로그인"To contribute to the great cause is the highest honor I could ask for."A gust of wind lifted the hem of the black robe, revealing, for a fleeting moment, the face beneath it: aged and weathered.Had anyone from the Chamberlain family been there, they might have recognized it at once. But the place was devoid of life. Only Amara stood there to witness it."Very good. Don't worry. After tomorrow, neither of us will need to keep hiding in the shadows. As long as your son is sharp enough, the two of you will still have your chance to meet," Amara said."Then this humble servant wishes Prime Novem every success."…After Giana left, Oscar sat staring at the rings on the desk, his thoughts far from settled. 'These rings can suppress the draconic energy within a person's body.'"Little dragon, step away for a moment."He lifted the little dragon from his sleeve and set it aside.Only then did he realize that the pain he had just suffered had come entirely from the delicate balance
A chill spread through Giana's body as she walked down the hallway.In the end, what was the point of bringing children into this world at all? Was it simply to carry on the family line?'Nine daughters in a row… If that had been the reason, he should have kept trying until he finally had a son.'But Arthur had never favored sons over daughters. Nor had he ever acted as though having only daughters would bring the family line to an end. So why had he continued to have children until there were nine daughters?No, counting Jason, it was ten children. He was a son, but he had been born to a different woman entirely.Could it be that, deep down, Arthur had clung to the old-fashioned belief that only a son could carry the family forward?No, that could not be the answer either. If that had been true, he never would have let Jason disappear into the world, and he certainly would not have made his dying wish for the boy to be found and brought home.Then why have so many children at a
"What?" Oscar's words sent a shockwave through Giana's mind. "Are you saying those dragons have been lying dormant inside our bodies this whole time? But hasn't the Draconox already examined us? They didn't find anything unusual about any of us!"Giana couldn't make sense of it. Oscar was saying, plainly enough, that he believed they would all eventually become dragons.But how could anyone in the family possibly be a dragon?"I don't know the exact reason myself." Oscar waved a hand dismissively. "But my guess is that this was Father's doing."Oscar narrowed his eyes. "You already know that Father's body disappeared. At first, I assumed someone had stolen it. But after all this time, the Draconox hasn't found a single trace of anything like that. Which means he disappeared on his own.""Are you saying Father is still alive?" Shock and a flicker of joy surged through Giana at the same time. "But if he's alive, why hasn't he come to see us?"She pressed her lips together. "Especia
Oscar pulled his hand free from Giana's grip and reached for the little dragon tucked inside his sleeve. In that instant, everything fell into place.The brain tumor, the strange transformation in his arm, and the little dragon had settled into a fragile equilibrium.The ring carried a power that suppressed draconic energy. The moment he touched it, the balance among the three forces inside his body collapsed, allowing the cancer cells to surge through his system once again.Giana stared in disbelief. "Oscar..."One moment, Oscar looked perfectly healthy. The next, he looked frail and broken. Then, just as suddenly, he appeared completely normal again."Oscar, what's wrong with you? Has something happened to you?"She sensed that something was terribly wrong, but illness never crossed her mind. Instead, she wondered whether Oscar had somehow been affected the same way Clara had, transforming into something similar to what her sister had become.The only difference was that Clara
Inside the room, the little dragon heard Giana's voice and sprang up in excitement.Oscar caught her tail and held her firmly in place."He's not in!"The knocking stopped for a moment.Who on earth announced that they themselves were not in? It was obvious he simply did not want to see her. Fortunately, Clara had planned everything carefully, and the rings she had left behind had served their purpose.Then Giana's voice came through the door, tinged with helplessness. "Mr. Stone, there's something I need to report. It concerns the fugitive, Clara."The door opened, giving Giana another chance to speak with Oscar alone."What is it?"As she looked at the man standing before her, Giana suddenly realized something. Oscar was no longer a boy. He had already celebrated his 21st birthday and completed the Chamberlain family's coming-of-age ceremony.He was a grown young man now, with cool, striking features. Yet, for some reason, his face looked drawn and weary. Nothing remained of
"Does anyone here still remember what Oscar likes to eat?" Giana asked.The question made the others look up, exchange glances, then lower their heads."Wasn't he never picky? He ate almost anything..."Giana remembered the night Oscar had been driven out of the family. He had prepared a table full of dishes, every one of them a favorite of his sisters. Yet no matter how hard she searched her memory, she could not recall a single dish that Oscar himself had actually liked."If only he had been picky about something. At least then we would have had something to remember him by," Diana muttered.No one spoke again. What was left to say? Had he truly never been picky? Had he truly never had preferences of his own?He had. They had simply never cared enough to notice. They had never bothered to remember what Oscar liked or disliked. They had believed the family had already given him everything he could ever want.What right did he have to dislike anything? What right did he have to
"Shouldn't you be showing Amara some respect?" Clara said.Oscar smiled.Clara couldn't tell what the smile meant."Miss Amara, do you feel the same way?" he asked.Amara swept her gaze over the people standing behind Oscar. She recognized several faces among them. They weren't people she could
Sirius' energy overwhelmed Celeste, forcing her to question everything she had worked for.She had trained for years to become a grandmaster. She had believed she was exceptional.Then Sirius, stripped of his ability and dismissed for years, had spent only a few minutes under Oscar's guidance and
'How did Amara end up siding with Jason and turning on Irene?' Giana wondered.Giana nodded. "Fine. Mountain and sea it is.""Yes!"They shook on it, packed their bags in good spirits, and went to bed.Just as sleep began to take hold, Irene's eyes opened. "Wait, Giana. If we leave, what happens
Amara let out a cold laugh. "What to do? The only reason we ever invested in that school was because of Elara."Frankly, the principal of Silverton High is a dog we put there to guard the gate. If a dog cannot even do that, what use is he to me?"Jason understood. "Got it."Amara gave a small nod







