59 years before the Sinseki Era, the first year of the Hero's journey—
A hundred kilometers from the Voll Basin, high above the skies;
A massive shadow drifted slowly amidst the sweeping clouds.
Wings vast as mountain ridges stretched outward—
It was an almost fully-grown Aureole Dragon, adjusting its flight path under someone's direction.
Boom—
The wing membranes pulsed, stirring layers of cloud waves.
Below, the land transitioned from rolling hills into a flat basin.
From this bird's-eye view, the Voll Basin seemed within arm's reach.
Fwoosh—
A gentle breeze flowed over the Aureole Dragon's back...
Bringing the crisp scent of a distant forest to the castle perched at its center.
Another tranquil day passed slowly in this castle floating among the clouds.
And here resided—
Agusheed, who was now taking a stroll through the garden built by Flamme herself.
Bathed in morning light, he walked along the stone path mischievously laid by Frieren years ago.
As for his mood... it was neither good nor bad.
He removed his glasses, wiped off the morning dew—
Then placed that age-worn object of a millennium back on, gazing into the horizon.
"Mm... not far now from the Voll Basin."
Recalling the dream from the night before, Agusheed let a faint smile emerge.
"A rare detour. Let's go see that little cabin again."
So thinking, he gently rubbed the silver ring on his ring finger.
For a moment, the skies felt clearer.
Until a voice rang out behind him—
"Hey. Where do you think you're going?"
The shrill voice of Aura, a fellow greater demon, questioned from behind.
Crack—
Her words were met with a sudden Severance Magic slash.
The invisible arc sliced by the neck of Aura, the Decapitator of the Seven Sundered Sages—
A few strands of hair fell alongside a faint trace of blood, shimmering in the morning light.
"I said, you're grounded."
"And on the Aureole Dragon, don't ever show yourself in front of me."
Agusheed's flat voice rang cold in Aura's ears.
She reached up with a delicate hand, feeling the magical sting left on her neck.
A fleeting hint of fear passed through her emerald eyes, quickly replaced by stubbornness.
Aura gritted her teeth and took a step forward, her skirt brushing over the gravel with a light rustle.
"But if I can be here... doesn't that mean you never really meant what you said?"
Suppressing her fear, she lifted her chin with feigned boldness.
"After all, you are my master now—"
"My life, my death—aren't they yours to command?"
Agusheed turned slowly, his glasses reflecting light that masked his eyes.
Making him even more unreadable to Aura, this ancient kind she had never heard of.
"You think you're clever?"
He scoffed, his voice heavy with the exhaustion and contempt of a millennium.
"That spell didn't work not because you're smart—but because I simply don't care enough about you."
Aura winced.
Not caring—
To a greater demon who thrived on domination, it was a more brutal wound than any insult.
Her fists clenched tightly, white-knuckled.
"If you don't care…"
She forced herself to keep speaking, though her voice trembled.
"Then why not set me free—as one of your kind—"
Before she could finish, a tidal wave of mana surged from Agusheed—
A colossal force that crushed down like a landslide.
Aura's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the stony path.
Sharp pebbles dug into her soft skin.
Blood slowly seeped, soaking her dark dress.
"Set you free?"
Agusheed never once looked at her from eye level.
He gazed down at her coldly from above.
"That's not even a funny joke."
Each step he took toward her seemed to weigh on her chest like stone.
When he finally stopped before the kneeling Sage of Severance, his shadow completely swallowed her small frame.
"To dare say you would defile the corpse of my dead wife—"
Agusheed grabbed her chin roughly, his voice low and dangerous.
"If not for Schlacht begging for your life—saying you might be useful to him in the future—do you think you'd still be alive?"
Thinking back to that day half a month ago, Aura felt dizzy.
Given another chance—
She would never have sought out the tomb of that human Archmage to break through the Grausam stronghold.
Damn it… That information came from Todd and Qual.
Why didn't they ever tell me there was a greater demon over a thousand years old protecting it?
"You're going too far—"
Aura forced herself to lift her head, her voice trembling with fear.
"We're the same kind—"
"You think I've gone too far?"
Agusheed cut her off coldly, glancing at her once.
That icy stare was enough to freeze the blood in Aura's veins.
"If that's what you think—then end yourself, Aura—"
"I was wrong!!"
Aura shrieked.
Before the command fully left his lips, she flung herself onto the ground.
Her forehead struck the gravel hard.
Blood trickled down her flawless face, mixing with the red at her knees.
"Please forgive my rudeness, my lord!"
The humiliation tore through her pride like a viper's fangs.
As one of the Seven Sundered Sages, handpicked by the Demon King himself—
She had never bowed this low to anyone.
Not even the Demon King required this level of submission—
But now, survival trumped all pride.
"Heh—"
Agusheed sneered as he gazed at the trembling Aura.
He had seen countless kin crumble like this in the face of death over the past thousand years.
"Get back to your cell."
Agusheed said coldly before turning away to look back at the sea of clouds.
Aura fled in desperation.
She didn't dare use magic to heal her wounds.
Blood dripped freely as she scurried along the gravel path.
With a flick of his hand, Agusheed used a cleaning spell to wipe away the bloodstains.
He walked forward a few steps more, then tilted his head and smiled slightly to himself.
"Nice weather today, don't you think?"
He spoke to the air beside him, as if chatting with someone unseen.
"Let's go see that cabin we built together back in the day. It should still be intact."
No one answered.
Of course, Agusheed knew that.
So he simply murmured to himself.
The castle began to shift gently among the clouds.
The Aureole Dragon turned toward the edge of the Voll Basin, flying toward an ancient forest.
That forest held one of the few beautiful memories buried deep in Agusheed's soul—
It was where he had first met Flamme.
And naturally, it was also—
The very place where he and his departed wife once lived.