"Look Lucy, behind you, a wyvern is coming!"

I shouted it with all the force in my lungs, my voice cutting through the thin mountain air, sharp and urgent, the kind of shout meant to make someone turn without thinking. The wind carried my words and tossed them back at me, and for a brief second I almost believed the lie myself.

Lucy didn't even flinch.

She simply smiled, slow and calm, the kind of smile that made my skin prickle. She didn't turn her head. She didn't reach for a weapon. She didn't even blink.

Instead, she said lightly, "Do you think I would fall for such a childish trick, Ragnar?"

Her voice was smooth, amused, and far too confident. That smile on her lips told me everything. She had seen through me from the start.

"I know you won't," I shouted back, pushing my words forward before doubt could catch me, "but at least your attention slipped!"

In that single heartbeat, when her grip loosened just enough, I moved. My hand swung fast and struck the small vial she was holding. Glass clinked sharply, and then the potion slipped free from her fingers.

Lucy's eyes widened, just barely, as the vial spun through the air.

The potion fell from the mountain and disappeared into the fog below, swallowed by the thick white mist that clung to the slopes like a living thing. I leaned forward, watching it fall, my heart pounding, knowing there was no calling it back now.

Far under the mountain, hidden beneath layers of stone and fog, Emilia, the dragon queen and one of the four heavenly monsters, was peacefully asleep.

She lay alone, massive and unmoving, her great body stretched across the rocky ground. Even in sleep, her presence filled the space, ancient and heavy, like the mountain itself had grown a heartbeat. She had a habit of snoring loudly, so loudly that the sound echoed like thunder through the caverns.

Because of that habit, the remaining three heavenly monsters had forced her to sleep alone on this distant mountain, far away from their own resting places. None of them could tolerate the endless noise. Emilia never argued. She simply laughed and claimed the mountain as her own.

Now she slept deeply, her breathing slow but powerful.

Because she was snoring, her mouth was wide open, each breath rumbling through her throat. The falling potion slipped through the fog, through the cold air, and dropped straight into her mouth. It slid past her tongue and deep into her throat without resistance.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then her snoring stopped.

"Hm?" Emilia murmured, her voice low and rough, as her eyes slowly opened. "What is this?"

Her pupils contracted rapidly as awareness returned to her. She shifted slightly, a ripple passing through her massive form, as something unfamiliar stirred inside her.

"Wh… what are those strange feelings?" she muttered, confusion threading through her words.

Her gaze lifted upward, as if she could see straight through the mountain, through the fog, through the sky itself. A strange warmth filled her chest, heavy and overwhelming, and her lips curved into a soft, longing smile.

"My eternal husband," she whispered, her voice trembling with sudden emotion, "I'm coming for you."

Meanwhile, on the top of the mountain, I stood frozen, staring into the fog where the potion had vanished.

Lucy watched it too.

Her smile deepened, stretching into something unsettling, something that made my stomach twist. For some reason, it was worse than anger. I would have preferred if she had shouted, cursed, or lashed out. This quiet, creepy smile felt wrong in a way I couldn't explain.

She turned her eyes to me slowly.

"Dear Ragnar," she said softly, almost kindly, "I made this potion specially because I wanted the peaceful solution."

She took a step toward me.

"You leave me no choice now."

Each word landed like a weight on my chest. My legs trembled, my balance slipping as fear rushed through me. I tried to step back, but my feet felt heavy, unsteady, and all I could do was retreat slowly.

Then it happened.

A roar shook the mountain.

The ground beneath us trembled violently, stones rattling and rolling down the slope. The air itself seemed to scream as a massive shadow rose from the fog.

A dragon emerged.

Her scales were vast and dark, her wings stretching wide as she climbed upward, her presence overwhelming and absolute. The fog peeled away from her form as if afraid to touch her.

But the moment her eyes fell on me, everything changed.

Her fierce gaze softened instantly, replaced by large heart-shaped reflections that gleamed with wild affection. She leaned closer, her massive head lowering until her breath washed over me, warm and heavy.

Then her eyes snapped toward Lucy, the hearts vanishing, replaced by sharp fury.

"Leave my husband alone!" she roared, her voice shaking the sky.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, her expression calm despite the towering dragon before her.

"Oh, Emelia," Lucy said casually, "long time no see. Who would've thought you would eat the potion?"

Then Lucy's eyes shone brightly, and her hand lifted as a ball of concentrated magic formed in her palm, glowing and dangerous.

"Never say my Ragnar is yours, bitch!"

The words hit like lightning.

I gulped, my throat dry, my heart slamming against my ribs. I didn't wait to see what would happen next. The moment their attention locked onto each other, I turned and ran.

I ran with everything I had.

My chest burned as I gasped for air, my legs screaming with every step. I didn't stop, not once. I ran until the mountain behind me shrank into the distance, until it looked small and far away, like it belonged to another world.

Only then did I slow down.

I placed my hand against a tree and sank down beneath it, my body shaking, my breath coming in short bursts. The forest around me was quiet, almost peaceful, as if nothing insane had just happened.

I let out a long breath.

"Sigh," I muttered to myself, staring up at the sky through the leaves. "This day is getting crazier by the minute."

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