Chapter 104
Theo was supposed to be doing well. He was supposed to be safe, resting quietly.
But instead, he was alone.
Stephanie hadn’t come back.
Her words echoed in his memory—bright, brave, and confident:
<“I’ll save everyone! Just wait here for me, Theo. Trust me, okay?”>
And of course, Theo knew the truth. Stephanie wasn’t an ordinary little girl. She was a dragon. A great and powerful one. She had the strength to save the world.
He understood that—at least in his mind.
But understanding something with your head and accepting it with your heart are two very different things.
Now that even Stephanie had left him behind, something inside Theo felt soft and weak.
He sniffled as tears ran down his cheeks.
“They all… they all left me behind…”
He whispered the words to the quiet room, his voice small and trembling.
“They left because I’m weak. Because I can’t do anything. That’s why I’m the only one who’s still here.”
His eyes were swollen from crying. He rubbed at them with the back of his hand, but the tears kept falling anyway.
The nanny sitting beside him tried her best to comfort him. She wiped his face gently.
“That’s not true, young master. Everyone’s doing what they need to do. No one meant to leave you behind. They all care about you very much.”
Theo shook his head, his voice barely audible. “I know… I just… I can’t do anything. That’s why I’m still here…”
The nanny pressed her lips together. There was no answer that could ease his sorrow right now. Logic wouldn’t help. She watched as Theo’s watery eyes stared straight at her, burning with a new determination.
“I want to help too. I want to do something, anything!”
The nanny swallowed hard. Outside, the world was on the brink of chaos. Knights from all over had gathered, and the tension of an impending war hung thick in the air. It wasn’t a place for a child.
Even the Duke and Duchess of Istheria had asked her personally to protect Theo at all costs.
“Young master… if you just wait a little longer, everyone will come back. In the meantime, why don’t we read some stories together—”
But Theo shook his head with a stubborn frown.
She barely held back a sigh. The day passed in an exhausting chaos of encouraging, distracting, and calming the boy. Eventually, Theo cried himself to sleep.
The nanny gazed down at his peaceful face. War had left a mark on this child—not just on the land or the people—but in his heart.
He was scared.
He was afraid that everyone he loved might leave him behind forever.
And even though she understood his pain, there was nothing she could do to truly take it away.
With a gentle hand, she brushed his cheek and left the room to prepare breakfast for the next day—something warm and comforting, something Theo liked.
She had just left when—
“Whoooosh!”
A small figure appeared outside the window.
Stephanie’s head peeked in.
Black wings fluttered behind her, their flapping making the window shudder. Her bright eyes sparkled with determination as she knocked softly on the glass.
“Theo!”
Her voice was a little louder this time.
Theo got up from the bed, still half-asleep. Stephanie waited patiently, knocking again and again until he slowly blinked his eyes open, blinking like a sleepy goldfish.
“Stephanie?”
He stumbled to the window and opened it.
Stephanie climbed in with a quiet giggle, her feet swinging as she sat on the windowsill.
“You’ve been crying again, haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t!”
“Sure, sure.”
She reached out and gently touched his puffy eyelids.
“They’re all swollen. Human kids are so fragile.”
“I’m not fragile! I just cried because my heart hurt!”
Stephanie tilted her head. “I don’t understand humans.”
Theo stared at her, annoyed. Did she really come all the way here just to say that?
He puffed out his cheeks, frustrated.
“You’re going to leave me again, aren’t you? You’re going to fly away and go somewhere I can’t follow.”
“…Yes.”
Stephanie nodded without hesitation.
“Humans are weak, Theo. If you came with me, you’d probably die. I don’t want that to happen.”
Her voice had turned serious. The lightness from before had vanished. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she looked away.
Theo’s eyes welled up again.
Something happened to Stephanie when she saw him like that.
She didn’t want to see him cry.
This fragile, human boy… he had made her laugh. He had shown her kindness. And for that, she wanted to protect him. She wanted to share good things with him. Just like he had shared his happiness with her.
But life didn’t always work that way.
The world was cruel. Heavy. The darkness beyond the gate reeked with foul, ancient power. She could feel it in her bones—an enemy was coming. One that couldn’t be ignored.
And only she had the strength to stop it.
She pulled Theo into a tight hug.
“Please don’t cry.”
Theo clung to her, his sobs breaking through the silence.
“I don’t like seeing you like this,” she whispered.
“Stephanie…”
With another sigh, she stood and walked to the window.
Theo watched her, his heart pounding.
“You’re leaving already?”
“No.”
And then, without warning, she leapt from the window.
Her body shifted midair, and in the blink of an eye, she transformed.
A magnificent black dragon soared upward into the night sky.
Theo ran to the window, eyes wide with wonder. The dragon circled back, locking eyes with him. Huge golden eyes that shimmered like molten sunlight.
He understood.
Even without words, he could hear her voice.
He didn’t think. He didn’t hesitate.
Theo climbed onto the windowsill and leapt.
The night wind caught him like a cradle.
His small body floated upward, rising through the darkness until it felt like he might touch the stars.
With a laugh and a shout, he clung to the dragon’s warm, scaly neck.
“Wow!”
Tears flew from his cheeks, carried away by the wind.
The dragon floated gently through the sky. Theo peeked over her shoulder.
Below them, the world stretched out—glowing with firelight.
The forest was red with warning. The northern lands, dotted with torches and camps, seemed alive.
He could see people gathered around steaming pots. Even now, the city had not slept.
“…At least it’s better now,” someone said down below. “I really thought I’d starve tonight.”
“Istheria wouldn’t abandon us. Don’t be silly.”
The people laughed as they chatted, passing bowls and bread.
Theo blinked in surprise.
He had thought everyone would be crying, just like him.
But they weren’t.
“The capital sent help,” another man said. “Seems the gods haven’t forgotten us after all.”
“Who would dare abandon us while Istheria still stands strong?”
“We got scared, that’s all. But we’ll win again. Just like always.”
Theo’s lips moved.
“…We’ll win?”
Stephanie’s voice, soft and echoing, reached him like a whisper.
[Did you think we’d lose?]
“…I don’t know,” Theo murmured, hiding his face in her scales.
[Humans are stronger than you think. They try. They fight. They keep going. We’ll keep going.]
Her voice was low and warm.
[We’ll all come back. No one will die. And you won’t be alone.]
Theo sniffled again.
He could feel her trying.
Stephanie—this awkward dragon who didn’t understand human emotions—was trying to comfort him.
She was doing it for him.
And somehow… that meant more than anything.
Tears rolled down his face again.
[Why are you crying again?]
“Because… you’re so kind.”
[I’m not kind! Dragons aren’t kind! Dragons are mighty! Dragons are strong!]
“But you’re kind anyway,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
Her grumbling sigh echoed in his ears.
She turned back toward the castle and flew lower.
When they landed, she shifted back into her human form and sat beside him on the rooftop.
Theo immediately leaned into her side, clinging tightly.
“Stop crying,” she said.
“Okay.”
She gripped his hand firmly.
This small, stubborn human boy…
She reached out and gently stroked his hair.
“We’re not going to lose.”
“Yeah…”
He nodded.
Stephanie stayed beside him for a long time.
Long enough for the tears to stop.
Long enough for him to believe her.
And above them, the stars shone a little brighter.
