A new memory of Kriemhild resurfaced.

*Whoosh!*

*Huff… Huff…!*

Kriemhild was breathing heavily, gripping her sword that was driven into the ground, pinning the head of an evil dragon who lay limp, skewered by her blade. The dragon’s final strength allowed it to roll its eyes upwards, capturing the face of its slayer.

“My own rib bone fashioned into the sword that pierced my skull… And you, the one who struck me down, were once my friend who gave their heart.”

The dragon chuckled.

To Kriemhild, he had been her only friend in a life that had spanned millennia—a friend …