Chapter 50: The Death of the Black Dragon

Sharp teeth sank into the black scales, tearing off a large chunk of flesh from its back. Golden blood sprayed out, falling over the forest like a scorching rain.

The black dragon roared in pain, but its claws holding Kei never loosened.

The red eye refused to let the black dragon go either. A wave of invisible pressure descended, slowing the giant wings of the black dragon. The wing bones emitted cracking sounds, and layers of scales on its shoulders were crushed until blood burst out.

Only a few hundred meters remained.

Two hundred meters.

One hundred meters.

The light outside was now clear enough to shine onto Kei’s tightly shut eyes.

The black dragon poured all its remaining strength into its wings. It roared loudly, beating them once more.

Boom!

Its massive body burst through the final canopy. Branches slammed into its back, black scales shattered, but the black dragon kept charging forward, ignoring the red eye clinging ahead and the giant mouth tearing from behind.

The exit was only one step away.

The two ancient monsters roared simultaneously.

The red eye widened, darkness surging out like a tide. The giant mouth also lunged forward, its jaws snapping shut to devour both the black dragon and Kei whole.

The black dragon tightened its claws. Within its protection, Kei still did not wake. But even in his coma, he could feel the familiar warmth wrapping around him.

The black dragon spread its wings wide, shielding Kei with its massive body, then charged straight out of the Mist Forest.

Behind it, the monster’s jaws closed.

A horrifying impact echoed deep within the woods. Golden blood splattered in the faint light at the forest’s edge.

Some time later, Kei woke up in the dragon’s nest.

Pain immediately flooded his entire body. His clothes were stained yellow with blood, and a thick, pungent smell clung to the air. Kei panicked, reaching out to touch himself, then quickly turned his head to look around.

"Little dragon... Little dragon, where are you?"

Right beside him, a massive body lay motionless.

Kei looked up in shock. The familiar black scales stretched out before his eyes, but now they were so enormous they blocked off an entire corner of the nest. Wounds crisscrossed the black dragon’s body. In some places, the scales had shattered, revealing raw red flesh and even white bone beneath. Golden blood flowed from the wounds, soaking the ground.

Kei asked with a trembling voice:

"Little dragon... is that you? How did you become so big?"

The giant snout beside him let out a faint breath. The hot air swept past, tousling Kei’s hair.

After a moment, the large golden eyes slowly opened, wearily.

It stared at Kei intently, so quietly that his heart ached. A weak, rumbling groan echoed from the black dragon’s throat.

"Little dragon..."

Kei crawled over, ignoring the blood on his body and the pain tearing through him. He wrapped his arms around its large snout, pressed his forehead against the icy scales, and whispered:

"It hurts a lot, doesn’t it... You foolish child!"

The black dragon stirred slightly, but even the smallest movement made its wounds bleed more.

"Thank you for bringing me out." Kei choked up. "We’re safe now."

He knew he was lying.

The black dragon had lost too much blood. Its wings were torn, its belly deeply slashed, and many patches of scales on its back were gone entirely. Even for a dragon, such wounds would be enough to take its life.

And his black dragon was only a young, inexperienced dragon.

"Little dragon, change back to your small form. Let me heal you."

Kei quickly raised his hand, trying to gather the mana left in his body.

A golden light immediately enveloped the black dragon’s massive form. Streams of light swirled around the black scales, bathing the entire nest in a dazzling glow.

Half a minute later, the light gradually faded.

Before Kei’s eyes remained only the familiar young dragon.

Its small body lay on the ground, its scales covered in blood. The wings that always beat strongly now drooped, trembling as if they had no strength left.

Kei immediately gathered it into his arms.

"It’s okay, I’ll heal you."Just as he was about to cast magic, a small claw gently rested on his arm.

Kei frozen.

The little dragon looked up at him. Its golden eyes were wet, not blinking even once. That gaze was focused and quiet, as if it wanted to memorize Kei’s face one last time.

"Little dragon?"

Kei trembled.

He placed his hand on its chest, where the dragon core lay deep inside its body.

In that instant, Kei’s face turned pale.

The dragon core had shattered.

Not cracked, nor lightly damaged. The most vital source of a dragon’s power had broken into countless fragments, and those fragments were slowly dissolving within the young body.

The body had grown colossal only because the little dragon had crushed its own dragon core to fight off the two monsters and get Kei out.

Kei understood what that meant.

The little dragon was dying.

"No..."

The sound that escaped Kei’s throat was hoarse.

He held its small head tightly, as if squeezing hard enough could stop the life slipping away.

"No... you can’t die."

The mana in Kei’s body surged out wildly, trying to heal the shattered dragon core. But the moment those streams of mana touched the little dragon’s body, they dispersed, unable to reconnect the fragments.

Kei tried again.

And again.

It had no effect at all!

Tears fell uncontrollably onto the little dragon’s face. Kei lowered his head, held it to his chest, and sobbed soundlessly.

For twenty years, it had only had him, and he had only had it by his side as company. Yet in the end, the only thing Kei could do was helplessly watch it die in his arms.

The little dragon gently nuzzled its head against Kei’s chest. Its breathing was so faint it could barely be felt.

Then, slowly, it stopped.

Kei bit his lip hard, his trembling hands holding it, bursting into choked sobs and screaming in despair.

"Little dragon... don’t sleep."

He whispered, his voice breaking.

"Please... don’t leave me alone."