One month after the wyvern's fall and the arrival of Itsuki's four new warriors, Everwood had transformed yet again.
At night, Newly built street lamps powered by Itsuki's crafted electricity bathed the stone-paved streets in warm light. Children laughed and played beneath them while merchants set up late-night stalls.
Waterwheels churned at the river's edge, powering mills and generating steady energy. Workshops glowed with light long into the night as blacksmiths forged rifles, armor, and tools.
Itsuki walked through the bustling marketplace, hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his face. Bread baked in brick ovens, cured meats hung in stalls, and colorful fabrics from the Beastkin Kingdom fluttered in the wind.
Beside him, Mira adjusted her glasses, muttering, "Even the Imperial Capital doesn't have half this infrastructure. You've built a miracle in months, Itsuki."
Seraphina, walking in full armor, nodded. "Discipline, order, strength. This village is no mere village anymore it rivals the heart of kingdoms."
The villagers no longer looked downtrodden. Their eyes burned with pride. Everwood was no longer just a home it was a beacon.
But far beyond the forest, that beacon shook the balance of power.
In the marble halls of the Valerian Empire, nobles slammed fists against tables.
"A backwater village dares surpass the Empire's cities? Impossible!"
"Then how do you explain the wyvern corpse dragged through their gates? How do you explain their rifles, their street lamps?"
The Emperor himself sat in silence, troubled. If rumors were true, Everwood's leader might soon rival kings.
Meanwhile, in the Beastkin Kingdom, Lunaria's father listened carefully as she reported.
"A man who builds a city in months, who adapts to every battle, who unites humans, elves, and beastkin… Father, I believe he may be the one destined to change the world."
The king frowned, but deep in his heart, a seed of hope was planted.
Even mercenary guilds, bandit lords, and foreign adventurers whispered Itsuki's name. Everwood was becoming more than a village it was becoming a threat, a legend,
The Sky Darkens
That evening, as Itsuki gathered with his closest companions in the great hall, the air suddenly trembled. A shadow fell over Everwood, so vast it blotted out the moonlight.
Villagers screamed, pointing upward. Two colossal forms descended from the clouds, their wings beating storms into the air.
"D-Dragons!" a guard shouted, trembling.
The first landed with a crash that shook the eartha massive dragon with scales like polished obsidian, eyes burning with golden fire. His presence alone made knees buckle.
Beside him descended a smaller, elegant dragon, her scales shimmering silver-blue. Unlike her king, she radiated calm dignity.
The great dragon lowered his head, his voice a rumble that echoed across the village:
"I am Drakensoul, King of Dragons. This is my attendant, Selvira. We come not to wage war but to seek alliance."
Gasps rippled through the villagers.
Drakensoul's attendant stepped forward, presenting gifts:
A sword forged in dragonfire, its blade gleaming with runes.
Gems infused with ancient mana, glowing like captured stars.
A scale from the king himself, said to protect its bearer from any flame.
Drakensoul's eyes locked onto Itsuki.
"Word of your deeds has reached even the Dragon Nation. You slew a wyvern, united scattered peoples, and built a city that rivals empires. We cannot ignore you. We will stand beside you if you will stand beside us."
Itsuki clenched his fist, his heart pounding. The path he had chosen was no longer just survival. It was becoming destiny.
He raised his eyes to meet the dragon's gaze.
"Everwood accepts. From today, we stand together."
The villagers roared in triumph. The night sky burned with dragonfire as Everwood entered a new era an alliance not just of humans, elves, and beastkin, but of dragons themselves.
The world trembled,
the rise of Everwood had only just begun.