The scene opened up with a cave deep in the forest, where an unconscious Xavier lay beside Alcmena and a still-unconscious Anastasia. Excalibur rested gently nearby, its blade catching the dim firelight.
It had been nearly an hour since their brutal encounter with the King of Darkness, Julius. They had barely survived—only thanks to Alcmena, who had shielded them with everything he had.
The night wind whispered through the cave, brushing past the flickering campfire lit by Alcmena's dragon breath. Slowly, Xavier stirred. His eyelids fluttered open, his vision hazy.
"Where... am I?" he muttered, gripping his aching head. "What happened...?"
Alcmena, who had wrapped Xavier in the curve of his massive form, stirred. His voice was calm but weary. "Ah, you're finally awake. I was beginning to think you wouldn't come to."
Xavier blinked, eyes darting around. "Where are we, Master?"
"In a cave," Alcmena replied simply.
"A cave...?"
"Yes. We managed to survive Emperor Julius' attack—barely. I used everything I had to keep us alive. We crash-landed miles from the battlefield. And I was lucky enough to find the same cave where I had safely left Lady Anastasia nearby. I mustered every ounce of strength I had left to carry you here."
"Anastasia... she's here too?" Xavier asked, his voice lifting in surprise.
Alcmena nodded and shifted slightly to reveal Anastasia's small form resting peacefully near the fire. She was curled beneath her cloak, her head against Alcmena's warm body.
"She's right here. I did what I could to heal her. The blade pierced deep—through muscle and into her spine. If it had gone any further, she might've lost the use of her legs."
The memory hit Xavier like a dagger. He could still see it—Haruki's men driving the sword through her back. He reached out instinctively, his hand brushing her cheek and tangled hair. But pain exploded through his own body, twisting him with a sharp cry.
"Don't move too much!" Alcmena scolded, worry creasing his brow. "Your wounds aren't fully healed. I used up nearly all of my strength just protecting us. There wasn't enough left to numb your pain completely."
Xavier gasped, then looked at Alcmena's battered body. Fresh worry flooded his eyes. "But you're still injured too! Why didn't you heal yourself first?!"
Alcmena sighed. "You and Lady Anastasia were my priority. My wounds are secondary. I've closed them enough to stop the bleeding. That's all that matters."
"But..." Xavier faltered, his voice laced with guilt.
"My body can't handle more ethereal energy, Xavier," Alcmena said softly. "Dragons heal faster than any other race, but even we have limits. Julius' attack overwhelmed my regeneration. To truly recover, I'd need to use ethereal energy to accelerate the process—but if I try, I risk core corruption."
Alcmena's gaze turned distant. "The early signs are already creeping in. And you shouldn't push yourself either. That fight with Haruki left you more exhausted than you realize. You were already running on fumes."
He leaned back against the cave wall. "Let's rest until sunrise. If Lady Anastasia awakens by then, we'll decide what to do next."
Xavier lowered his head—not just from seeing Alcmena like this, but from the mention of Haruki. The moment of Haruki's death surged in his memory—the way Haruki threw him away from Julius' onslaught, taking the blow meant for him.
His fists clenched into the sand beneath him.
"Are you mourning Haruki?" Alcmena asked gently, watching Xavier's expression darken.
"Yes," Xavier whispered. "He... he was finally beginning to let go of his revenge. I thought it was a chance to show him that Anastasia wasn't the same assassin he once knew. That she had changed."
He trembled, voice raw with grief. "But... he died. Right in front of me. I didn't know what to say... or do."
Alcmena listened in silence, eyes softening as he heard the cracks in Xavier's voice—the grief, the guilt, the weight of it all.
When Xavier finally stopped, Alcmena spoke, quiet and firm. "You feel responsible for his death, don't you?"
Xavier didn't answer. He didn't need to.
"Julius killed him, not you. I don't know what to really tell you, but remember—he still tried to kill you. He ambushed Lady Anastasia too. She could've died if we hadn't arrived when we did."
Alcmena's tone was gentle, but layered with weight.
"I understand the emotional burden you're carrying. I read through your memories while I slept beside you. But don't let that pain cloud your judgment about the things Haruki did."
He paused, then added, "I'm not saying you shouldn't mourn him, or feel regret—"
"But it feels like that's what you're saying," Xavier cut in, his voice low.
Alcmena sighed once more, this time heavier. His tone firmed. "Look, Xavier. I'm not as sympathetic as you, or most humans. I may understand pain and sorrow. I might even share in those moments. But I'm still a dragon."
He glanced toward the fire. "It's hard to think or feel like a human being when I've never been one."
"I do feel sympathy for Haruki and his trauma. Maybe even pity. But I can't ignore that he still tried to take from me the things I hold most dear."
His eyes met Xavier's, unwavering. "No amount of pity can make me forgive someone who tried to harm you and Lady Anastasia."
"I'm grateful he saved your life... but the two of you? You're my world. Everything else outside that... it doesn't matter much to me."
"Your safety is my purpose—above my pride, my power, even my life. I hope you can understand that."
Xavier said nothing. His head remained bowed, caught between the grief of loss and the warmth of Alcmena's care.
Alcmena leaned in, gently drawing Xavier's forehead to touch his. "Your empathy, even toward those who've wronged you... it's what makes you special. It's why you're the Chosen One."
He softened his voice. "I know I can be cold sometimes. And... I wish I could be more like you. Maybe then, you'd see me as more than a master."
He paused, the silence stretching like breath between them.
"All I ask is this: don't carry more weight than you already bear. You haven't even begun to heal from your own pain. Let go of that first, before you try to carry everyone else's."
Xavier slowly nodded. He understood—even if the grief hadn't left him. He couldn't forget Haruki's death, or how he risked everything to save him. But he understood.
Then, noticing Anastasia's small frame tremble from the cold—despite the nearby fire—Xavier said softly, "We should leave before sunrise, Master."
"What?" Alcmena blinked. "You do realize that the walking embodiment of evil and carnage is still out there, right?"
"I do," Xavier replied. "But... human bodies aren't made to survive in the cold like this anymore."
Alcmena grumbled under his breath, "You will be, eventually."
"What was that?" Xavier asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Nothing," Alcmena deflected. "Where do you plan on going, then?"
"Where else?" Xavier answered, raising a brow. "The Lantern Society. We head back to London."
Alcmena's expression tensed. A bead of sweat slid down his brow. "About that..."
—
The scene cut sharply to Xavier and the unconscious Anastasia riding on Alcmena's back, soaring through thinning clouds. The sky was a hazy indigo—sunrise near.
Below them lay London... or what remained of it.
A large portion of the city was utterly devastated. Flames devoured once-proud buildings. Grand stone bridges had collapsed. The elegant skyline was fractured.
Yet it wasn't total ruin. Some parts of the city stood intact—but smoke curled through windows and alleys, as if the fire were hunting every remaining breath.
The once-lively heart of civilization now burned like a dying star on the horizon.
"What's going on here?" Xavier asked, his voice shaking as his gaze swept over the devastation below. His cosmic-blue eyes reflected the rising flames and drifting ash, wide with horror and disbelief.
"I don't know," Alcmena answered grimly. "All I know is that when you told me to get Lady Anastasia to safety before your fight against Haruki... I did. But on my way, I saw something. A beam of light—so blinding it looked like heaven itself was tearing open."
He paused, his expression darkening. "When I got closer... the city was already in ruin. I tried to push deeper into the wreckage, but then the sky split open. Something enormous—like a massive ship—burst through. It hovered, drifting through the clouds like the sea itself."
Xavier's chest tightened. "But who could've done this?"
"I'm not sure," Alcmena said, eyes narrowing. "But before I took Lady Anastasia to safety to heal... I noticed the attack's center point was right where the Lantern Society's hideout is hidden."
He hesitated, jaw clenching. "I don't know for certain who launched this, but after what Julius said... about a dead god being brought back by that bastard..."
Alcmena growled under his breath. "It always comes back to Percival."
Despite his dread, Xavier slowly nodded. "I... I think this was an attack targeting the Lantern Society."
Alcmena blinked. "What makes you say that?"
Xavier clenched his fists, recalling Adam's words. "You said the strike happened near their base. And Sir Adam once told me: 'The Lantern Society is a world hidden beneath the one above, built to expose the darkness lurking in the shadows.'"
He paused. "They've been investigating victims of the Superior Project... which Percival started."
Alcmena's eyes widened with realization. "You think Percival organized this—just to wipe them out before they could reveal the truth?"
"Yes."
"That... wouldn't be far-fetched," Alcmena admitted, a grim edge to his voice.
Xavier looked out over the burning ruins. "I'm worried about them. About my friends. But right now, we need to get Miss Anastasia somewhere safe. Her wounds still need time to heal."
"Understood," Alcmena replied, and with a fierce flap of his wings, tore through the clouds at blistering speed.
But beneath the dragon's stone-like calm, Alcmena's thoughts were in chaos.
How? How did Percival even know about sorcery—let alone how to use it?
He thought back to his studies after awakening from his long slumber, when he had emerged from the Dragon egg. Sorcery had been banned—erased from human history—right after the era of the Great Heroes. It was ancient, dangerous... and supposedly long buried.
More than that, sorcery required intense and profound knowledge of the Runes of Eldoria—something mortals struggle to fully understand.
But that wasn't what chilled Alcmena to his core.
It was that Percival... knew the Forbidden Dark Rune Spells.
How?!
Those spells were supposed to be gone forever! When the Dark Sorcerer was slain, his spells were scattered and burned throughout all the realms. A power that dangerous could not be allowed to exist—not without balance. Not without consequence.
His heart pounded as he glanced back at Xavier, who clung silently to his back.
Fear didn't grip him for himself—but for Xavier.
Oh, Xavier... he thought. I knew your path wouldn't be easy. No hero's ever is. But this...
This level of hopelessness...
Alcmena's jaw tightened.
He should have known. The moment Excalibur chose a new master, the future began to shift—darkness swelling like a tide.
Not just over humanity.
Over all Four Great Races.
"Just why..." he murmured to himself, sweat trailing down his temples. His face was tense with sorrow, fear, and something deeper.
"Just why did He show me those visions?"
His voice cracked in the wind.
"Just why..."
"I don't understand why..."