In the wall gripped by the dragon, a crimson haze wavered.

As the faint moonlight set and the sun rose in the west, it announced how long the dragon had held this place as its own domain.

*Hehehe*

With a clap, a mischievous laughter echoed, like a playful child waving to its mother, sharing its own spark of life.

Small, flickering flames began to shape the stage and cloak it.

*Hahaha!*

*Heeheehee!*

The low laughter of a child continued without end.

‘Heeheehee…’

Hands overlapped and faced each other. In the grasp of the golden dragon, a small performance unfolded.

‘Will it stroke me again?’

The young dragon smiled contentedly, watching the theater before it.

Using her past failures as stepping stones, she had reached the realm of elemental fusion.

*Shhk shhk*

She smoothed the shape of the flames with wind.

*Crackle*

The energy source, an element of lightning, was applied in daily life, and a puppet, as if alive, was crafted from combined elements.

A sorcerer who could freely combine and separate elements.

It was an achievement that not even the most skilled wizards could attain, a realm unreachable even by dragons who considered themselves omnipotent.

‘Heehee.’

Though she did it in a playful manner.

*Clap*

A light applause rippled across the lake's surface.

When she brought her small hands together, the flickering puppet scattered into faint remnants.

As the flames died down, the golden dragon’s body began to float.

She released her grip on the earth’s pull, and gently defied gravity, rising into the sky.

*Thump*

Drifting up from the plains, she began to float freely.

‘Heh…’

The dragon, without wings, moved freely.

‘The lake’s shore…’

She placed her foot down on the water’s edge.

*Splash*

As her feet touched down, a ripple spread through the still water, announcing her landing.

She had drifted across the heavens, and now, she was walking on water.

*Plish plish*

With each step she took, ripples spread, resonating with a cold, echoing note.

After a few steps, Rivera paused.

The golden dragon kneeled.

Raising her hands slowly and wide.

*Splash*

As she let out a long note, a massive ripple expanded in front of the young dragon.

*Whoosh!*

The strong river water parted, and with two streams diverging, a path formed through the center of the lake, like a miraculous parting.

*Drip drip*

Large drops of water dampened the golden dragon’s head.

Rivera greeted it with delight.

She danced atop the water, displaying a dance unlike any other.

‘Huh~hoho~huh.’

Imagining the warm, silent gaze of her father.

*Splash*

‘Heh~haha~’

The dragon unknowingly let out a joyous giggle.

---

Rivera had once been a young dragon with less magic than a novice wizard.

Even passing mercenaries walking through bustling guild halls…

‘Isn’t that the dropout…? The dragon that was cast out of the Dragon Lair at birth.’

‘Tsk tsk, calling that a dragon.’

Even a white-furred fox, the creature dragons despise the most, mocked her.

‘Hey there, third-rate dragon~ crawling out of the guild shamelessly again, huh?’

Yet, that once insignificant dragon became the first to achieve elemental fusion.

A simpleton who hadn’t mastered basic magic for over a thousand years created a miracle of parting waters and erupting volcanoes in mere months.

From that moment on—

‘Oh my! Isn’t this the famous Master Rivera of the Edric Guild?!’

Those who once called her a dropout changed their tone and started praising her.

‘It’s an honor to meet the great demi-dragon!’

A nobleman with greasy hair and a curly mustache clapped his hands together, fawning over her.

Seeing the dragon’s power grow, they had likely come to see what they could get out of it.

‘…’

It became frequent. Since her success in elemental fusion, even more came with higher expectations.

*Whoosh*

Rivera turned her head sharply, and the man clicked his tongue, disappointed, as he stomped out of the guild.

‘…Sigh.’

Since she mastered elemental fusion, all manner of people—from the Mage Tower to the Ministry of Magic—were desperate to recruit Rivera.

They came daily, asking about her fusion method.

Some even tried to take her, seeing her as a frail figure.

...But there’s no need to explain what happened to them in the end.

Rivera felt disgusted.

These were the same people who ignored her when she needed them most.

The same ones who looked away when she pleaded for help.

Now they came, begging the young dragon to share her knowledge, but Rivera had nothing to give them.

The young dragon shook her head repeatedly. The chalk she held crumbled and scattered in all directions.

‘…Such a bunch of clowns.’

All she desired was her father’s love.

The only one who approached her when the whole world turned away.

The savior who offered comfort and love to a longing dragon.

Despite her fear of failure, Rivera’s relentless drive was fueled by only one reason: her loyalty to Edric’s leader, Keyal Klein.

Now, nothing else mattered.

They were like junk—useless and unnecessary.

They abandoned her in defeat and flocked to her in victory.

Only he, who saw her as she truly was, mattered.

No matter her failures, as long as there was someone to help her rise again, Rivera could keep going.

Early on, Rivera had pledged her loyalty to him, needing only one heart.

The interest of hundreds or thousands was meaningless.

So, as she dismissed those who sought her out yet again, Rivera sighed.

*Swish*

As if it had never happened, Rivera opened the door wide, her eyes curving into a half-moon.

She followed the path as usual, knowing that it would lead to the entrance of her father’s quarters.

*Crash*

‘Master… Master… Master… Master… where… where are you?’

A voice, almost crying, echoed from a cramped room as she frantically searched.

‘Hmm…?’

The dragon had been lost in a dream of a peaceful paradise.

---

His scent had vanished.

The realization struck the dragon's heart, an ache that would not fade.

‘Ugh…ugh…’

He had promised to stay with her forever.

They had made a pinky promise.

All of it was a lie.

*Thump*

The dragon slumped to the ground, clutching her head as she stretched her hand toward the sobbing elf outside the door.

…Of course, it wouldn’t reach.

Her red eyes gazed beyond the window.

The fox, crouched in the stance of a predator, spread her nine tails as she scoured the area.

She dug into the mountain.

*Boom*

She sliced through rivers.

*Slash*

She pressed deeper into the earth, her gaze fierce, as she desperately searched for her master.

‘Captain! Captain! Where are you? You’re playing a joke, right? T-this is just a prank, right?!’

She hit her injured hand repeatedly, her trembling barely contained.

Behind the fox lay four different types of paw prints and traces of the strong wind that she had stirred.

Even the fox knew.

A fox, a beast of the canine family—and an extraordinary spirit fox, at that—was well aware that his scent had vanished, lost to the world.

Knowing that, she had left the guild in a frenzy.

But as if denying the truth, she drove herself to exhaustion, searching desperately.

The golden dragon looked away from the window.

Pulling her hand away from the door, she leaned against the wall and stared into the void.

‘……’

What had she done wrong to make him leave?

Was it because she fought with the fox out of sheer spite?

Was it because everything she created was worthless?

…Or had she simply become unnecessary?

The dragon rubbed her eyes, her red gaze growing intense.

*Plop plop*

The droplets that fell slowly soaked into the floor.

Like the swirling emotions within her.

‘Hic… hic…’

Alone once more, the dragon cried.

*Drip drip*

---

In the dark night.

The dragon, who had been watching a dream, whispered a brief word as she awoke.

“…”

She rubbed her eyes, her red gaze bright.

*Shh*

She rose from the bed, wiping away her tears.

‘Hic…’

She looked down at her father, sleeping soundly next to her, and her sister curled up by his side.

‘…’

Holding back a dry throat and a rising sob so as not to wake them, she lay back down.

*Thud*

The dragon twisted her body.

Reaching out, she gently placed her hand on her father’s sleeping cheek, a small smile tugging at her lips.

In a quiet voice, as if whispering to him in his sleep, she murmured,

“Thank you for coming back, Dad.”