Chapter 146

Back in the year she was born, the story still had rainbow-colored streams and sounds of joy and laughter.

"I knew nothing during my childhood... In my understanding, my parents were both members of the Fire Dragon Clan. My father was an official responsible for assisting with ritual duties at the Dragon God's Temple, and my mother was an ordinary civilian of the Fire Dragon Clan. Our family lived peacefully. They taught me magic, took me flying across the Flaming Domain, and even said that when I grew up, they’d take me to see the world beyond. Back then, I was truly happy... I didn’t need to think about anything or worry about anything."

This was thanks to the overall strength of the Fire Dragon Clan as a high-ranking race.

No enemies dared covet their territory, not only that, others even paid tributes in exchange for their protection. Naturally, life was abundant, with no need to consider war or other concerns—peace and prosperity became inevitable.

In Timani’s ears, it was as if the laughter and joy from back then still echoed, the cheerful conversations among family members still clear. Every day when her father returned from the Dragon God’s Temple, those moments would unfold like a ritual before sunset.

Timani still remembered the dandelions in front of their little house. Every spring, she would take her parents to watch the seeds drift away in the wind. She would laugh, flap her wings, and take off, flying alongside the dandelion fluff, returning home before sunset to excitedly tell her parents about the mountains, rivers, and lakes she had seen.

Even now, when she recalled those moments—

A faint smile would still appear on Timani’s face.

"My parents were always very kind to me. They always respected my thoughts, but there was one thing I didn’t understand at the time. Since I was little, they insisted I grow my hair long, told me not to show my ears, and even used disguise magic to conceal their original appearance. When I was young, I didn’t understand why. But as I grew older, I slowly began to notice... the ears of our clan members were different from mine."

"I asked my parents why. They answered me with a smile. They said it was because my magical talent was particularly outstanding. And people who were particularly outstanding naturally had things that made them different. In my case, it was my ears. That’s why they had to be hidden. Otherwise, if others saw them—especially children around my age—they’d definitely be jealous. So I must be extra careful."

That kind lie planted a subconscious belief deep in Timani’s heart.

She mustn’t speak of it... mustn’t speak of it... mustn’t let the other little dragons see her ears.

Hee... because her parents said so. They never lied to her, so it had to be true.

And indeed, just as her parents had said, Timani’s magical talent stood out even among the elite of a high-ranking race. Even the elders of the clan often said she had great potential, and that perhaps one day she might become someone important within the Fire Dragon Clan.

To say she was like a moon surrounded by stars, the center of everyone’s hopes—nothing could better describe that period of Timani’s life.

But...

There is no wall in this world so airtight that no wind can pass through.

As she grew older, the strength of Timani’s magic continued to increase.

However, her control over magic remained stuck at the level of her childhood.

This anomaly caught the attention of a neighboring family.

The parents of that neighboring family were also priests at the Dragon God’s Temple and had a competitive relationship with Timani’s father in terms of rank.

He had long been waiting for a chance to dig up dirt on his rival so he could deal a heavy blow just as the latter was about to be promoted. Even if he couldn’t ruin him entirely, at least he could force him to vacate the one and only promotion spot—only then would he have a chance himself.

Thus, a few days before the promotion to High Priest, which had already been all but decided, this neighbor began tailing Timani’s father, searching for any usable intel.

However, several days of surveillance yielded nothing meaningful.

Timani’s father would leave for work at sunrise and return home at sunset—his life was so regular it was infuriating.

At that point, the neighbor thought there likely wasn’t any opportunity to exploit.

But just as he was about to give up on the tailing—

—On that final night, in the dead of night, he truly uncovered a secret.

Timani’s father left home late at night, acting sneaky. The neighbor happened to catch sight of it and quietly followed. Spreading his wings, he tailed him across layers of mountain ranges until dawn, eventually arriving at the borders of the Flaming Domain.

There, he witnessed a shocking scene.

Out of the mist emerged a girl from the Elf Tribe.

Timani’s father had come all the way to this remote place to secretly meet with a long-eared Elf girl!

This was huge news...

Although the two didn’t speak much, and the Elf girl’s face was too distant to make out clearly before she turned and left in the morning fog, the neighbor had already found a fatal move to bring down his rival.

That guy seemed honest... Who would’ve thought he was secretly having a tryst with a member of the Elf Tribe, all while no one knew?

Combining this with Timani’s long-standing poor control over her magic, the neighbor formed a rather bold guess.

He had no solid evidence—but even if it wasn’t true, it wouldn’t harm him to try.

So, the neighbor reported to the Fire Dragon Clan’s Council of Elders, accusing Timani’s father of colluding with the Elf Tribe and claiming that Timani was a half-blood between the Fire Dragon Clan and the Elf Tribe.

At first, the Council of Elders didn’t believe it. However, by procedure, the neighbor was still a priest of the temple, and his report had to be taken seriously. At the very least, they needed to summon Timani’s family to the Dragon God’s Temple for a face-to-face inquiry.

Without alerting them, and taking advantage of the fact that Timani’s parents were not at home, the Council secretly summoned Timani alone.

The method of verification was simple.

The neighbor claimed she was of mixed Elf blood—so all they needed to do was part her hair and see whether her ears bore the traits of the Elf Tribe.

Timani didn’t understand the seriousness of the matter. She had never known what her ears truly meant to her.

So, at the time, she merely thought it was another routine magic assessment like any other.

The elders of the Council were her teachers, the surrounding priests were friendly neighbors. They wouldn’t hurt her—because to her, the world was just that kind and beautiful.

But a muffled thunderclap shattered the beautiful vision of the world Timani had painted in her childhood.

Disguise magic was meaningless in front of the Council of Elders.

The moment Timani’s pointed ears were revealed, all the gentle smiles and hopeful gazes dissolved into nothing.

A chorus of shock, gasps, fury, and condemnation erupted.

Timani was captured.

Overnight, she was taken from her warm home and locked in a cold prison cell.

She was informed that at dawn the next day, she would be executed and erased.

Everything had happened too suddenly.

She didn’t even have the chance to bid farewell to her parents.

Within the prison that suppressed magic, she learned the truth: the long ears were not a sign of exceptional magical talent, but a symbol of mixed blood.

And it meant that perhaps the woman she called mother was not her real mother, and that she was the result of her father’s indulgent sin.

According to the rules of the Fire Dragon Clan, no impurity was allowed in their bloodline. Their pure blood, passed down through generations, could not be mixed with other races. Anyone carrying non-Fire Dragon blood was to be executed to prevent the tainted lineage from continuing.

That day, the colors of Timani’s world changed.

The laughter of the people disappeared. The looks in their eyes turned to hatred and scorn. The dandelions in front of the house could no longer be found. In their place were cold shackles and dark iron bars.

But... why?

I clearly didn’t do anything... So why do I have to die tomorrow morning?

The girl who once laughed as she overlooked all things from the sky still hadn’t understood the reason even as she stepped onto the execution platform in the misty light of dawn.

Only the fresh stains of “tainted blood” that hadn’t yet dried on the platform reminded her—this world was not all covered in blooming flowers.

Scarlet wasn’t just the color of flowers. It was also the color of blood.

“But I wasn’t able to die...”

Timani spoke softly, each word striking like the execution blade from that shadowed day.

Before the blade fell—

Two great dragons, transformed from their true dragon forms, soared in and smashed the high platform, seizing Timani and flying straight toward the far side of the sky.

At this point in the story, Xiarette’s voice, though laced with sympathy, also carried deep sorrow.

“It was your parents who came to save you, wasn’t it...”

“Yes...” Timani leaned back against the chair and let out a long, weary sigh. “That was the first time I remember my father coming to see me outside of work hours. And it was also the first time I remember my mother traveling so far from home.”

They had promised that when she grew up, they would take her to see the world.

Who would have thought that it would be realized in such a way.

They crossed mountains, flew over oceans, soared beyond the borders of the Flaming Domain, and reached the very ceiling of the world.

Her parents fulfilled their promise—in the final moments of their lives, they showed Timani the beauty of the world.

But throughout that entire journey... traces of Fire Dragon Clan pursuers were always close behind.

"...Exhausted... we landed on a snow-covered mountain. The Fire Dragon Clan pursuers surrounded us and killed them.”

“What about you?”

“Before they died... they used the last of their strength to unleash their breath and opened a path through the mountains. They told me to run in that direction—keep running... Don’t think about anything, just keep running.”

If she kept running, perhaps she could live a little longer.

But the Fire Dragon Clan’s pursuit was highly efficient. Given Timani’s capabilities, she would likely be caught and killed within a few hours.

At this point—

Timani no longer knew how to put her overwhelming helplessness into words.

“Haah... I don’t even understand why I survived. Only I survived... When I was discovered by the pursuers, the chieftain appeared.”

That chieftain, known as the “Dragon God,” was the strongest of the Fire Dragon Clan.

He silently looked at the two great dragon corpses buried under snow and wind in the distance.

And... he wept.

His voice was deep and thunderous, enough to shake heaven and earth.

【So be it. This is enough. My clansmen were selfless and unafraid, shielding their daughter across mountains and waters, giving their lives here. Very well—spare her life. Let her flee, and for all eternity, she shall never return to the clan!】

The transcendent Dragon God, with his followers, flew across the snow mountains once more and left.

Leaving only Timani behind, lost and without a trace.

Timani returned to the place where her parents died.

But she could no longer find any trace of them.

The commotion from the Fire Dragon Clan’s pursuit had triggered an avalanche, burying their bodies forever beneath the ice.

Like a family dinner table that could never be returned to.

Like the dandelions that could never be counted again.

By the table, Timani, telling the story up to this point, was already in tears, unable to speak clearly, as if she were still standing atop that frozen mountain, calling out helplessly, her anguished reflection mirrored in the ice, yet still forced to carry the burden of “survival” and embark on an endless journey, forever lost in a foreign land.

Xiarette’s eyes reddened as she gently patted Sheffy’s back.

Because...

Even Sheffy, who was usually nonsensical and always joking, couldn’t hold it in this time—she turned her head and let a tear fall.

Because Timani had said it from the very beginning.

She no longer had a home.

Even if she did—

There was no one left in that home waiting for her to return.

---

57. Doubts

Timani had fallen asleep.

She was probably exhausted from crying, or perhaps it had just been a long time since she last slept in a soft, fluffy bed—maybe she missed that feeling.

In any case, it only took a moment after touching the blanket for her to fall into a not-so-peaceful slumber.

Even in her dreams, she tossed and turned, curling up while clutching the edge of the blanket tightly, as if lacking any sense of security.

At first, Timani had insisted on leaving. Telling her story to Sheffy and Xiarette was one thing, but she wasn’t seeking pity. Relying on others didn’t fit her way of living.

However, when Xiarette asked her where she planned to sleep this late at night if she left...

Timani’s reply was enough to stab the heart.

【Isn’t there a forest right outside your house? The trees there look pretty tall. I’ll find a sturdy one—so long as the branch doesn’t break, I’ll sleep fine. There aren’t that many bugs in the trees either. It’s way better than sleeping on the ground.】

Oh, please stop right there.

Sheffy had no problem with the idea of her roughing it out somewhere, but the thought of her doing it right under their noses—that was a no-go.

Even Sheffy, as much of a devil as she was, couldn’t bring herself to sleep soundly on a comfy bed while seeing a dragon girl clinging to a branch outside her window.

But Timani was as stubborn as a fire lizard. So Sheffy had no choice but to pull out her trump card.

【If you stay here for one night, tomorrow morning I’ll tell you who exactly the Syla that defeated you is.】

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