Chapter 111 ….
The moment Eve and Remart set foot in Courtney, Ezekiel opened his eyes.
‘Ah, Eve has come.’
What did he feel in that instant?
Was he grateful that the little girl had traveled all this way to grant his request?
Or was he saddened by the thought that his long life was soon to end?
Or did it feel absurd that the final moment of such a long existence would come in so futile a death?
If not that… was he lonely, knowing that in the end he would be left alone?
Ezekiel could not clearly tell what he felt, what emotion filled his heart.
He was a transcendent being who knew all the truths of the world, yet he was a fool who could not properly look into his own heart or soothe himself.
His enormous wings spread wide for a brief moment, then folded carefully again.
Ezekiel blinked.
When was the last time he had flapped his wings?
Perhaps thousands of years ago.
And he would never flap them again. Yet that fact did not make him sad.
‘It is merely sorrowful.’
That emotion did not belong to him as a transcendent being, nor as the guardian dragon and god who protected the Empire.
It was the emotion of a mother.
As the mother of a single life.
The child inside Ezekiel’s womb.
Whenever he thought of the baby who would inherit the duty he could not complete, sorrow and loneliness welled within him.
The guardian dragon knew what kind of life his hatchling would live.
He knew what fate awaited the baby dragon who had not yet even broken through its shell.
And how absurdly cruel and merciless that fate would be…
The baby dragon probably knew as well.
Though not yet born, it was still a dragon’s child.
A dragon who, from the moment of birth, would understand the laws of the universe and hear the hearts of all things.
Yet even dragons have emotions they cannot know, cannot understand, cannot accept.
‘It must be a mother’s heart.’
The heart of a mother who must place a heavy burden upon her child and depart on a distant road from which she cannot return could never be at peace.
“Astrit, did you feel this way too?”
Ezekiel let out a quiet laugh as he pictured his last friend in his mind.
Even now, when he closed his eyes, he could see clearly the small head, the brilliantly shining golden hair, the eyes that sparkled like blue jewels.
That little child had grown so quickly that Ezekiel could not keep up, met the one she loved, bore a child—
And then left the world.
To one who had lived for eons, it was but a fleeting instant, yet Astrit had been a special human to Ezekiel.
Astrit had possessed the strongest will of any human Ezekiel had ever met.
Her will was firm and her heart upright. She helped the weak and knew how to give and to care.
Ezekiel truly liked Astrit, and Astrit remained by his side as his faithful friend.
Until ‘that day.’
Recalling what had happened that day, Ezekiel sighed and curled his massive body inward.
“How could you say something like that to me?”
Astrit Ferdinand.
“Ezekiel, I don’t believe that. There is no such thing as an unchangeable fate in this world.”
It isn’t something that is decided — it’s something you create.
You don’t stop and wait — you move forward.
With those words, Astrit left Ezekiel forever.
Yet he was not sad.
Because Astrit leaving him was also part of fate.
He would never see his faithful friend again, but the world would turn according to its natural order.
If he waited just a little longer, a small child who resembled Astrit perfectly would appear…
“Excuse me…?”
He would hear her voice.
The moment Eve Rois stepped into the Ferdinand estate, it became certain. It was destined.
Everything was flowing exactly as predetermined. Fate could not be changed.
A person’s fate is something they are born with.
No matter how much one runs or avoids it, in the final moment they inevitably return to their ordained destiny.
Yet as Ezekiel faced the end of his life, he was seized by the urge to deny all of it.
If the world was a place governed by an order and providence that no power could ever change — was that not wrong?
At that moment—
From deep within the cavern, countless lights approached.
The subjugation force had reached the depths of the lair.
Praying that the heart of the “little guardian” connected to his own would not be hurt, Ezekiel carefully used his power.
A stream of blue energy rode the wind and flowed out of the cave.
“You evil dragon!”
Someone shouted.
Countless swords prepared for Ezekiel clashed together, creating a horrific metallic shriek.
Ezekiel exhaled slowly.
Now he would die, as fate dictated.
But—
“There is no fate in this world that cannot be changed, Ezekiel.”
“My child is special. This one will surely be able to change her fate. Perhaps even your heart.”
Recalling Astrit’s voice, Ezekiel smiled faintly.
‘I hope that is true, Astrit.’
You are already gone, so I cannot tell you this.
‘Your child may not have changed her fate yet, but she has certainly changed my heart.’
At the final moment, Ezekiel fervently wished that everything he had seen, heard, believed, and known until now would prove wrong.
He wished for it all to be mistaken.
He wished that a fate truly changeable by human power might exist.
“I know who you are.”
Ezekiel opened his mouth.
“But it seems you do not know me.”
His majestic voice flowed out slowly but clearly.
“I am Ezekiel.”
Blue scales flashed and gleamed.
“The only transcendent being in existence…”
In that moment—
“The Empire’s guardian dragon who protects you and safeguards this Empire.”
He thought of his faithful friend Astrit’s shining golden hair.
He wanted to see that hair one more time.
He wanted to speak with her again.
That was the final lingering attachment of the transcendent being.
“Ezekiel, there is no end in this world! There are only new beginnings!”
At that moment, Astrit’s youthful voice scattered through the air like a spring breeze.
I could hear nothing. I could see nothing.
The heart that had been pounding endlessly just moments ago had long since settled into stillness.
We had been briefly isolated.
And this power would likely not release us until everything was over.
“X, Remart, are you there?”
I carefully reached out beside me and called for them.
But no answer came back.
In the end, all I could do was wait quietly.
Close my eyes and wait for all of this to end.
Wait for the moment Ezekiel dies and the subjugation force returns with the honor of having slain the evil dragon.
Then—
“Ezekiel.”
A strange voice echoed from somewhere.
It was unfamiliar, yet at the same time strangely familiar.
I lay still in Ezekiel’s embrace and listened.
Before long, the darkness before my eyes gradually brightened.
Then a girl who appeared to be around my age appeared before me.
“You can really hear the voice?”
She had curly golden hair. Looking again, she seemed much older than me.
She peered intently into the orb and burst into laughter again.
“To be able to hear a dragon’s voice—this is amazing…!”
Her bright laughter rang out once more.
And in that moment, I realized.
This golden-haired girl was—
“Ezekiel!”
My mother, Astrit Ferdinand.
—Yes.
So this was Ezekiel’s memory.
A memory from before I was born.
