~Chapter 107~
The dragon looked at “me.” Not the collapsed body—but my soul.
[Did you enjoy the show?]
“…■■■■■.”
[It’s been a long time since I was called by that name.]
I turned my head instead of answering. At the edge of my vision, I saw Rena and Calix of this place.
It felt strange. I knew this was something that had happened long ago, but seeing my own dead body was unsettling. And the sight of Calix crying beside me—I couldn’t bear to look. I turned away.
Trying to avoid the dragon’s gaze, I spoke.
“…Since I died then, I don’t know what happened afterward.”
The dragon was silent.
“What happened next? Why did… Calix…”
[How much have you seen?]
The dragon asked me.
It was the first time I spoke with the dragon, yet it didn’t feel unfamiliar. Almost like I had known this being for a long time. Was it because of my past life’s memories, or my magic in this life?
Suddenly, I was elsewhere—standing in darkness, like the center of a cave. I frowned, trying to recall.
“…I…”
[Not you—that child. You may share the same soul, but never forget you are different people.]
“…Right. She.”
Speaking of “me,” yet not me—an ancestor long gone—it was hard to form the words. After struggling, I finally found something to say.
“She betrayed you.”
[…]
“She found out your true name… and told the others.”
The dragon exhaled through its nose. Somehow, I thought I could read its expression—sorrow.
[…Do you know why she did it?]
I shook my head. I hadn’t seen that far. Even though she followed the dragon so faithfully, why did she betray it for humans? Was it because she was human too—unable to abandon her kind?
The dragon spoke again.
[Humans always make foolish choices. It was not her fault.]
“But I’m human too, so it feels like my fault.”
Thinking that my past self had bound this being inside such a shell made me sick. Why didn’t the dragon hate me?
As if defending me, it said:
[Humans used her to discover my true name. They lied, saying it was for worship, not for binding. Being deceived was not her fault.]
“…Still feels like my fault.”
I lowered my head, torn between apologizing or pretending not to know.
Finally, I changed the subject.
“…What about Calix?”
At first, I only wanted to deflect. But once the words were out, I couldn’t stop. What happened to Calix after I died? After Rena died?
The dragon lifted its head. Its eyes were bright yellow—glowing sharply in the darkness.
And it said:
[That man deceived my mate, making her learn my true name.]
My heart dropped.
Deceived… his mate… to steal the true name.
It meant my past-life Calix had made me bring back the dragon’s true name. My death, the loss of the blessing—it all traced back to him.
‘That was Calix?’
My head spun.
[He never thought the blame would fall on you. Foolish human.]
I remembered the scene—my dead body, Calix crying beside me. My stomach churned.
Then panic rose in me.
“Then… what happened to Calix after I died?”
I remembered his desperate face—the man who said he couldn’t live without me.
“Why can’t Calix sense magic? Why were you in the basement of my house? Why can’t people use magic anymore?”
Questions tumbled out endlessly.
“Why… am I…”
The dragon cut me off.
[Come here.]
Drawn like a puppet, I walked closer. Its presence alone was overwhelming.
Though it didn’t look like the radiant god I remembered, the eyes felt strangely familiar.
The dragon lowered its gaze at me.
[You resemble that child.]
It must mean the past-life me.
The dragon’s voice softened, as though remembering long ago.
[After the child who shared your soul died…]
“…”
[I was consumed by rage. A fury stronger than anything I had ever felt.]
I felt uneasy. It wasn’t even my fault, but guilt pressed down on me.
Sensing this, the dragon added gently:
[That guilt is not yours to carry.]
“…Then what happened next?”
The dragon answered faithfully.
[I took back the blessings I gave humans. Eternal life, and the magic of the world.]
I recalled how everyone once used magic freely. Unlike now, where only a few are born magicians. Back then, everyone was born with an open heart—like me.
It was the dragon’s wrath that closed their hearts. Or rather, he only reclaimed what was his to give.
“…Then why wasn’t my heart closed?”
My throat felt dry.
[After her death, your mate came to me. He wept, saying it was all his fault, begging me not to punish you. Perhaps he thought I would torment her soul even after death.]
The dragon clicked its tongue.
“….”
Because our souls were the same, my past Calix felt both different and the same as my Calix. His willingness to take my punishment, his eyes full of love—it was all the same.
[I never intended to punish her. But seeing that human’s grief… I felt spite. To think he, so broken with sorrow, had been foolish enough to be deceived and covet my power.]
Yet the dragon’s voice carried no anger now.
[The result of that spite is… everything you see now.]
“…?”
Confused, I looked up.
[My presence bound to this place. Your mate unable to feel magic. All of it.]
“…I don’t understand.”
[What don’t you understand?]
“All of it.”
The dragon almost looked puzzled.
“I mean… why can’t Calix sense magic? And also…”
I remembered Calix’s words: It’s my duty to release the dragon.
The dragon understood what I was trying to ask.
[After losing my divinity, I locked myself here—in the home of that child’s descendants.]
“…”
[When your mate came, begging to take all the punishment, I gathered my remaining power and granted his wish. In this world, once blessed with magic, he and his descendants would never be born with it.]
“…Then releasing you means…?”
[One day, when the time comes.]
The dragon looked at me with eyes that could only be described as warm.
[When the souls of that child and her mate are reborn once more…]
My heart tightened. That meant me and Calix.
[Then, they must seek me and beg forgiveness. Only then will I leave this world.]
“….”
[And thankfully—you’ve found your way to me.]
With those words, the darkness cleared.
I saw Calix—holding my body.
My body wasn’t moving.
“…Why am I dead?”
I screamed without meaning to. Calix clutched me tightly, eyes closed.
It made sense that I lost consciousness when meeting the dragon. But…
My heart wasn’t beating. My hands shook violently.
“Am I dead?!”
I shouted in panic. The dragon swished its tail, almost soothingly.
[Your magic is your heart. When you speak with me, your heart has no need to beat. Once you return, it will beat again. There is no need to fear.]
“But Calix doesn’t know that! He’s terrified!”
I turned quickly—his face was… his face was…
‘He’s not dead too, is he?!’
Terror gripped me.
