“It—spit it out, be a good boy—it doesn’t taste good, right?”
Byul wrapped Seong Hyunjae in both hands and turned her head, humming. What was that? Could it possibly taste good? Byul was a monster who ate mana stones, so Seong Hyunjae—now made almost entirely of mana—might seem delicious. Still, no! Byul!
“Here—ice cream! Let’s have ice cream!”
Gyeol, panicked, offered the tub of ice cream. Yuhyun and Yerim stayed calm.
“He can’t swallow it, so don’t worry.”
“Byul’s hands are so fast—maybe once he’s bored he’ll spit him out.”
Peace cocked his head, as if to wonder what the fuss was. It probably wouldn’t hurt him to keep Seong Hyunjae in his mouth ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) for a bit, but still—you can’t just put anything into your mouth! Seeing the ice cream, Byul blinked her blue eyes.
“Oppa says to eat ice cream together. It looks yummy, right?”
“Yeah, it is. Pretty color too, huh? Wanna try?”
Finally, Byul spit Seong Hyunjae from her mouth. But she held him tightly, opening her mouth at Gyeol. Gyeol hurriedly scooped ice cream into Byul’s mouth.
“Tasty.”
Byul swallowed the ice cream—though it wasn’t even cold—and opened her mouth again. In Byul’s hand, Seong Hyunjae wore a slightly dazed expression. After countless lifetis, this was surely a first for him.
“We need to give the kids sothing else—like a cushion at least—”
“I have the perfect plush from the gacha—it’s exactly Mister Sesung’s size!”
Yerim teleported to her room and returned with a small teddy bear. She pressed it gently into Byul’s distracted hands, soothing her.
“See? This is so much better. Soft and fluffy.”
Byul instinctively reached out and grabbed the bear, and Gyeol seized the mont to retrieve Seong Hyunjae. His hair was wet—how adorable. I wiped him off with a handkerchief and headed to the bathroom.
“Even if he got caught, couldn’t he just return to the orb?”
“If he hadn’t bound himself to another’s mana, yes. But your daughter is very possessive.”
“Possessive?”
“She instinctively used her mana to keep him from escaping.”
Byul did have a bit of an obsession with anything edible. Though low-rank, the mana stones mixed into her dragon blood were SSS-level; her mana control was likely quite high.
“Close your eyes.”
I quickly rinsed Seong Hyunjae’s head. I thought maybe if he returned to orb-form and reerged he’d be clean, but—he was my child and had misbehaved.
Returning to the living room, Byul was nestled against Gyeol’s back. The two sat on the floor, leaning against him, fiddling with the teddy bear as they finished the ice cream. So cute. Yerim was busy taking photos.
“Don’t post pics of the little ones on social dia yet.”
“Don’t worry~ I’ll send them to Mister too.”
Though the TV still buzzed with chaotic London coverage, our living room felt peacefully detached from the world—almost enough to forget the tidal wave of events.
“Dad, look—just because it looks easy to put in your mouth doesn’t an it’s for eating. Seong Hyunjae is a living person.”
I held Seong Hyunjae before Byul. He smiled and waved one hand lightly.
“Hello, youngest miss.”
“Hello—”
Byul imitated the wave and greeting.
“A most morable first eting. Henceforth I shall carry a substitute for my head. Since our tastes seem similar, you will be most satisfied—”
“That’s enough. Don’t feed her sweets without asking.”
“I’ll take good care of her.”
Gyeol glared at Seong Hyunjae. Now I should summon Seol-yi. Or should I give him a na first—?
“I’ll put that off for now.”
The world went black for a mont, then brightened. A boy resembling Yuhyun, with red pupils in black eyes, looked at .
“Leave your sister here. I will remain with you for now.”
“What? You’re leaving Byul behind?”
Seol-yi nodded.
“I cannot feel all the world outside, but I understand sothing. Father is working to make this world a good place for my sister to live.”
“Not just for Byul’s sake. And you’re not—”
“I was alone.”
Seol-yi’s voice was mixed with echoes of the Black Dragon’s mories. From the mont the dragon first opened its eyes, it was alone—scaled armor and burning fire. It needed no others. All the world was dragon food, lting in its flas.
No kin existed. It consud all who approached, growing ever larger. Its scales were unscarred, its fire devastating. No need for interaction. Simplicity in its centuries of life. No reason to consider anything other than itself.
At last it drank molten rivers ford by mountain and world alike. A life closer to nature than to creatures ca to an end. The blade that split the flawless scales brought anger, despair, and fear.
Those clumsy, unfamiliar emotions took root in the Black Blade. Except for the instant it t the dragon slayer, its world was always solitary.
“There was not one—the mirror itself did not change. But no longer.”
Humans do not change in isolation. Unchanging ans neither growth nor decline. I t the gaze of the Black Dragon before .
The perfect Black Dragon I saw in the spirit world had lived far longer than Seol-yi, newly born of shard and cycle. Yet to Seol-yi seed more mature—a dragon with kin, a dragon with a sibling.
“So I will stay by Father’s side. I still have so of my old strength. But once I receive a na, I will be reborn as a young dragon and most of that power will vanish. At best A-rank, maybe S-rank—yet faint compared to my forr might.”
I thought the Black Dragon I saw would be at least L-rank.
“I cannot match Transcendents. But when you need , give a na.”
A single use of L-rank power. Yet—
“You may stay with Byul. You too are a child.”
If simple strength were all that mattered, I had many ans—even endless ans.
“I do not speak for Father or the world. I speak for my sister, whom I will protect.”
His eyes said I could not argue. How could I?
“This may be dangerous.”
“I know. Only once. And then—”
Seol-yi’s face glowed with a light of childish hope, shyness, excitent—
“I will live again.”
Not as the mixed past of Black Dragon, but as the young Han Seol. Three children stood before .
“All right, then—.”
“I can step out briefly. Father has already chosen my na. But do not ever speak it.”
“Understood. Let us greet them.”
Seol-yi nodded.
“There is soone essential to et.”
...No need to say precisely who. Surely he will not fight?
“Hyung?”
I blinked, and saw Yuhyun’s face.
“...Huh? Why?”
“You stood blankly for about a minute.”
Concerned, he asked if I was okay. I nodded—fine.
“It’s about the other one. You were fetching him just now.”
“Well. Black Dragon.”
At my summons, my back ward as unfamiliar mana spiraled out of .
“Whoa! He really looks like Han Yuhyun!”
Yerim exclaid at the boy who appeared. Byul sprang up, dropping the teddy bear.
“Hyung!”
Seol-yi caught Byul and held her, then coldly regarded Gyeol. Gyeol rose too and t that gaze with a smile.
“These two are our new family. Now.”
Seol-yi knelt before Byul, eting her eyes.
“Your na is Byul. Han Byul.”
“Byul.”
“Yes. A twinkling, beautiful star.”
My palm ward...then chilled as the naming finished. Byul’s eyes widened.
“Oh!”
“And this is Byul’s ho.”
“Uh—no! I fell from Dad!”
“You did not fall. We are still family, and you have truly beco Byul.”
Now you are born. But Byul’s face fell. She whimpered.
“...I’d rather stay with Dad.”
I hugged the sobbing Byul. Gyeol wanted a na, but Byul’s reaction was quite different. What to do? And soon I would depart. Perhaps I should have sent Seol-yi ho.
“Well, Byul. So then...”
“Recomnd Soyeong.”
Seong Hyunjae spoke abruptly.
“You will need soone. Soyeong would be glad too.”
We definitely needed soone to care for the children. The breeding grounds staff were here, and Haeyeon people and building caretakers—but—
‘If it’s Soyeong, she will give her best.’
Gyeol and Byul were dragons, and Seol-yi as well. I wondered if Soyeong would be happy.
“Might she be busy? England is her ho, after all.”
“All her family safely ca to Korea, and now her important matters are elsewhere. It’s still a ti for her to spend with the children.”
True. Battlefield dragon knights and disaster relief were wholly different fields. Besides Soyeong, the breeding grounds had permanent staff, so no major issue.
“I will care for Gyeol and the others well.”
Gyeol said not to worry. Seol-yi turned to Gyeol.
“How well?”
“Hmm?”
“Could you put your life on the line?”
Byul—! Gyeol blinked in surprise, but nodded solemnly.
“No matter what.”
Should I stop this? But they wished to protect their siblings. If it were another adult, I would forbid it—yet... though even for a sibling life is precious. Our eyes clashed fiercely. This was the children’s matter.
“I do not know you well. But for now, you are kin.”
“We are family.”
“I may not consider you a sibling—”
“Oh?”
“But you are not my hyung either.”
“Understood. I won’t insist on being your hyung. But Gyeol is the eldest.”
Seol-yi looked at then at Gyeol.
“For Father, the first is you. I accept that.”
“Yes. Da—Dad’s firstborn is .”
Gyeol nodded, and Seol-yi gave a small nod. They seed to have reached an accord. A little rocky, but acceptable. We had all the ti ahead.
“All right, then!”
I reveled in the diverse gazes upon —varied heights, varied colors, varied hopes.
“Tonight, let’s all sleep together in the living room. Move the table. How about that?”
“Sounds great!”
Yerim shouted first, volunteering to fetch blankets. Gyeol agreed. Yuhyun was fine anywhere with , and Byul refused to be separated.
“Hyung, what about a na for him? Will he stay independent?”
As we cleared the table, Yuhyun asked. Yerim also watched curiously.
“Ah, the second one will stay with for now.”
“Continuously?”
“No—just for a while. He said if he receives a na, most of his old strength vanishes. He wants to help.”
Seeing Seol-yi staring at Byul as she fetched pillows, I grew worried. I had to send Seol-yi ho soon too.
The spacious living room was filled with blankets and futons. I brought Ppiyak’s basket bed for Seong Hyunjae. Lights went out, and contented breathing sounds filled the room. I soon drifted into sleep.
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