A freefall. Retreat seemed to be the only option left for us considering the odds that both of us make it out alive, so I had to jump down along with Aleiana to get out of their range.

  The gorge might seem deep, but a mere second has passed and we’re close to reaching its bottom. I hold the elven girl in my arms even closer and prepare for a landing. Concentrating all the mana inside me into defence is the only chance we have to survive this.

  Our landing was sort of silent. Just my body hitting the floor and instantly releasing my friend in the impact, letting her roll away and get up pretty soon. Despite my best efforts, I feel very intense pain all over. It is quite surprising that nothing is broken.

  That’s not important right now, though - I immediately look up to see if the dragon hunters intend to chase after us somehow.

  No signs of motion above. Either they believe we haven’t survived the fall or they have already given up on us. ‘Safe, for now,’ I utter silently.

  ‘...Sun? Sun! Can you hear me?!...Sun!’ I hear a familiar voice in the distance, seeing a silhouette of a person approaching me as I lose consciousness.

  I open my eyes. Checking my surroundings I realise I’m in a cave. Most of my body feels numb, except for the intense pain in my head. Very intense pain.

  With a lot of effort, I somehow manage to sit. As soon as I do that, a sudden nausea takes over me and I feel like vomiting. The sounds of me coughing resonate in the small place.

  Towards the exit, a small, crouching figure turns around in my direction, alerted by the sounds.

  ‘Sun, are you awake?’

  Aleiana rushes to me the instant she notices that I’m awake. ‘Does anything hurt? Can I help you somehow?’

  I carefully shake my head, which apparently puts her at ease. She looks down and sits there in complete silence for a few moments.

  ‘I’m… I’m sorry…’ she finally whispers in a crying voice. My response is just a confused look as I notice tears running down her face.

  ‘I haven’t been anything but a hindrance. I was nothing but a hindrance and now you’re hurt because of me… I’m so sorry…’

  Using up what little strength I have in me right now, I raise my hand to wipe the tears off her face.

  ‘You don’t have to apologise for anything. It’s not your fault they’ve been chasing us in the first place. You’re trying your best, nobody can ask for more.’ Despite all the pain, I try smiling at least a little to cheer her up a bit.

  As her sobbing slowly stops, the glow in her emerald eyes is restored.

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  Once she calms down, her fatigue catches up to her and she quickly falls asleep right next to me. I mean, carrying me all the way here must’ve taken a lot of her strength seeing her physique. A well-deserved rest.

  It’s been about two, maybe three hours since Aleiana’s fallen asleep. My body has mostly recovered from the damage caused by that fall. Healing this heavy damage has consumed a large portion of my mana, though, meaning I either need to rest properly or finish this task without using too much magic.

  At this point, both options are next to impossible. Given our situation, there is no way we can both get a solid sleep and if I hold back in a fight against a dragon, I’m dead.

  I reach out my hand to the hilt of the sword on my back. The feeling of holding it is enough to make me feel comfortable.

  ‘I might have to resort to using you, after all.’

  It feels almost as if the blade responds to my voice, flooding my whole body with mana.

  The blade on my back - the Godsword Exarian, never fails to both amaze and frighten me at the same time. No wonder dad was so reluctant to depend on its power. Even when sheathed, the sword is powerful enough to drive me crazy.

  ‘Do you think they will show up again tomorrow?’

  ‘Awake again? They probably will, yes. I’m expecting them to come avenge their fallen comrade.’

  The elven figure gets up and sits close to me. She seems a little restless.

  ‘Sun, why did you want to go on this quest?’ she suddenly changes the tone.

  ‘You don’t really need the money reward, do you? A man of your birth, that is.’

  I’m still very reluctant to tell her everything, but she probably deserves at least that much.

  ‘Have you ever heard of the Shards of Eternity?’

  The Creation of the Nine Worlds was a very exhausting process. The Eternii were only capable of creating three worlds, which we now know as ‘The Old World’. The remaining six - including the Mortal Realm - have come to being thanks to Eternal Crystals, artefacts created to concentrate mana within themselves in order to create new worlds for more species to live in. Unfortunately, after expending most of their powers, the crystals have shattered into countless pieces, scattered all over the six worlds they have created.

  She nods in response: ‘Kretiros has told me they are scattered all over the Nine Worlds and that they hold great power. Why?’

  ‘I’m searching for one of them around here. Seeing that dragons are creatures attracted by magic, something made of such high-quality mana should practically function as a magnet. Before his demise, dad has been searching for them for quite some time, saying that their power might be needed in the ongoing conflict for our survival.

  I’ve continued the search ever since I’ve left home. So far, there are two shards currently in my possession, and I have high hopes this dragon might know the location of a third one.’

  ‘Isn’t it dangerous carrying something this powerful around the world? What if someone robs you?’

  I can’t help but chuckle: ‘The thing I’m carrying on my back is far worse than one or two shards.’ As I say that, I can feel a pleasant aura from the godsword. Prideful as always, huh.

  ‘So, tomorrow you’re going to slay the dragon to obtain the shard from it?’

  ‘Not exactly. My plan is to ask them whether they know of the shard’s location. Violence is my plan B.’

  A moment of silence follows. We both just sit there and watch the night sky without saying a word.

  ‘There. It’s the Dawnstar!’ Aleiana suddenly says as her eyes shine.

  I remember hearing a story about it from my mother, back when I was a kid. She said that the Dawnstar is only visible to the elven people and that they only see one when something good is about to happen to them. I have no idea whether it’s based on legends or if there is a good reason for it, but just seeing this elven ranger so happy makes me glad this myth exists. She is indeed a little too pretty to live a life as an adventurer.

  I have to protect this delicate flower that Aleiana is. Tomorrow, I won’t be playing games anymore. It’s time to go all-out.