-----
I watched Svartalf walk away, finally leaving Hel and me alone.
"Sorry about that. The whole family's always been like this with me," I sighed. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright... still mourning my children," Hel sighed softly. "The dragons that died... It'll take time to get over it. I knew them all, their names, everything..."
"I... I see..." I muttered, my voice heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
I gently took her large yet delicate hands, covered in fine, smooth black scales.
"Eh? It's not your fault..."
"It is. I failed you. I couldn't fight properly back then. Everything fell apart because I wasn't ready, despite all our training."
"No... Drake, please don't blame yourself. You did everything you could. You saved our world. There's nothing more I could have asked for. What happened... they were casualties of war. As heartbreaking as it is, it was inevitable."
"Still... I'll try to do something for them, maybe find their soul fragments or—"
