in its blue-gray eyes were gone, replaced by gentleness and determination.