Dragonfall

"Finally, that girl is gone, Leon."

I muttered to myself, staring out at the horizon:

"Was she your sister? Or just someone you know? She does look a little like you… maybe just in the way she talks or her hair color."

I said it out loud as tongues of flame rose behind us. Leon answered in a calm tone, the wind whipping through the battle's embers:

"That's none of your business, Frida. Whether I know her or not—what's the difference? Do you really think it matters?"

The place was empty of people, but rubble and debris filled every corner, and distant screams echoed as survivors fled as best they could. I smiled at him and said,

"Alright, fair as always, my dear little friend."

I tugged at the hem of my rough, short military skirt, my heavy leather boots doing the rest. Then I sprang forward, leaping at the chest of the colossal dragon roaring in the distance. My strike barely left a scratch on its hide, but it was enough to make me grin.

"So that's an S+–ranked beast? Impressive… this is getting exciting."

Yes, I was reckless, but I charged with every ounce of speed I had. I knew I couldn't match a creature of that tier, but I refused to back down. Its body was hot, gleaming white, quick on its feet, adept at dodging… but its size worked against it. Its hardest trait was its unyielding scales.

My attacks failed, and I was almost swallowed… until, by some miracle, I broke free and tumbled onto a crumbling old building before its wave of fiery breath engulfed me. I almost died… if Leon hadn't intervened.

I was trying to show off for him, prove how strong—and sexy—I was in combat. But he, as always, was icy… emotionless. He said cautiously,

"Don't act recklessly. Don't give it any openings. It's smart—a clever dragon—and I don't trust it. So let's try to keep it at bay as much as possible. I'll take care of healing the nearby hunters."

I shot back a defiant smile:

"Instead of keeping it away… we could kill it."

I flipped my hair at him with swagger and charged toward the arrogant flying dragon. Leon was probably behind me, casting a powerful spell to heal the wounded. As for me, I chose my fate…

Maybe—just maybe—I could bring that dragon down… or at least make it taste the worst kind of pain. I unleashed my skill:

"Protection of the Fire Goddess, Berf the Great."

I advanced, my sword gleaming amid the flames, dancing as it tore at its tough hide… without leaving a mark. The dragon soared high, leveling everything below, then returned to strike fiercely. But I… smiled. I activated my next skill:

"Flaming Rift Blade."

My sword blazed with noble pink fire. Its intense heat melted ceramics, shattered concrete, and turned the ground into flowing lava and boiling stones.

I struck the massive dragon, toppling several houses, but it quickly got back up. Its attacks were like hurricanes, and its huge jaw almost crushed and swallowed me. I blocked its strike with my sword, bracing it against its upper jaw. It soared high, beyond the reach of my blows, shining with a choking gray-white light.

I saw runic carvings on its body and wondered, "Spells? Are they healing it, or are they the source of its power?" I thought to myself, suspecting there was a tamer controlling it. The realization made my heart pound… but the dragon decided to return. And that… was bad.

I had already spent a lot of mana. Even though my core produces it in abundance, I began to doubt whether it would be enough. I chose to fall back and dodge, hopping from roof to roof. Everything my boots touched was crushed and destroyed the moment I left.

It flew close beside me, and I almost felt its belly ignite a new blast of fire… But before it could, a shot faster than sound tore through the air. It struck the dragon and triggered a violent explosion, shattering several buildings.

"Damn…" I whispered, knowing exactly who fired that shot. It had to be The Big Gun Boy—a hunter from a guild rival to mine. A stubborn old man, master of long‑range sniping, who always keeps his distance. I admired his accuracy… and cursed it at the same time.

He didn't come to save us; he was most likely planning to harvest the dragon's core for himself. But I didn't care. I let him keep firing heavy rounds to distract the dragon, then slipped off in another direction…

A dragon this size? In the heart of The Platinum Keystone? With zero warning? This city has a powerful external defense system… It doesn't make sense.

I trusted my instincts and activated my "Comprehensive Scan" skill across the entire area. It was easy… the energy was agitated and mana threads overflowed. I traced them until I found the source… There she stood, and I raised my sword to her face.

Yes… her. The one controlling the dragon. I hadn't expected her to be this close. I said in a firm tone, my blade glowing with heat, "You're the one controlling it, aren't you? I didn't think you'd be this close."

She was tall, slender, well‑proportioned, trembling with fear… I think I saw tears streaming down her face… drop by drop.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, and then over and over: "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

I wondered inwardly, "What's wrong with her?" Something felt off… I sensed it behind me… Leon. He'd arrived. He murmured softly as he looked at her, "So… we finally found her. She's the cause of all this chaos, and she's the dragon tamer. No doubt about it."

I gave him a slight, triumphant smile: "I figured that out before you." And then I thought to myself: Does that make him jealous? Does he see me differently now? I forced myself to contain my excitement… and lifted my sword steadily.

The bent girl replied, tears falling silently from her trembling eyes:

"I never meant for all this destruction… I'm sorry. My dragon… it's only just hatched from its egg. It's young, and it hasn't seen the sky in centuries—no one can blame him…"

She spoke as if justifying herself, a hint of disgust in her voice. I stepped toward her, anger leading my every footstep, my sword pressed to her throat without drawing blood, and I growled,

"How dare you say that?! You caused this devastation… you've taken thousands of lives, and then you apologize with pathetic words?!"

Leon stood back in silence, watching without intervening… until we were engulfed by harsh red flames and an angry voice shook the air:

"Stay away from my sister! Don't touch her, don't scare her, you monsters!"

The other girl appeared—the crying girl's sister—who looked a lot like her but was tougher, with striking features: pale skin and gray hair. She was resolute, and the flames she unleashed could have killed us all… if Leon hadn't cast that blessed protection spell to save us, though it tore at our clothes.

The second sister's voice was threatening:

"You weak humans… how dare you make her cry? That's my right alone! You will all die… you and this entire city."

She was serious—her intent clearer than her words. The crying sister summoned the dragon again, and this time… it looked angrier than ever. She ordered it to attack—and it did.

Leon and I retreated fast. I parried its blows with my sword, while Leon hurled golden light spells that pierced its scales and left new wounds. Then we heard hunters' voices in the distance—explosions, bombs, spells—a coordinated attack. They were all those Leon had healed earlier.

I smiled inwardly:

"That's my man for you."

I unleashed my skill at full power: "Flaming Rift Blade." I synchronized with Leon… I told myself,

"Frida, you've got this!"

We both stood firm as the sacred fire's glow filled the sky and the ground shook beneath us. The dragon blocked the strike… but couldn't withstand it. The light's force tore through it, and it crashed to the earth… a massive corpse, exhausted and unable to fly. We knew then… it was truly dead.

Hunters' cheers rose up: "It's down!" "We did it!" But Leon didn't stop. He approached the two sisters, and I followed. Tears still streamed down the first sister's face, while the second stood her ground before Leon and said coldly,

"We found it…," then turned to her sister, "Hurry… stop crying… and bring it back."

I thought, "Bring it back? What does she mean by that?!" I didn't understand—until I saw the crying sister do something. From afar, flames suddenly erupted around the dragon's body. They blazed up instantly and consumed it in seconds.

We didn't know what was happening until Leon screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Get awayyyyy!!"

But it was too late. The explosion shook everything, wiped out every nearby structure. Many died… incinerated with the flames. Others survived by a miracle. Then… from the ashes… the dragon rose again. Completely unharmed. Not a scratch, not a wound—like nothing had ever happened.

That haughty sister spoke in a cold voice, her eyes knowing exactly what she'd done:

"It's time… we've found it at last. That knight… he won't get away this time, and he won't escape if he wants to live."

I didn't know who she meant… but I was sure of one thing: things had just gotten a whole lot worse.