After a few years of focusing on the peace built between the two factions, Orianne heard the call of the dragon Diramo?.


    For an unexplained reason, she heard a voice calling her name once. She threw all responsibilities on her father''s shoulders for a while as she left the demon village for Ormrdivin.


    At that point, Orianne and Reon weren''t yet together, which made it easier for her to keep this entire matter a secret from him and everyone else.


    In a few hours of moving at top speed, Orianne arrived at the dragon''s nest.


    Flying over the large opening that led into the mountain, she stopped.


    ''It''s far too calm... What is this weird feeling in my chest?''


    Confused, she observed the lack of guarding dragons at the entrance.


    Dropping toward the bottom of the hole, she looked around.


    ''The air is different.''


    She watched as a few dragons were standing still near the path to Diramo?''s cave. From it, a cold air traveled through its large passage, which was unusual to say the least.


    With a concerned expression, she made her way past the dragons.


    "It''s Orianne."


    "Should one of us stop her?"


    "..."


    The dragons watched with apprehension as she moved deeper into the cavern system.


    With her footsteps echoing in the empty path, an eerie feeling caused her to tense up.


    It took her but an instant after walking into the cave to understand what was happening.


    The lack of heat emanating from the deepest part of the cave was a dead giveaway that something was amiss.


    When she turned the last corner, her feelings were met with an odd sight.


    ''The lava... it''s gone.''


    The room, which was usually scalding hot, dripping molten rocks from the ceiling and from the walls, was entirely solidified.


    Pools of lava, which comprised most of the room, were turned into obsidian spots, vitrified as they had cooled down almost instantly when the reason for the melting stopped to exist.


    "Diramo?..."


    With a pained gaze, Orianne approached the dragon lying on the ground, breathing at a shallow rhythm.


    "So, this is how a dragon''s end is."


    Slowly opening his eyes, the dragon stared at Orianne with its discolored pupils.


    "I see you''ve come. I am relieved to see you."


    Diramo? was unable to move anymore. His scales had fused due to the awful amount of heat released by his magic.


    "When I thought I heard your voice, I didn''t hesitate. I had no idea I would be meeting you like this, though."


    With a faint, heartbroken smile, she approached him and placed a hand on his massive nose.


    ''Cold...''


    She immediately frowned when she felt the lack of warmth. This dragon really had little to no time left before passing.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Orianne."


    "Yes?"


    Turning away from her thoughts, she listened to him with a neutral smile, concealing her true feelings.


    "How did you fare after leaving? Did you manage to make your dreams come true?"


    "I did. Thanks to you and everyone else, I stopped the worst from happening. We finally created a path toward true peace between both factions."


    Closing his eyes, Diramo? felt an overwhelming delight in his heart.


    "Slowly, we''re removing the obstacles that led to this in the first place. It will take more time for everyone to accept each other, but we will do everything it takes to make it a reality."


    "I swear on your name. All the efforts you''ve placed into me will never be a waste."


    Orianne felt that these would be the last words she needed to speak. Even in front of death, he was a proud and powerful dragon.


    His legacy was forever continuing through Orianne, until the day she would cross over.


    "I have... one last question."


    Similarly to a volcano losing its magma chamber and turning extinct, Diramo? felt the flame of his life waver.


    "I''m all ears."


    As she maintained her fake smile with incredible tenacity, the bitterness continued to pile on her heart.


    She was used to hearing about the deaths of her people. It was a recurring event before becoming the leader of her faction.


    But this was the second loss she witnessed in person. The first being her mother.


    "Would you... inherit my soul?"


    "...?"


    A perplexed expression replaced her fake smile.


    "I might not understand what you are asking of me."


    Opening his eyes one last time, Diramo? gathered his last strength to explain.


    "This is forbidden knowledge that I learned from our father."


    "We, dragons, possess the power to share our power with any creature we deem worthy of it. It could only be a sliver of power, or the entire soul."


    "In my case, I have no use for it anymore."


    There were only mere minutes before his death, but he continued, his vision slowly turning black.


    "Instead of letting it wither away, I would be pleased to give my soul to you. To help path your future, you, who I cherish like a daughter, I ask of you that you accept this proposition."


    Orianne took no time to think. She ignored the consequences and wholeheartedly agreed to his demand.


    "I will! If that means I can feel your presence in the future, I can only accept!"


    Drawing his last breath, Diramo? departed.


    For a moment, Orianne stared at him with a blank stare.


    "Huh?"


    Nothing was happening. The dragon she greatly respected and admired was no more.


    With her hand still pressed on his scaly body, she felt the emotions she was containing erupt like an eruption.


    "Gh..."


    Clenching her teeth, she tried to stop the tears from flowing.


    *Thump*


    Then, as suddenly as his death was, a violent and ripping tear destroyed her heart.


    "..."


    Orianne fell to the ground with her eyes wide open and hands gripping her chest.


    At that moment, the demon Orianne died alongside Diramo?, the ''Volcanic Dragon''.


    —


    "You... died?"


    Orion leaned forward, concern showing on his face. Right after, Orianne nodded.


    "Like I said, I died as a demon."


    Thinking on her words, Orion asked another question.


    "Which means that you aren''t fully demon, now... Huh?"


    The entire picture appeared in his head as he pondered on her words.


    "You have the soul of a dragon inside you, and you are a demon... Are you saying that you are now a hybrid demon and dragon?"


    Orianne nodded.


    "Do you remember the trials you went through to awaken your demon blood? I went through a similar process."


    The shock on Orion and Tetra''s faces was priceless.


    "I went through five trials. After succeeding the last one, I met him again. He explained many things I needed to know that he couldn''t tell me before passing away."


    "Mainly, that my firstborn would be directly inheriting the link between me and him."


    The more Orion listened, the weirder it got.


    "Do I have the blood of a dragon running through my veins?"


    Surprised by his question, Orianne stared at him in disbelief before bursting into laughter.


    "Haha~ Of course not!"


    Wiping her tears with her fingers, she calmed down.


    "I don''t have the blood of dragons running through my veins, either. All I have is the reconstructed soul in my core. My demon soul and genes were rewritten after finishing the last trial."


    Standing up from her chair, she stepped to the side of the table. On short notice, she activated her demon blood, which revealed features similar to dragons.


    It was the first time Orion had the opportunity to see his mother in her full glory.


    "Those wings, that tail, those horns, those scales, and those eyes are all from Diramo?."


    "All I had as a demon were those puny and pathetic wings. Thanks to him, I changed."


    The eight wings spreading behind her back, all coming from her lower back, showed the true might of the demon called Orianne.


    Being the only demon to have attained such heights in power, she felt proud of herself for demonstrating her prowess to her son.


    Both were in admiration in front of her, who was the pinnacle of greatness. But she was a humble woman.


    "That''s also why I will never forget that this is not my strength that led me to this moment. This power isn''t mine in its entirety."


    "It might be disappointing to you, but in reality, I am a fraud."


    As she returned to normal, she walked to her chair with a demoralized look.


    "I am not like Reon, who worked through the ranks with his own capabilities."


    "There was no talent given to me at birth, like my father hoped to see."


    As she sat down, Orion shook his head vigorously.


    "Are you joking? Is this seriously what you think?"


    "Huh?"


    Astonished by his fervor, she opened her mouth while Tetra began to smile.


    "You know how tough those trials were. Even I suffered greatly during those."


    "I cannot stand you dismissing the dedication it takes to go through these. The sheer will, the tenacity, and the focus these trials required are impossible for normal people to undergo."


    Adamant about this matter, he kept going.


    "Say whatever you want, and think anything you believe in. I will never accept a reality where your achievements are disregarded."


    "You didn''t earn this strength? What a joke!"


    "My mother is the greatest woman who was accepted by a dragon. She challenged the hardest trials ever created to forge a vessel for a dragon''s soul."


    "Even if you aren''t, I am proud of it. My power is also borrowed entirely. Both the light and dark elements were Noah''s to begin with."


    "But I created something new with them. An element that was formed by my will to grow stronger."


    "Was it not the same to you?"


    Orianne looked into his eyes with a shimmer in her own.


    "Haha... I''m at a loss."


    Staring at the table, she felt tears of happiness form in the corners of her eyes.


    "My son believes in me more than I ever did in myself."


    Seeing this, Tetra shrugged.


    "Why not just accept it as it is? Orion always admired you."


    "There is no changing his mind. Just change the way you see yourself, and everything will be settled."


    The two women looked at each other until Orianne sighed.


    "I''ll do everything for my son. If you think so positively of me, I have no reason to think the contrary."


    As Orion nodded with a satisfied smile, they all heard people coming down the stairs.


    "I have more stories to tell, but this is the end of what I went through. Don''t tell your father, though."


    Orion smiled.


    "I won''t. You want to tell him yourself, right?"


    She nodded.


    As they stared at each other in silence, Amelia and Karteira entered the dining room, ending the private discussion these three were having.